My review & Journey to Becoming of (ejpt) exam 2026

LinkedIn : https://www.linkedin.com/in/dnyaneshwar-shelke-vem/

Verify My Certificate:https://certs.ine.com/d0658319-1a1d-4c70-b78e-7c1816397a3d#acc.402skPid

Recently, I cleared the eLearnSecurity Junior Penetration Tester v2 (eJPTv2) exam with a 82% score, and I wanted to share my honest experience, especially from the perspective of someone who did not actively prepare for the exam.

About Me:

I am Dnyaneshwar Shelke , a final-year BE student pursuing my degree and actively focusing on offensive security. Before attempting eJPTv2, my experience level was at an intermediate stage, with a strong interest in hands-on learning and practical labs.

What is the eJPT Exam ?

The eJPT ( Junior Penetration Tester) is an entry-level certification designed for those with a basic understanding of networks and systems. It simulates real-world penetration testing scenarios, covering topics like Assessment Methodologies, Host and Network Auditing, Penetration Testing, and Web Application Testing. This hands-on exam is perfect for newcomers to cybersecurity, proving that the candidate has the foundational skills to contribute to a penetration testing team.

The eJPT exam tests your skills under real-world time constraints, mirroring the pressure you’d experience in actual penetration testing engagements. Created by experts, the exam features 35 practical scenarios designed to assess your proficiency in ethical hacking techniques. Unlike traditional exams, this hands-on test simulates a live corporate network, complete with virtual machines, networks, and applications. Each scenario challenges you to apply your knowledge from the eJPT course, requiring you to identify and implement real solutions. The 48-hour exam involves enumerating, exploiting, pivoting, and potentially escalating privileges across a network of around five machines to answer the questions accurately.

eJPT Exam Information:

• Exam Price: $249.00 USD
• Number of Questions: 45
• Passing score: 70%
• Exam Nature: Open Book
• Test Delivery: Online
• Test duration: 48 Hours

Preparation Timeline and Hands-On Practice:

I purchased my eJPT exam voucher on 24 January 2026 for $124.5 using a coupon code. Over the next two months, I completed all the course materials and lab exercises, finishing on 24 March 2026. I then dedicated an additional 20 days to hands-on practice, solving over 50++ labs and CTF challenges on platforms such as TryHackMe and Hack The Box. After this preparation, I began my exam on 15 April 2026.

Exam Environment & Start

I started the exam at 11.11 Am (15 April 2026) , and the 48-hour timer started immediately. It took about 5 minutes to boot the browser-based attacker machine. The attacker system looked like Ubuntu, though I didn’t check it deeply. After scanning the internal network, I found 6 machines in DMZ network and one out of DMZ network . they are 4 Windows machine and 2 Linux machine one Linux machine for a pivoting , but the exam questions were related to only 4 machines : 3 Windows and 1 Linux.

lets start :)

Exam Flow & Experience

I started the exam calmly and focused mainly on enumeration. I compromised my first machine within 60–70 minutes, which gave me confidence. Within about 1 hour and 40 minutes, I had already answered 10 out of 45 questions, which felt like a very good start. The questions are not arranged in order, but they give clear hints about what to do next. If you read the questions properly, you can easily understand your attack path.

ejpt

Biggest Challenge (For Me)

The biggest challenge I faced was that RDP access did not work properly after obtaining a reverse shell with Meterpreter. Additionally, the pivoting method covered in the course content also did not work as expected. I need to study the material more thoroughly to learn alternative methods.

Final Result

I completed the exam in around 10–11 hours, including breaks, and scored 82%. I’m still not sure where I lost the remaining 12%, because from my side everything felt correct. But overall, I was very satisfied with the experience.

ye yeee!!

My Tips / Advice :

My suggestion is straightforward: carefully go through each question, as they help direct your approach during the exam. Don’t stress too much about pivoting, and avoid working in a hurry. The eJPT is an entry-level certification, so there’s no need to compare it with more advanced exams. Keep your mind calm, focus on proper enumeration, and try to enjoy the experience. Also, make a habit of recording your findings in a text file or a tool like OneNote, since this will be useful for later steps.

Final Thoughts

Overall, eJPTv2 is a great entry-level penetration testing certification, especially for students and beginners. If you already have hands-on experience with CTFs, you will find the exam enjoyable and confidence-building. Thanks to INE for creating a practical and beginner-friendly exam.

Yepp!!