Core Technical Skills
34 practice questions with explanations — 15 free to try
2 of these 34 questions are in the free 15-question taster · the full topic is part of Premium
PassNova has 34 CREST CPSA (Practitioner Security Analyst) practice questions on Core Technical Skills, each with a clear explanation. A 15-question taster is free with no sign-up; the full bank is part of PassNova Premium. Updated for 2026.
Core Technical Skills: example questions & answers
2 worked examples with answers and explanations below. Try 15 CREST CPSA (Practitioner Security Analyst) questions free in the browser; the full 34-question Core Technical Skills bank is part of PassNova Premium.
Which set of transport and network-layer protocols are the core IP protocols a CPSA candidate is expected to recognise?
- ASSL, SSH and PGP as the fundamental transport protocols
- BHTTP, FTP and SMTP running directly on the network layer
- CTCP, UDP and ICMP running over IPv4 and IPv6✓
- DARP, STP and CDP as the primary internet-layer protocols
Answer: The core IP protocols are TCP and UDP at the transport layer and ICMP for control messaging, all carried over IPv4 or IPv6. HTTP, FTP and SMTP are application protocols, ARP/STP/CDP operate at the link layer, and SSL/SSH/PGP are security applications rather than base IP protocols.
Which statement about IPv6 addressing is correct?
- AIPv6 uses 64-bit addresses written in dotted-decimal notation in the same dotted style used for the four octets of an IPv4 address
- BIPv6 uses 128-bit addresses written as eight groups of hexadecimal digits✓
- CIPv6 uses 32-bit addresses identical in length to IPv4
- DIPv6 abandons hexadecimal in favour of pure binary notation
Answer: IPv6 addresses are 128 bits long and written as eight colon-separated groups of four hexadecimal digits, with rules for compressing zeros. They are not 64-bit, not the same 32-bit length as IPv4, and are conventionally written in hexadecimal rather than binary.