OSCP vs CEH: Which Penetration Testing Certification Is Better in 2025?

You’re a security professional looking to break into penetration testing. You’ve done the research. Two certifications dominate every job posting: CEH (Certified Ethical Hacker) and OSCP (Offensive Security Certified Professional).

Now you’re wondering: Which one should I get? Can I skip CEH and go straight to OSCP? Does CEH even matter if OSCP is the “real” cert?

Here’s what I’ll tell you after 8 years in offensive security, holding both certifications, and hiring 34 penetration testers: CEH and OSCP serve completely different purposes. One is an HR filter, the other is a technical proving ground.

CEH gets your resume past HR. OSCP proves to technical managers that you can actually hack. If you have to choose one, the answer depends on where you are in your career and what you’re trying to accomplish.

I’m going to break down the real differences—exam format, difficulty, cost, study time, and career impact. By the end, you’ll know exactly which cert to pursue first and whether you need both.

The Core Difference: Knowledge vs Skill

Let me cut through the marketing and give you the truth about what these certifications actually test.

CEH (Certified Ethical Hacker):

• What it tests: Knowledge of hacking techniques and tools
• Exam format: 125 multiple-choice questions, 4 hours
• What you prove: You understand penetration testing concepts
• Pass rate: ~85-90%
• Cost: $1,199 (exam voucher) + $850 (official training, required for self-study)
• Study time: 40-60 hours
• Vendor: EC-Council

OSCP (Offensive Security Certified Professional):

• What it tests: Ability to actually exploit systems
• Exam format: 24-hour hands-on penetration test + 24-hour report deadline
• What you prove: You can independently compromise machines
• Pass rate: ~40-50%
• Cost: $1,649 (includes 90 days of lab access + exam attempt)
• Study time: 300-600 hours
• Vendor: Offensive Security (OffSec)

The brutal truth: CEH is a knowledge exam you can pass by memorizing. OSCP is a practical exam where you must actually hack into multiple machines in a timed environment. They’re not even in the same category.

I passed CEH after 6 weeks of casual study while working full-time. I failed OSCP twice before passing on my third attempt after 9 months of labs. That difference matters.

CEH Deep Dive: The HR Checkbox

Let’s talk about what CEH actually is and why it exists.

What CEH Teaches

The CEH curriculum covers 20 modules:

1. Introduction to Ethical Hacking
2. Footprinting and Reconnaissance
3. Scanning Networks
4. Enumeration
5. Vulnerability Analysis
6. System Hacking
7. Malware Threats
8. Sniffing
9. Social Engineering
10. Denial of Service
11. Session Hijacking
12. Evading IDS, Firewalls, and Honeypots
13. Hacking Web Servers
14. Hacking Web Applications
15. SQL Injection
16. Hacking Wireless Networks
17. Hacking Mobile Platforms
18. IoT and OT Hacking
19. Cloud Computing
20. Cryptography

It’s comprehensive. It covers the full attack lifecycle. The problem? It’s all theoretical.

You’ll learn that Metasploit exists. You’ll learn what a buffer overflow is. You’ll learn the phases of penetration testing. But you won’t actually do any of it in the exam.

The CEH Exam Experience

The exam is 125 multiple-choice questions. 4 hours. Passing score is 60-85% (EC-Council doesn’t publish exact passing scores, it varies).

Sample question style: “Which tool would an attacker use to perform ARP poisoning?” A) Nmap B) Wireshark C) Ettercap D) Burp Suite

You pick C (Ettercap). You move on. That’s CEH.

Compare that to OSCP where you’d need to actually perform ARP poisoning, capture credentials, pivot through the network, and escalate privileges.

Why CEH Exists (And Why It Matters)

Here’s the thing: I don’t love CEH. Most technical pentesters don’t. But it serves a purpose.

CEH is an HR filter. Many organizations—especially government contractors, DoD, financial services, healthcare—require “Certified Ethical Hacker” or equivalent in their job postings. HR systems scan for “CEH” in resumes. If you don’t have it, your application gets auto-rejected before a technical person ever sees it.

I’ve seen this happen. Brilliant penetration tester, 5 years experience, OSCP certified, applying for a federal contractor role requiring “CEH or equivalent.” Application rejected because HR system didn’t recognize OSCP as equivalent to CEH.

That’s frustrating. But it’s reality.

Where CEH matters:

• Government and military roles (DoD 8570 compliance)
• Federal contractors
• Large enterprises with rigid compliance requirements
• International markets where EC-Council brand recognition exceeds OffSec
• Career transitions from defensive security to offensive (proves baseline knowledge)

Where CEH doesn’t matter:

• Startups and tech companies (they want OSCP or real skills)
• Consulting firms that actually do penetration testing (they test your skills, not your certs)
• Bug bounty hunting (nobody cares about certs)
• Internal red teams at technical organizations

CEH Career Impact: $95K-$130K Roles

Let me give you real salary data from people I’ve placed or mentored:

Entry-Level Pentester with CEH (0-2 years):

• $95K-$115K at government contractors
• $85K-$105K at enterprise security teams
• $90K-$110K at consulting firms (but they’ll want you to get OSCP)

Mid-Level Pentester with CEH Only (2-5 years):

• $110K-$130K (but you’ll hit a ceiling without OSCP or equivalent skills)
• Limited to compliance-focused pentesting roles
• Won’t get considered for advanced red team positions

The CEH ceiling is real. I’ve seen pentesters with 5+ years and only CEH stuck at $120K-$130K because they can’t pass technical screening interviews. They know the theory but can’t execute.

OSCP Deep Dive: The Technical Proving Ground

Now let’s talk about why OSCP is considered the gold standard.

What OSCP Actually Tests

OSCP doesn’t test your knowledge. It tests your ability to think like an attacker and compromise systems under pressure.

The OSCP Exam Format:

You get 24 hours to:

1. Compromise 3-6 target machines in an isolated network
2. Escalate privileges to Administrator/root on each
3. Capture flags proving you owned each system
4. Document everything you did

Then you have another 24 hours to: 5. Write a professional penetration testing report 6. Include screenshots, command output, exploitation steps 7. Explain vulnerabilities and remediation recommendations

You need 70 points to pass. Each machine is worth different points based on difficulty:

• Easy boxes: 10 points
• Medium boxes: 20 points
• Hard boxes: 40 points
• Bonus points: Active Directory set (extra 40 points if you own the full AD environment)

If you can’t exploit the machines, you fail. There’s no partial credit for “I almost got it.” Either the flag is in your report or it isn’t.

The OSCP Learning Path (PEN-200 Course)

OSCP comes with “Penetration Testing with Kali Linux” (PEN-200), a comprehensive course including:

Course Materials:

• 850+ page PDF guide
• 17+ hours of video content
• 75+ dedicated lab machines to practice on

What You Actually Learn:

• Information gathering (passive and active recon)
• Vulnerability scanning and enumeration
• Web application attacks (SQLi, XSS, file inclusion, upload bypasses)
• Buffer overflow exploitation (x86 and x64)
• Client-side attacks
• Privilege escalation (Linux and Windows)
• Lateral movement and pivoting
• Password cracking
• Port forwarding and tunneling
• Active Directory exploitation
• Metasploit usage (limited to one specific machine in exam)

The Labs: This is where OSCP shines. You get access to a network of 75+ vulnerable machines. Some are easy. Some will take you days. Some require pivoting through multiple machines to reach.

You’re not following a tutorial. You’re given target IPs and told “compromise them.” How? Figure it out.

The OSCP Exam: What It Feels Like

Let me walk you through what the 24 hours actually feels like, based on my third attempt (the one I passed):

Hour 0-2: Start the exam at 9 AM. VPN connects. I have my target list. I start with enumeration—running Nmap against all targets, identifying services, checking for low-hanging fruit. I knock out the easy 10-point box in 90 minutes. I’m feeling confident. I have 10 points.

Hour 3-8: I move to a 20-point box. Web application. I spend 3 hours chasing a rabbit hole (LFI that doesn’t lead anywhere). I’m stuck. I pivot to another 20-point target. Find a way in via an exposed service. Get user shell. Spend 2 hours on privilege escalation. Finally root it. I now have 30 points and it’s 5 PM.

Hour 9-12: Dinner break. I’m exhausted. I need 40 more points to pass. I go after the Active Directory set (40 points bonus). I compromise the first AD machine. I’m in the domain. 8 PM now.

Hour 13-18: This is where it gets brutal. I spend 5 hours trying to move laterally in AD. I’m tired. Making stupid mistakes. Miss an obvious misconfiguration. Finally catch it at 2 AM. I pivot. I dump credentials. I’m Domain Admin. 70 points total. I can sleep.

Hour 19-24: I use the remaining hours to:

• Re-verify all flags
• Take detailed screenshots
• Export command history
• Triple-check my point count
• Document everything for the report

Hour 25-48 (Report Writing): The exam ends at 9 AM the next day. Now I have 24 hours to write a professional penetration test report. This isn’t a dump of commands. This needs:

• Executive summary
• Methodology
• For each exploited system: vulnerability explanation, exploitation steps, evidence, remediation
• Appendices with full command output

I submit my report at 6 PM the next day (9 hours before deadline). Four days later, I get the email: “Congratulations, you have successfully completed…”

Pass rate: ~40-50%. The other 50-60% run out of time, can’t get enough points, or fail to document properly.

Why OSCP Is Different

Every other certification I’ve taken (Security+, CEH, CISSP) was knowledge-based. Read the material. Pass the exam. Get the cert.

OSCP doesn’t work that way. You can know everything in the course material and still fail if you can’t apply it under pressure.

That’s why it’s respected. When a hiring manager sees OSCP on a resume, they know you can actually:

• Enumerate services and identify attack surfaces
• Research exploits and adapt them to different environments
• Think creatively when standard attacks fail
• Escalate privileges on both Linux and Windows
• Work independently without hand-holding
• Document your findings professionally

No multiple-choice exam tests those skills. OSCP does.

OSCP Career Impact: $120K-$180K+ Roles

Junior Pentester with OSCP (0-2 years other experience):

• $115K-$135K at consulting firms
• $120K-$140K at tech companies
• $110K-$130K at government contractors (same as CEH, but OSCP opens more doors)

Mid-Level Pentester with OSCP (2-5 years):

• $135K-$160K at consulting firms doing real penetration tests
• $140K-$170K at tech companies for red team roles
• $130K-$155K at enterprises

Senior Pentester with OSCP + Experience (5-10 years):

• $160K-$200K+ at top-tier consulting firms
• $170K-$220K+ at FAANG/tech for offensive security roles
• $150K-$180K at specialized boutique security firms

The OSCP premium is real. Same role, same company, OSCP holder makes $15K-$30K more than CEH-only holder.

Why? Because OSCP holders can execute penetration tests independently. CEH holders often need significant hand-holding or can only run automated tools.

Head-to-Head Comparison: CEH vs OSCP

Let me break down the direct comparison across key dimensions:

Difficulty

CEH: 3/10 difficulty

• 40-60 hours study time
• Multiple choice exam
• ~85-90% pass rate
• Can pass by memorizing

OSCP: 9/10 difficulty

• 300-600 hours study time (course + labs)
• 24-hour hands-on practical exam
• ~40-50% pass rate
• Must demonstrate actual skills

Winner: OSCP is significantly harder. It’s not close.

Cost

CEH Total Cost:

• Official training: $850 (required for self-study candidates)
• Exam voucher: $1,199
• Total: $2,049

Alternatively, if you take iClass training (official EC-Council bootcamp):

• Training + exam: $2,499-$2,999

OSCP Total Cost:

• Learn One subscription (90 days lab access + exam attempt): $1,649
• Retake exam (if you fail): $249 each
• Average total (assuming one retake): $1,898

Winner: Similar costs ($1,900-$2,100), but OSCP gives better ROI.

Study Resources

CEH Resources:

• Official EC-Council courseware (required): $850
• Matt Walker’s “CEH Certified Ethical Hacker All-in-One Exam Guide”: $60
• Practice exams (Boson, uCertify): $100-$200
• Total: $1,000-$1,100

OSCP Resources:

• PEN-200 course material (included with exam): $0
• “Hacker Playbook 3” by Peter Kim: $35
• OSCP-like practice VMs (HackTheBox, TryHackMe): $0-$20/month
• Additional lab time if needed: $20/month (Learn One extension)
• Total: $0-$200 (everything you need is included)

Winner: OSCP has better included resources.

Time to Prepare

CEH:

• Complete beginner: 60-80 hours (8-10 weeks at 8 hours/week)
• Security background: 40-50 hours (5-6 weeks at 8 hours/week)
• Timeline: 6-10 weeks

OSCP:

• Complete beginner: Not recommended (get Security+ and CEH first)
• Security background: 400-600 hours (12-18 months at 8-10 hours/week)
• Experienced sysadmin/security: 300-400 hours (6-12 months at 8-10 hours/week)
• Timeline: 6-18 months

Winner: CEH is much faster if you need a cert quickly.

Prerequisites

CEH:

• EC-Council requires either:
  • 2 years information security experience, OR
  • Official EC-Council training
• Realistically: Basic IT and networking knowledge sufficient

OSCP:

• No formal prerequisites
• Recommended: Linux command line, networking, basic Python scripting
• You’ll struggle without: Solid networking fundamentals, comfort with Linux, understanding of web applications

Winner: CEH has lower barrier to entry.

Career Doors Opened

CEH Opens:

• Government/military pentesting roles (DoD 8570 compliance)
• Large enterprise security analyst positions
• Compliance-focused security consulting
• Entry-level penetration testing (with other skills)
• Security research roles (defensive)

OSCP Opens:

• Technical penetration testing at consulting firms
• Red team positions at tech companies
• Advanced security research (offensive)
• Bug bounty hunting (proves you can find and exploit vulns)
• Elite offensive security roles

Winner: OSCP opens more technical, high-paying doors. CEH opens more compliance-focused doors.

Industry Recognition

CEH Recognition:

• High recognition: Government, defense contractors, Fortune 500 HR departments
• Moderate recognition: Consulting firms (but they prefer OSCP)
• Low recognition: Startups, tech companies (seen as theory-only)
• DoD 8570: Approved for IAT Level II and IAM Level I

OSCP Recognition:

• High recognition: Offensive security community, pentesting firms, tech companies
• Moderate recognition: Enterprises (technical managers know it, HR doesn’t)
• Very high recognition: Among penetration testers themselves (gold standard)
• DoD 8570: NOT on approved list (major weakness for government work)

Winner: Depends on target employer. CEH wins for government/enterprise HR. OSCP wins for technical hiring managers.

Hands-On Skills Developed

CEH Hands-On Skills:

• Using pre-built tools (Nmap, Metasploit, Burp Suite)
• Basic penetration testing methodology
• Limitation: Minimal actual exploitation experience

OSCP Hands-On Skills:

• Independent exploitation without tutorials
• Custom exploit modification
• Privilege escalation techniques
• Lateral movement and pivoting
• Writing professional penetration test reports
• Working under time pressure

Winner: OSCP by a landslide. It’s not comparable.

Resume Value

CEH on Resume:

• Gets past HR filters ✓
• Recognized by non-technical recruiters ✓
• Proves baseline security knowledge ✓
• Risk: Technical interviewers may see it as “just a cert”

OSCP on Resume:

• Technical hiring managers respect it immediately ✓
• Demonstrates hands-on capability ✓
• Differentiates you from CEH-only candidates ✓
• Risk: May get filtered by HR who don’t recognize it

Winner: Both have value in different contexts.

Which Should You Get First? (Decision Framework)

Let me give you decision logic based on your situation:

Get CEH First If:

1. You’re in government/military/defense contracting

• DoD 8570 compliance requires it
• Many roles won’t consider non-CEH candidates
• You can get OSCP later for technical credibility

2. You’re transitioning from defensive security

• CEH provides structured introduction to offensive concepts
• Lower barrier to entry helps build confidence
• 6-10 weeks vs 6-12 months timeline

3. You have <2 years of security experience

• OSCP will be overwhelming without foundation
• CEH teaches methodology before techniques
• Get Security+ → CEH → OSCP progression

4. You need a cert quickly for a specific job

• CEH takes 6-10 weeks
• OSCP takes 6-18 months
• Sometimes speed matters

5. Your employer is paying and requires CEH

• Don’t turn down free certification
• Get CEH on their dime, pursue OSCP on your own time

Get OSCP First If:

1. You have strong Linux/networking background

• You’re a sysadmin who’s comfortable with command line
• You understand networking at a deep level
• You can script in Python or Bash
• You can skip CEH entirely

2. You’re targeting technical security roles

• Pentesting firms, tech companies, red teams
• They care about skills, not HR checkboxes
• OSCP proves skills, CEH proves nothing to them

3. You want to actually learn penetration testing

• CEH teaches theory
• OSCP teaches skills
• If your goal is competence, not compliance, OSCP wins

4. You’re willing to invest 6-12 months

• OSCP isn’t a quick certification
• You need sustained effort over months
• If you have the time, skip CEH and do OSCP

5. You’re already doing security work

• You’re a SOC analyst who wants to go offensive
• You’re a security engineer who wants red team skills
• You have defensive foundation, now learn offense

Get Both (In Order) If:

1. You want maximum career flexibility

• CEH first (6-10 weeks), then OSCP (6-12 months)
• CEH opens government/compliance doors
• OSCP opens technical doors
• Total timeline: 8-14 months

2. You’re not sure what sector you’ll work in

• Government contractor? Need CEH
• Tech startup? Need OSCP
• Having both hedges your bets

3. Your career plan is: Entry → Mid → Senior pentester

• CEH gets you entry-level role ($95K-$115K)
• Work 1-2 years while studying OSCP
• OSCP gets you mid-level promotion ($135K-$160K)
• Efficient path to $150K+ in 3-4 years

Real Career Paths: What Actually Happens

Let me show you three real career progressions I’ve seen:

Path 1: CEH → Government Contractor → Stuck

• Sarah, 28: SOC analyst → Got CEH → Hired at defense contractor as junior pentester ($105K)
• Years 1-3: Doing compliance pentesting (checkbox testing, not real red teaming)
• Year 4: Tried to move to consulting firm, failed technical interview (couldn’t exploit beyond automated scans)
• Year 5: Still at defense contractor ($125K), frustrated, started OSCP labs
• Year 6: Passed OSCP, moved to boutique pentesting firm ($145K)

Lesson: CEH alone has a ceiling. Sarah needed OSCP to break through.

Path 2: OSCP → Consulting → Rapid Growth

• Marcus, 26: Linux sysadmin → Skipped CEH → Got OSCP after 10 months
• Year 1: Hired at pentesting consulting firm ($125K) based on OSCP + sysadmin background
• Year 2: Promoted to senior pentester ($155K) after proving client delivery
• Year 3: Lead pentester ($175K), managing engagements
• Year 4: Left for tech company red team ($195K + equity)

Lesson: Technical skills (OSCP) create faster advancement than credentials (CEH).

Path 3: CEH → OSCP → Best of Both Worlds

• Jennifer, 30: Network engineer → Got CEH while transitioning → Entry pentester at enterprise ($98K)
• Year 1: Studied OSCP nights/weekends while working
• Year 2: Passed OSCP, immediately got $20K raise ($118K) and more interesting projects
• Year 3: Moved to consulting firm ($140K) with both certs opening doors
• Year 4: Senior consultant ($165K), CEH helps with government clients, OSCP proves technical chops

Lesson: CEH + OSCP is the most flexible combination.

Study Strategy: How to Prepare for Each

CEH Study Plan (6-10 Weeks)

Week 1-2: Official Training or Self-Study Material

• Watch EC-Council videos or read Matt Walker’s book
• Focus on methodology and tool categories
• Don’t try to memorize everything yet

Week 3-5: Practice Questions

• Boson practice exams (best quality)
• EC-Council practice tests
• Target 85%+ before booking exam

Week 6-8: Final Review

• Review flagged questions
• Memorize tool lists (which tool does what)
• Book exam when consistently scoring 85%+

Total: 60-80 hours over 6-10 weeks

Critical tip: CEH is broad but shallow. Don’t go deep on any topic. Learn the “what” and “when,” not the “how.”

OSCP Study Plan (6-18 Months)

Month 1-2: Course Material

• Work through all PEN-200 PDF chapters
• Follow along with videos
• Complete all exercises in the course
• Do NOT skip straight to labs

Month 3-6: Lab Machines (First Pass)

• Start with easy boxes
• Use forums/Discord when completely stuck (but try for 4+ hours first)
• Document everything (screenshots, commands, notes)
• Root 20-30 machines minimum

Month 7-9: Focused Learning

• Identify weak areas (privilege escalation? Active Directory? Buffer overflows?)
• Practice on HackTheBox, TryHackMe, Proving Grounds
• Redo lab machines you struggled with
• Do NOT take exam yet

Month 10-12: Exam Preparation

• Practice exam-style time constraints (pretend you have 24 hours)
• Root 10-15 more lab machines without hints
• Write practice penetration test reports
• When you can root 3-4 machines in one sitting, book exam

Total: 400-600 hours over 6-18 months

Critical tip: OSCP is about persistence, not intelligence. You’ll feel stupid. You’ll get stuck for days. That’s the learning process. Don’t give up.

Cost-Benefit Analysis: ROI Comparison

Let’s do the math on return on investment:

CEH ROI:

• Investment: $2,049 (training + exam) + 60 hours (at $50/hour opportunity cost) = $5,049
• Return: Entry-level pentester role at $105K vs security analyst at $85K = $20K annual increase
• Payback period: 3 months
• 5-year ROI: $100K additional earnings - $5K cost = $95K net gain

OSCP ROI:

• Investment: $1,898 (exam + one retake) + 500 hours (at $50/hour opportunity cost) = $26,898
• Return: Pentester role at $135K vs $105K (CEH-only) = $30K annual increase
• Payback period: 11 months
• 5-year ROI: $150K additional earnings - $27K cost = $123K net gain

Winner: OSCP has better long-term ROI, but CEH has faster payback and lower risk.

The Bottom Line: My Recommendation

After holding both certs, hiring pentesters with both backgrounds, and watching dozens of careers unfold, here’s what I recommend:

If you’re starting in security: Get Security+ → CEH → OSCP in that order. Total timeline: 18-24 months. This builds foundation, gets you employed, then advances your skills.

If you’re a sysadmin/network engineer: Skip CEH. Get OSCP directly. Your technical foundation makes CEH redundant. OSCP proves you can hack, which is what consulting firms want.

If you’re targeting government/compliance work: Get CEH and stop there (unless you want to move to commercial sector later). Government work values compliance over technical depth.

If you’re targeting tech companies/red teams: Get OSCP and skip CEH. Tech companies don’t care about EC-Council. They care if you can actually exploit systems.

If you want maximum flexibility: Get CEH first (10 weeks), work for 1-2 years, then get OSCP. This opens both government and commercial doors. Expect 18-month total timeline.

If you only have time/money for one: Get OSCP. It’s harder, takes longer, costs more—but it proves actual skills. You can always get CEH later if an employer requires it.

The hard truth? OSCP is the superior certification technically. CEH is the superior certification bureaucratically. Choose based on where you want to work, not which is “better.”

Most serious penetration testers end up with both eventually. But the order matters. Start with whichever removes your biggest current barrier: CEH if HR is blocking you, OSCP if technical skills are your gap.

Your move. Stop researching. Pick one. Start studying today.