GitHub GitHub-Advanced-Security Exam Questions 2025

A Closer Look at GitHub’s Security Certification

The GitHub Advanced Security certification is more than just another security credential. It sits at the intersection of secure coding, DevOps practices, and continuous integration workflows. With GitHub becoming a central hub for development teams globally, the need for professionals who understand both code quality and threat detection is growing fast. This certification focuses on those using GitHub in production environments and gives them a framework to secure their pipelines without breaking builds.

As teams adopt GitHub’s security features directly into their CI/CD processes, this cert gives them the language, tools, and real-world techniques to do it right. It’s not theory-heavy it’s built around actions you take daily in a GitHub-driven workflow. If your job touches GitHub repos, actions, or pull request policies, this cert likely fits into your upskilling plan.

Why GitHub’s Name on the Certificate Carries Weight

Being developed and issued directly by GitHub itself, the certification doesn’t play around with general ideas. Instead, it focuses tightly on what GitHub offers in terms of advanced security tooling. Whether it’s enforcing commit signature policies, managing secret scanning alerts, or restricting action permissions, the topics are built from GitHub’s actual product features.

The authority of GitHub behind this cert means employers take it seriously. It shows you’ve gone through a GitHub-approved track to understand how their Advanced Security module works. For teams working in GitHub Enterprise environments or handling compliance workflows, this certification shows you’re not just clicking around you know what each switch does and why it matters.

Who Gets the Most Out of This Certification?

This cert isn’t built for beginners. It’s made for developers and engineers who already live inside GitHub. Think DevOps specialists, security engineers, and automation leads who need to keep things fast without leaving gaps in security. Anyone setting up repositories, writing workflows, or maintaining pipelines that include sensitive data is a prime candidate.

Here are a few job roles that align well with this cert:

• DevOps Engineers integrating GitHub Actions across services

• Application Security Analysts doing pre-release checks

• Platform Engineers rolling out new policies across repos

• Cloud Engineers managing repo-level controls and workflows

For these professionals, having a structured understanding of GitHub’s native security tools brings consistency and depth to the way they configure their systems.

It’s Showing Up More Often in Hiring Requirements

In recent months, job listings in security and DevOps circles have started highlighting experience with GitHub Advanced Security as a preferred qualification. That trend will likely continue, especially among organizations building directly on GitHub Enterprise Cloud. Teams using these tools want staff who can manage risk at the repo level, not just at the network or system layer.

Because of that, this cert starts showing up on resumes that stand out especially when applying for cloud-native jobs where pipelines are built around GitHub as the main version control system. For managers doing technical hiring, it’s a signal that the applicant already knows how GitHub security workflows fit into the bigger picture.

What You’ll Actually Learn Through Certification

This cert doesn’t drown you in fluff. The skills you walk away with are things you can apply the same day. You’ll know how to:

• Set up code scanning with CodeQL and create custom queries

• Enable and configure secret detection policies to block unsafe commits

• Use the dependency graph to identify package-level risks

• Configure workflow permissions in GitHub Actions to prevent privilege misuse

• Set up proper branch protection rules for secure collaboration

You’ll also gain practical knowledge of software bill of materials (SBOM) workflows, which are becoming mandatory in compliance-heavy industries like finance and healthcare.

What Makes the Exam a Bit Tougher Than Others

This exam isn’t just checking if you read the docs. It wants to know if you’ve actually used the platform. People who clear the exam consistently mention that it tests practical understanding, not just memorization. That includes knowing where features are located in the GitHub interface and understanding how they behave in real scenarios.

If you haven’t used GitHub Advanced Security before, you’ll have to spend time exploring each tool yourself. That’s part of the exam’s strength it reflects what you’ll do on the job. Familiarity with GitHub’s UI, settings, and workflow integrations is not just helpful it’s necessary.

Jobs Where This Certification Adds Serious Value

The kinds of companies that care about this cert aren’t thinking small. These are mid-sized to large tech orgs, fast-moving startups, and security-first teams in regulated industries. If you’re applying to roles where GitHub is central to their CI/CD pipeline, this certification gives you an edge.

Common job titles include:

• DevSecOps Engineer managing security directly in CI workflows

• GitHub Security Consultant helping orgs configure enterprise-level settings

• AppSec Developer working closely with QA and dev teams

• Pipeline Architect overseeing automation with a security lens

• Cloud Security Analyst integrating cloud environments with GitHub tools

These roles demand familiarity with platform-native security tools, and this cert confirms that you’re not guessing.

Salary Expectations After Getting Certified

The salary boost that comes with this certification depends on your starting point. But professionals with GitHub Advanced Security credentials tend to position themselves in higher-responsibility roles. Below is a breakdown of roles and average pay based on 2025 data:

Professionals already working in automation and security often find that this cert helps them shift into more lead roles or more focused technical paths.

Domains and Tasks the Exam Focuses On

GitHub doesn’t test you on things you’ll never use. The domains covered in the exam align tightly with what’s actually available in GitHub’s Advanced Security module. Here’s what you can expect:

Repo Configuration and Permissions

Enforcing rules on branches, setting up reviewer requirements, limiting merge access.

CodeQL and Static Analysis

Running code scanning workflows, interpreting results, and fine-tuning rules for accuracy.

Secret Scanning and Credential Hygiene

Identifying leaked keys, preventing unsafe pushes, setting up notifications.

Workflow and Action Controls

Reviewing YAML files for misuse, restricting third-party actions, and defining job-level security rules.

Dependency Risk Awareness

Understanding what third-party code is doing inside your project, setting up review alerts.

These domains are essential in day-to-day GitHub operations, especially for engineers responsible for securing code as it’s being written.

What Topics Need the Most Prep Time

The exam doesn’t weigh all topics equally. Some areas show up more, some less. Below is a quick guide to where you should focus your study time:

Knowing this breakdown helps you study efficiently, so you don’t waste time on minor features.

What Real Takers Suggest Before You Book It

The best prep is doing. Reading isn’t enough. Past test takers often say the smartest move is to set up a practice repo and start enabling features yourself. Go through each tab in the GitHub UI and understand what it does.

Some practical things you can do:

• Create dummy alerts in secret scanning and try resolving them

• Run CodeQL on a real repo and interpret the output

• Use GitHub’s own public documentation for each feature

• Watch recent breach case studies that involve misused workflows

Hands-on familiarity with GitHub’s own tools is what makes the difference on test day. Theory might get you halfway but practice pushes you across the line.