CHS-CY1 Requirements 2026: Eligibility, Prerequisites & How to Qualify

The Short Answer on Requirements

If you are searching for the formal gatekeeping rules for the CodeHS Cybersecurity Level 1 certification (CHS-CY1), here is the good news: there are none to clear. CodeHS publishes that the exam has no prerequisites. You do not need to have completed another certification, hold a particular degree, or document work experience before you are allowed to attempt it.

That said, "no prerequisites" is not the same as "no preparation needed." The exam is a timed, 45-question multiple-choice test covering six distinct content areas, and candidates who walk in cold tend to discover how broad the material is. This guide separates what is required (very little) from what is realistically necessary to pass (a working command of six domains).

If you want a broader introduction to the credential itself first, see What Is CHS-CY1 Certification? and What Does CHS-CY1 Stand For?.

What "No Prerequisites" Really Means

CodeHS's own certification page states that there are no prerequisites for Cybersecurity Level 1. In practice that translates into a few concrete points:

• No prior credential is required. You do not have to pass an earlier CodeHS exam to unlock this one.
• No mandatory course completion is listed. CodeHS recommends its Fundamentals of Cybersecurity course for preparation, but recommending is not requiring.
• No experience gate is published. The sources we rely on do not list work history or a minimum education level as a condition of sitting the exam.

Because the credential is scoped to Level 1 only, do not assume that Level 2 topics will appear. Likewise, do not pad your preparation with Level 2 material at the expense of Level 1 fundamentals. The exam you are qualifying for is defined by six topic headings, covered in detail below.

Practical Readiness: What You Should Know Before You Sit

Since there is no formal prerequisite, the real "requirement" is readiness. Here is a candid look at the skills the exam implicitly assumes.

Comfort with basic computing vocabulary

Questions across the IT Concepts and IT Infrastructure domains assume you already speak the language of computers and networks: what an operating system does, what a router does, what a packet is, how a browser talks to a server. If these terms feel unfamiliar, build that vocabulary before drilling practice questions.

Willingness to work with small technical examples

Cryptography topics such as the Caesar cipher and Vigenere cipher are easiest to master by actually encrypting and decrypting short strings by hand. SQL topics reward you for reading a simple query and predicting what it returns. You do not need to be a programmer, but you should be comfortable reading short, structured snippets.

An ethical and legal mindset

The Cybersecurity Essentials domain includes Cyber Ethics, Credit and Copyright, and Legal vs. Illegal Hacking. These are judgment-style topics: you will be asked to recognize which behaviors are acceptable and which cross a line. Candidates who read the material as pure trivia often miss the reasoning the questions test.

For a candid look at how demanding the exam feels once you meet those expectations, read How Hard Is the CHS-CY1 Exam?.

Exam Format and Rules You Must Meet

The conditions of the exam itself are the closest thing to hard requirements. Here is the confirmed format:

Doing the arithmetic on the passing score: 60% of 45 questions works out to 27 correct answers. That figure is a straightforward calculation from the published threshold, and it gives you a concrete target. For a closer look at what the cutoff means for your strategy, see CHS-CY1 Passing Score 2026.

CodeHS does not publish percentage weights for the six content areas, so you cannot reliably bank on one domain counting for more than another. The safe assumption is that all six deserve real attention.

Vouchers and Retake Mechanics

The most important administrative requirement is the voucher. CodeHS requires a new voucher for each exam attempt. That single rule shapes how you should approach scheduling:

• Your first attempt should be a real attempt, not a trial run to "see what it's like."
• If a first attempt does not result in a pass, a retake means obtaining another voucher rather than simply clicking a button again.
• Because each attempt carries this cost in effort and logistics, it pays to complete at least one full timed practice run before you redeem a voucher.

Scheduling specifics, including any windows or deadlines your program imposes, are covered in CHS-CY1 Exam Dates 2026.

Content You Must Master, Domain by Domain

The real qualification, the one that decides whether you pass, is command of the six topic areas. Here is each one with the specific topics CodeHS lists. For a deeper breakdown, the complete guide to all 6 content areas goes further.

A Domain-Ordered Preparation Plan

Once you know the requirements are light but the content is broad, the question becomes sequencing. This is the one place where a schedule helps, and the ordering below follows how the domains build on each other rather than a generic template. For a fuller plan, see the CHS-CY1 Study Guide 2026.

Finish by taking timed sets on the CHS-CY1 practice test site, and use the one-page cheat sheet for a last-day refresh.

How Long the Credential Lasts

One more "requirement" worth understanding is what happens after you pass. CodeHS states that certification credentials expire after 10 years. For most candidates, especially students, that is a long runway. It means the credential is not something you must renew annually, but it also means that the underlying material will age over a decade, so treat the certificate as proof of foundational knowledge rather than a permanent guarantee of current expertise.

Who Benefits Most From Qualifying

Because there are no prerequisites, the credential is accessible to a wide range of learners. It tends to suit:

• High school and early college students building a first verifiable cybersecurity credential, especially those working through a CodeHS course.
• Career explorers testing whether cybersecurity is a field they want to pursue before committing to more advanced certifications.
• Educators and learners who want a structured benchmark of foundational knowledge across the six domains.

It is an entry-level credential, so set expectations accordingly. To weigh whether the investment makes sense for your goals, read Is the CHS-CY1 Certification Worth It?, and for how this kind of credential fits into early-career pathways, see CHS-CY1 Jobs and the salary guide.

Frequently Asked Questions