GitHub / MicrosoftAssociate2026 Updated

GitHub Advanced Security Certification

Updated May 1, 202612 min readCertsqill Editorial

Quick facts — GHAS

Testing

Examity

Who this exam is for

The GitHub Advanced Security Certification certification is designed for professionals who work with or want to work with GitHub / Microsoft technologies in a professional capacity. It is taken by cloud engineers, DevOps practitioners, IT administrators, and technical professionals looking to validate their expertise.

You do not need extensive prior experience to attempt it, but you will benefit from hands-on familiarity with the subject matter. The exam tests applied knowledge and architectural judgment, not just memorization. If you can reason about trade-offs and real-world scenarios, structured practice will handle the rest.

Domain breakdown

The GHAS exam is built around official domains, each with a fixed percentage of the question pool. This distribution should directly inform how you allocate your study time.

Domain

Weight

Focus areas

GitHub Advanced Security Features

30%

Covers the full GHAS feature set including secret scanning, code scanning, and Dependabot, plus the licensing model (free for public repos, paid per committer for private repos). Tests enabling and disabling individual GHAS features at the organization and repository level using settings and REST API.

Secret Scanning

20%

Tests secret scanning alert management, push protection configuration to block commits containing secrets, custom pattern creation using regex, and the GitHub partner program for token revocation. Requires understanding of bypass permissions, validity checks, and secret scanning at the enterprise level.

Code Scanning & CodeQL

25%

Covers setting up code scanning via the default setup or advanced workflow with the github/codeql-action, selecting CodeQL query suites (default, security-extended, security-and-quality), interpreting SARIF output, and triaging alerts by severity and location. Custom CodeQL query writing is tested at a basic level.

Dependency Review

15%

Tests Dependabot alert configuration, the dependency-review GitHub Action for blocking PRs that introduce vulnerable dependencies, and the dependency graph for understanding transitive dependencies. Requires knowledge of Dependabot security updates versus version updates and auto-merge configuration.

Security Policies & Compliance

10%

Covers creating SECURITY.md vulnerability disclosure policies, configuring branch protection rules requiring security reviews, mandatory status checks for code scanning, and using the audit log API for compliance reporting across an organization or enterprise.

Note the domain with the highest weight — many candidates under-invest here because it feels conceptual. In practice, this is where the exam is most precise, with scenario-based questions that test specifics.

What the exam actually tests

This is not a memorization exam. Questions require applied judgment under constraints. Almost every question includes a scenario with explicit requirements and asks you to select the most appropriate solution.

Here are examples of the question types you will encounter:

Secret Scanning

"How do you enable push protection to block commits containing API keys?"

Push protection is configured at org or repo level under Security settings.

Code Scanning Setup

"Configure a GitHub Actions workflow to run CodeQL analysis on every pull request."

Use the github/codeql-action/analyze action; set languages and query suite explicitly.

Dependency Management

"A Dependabot alert is open for a critical CVE — what is the recommended remediation workflow?"

Review the dependency graph, check for a fix version, and merge the Dependabot PR.

How to prepare — 4-week study plan

This plan assumes one hour per weekday and roughly 30 minutes of lighter review on weekends. It is calibrated for someone with some relevant experience. If you are starting from zero, add an extra week before Week 1 to familiarise yourself with the basics.

Week 1: GHAS Overview & Secret Scanning

Enable GHAS on a test repository
Review and dismiss secret scanning alerts
Configure push protection rules
Create a custom secret scanning pattern

Week 2: Code Scanning & CodeQL

Set up CodeQL workflow via Actions
Interpret SARIF output and alert severity
Write a basic custom CodeQL query
Triage and close code scanning alerts

Week 3: Dependency Review & Policies

Enable Dependabot security updates
Review dependency graph and advisories
Add dependency-review Action to PRs
Write a SECURITY.md policy file

Week 4: Compliance & Mock Exams

Configure branch protection with reviews
Review org-level security audit logs
Complete two full practice exams
Review GHAS billing and licensing rules

Common mistakes candidates make

These patterns appear repeatedly among candidates who resit this exam. Knowing them in advance is worth several percentage points.

Confusing GHAS licensing scope

GHAS is included free for public repos but requires a paid license for private repos. Many questions test this distinction.

Not understanding push protection vs secret scanning

Secret scanning finds secrets already committed; push protection prevents them from being committed in the first place.

Ignoring CodeQL query suite differences

The default suite is balanced; security-extended finds more vulnerabilities but generates more noise. Know when to use each.

Overlooking Dependabot auto-merge configuration

Auto-merge for Dependabot requires branch protection rules and a GitHub Actions workflow — it is not enabled by default.

Is Certsqill right for you?

Honestly: Certsqill is built for candidates who have already done some studying and want to convert knowledge into exam performance. If you have never touched the subject, start with a foundational course first — then come to Certsqill when you are ready to practice.

Where Certsqill is strong: question depth, expert-developed explanations, and domain analytics. Every question is mapped to the exam blueprint. When you get something wrong, a detailed explanation shows why the right answer is right and why each wrong answer fails under the specific constraints in the question.

Where Certsqill is not a replacement: video courses and hands-on labs. Use Certsqill to test and sharpen — not as your first exposure to a topic you have never encountered.

Ready to start practicing?

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