Global Industrial Cyber Security Professional (GICSP) Practice Tests

Validates hands-on knowledge of securing industrial control systems, including architecture, threats and attacks, communications, hardening, governance and recovery.

GICSP is an open-book exam of 82 questions in three hours, weighing industrial safety and availability against security, with CyberLive lab tasks. We compared the main options on exam-engine realism, objective coverage and price.

GIAC's own practice test is the closest rehearsal and the best check of your index. Add cheap third-party sets for full-length multiple-choice volume, and free ones to drill each of GIAC's ten objectives.

Practice test	Best for	Questions	Price
SecurityPracticeTest GICSP free sets	Free objective drills	300	Free
GIAC GICSP practice test	Official exam simulation	82	$399
SecurityPracticeTest GICSP full-length tests	Cheap full-length runs	820	$15

Free objective drills

SecurityPracticeTest GICSP free sets

Fifteen free 20-question sets: five mixed and ten drills named after GIAC's ten GICSP objectives. They are short diagnostics, not a full three-hour exam.

Great fit if you want free drills on one objective at a time, such as protocols or Purdue levels 0 to 3, to find weak areas early.

Poor fit if you want full-length timing or CyberLive-style tasks; use the GIAC practice test.

Official exam simulation

GIAC GICSP practice test

A practice exam in GIAC's own exam engine that simulates the real one, with a report of the objectives to revisit. Candidates say it includes CyberLive-style tasks. The bank is limited, so questions can repeat.

Great fit if you want to rehearse the real engine, timing and open-book lookups, and find the gaps in your index before the real attempt.

Poor fit if you want a big bank to drill from; the bank is small and your tests expire with your attempt. Add the cheap full-length sets for volume.

Cheap full-length runs

SecurityPracticeTest GICSP full-length tests

Ten 82-question, three-hour tests with an explanation on every question, spread across GIAC's ten objectives. Single-answer questions only, so CyberLive needs separate practice.

Great fit if you want several cheap full-length runs to practise pacing and book lookups after using GIAC's test.

Poor fit if you want GIAC's own wording and CyberLive-style tasks; use the GIAC practice test.

What to look for in a GICSP practice test

Know the shape of the exam. GICSP is 82 questions in three hours, open book, with CyberLive lab tasks. GIAC lists ten objectives, from endpoint hardening and Purdue levels to protocols, wireless and incident response, but publishes no weights.
Prefer GIAC's test for realism. GIAC's practice test uses the real engine and style, and candidates describe its questions and CyberLive tasks as close to the exam. Two tests come with an attempt added to ICS410; extras cost $399.
Look for industrial judgement, not IT trivia. GICSP mixes IT security with control-system engineering, so questions weigh safety and availability against security. Third-party sets are multiple choice only, so choose ones that explain why the best answer is best.
Expect the course books to be the source. Candidates say GICSP questions follow the ICS410 books closely, so check every miss in your books rather than trusting an outside explanation.
Expect a small official bank. GIAC says the bank is limited and tests can repeat questions.
Skip sites selling "real exam questions." Sites promising actual GICSP questions or a guaranteed pass are selling leaked or copied items. GIAC's exam integrity policy bans any use of exam dump sites and lets GIAC revoke your certifications and bar you from future ones. A real practice test explains why each answer is right; a dump only lists answers.

How to use GICSP practice tests

Build your own index as you study. SANS supplies an index with the course, and candidates are split on whether it is enough. A passer who built their own and refined it after each practice test described the official one as lacking in places.
Take GIAC's first test after one full pass. Use it as a diagnostic. Log each miss and slow lookup, decide whether the gap was knowledge or the index, and read the objective report.
Drill weak objectives between tests. The free objective sets and the cheap full-length tests give extra reps on protocols, architecture or incident response without spending a $399 test.
Do the labs once or twice. Candidates advise redoing the course labs and indexing the workbook, and say GIAC's practice CyberLive tasks prepared them for the real ones.
Sit the second official test late. Take it a few days to a week before the exam with only your printed index and books, and do not take two tests in one day.

GIAC: how to prepare ↗GIAC: open-book rules ↗Carhart: pancake index method ↗Reddit: GICSP practice test and index ↗Reddit: ICS410 and GICSP review ↗

GICSP practice test FAQ

Are there free GICSP practice tests?

GIAC does not offer a free practice test or sample questions for GICSP. SecurityPracticeTest.com has 15 free 20-question sets, including one for each GIAC objective.

How many GICSP practice tests do I get?

Two are included when you add a GICSP attempt to ICS410, and GIAC sells extra tests for $399 each. A retake does not add new ones, and tests expire with your exam deadline.

Are GICSP practice tests like the real exam?

Candidates describe GIAC's tests as very similar to the real exam, including the CyberLive tasks, and say that doing well on them is a good sign. Third-party sets are written to GIAC's objective names but are multiple choice only.

Can I take practice questions into the exam?

No. GIAC allows printed books, notes and your index, but hardcopy material that looks like practice or exam questions is prohibited, and nothing electronic is allowed.