✅Certified Threat Modeling Professional (CTMP): My Full Review & Exam Experience

In today’s fast-evolving threat landscape, security needs to shift left, and that’s exactly why I chose to take the Certified Threat Modeling Professional (CTMP) course by Practical DevSecOps.

As someone working in cybersecurity and risk assessment, I was seeking a structured, hands-on program that focuses not only on theory but also on applying threat modeling techniques in real-world scenarios.

In this blog, I’ll walk you through:

  • Why I chose the CTMP course

  • How the course is structured and delivered

  • What to expect from the exam

  • The skills you gain—and how they apply in the field

If you're considering CTMP or looking to strengthen your application security capabilities, this post is for you.

Why I Chose the CTMP Course

At the beginning of this year, I embarked on a new journey in cybersecurity with a dedicated focus on Application Security. This field encompasses a broad set of responsibilities.

While exploring these domains, I realized that Threat Modeling is not just a foundational practice—it's the first gate in building secure systems during the design phase of the SSDLC. This drove me to seek a structured and practical path to deepen my skills.

Among all available learning paths, the Certified Threat Modeling Professional (CTMP) stood out. It is one of the very few certifications globally recognized for hands-on, real-world Threat Modeling.

It holds significant value in the market due to its applied focus, and relatively few professionals currently hold it, making it both a competitive edge and a practical investment.

This combination of low adoption, high relevance, and practical depth made CTMP a natural and strategic choice for my journey in Application Security.

This course aligned perfectly with my goals, offering hands-on experience in identifying, analyzing, and mitigating threats early in the development lifecycle.

How the CTMP Course Is Structured and Delivered

The Certified Threat Modeling Professional (CTMP) course by Practical DevSecOps is thoughtfully designed to take learners from the fundamentals of threat modeling all the way to advanced, real-world applications, including hands-on labs and automation.

The course is 100% online, self-paced, and spans multiple chapters, each packed with interactive content, mandatory labs, quizzes, and practical exercises. Here’s a breakdown of how it’s structured:

1. Getting Started

  • Covers course orientation, platform access, and troubleshooting.

  • Prepares your environment for hands-on labs and exams.

2. Threat Modeling Basics

  • Introduces threat modeling types.

  • Covers key terms: trust boundaries, attack surfaces, and risk strategies.

3. Techniques and Frameworks

  • Deep dive into STRIDE, OWASP, DREAD, and other rating models.

  • Introduces Different Threat Model Methodology.

  • Focus on diagramming, attack trees, and use-case modeling.

  • Hands-on labs with Different Tools.

4. Threat Modeling in Agile & DevOps

  • Shows how to embed threat modeling in CI/CD.

  • Uses BDD-Security and "threat modeling as code."

  • Aligns modeling activities with Scrum.

5. Reporting & Validation

  • How to report threat models as tickets, code, or documents.

  • Validating models, testing mitigations, and closing gaps.

6. Secure Design Principles

  • Explores the foundations of Secure Design Principles.

  • Includes real-world design case studies.

7. Final Prep

  • Course summary, sample templates, and exam registration guidance.

  • CPE points and certification FAQs.

8. Bonus

  • DevSecOps live workshops: modeling in code, pipelines, and advanced use cases.

Delivery Style

  • The course uses video lectures, guided labs, quizzes, downloadable materials, and realistic exercises.

  • All labs are cloud-based and require working in a Linux terminal, editing files, managing access, and applying security techniques directly.

  • Expect frequent interaction, even in solo learning mode.

What to Expect from the CTMP Exam

The Certified Threat Modeling Professional (CTMP) exam is a practical, real-world test of your ability to apply what you’ve learned during the course. Here's what you should know:

Exam Duration

  • You’ll have 6 hours to complete the technical part of the exam.

  • After submission, you’re given an additional 24 hours to finalize and submit your report.

Exam Format

  • This is not a multiple-choice exam.

  • The exam consists of 5 hands-on challenges, each requiring you to apply knowledge from the course content, labs, and quizzes.

  • Your answers must be delivered as a professional report, typically in PDF format.

  • A .zip file upload is also accepted if you include diagrams, models, or supporting files.

Submission Rules

  • Reports must be submitted within 24 hours after the exam time ends.

  • Late submissions are not accepted under any circumstances.

Preparation Tips

  • Revise each module thoroughly—especially the labs.

  • Please try to apply each Diagram Module with your hands before taking the exam

  • Focus on understanding methodologies and tools.

  • Train on every tool

  • Train for the time of the exam in 6 hours

  • Stay calm during the exam. Take breaks, breathe, and pace yourself.

  • You’re allowed to search the internet and use documentation, but:

    • AI tools (e.g., ChatGPT, Gemini, DeepSeek, etc.) are strictly prohibited.

The skills you gain—and how they apply in the field

The CTMP course equips you with both theoretical and practical skills that are directly applicable in real-world Application Security environments. Here's how:

Threat Modeling Techniques

You’ll master industry-recognized methodologies like STRIDE, PASTA, and LINDDUN, and learn how to apply them in various architectural scenarios. These are essential for identifying and mitigating threats early in the SDLC, especially during design and architecture reviews.

Hands-On Use of Modeling Tools

You gain hands-on experience using tools. These skills enable you to create, customize, and automate threat models for web apps, APIs, cloud systems, and even CI/CD pipelines, making you more effective in technical assessments and audits.

Integration into SSDLC and DevSecOps

You’ll understand how to embed Threat Modeling into secure software development life cycles, aligning security with Agile and DevOps practices.

Reporting and Documentation

You’ll learn how to structure a clear and professional security report—a skill that translates well into client deliverables, internal documentation, and audit reports.

Collaboration and Security Advocacy

You’re trained to work cross-functionally with developers, architects, and business teams, promoting a security-first mindset without slowing delivery.

Final Thoughts

The Certified Threat Modeling Professional (CTMP) journey offered a comprehensive blend of theory and hands-on practice, focused entirely on real-world Threat Modeling in the context of Application Security and DevSecOps.

From structured frameworks to practical modeling, from secure design principles to report writing under exam pressure, the course provided an end-to-end experience that reflects actual field requirements.

This certification filled a critical gap in my skillset, especially for early-stage SSDLC assessments, design-phase threat identification, and aligning security with modern development workflows.

It was a valuable checkpoint in my ongoing path within cybersecurity.

PreviousThreat Modeling

Last updated