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Free CQSP Practice Questions

10 free, exam-style Certified Quantum Security Professional (CQSP) practice questions with answers and explanations. No signup required. Work through them below, then take the full free CQSP practice test to study every exam domain.

Question 1

AES, ChaCha20, and 3DES are all examples of which kind of cryptography?

  1. Symmetric block or stream ciphers
  2. Asymmetric public-key cryptosystems
  3. Key encapsulation mechanism schemes
  4. One-way cryptographic hash functions
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: A - Symmetric block or stream ciphers

Question 2

An auditor claims 'QKD provides both confidentiality and authentication.' The most accurate response is:

  1. QKD provides authentication only, not confidentiality
  2. QKD provides only message integrity in the channel
  3. QKD gives confidentiality; authentication is external
  4. The auditor is correct on both stated counts
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: C - QKD gives confidentiality; authentication is external

Question 3

What is the chief reason QKD has been described as 'physical-layer cryptography'?

  1. Its security depends on quantum physics, not math
  2. Its security depends on AES-256 hardware modules
  3. Its security depends on RSA-2048 key wrapping
  4. Its security depends on TCP transport reliability
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: A - Its security depends on quantum physics, not math

Question 4

What is the post-quantum effective brute-force security of AES-128 under Grover's algorithm?

  1. Roughly 128 bits effective security
  2. Roughly 64 bits effective security
  3. Roughly 256 bits effective security
  4. Roughly 96 bits effective security
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: B - Roughly 64 bits effective security

Question 5

What is the post-quantum collision resistance of SHA-256 against an idealized quantum attacker?

  1. Roughly 128 bits collision resistance
  2. Roughly 256 bits collision resistance
  3. Roughly 64 bits collision resistance
  4. Roughly 85 bits collision resistance
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: D - Roughly 85 bits collision resistance

Question 6

An organization has X = 25 years confidentiality, Y = 6 years migration, and Z = 12 years to CRQC. Which conclusion is correct?

  1. The organization can defer migration safely
  2. The organization is safely on schedule still
  3. The organization is already late (X+Y > Z)
  4. The organization should not migrate at all
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: C - The organization is already late (X+Y > Z)

Question 7

On which date did NIST publish the first three finalized PQC FIPS standards?

  1. April 14, 2026 (CQSP launch date)
  2. August 13, 2024 (FIPS 203/204/205)
  3. January 1, 2030 (NIST IR 8547 plan)
  4. March 11, 2025 (HQC selection date)
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: B - August 13, 2024 (FIPS 203/204/205)

Question 8

Which is the typical security goal of a hybrid key-exchange like X25519MLKEM768?

  1. Exponentially stronger than either alone
  2. Identical security to plain X25519 alone
  3. Security only if both primitives hold (AND)
  4. Security if either primitive holds (OR)
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: D - Security if either primitive holds (OR)

Question 9

Which is a typical IANA TLS supported-group code-point for X25519 + ML-KEM-768 hybrid?

  1. The code-point 0x11ec (X25519MLKEM768)
  2. The code-point 0x0023 (legacy SECP)
  3. The code-point 0x002F (legacy SECP)
  4. The code-point 0xFFFF (private-use)
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: A - The code-point 0x11ec (X25519MLKEM768)

Question 10

In a Qiskit lab simulating BB84 with intercept-resend Eve, what QBER signature do you expect?

  1. Approximately 0% with no eavesdropper
  2. Approximately 11% security threshold
  3. Approximately 25% intercept-resend mark
  4. Approximately 50% pure random noise
Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: C - Approximately 25% intercept-resend mark

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