- The Short Answer: What the Code Actually Names
- Decoding the Label: Code, Credential, and Exam Title
- Why "Analysis" Matters: Competing Labels Get It Wrong
- What the Exam Measures: Five Domains
- Format, Timing, and the 41-Correct Criterion
- Scope Boundaries: What Is In and Out
- Registration and Delivery Mechanics
- Who the Credential Fits
- Sequencing Your Preparation by Domain
- Frequently Asked Questions
- C1000-162 is the exam code for IBM Security QRadar SIEM V7.5 Analysis, the required exam for credential C9005200.
- The exam has 64 questions, 90 minutes, and a passing requirement of 41 correct answers.
- Threat Hunting (24%), Offense Analysis (23%) and Searching and Reporting (21%) carry the most weight.
- The guide targets V7.5 Update Package 5; QRadar on Cloud (QRoC) SaaS is excluded.
The Short Answer: What the Code Actually Names
If you searched for "C1000-162" and landed here, the answer is direct: C1000-162 is the exam code for IBM Security QRadar SIEM V7.5 Analysis. Passing it earns the IBM Certified Analyst - Security QRadar SIEM V7.5 credential, issued through IBM Professional Certification under credential code C9005200.
The code is not an acronym in the usual sense. It is an identifier IBM uses in its certification catalog, and it points to a single, specific test: the analyst-level exam for QRadar's security information and event management (SIEM) platform, version 7.5. Everything else on this page builds from that one fact. If you want a broader orientation first, our overview What Is C1000-162? covers the exam at a higher level, and C1000-162 Meaning approaches the same question from a terminology angle.
Decoding the Label: Code, Credential, and Exam Title
Candidates often blur three different identifiers. Keeping them apart will save you confusion when you search IBM's catalog, read the study guide, or book a seat.
| Identifier | Value | What it refers to |
|---|---|---|
| Exam code | C1000-162 | The test you sit with the proctor |
| Exam title | IBM Security QRadar SIEM V7.5 Analysis | The formal name on IBM's exam record |
| Credential code | C9005200 | The certification record you earn after passing |
| Credential name | IBM Certified Analyst - Security QRadar SIEM V7.5 | The title you can list on a resume |
The exam is "required" for the credential, and no prerequisite exam is listed. In practice, that means passing C1000-162 is the single gate between you and the certification. For the eligibility picture in detail, see C1000-162 Requirements 2026: Eligibility, Prerequisites & How to Qualify.
The official sources for these facts are IBM's own exam record at ibm.com/training/credentials/getExam/C1000-162 and the credential page at ibm.com/training/credentials/getCert/C9005200. The exam record shows a last-modified date of 2025-12-18, and the exam and credential status was verified as Live on 20 October 2026.
Why "Analysis" Matters: Competing Labels Get It Wrong
You may run into third-party sites that describe this code as an Administration exam or as something unrelated to QRadar entirely, such as a cloud architecture certification. Those labels conflict with IBM's own identity for the code. IBM's records name C1000-162 as QRadar SIEM V7.5 Analysis, and that word, "Analysis," shapes everything the exam tests.
Always cross-check any study material against the official exam title and the five published domains below. Our C1000-162 Certification page and What Is C1000-162 Certification? explain how the credential fits together once you pass.
What the Exam Measures: Five Domains
IBM publishes five formal exam objectives with approximate weights. These are the content areas you are tested on, and they are the best guide to where your hours should go. For a fuller walkthrough, read C1000-162 Exam Domains 2026: Complete Guide to All 5 Content Areas.
Domain 1: Offense Analysis (23%)
The heart of day-to-day QRadar analyst work. You need to read an offense, understand why it fired, and decide what to do next.
- Interpreting offense details, contributing events and flows, and the offense summary
- Understanding magnitude, relevance, severity and credibility and how they relate
- Investigating the offense's offenses, source and destination context, and notes
- Knowing when to close, protect, follow up, or hide an offense
Domain 2: Rules and Building Block Design (18%)
Analysts do not only consume rules; they reason about how rules and building blocks produce offenses.
- How rules, building blocks and rule responses interact
- Reading the conditions and tests that make up a rule
- Tuning logic so noisy detections become useful ones
- The role of the included Use Case Manager app in understanding rule coverage
Domain 3: Threat Hunting (24%)
The largest domain. This is proactive, hypothesis-driven investigation, not just reacting to alerts.
- Forming a hunting question and translating it into QRadar searches
- Using attack knowledge, including MITRE ATT&CK concepts, to guide what you look for
- Pivoting from one indicator to related events, flows, assets and users
- Using the platform's data to confirm or rule out suspicious behavior
Domain 4: Dashboard Management (14%)
The smallest domain, but not one to skip: it is a source of reliable points.
- Creating and customizing dashboards and dashboard items
- Working with saved searches that feed dashboard views
- The role of the included Pulse app for visualization
Domain 5: Searching and Reporting (21%)
The mechanics of getting answers out of QRadar and presenting them.
- Building, filtering, grouping and saving event and flow searches
- Using AQL concepts and quick filters appropriately
- Creating, scheduling and distributing reports
- Applying RegEx skills where searches and property extraction call for it
Note how the weights cluster: Threat Hunting, Offense Analysis and Searching and Reporting together account for roughly two-thirds of the blueprint (24%, 23% and 21%). Those three domains are also deeply interconnected, since a threat hunt is executed through searches and surfaces as, or alongside, offenses.
Format, Timing, and the 41-Correct Criterion
The exam delivers 64 questions in 90 minutes and is offered in English. IBM states the passing requirement as 41 correct answers. That is the exact criterion to plan around; we have no verified issuer-published population pass rate, so treat any "pass rate" you see elsewhere with caution. Our analysis in C1000-162 Pass Rate 2026: What the Data Shows explains what can and cannot be said, and C1000-162 Passing Score 2026: Exactly What You Need to Pass goes deeper on the 41-correct threshold.
Question styles
IBM's official sample questions demonstrate three formats:
- Single-answer multiple choice: pick the one best response.
- Multiple-answer multiple choice: select every correct option, which rewards precise knowledge over guessing.
- Ordering / build-list tasks: arrange steps into the correct sequence, which tests procedural fluency.
Exam metadata additionally flags hot-area items, though the mix on any individual exam form is not specified. Do not assume a fixed proportion of any style.
At 90 minutes for 64 questions, you have a bit over a minute per item on average. Ordering and multi-select questions will consume more than their share, so bank time on the quick single-answer items.
Scope Boundaries: What Is In and Out
The study guide (34 pages) draws clear lines, and knowing them prevents wasted effort.
| Area | Status | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Software version | In scope | QRadar SIEM V7.5 Update Package 5 Analysis |
| Use Case Manager, QRadar Assistant, Log Source Manager, Pulse | In scope | The included apps named in the guide |
| App extensibility | In scope | Understanding that apps extend the platform |
| Other app-specific functions | Excluded | Functions beyond the four included apps |
| QRadar on Cloud (QRoC) SaaS | Excluded | The SaaS delivery model is not measured |
The guide also lists foundational knowledge that it distinguishes from measured objectives: TCP/IP, IT security, browser and RegEx skills, attack types including MITRE ATT&CK, and separately licensed features such as Network Insights and Incident Forensics. In other words, you are expected to arrive knowing the networking and security background, but those topics are the prior knowledge, not the scored objectives.
Registration and Delivery Mechanics
The exam is a proctored, computer-based test delivered through Pearson VUE. Whether you can test at a physical test center, online through OnVUE, or both depends on the selected exam and your country, so confirm availability when you schedule.
If you choose OnVUE (online proctoring), plan for these requirements:
- A system check on the computer you will use
- A matching photo ID
- A private testing space
- No books or notes: they are prohibited
On cost, IBM's issuer review records an indicative U.S. list fee of USD 200, and the current exam record shows a price field of 200 without a currency label. Fees can vary by region, so verify the figure in your checkout. Our C1000-162 Certification Cost 2026: Complete Pricing Breakdown covers the fee mechanics, and C1000-162 Exam Dates 2026: Testing Windows, Deadlines & Scheduling explains scheduling.
Key Takeaway
Run the OnVUE system check well before exam day if you plan to test from home. A failed camera, microphone or network check on the day itself is an avoidable source of stress that has nothing to do with QRadar knowledge.
Who the Credential Fits
Because the exam measures analysis rather than administration, the credential maps most naturally to people who work inside QRadar rather than around it: SOC analysts, security operations staff, threat hunters, and incident responders at organizations that run QRadar as their SIEM. Managed security service providers and consultancies that support QRadar customers also have reason to hold it.
We do not publish invented salary or hiring statistics here. For a grounded discussion of career outcomes, see C1000-162 Jobs, C1000-162 Salary Guide 2026: Complete Earnings Analysis, and Is the C1000-162 Certification Worth It? Complete ROI Analysis 2026.
Sequencing Your Preparation by Domain
You do not need a generic study system here. You need an order that respects how the domains build on each other. Offense Analysis and Searching and Reporting are the foundation, because Threat Hunting is executed through searches and interpreted through offense context. Schedule accordingly:
Offense Analysis and platform vocabulary
- Work through offense detail, magnitude components and investigation actions
- Review the foundational knowledge gaps (TCP/IP, RegEx, MITRE ATT&CK)
Searching and Reporting
- Build, filter, group and save searches until it is second nature
- Create and schedule reports
Threat Hunting
- Practice turning hypotheses into searches
- Pivot between events, flows, assets and users
Rules and Building Block Design, then Dashboard Management
- Study rule and building block interaction and the four included apps
- Finish with dashboards, then full review of ordering and multi-select items
Searching comes before hunting because you cannot hunt efficiently if every query is a struggle. For a longer plan, read C1000-162 Study Guide 2026: How to Pass on Your First Attempt, and for a condensed review sheet use C1000-162 Cheat Sheet 2026: One-Page Review of Must-Know Facts. If you are weighing effort, How Hard Is the C1000-162 Exam? Complete Difficulty Guide 2026 sets expectations, and C1000-162 Training reviews your learning options.
One note on IBM's preparation resources: a separate support page describes a two-hour course for exam preparation. That duration refers to the course, not to the exam timer, which is 90 minutes. Do not conflate the two.
When you are ready to test your recall against realistic question styles, our C1000-162 practice tests let you rehearse single-answer, multiple-answer and ordering formats in one place, and the main practice test site is the fastest way to find the weak domains before you book your seat.
Frequently Asked Questions
C1000-162 is IBM's exam code for IBM Security QRadar SIEM V7.5 Analysis. It is a catalog identifier rather than a spelled-out acronym, and passing it earns the IBM Certified Analyst - Security QRadar SIEM V7.5 credential (C9005200). See also What Does C1000-162 Mean? and What Is A C1000-162?
No. Some third-party sites mislabel it, but IBM's own records name it QRadar SIEM V7.5 Analysis. QRadar on Cloud (QRoC) SaaS is explicitly excluded from scope, and the domains focus on analyst tasks such as offense analysis, threat hunting and searching.
The exam has 64 questions and a 90-minute time limit. IBM's passing requirement is 41 correct answers. No issuer-published population pass rate has been verified, so be wary of precise pass-rate claims.
No prerequisite exam is listed. The guide does assume foundational knowledge, including TCP/IP, IT security, browser and RegEx skills, and attack types such as MITRE ATT&CK, but those are background expectations rather than required prior certifications.
The exam is proctored and computer-based through Pearson VUE. Test-center and OnVUE (online) availability depends on the selected exam and your country. OnVUE requires a system check, a matching photo ID and a private testing space, and books and notes are prohibited.