eJPT Certification Guide 2026: Is It Worth It and How to Pass?

The eJPT (eLearnSecurity Junior Penetration Tester), now issued by INE Security, is the most practical entry-level penetration testing certification available. Unlike multiple-choice exams, you actually hack a network to get certified.

Here's everything you need to know about whether it's right for you and how to pass it.

What Is the eJPT?

The eJPT is a 100% practical certification. No multiple-choice questions, no essay answers. You're given access to a virtual network with multiple machines and must compromise them within a time limit to answer specific questions about what you found.

This mirrors what real penetration testers do — making it genuinely valuable as a skill signal.

Issued by: INE Security (formerly eLearnSecurity) Exam duration: 48 hours Format: Practical (hack the network, answer 20 questions) Passing score: 70% Attempts: 2 attempts included with voucher Cost: $200 exam voucher

What the Exam Covers

The eJPT tests three core domains:

1. Penetration Testing Processes and Methodologies (25%)

• Phases of a pentest (reconnaissance, scanning, exploitation, post-exploitation)
• Report structure and professional engagement conduct
• Rules of engagement

2. Host and Network Auditing (25%)

• Identify live hosts and open ports (Nmap)
• Service enumeration and version fingerprinting
• Vulnerability identification
• Identifying misconfigurations and default credentials

3. Host and Network Penetration Testing (50%)

• Web application attacks (XSS, SQLi, file upload)
• Exploitation using Metasploit
• Linux and Windows privilege escalation (basic)
• Pivoting to reach internal hosts through a compromised machine
• Password cracking (hash cracking with John/Hashcat)
• Post-exploitation (gathering credentials, maintaining access)

Study Plan: 3 Months to eJPT

Month 1: Foundations

Goal: Be comfortable in Linux and understand networking basics.

• Week 1–2: Linux fundamentals — file system, permissions, networking commands, bash scripting basics. TryHackMe's Linux Fundamentals rooms (free) are excellent.
• Week 3–4: Networking — TCP/IP, OSI model, how DNS works, subnetting basics. Know what happens when you type a URL.

Resources:

• INE Free Starter Pass — "Networking" and "Linux" sections
• TryHackMe Pre-Security path (free)

Month 2: Core Pentesting Skills

Goal: Be comfortable with the exam tools and attack techniques.

• Week 1: Nmap — master the key scan types, output formats, and NSE scripts
• Week 2: Metasploit — msfconsole, search, use, set, run, sessions, Meterpreter basics
• Week 3: Web attacks — manual SQL injection, XSS, file upload bypass, using Burp Suite
• Week 4: Privilege escalation — sudo -l, SUID binaries, cron jobs on Linux; Windows basic token escalation

Resources:

• INE Free Starter Pass — Penetration Testing Student (PTS) course
• TryHackMe: "Metasploit" room, "OWASP Top 10" room

Month 3: Practice and Pivoting

Goal: Simulate the exam environment.

• Week 1–2: Pivoting — how to use Metasploit's route command, socks proxy, accessing machines through a pivot
• Week 3: HackTheBox Starting Point Tier 0 and Tier 1 — get comfortable with full machine compromise flow
• Week 4: INE's practice labs — dedicated eJPT labs in the Starter Pass replicate the exam format

Key Skills for the Exam

Pivoting (Often Catches Candidates Off Guard)

The eJPT network has multiple subnets. After compromising the first machine, you pivot to reach machines only accessible from inside:

# In Metasploit, after getting a session:
run autoroute -s 172.16.0.0/24  # Route traffic through the pivot
use auxiliary/server/socks_proxy  # Set up a SOCKS proxy
# Then configure ProxyChains to route your tools through it

Web Exploitation

The exam includes a web application. Know:

• Manual SQL injection: ' OR '1'='1
• Login bypass SQLi: admin'--
• File upload bypass: try changing the extension, MIME type spoofing
• Basic XSS: <script>alert(1)</script> in input fields

Password Cracking

# John the Ripper
john --wordlist=/usr/share/wordlists/rockyou.txt hashes.txt

# Hashcat (faster with GPU)
hashcat -m 0 hashes.txt /usr/share/wordlists/rockyou.txt

Exam Day Tips

1. Map the network first — run Nmap against all discovered subnets before touching anything
2. Take notes in real time — document every IP, port, credential, and finding
3. Read every question before hacking — knowing what you need to find guides where to look
4. Don't rush exploitation — enumeration always comes first
5. Use Metasploit freely — unlike OSCP, Metasploit is fully allowed on eJPT

eJPT vs Other Certifications

Cert	Level	Format	Cost	Employer Recognition
CompTIA Security+	Entry	Multiple choice	~$400	Very high
CEH	Intermediate	MCQ + practical	~$1,000	High
eJPT	Entry	Practical only	$200	Growing
OSCP	Advanced	Practical only	~$1,500	Very high

Best career path: eJPT → CEH → OSCP if your goal is penetration testing.

The eJPT is a solid first step. It's affordable, practical, and proves you can actually hack — not just answer questions about it. For the broader cybersecurity theory needed alongside it, our free Pentevo Academy covers 107 CEH-aligned lessons at no cost.