Cybersecurity content is typically taught and assessed using Bloom's Taxonomy to ensure that students acquire foundational and higher-order knowledge. In this study we show that when students are given the objectives written in the form of a competency-based statements, students have a more clearly defined outcome and are be able to exhibit their knowledge, skills, and abilities that are being measured with higher accuracy. Students also are able to demonstrate a higher level of both knowledge and confidence in describing their skills. An experiment with two sections of a network security class compared student performance on assessments, with one group receiving Bloom's Taxonomy objective statements and the second group receiving competency-based statements. The results of this study show an increase in performance on the instructional topic, and support applying the approach to cybersecurity workforce development.