CISSP Exam Fees and Total Cost

The current US exam fee

ISC2 currently lists the CISSP exam at US$749 in the United States. That is the amount for an exam purchase before any applicable tax or package benefit. The checkout flow tied to your ISC2 account and Pearson VUE appointment is the controlling amount for your purchase. If you are booking outside the United States, the applicable regional fee may be displayed in a different currency; do not convert the US amount and treat the result as a confirmed local price.

The exam fee buys an attempt under the terms of the purchase. It does not automatically include study books, a class, tutoring, transportation, time away from work, or annual certification maintenance. A training bundle can include an exam voucher or a second attempt benefit, but read its terms: attempt count, booking deadline, language or region restrictions, and expiration matter as much as the headline price.

Retakes and bundled attempts

If you fail, a new attempt generally requires another exam purchase at the current fee. The ISC2 retake policy controls when you may sit again: 30 test-free days after the first attempt, 60 after the second, and 90 after the third and later attempts. Candidates may take the same ISC2 certification exam no more than four times in a 12-month period.

Some ISC2 exam or training packages include a second attempt benefit, such as Peace of Mind Protection. That can reduce the amount you would otherwise pay for two separate attempts, but it is a package-specific benefit, not a universal feature of the standard registration. Check that the bundle includes the CISSP exam, permits your region and language, and gives enough time to schedule both attempts under the retake policy.

A second attempt still has a time cost. You may need to wait for eligibility to retest, rebuild weak domain knowledge, and take time away from other responsibilities. When deciding whether a bundle is worth its price, compare it with the official cost of two separate attempts and value the extra training only if you would use it. Do not add the advertised value of unused classes or materials to your savings.

Maintenance after passing

Passing the exam is not the last required payment for a candidate pursuing the full CISSP credential. After ISC2 approves the certification application, the applicant pays the first US$135 annual maintenance fee before the credential is granted. Certified members pay one US$135 AMF even if they hold multiple eligible ISC2 certifications. Tax may apply in some jurisdictions.

CISSP members must also earn 120 continuing professional education credits in each three-year cycle: 90 Group A credits directly related to the credential and 30 Group A or B credits. The requirement is measured in credits, not a mandatory purchase of a course. Some eligible webinars, employer learning, chapter activities, teaching, or professional contributions may provide credits without a separate course price, subject to ISC2's CPE rules and documentation.

Associates of ISC2 pay an annual US$50 AMF and complete 15 CPE credits annually. If an associate later meets the CISSP experience requirement and is approved for certification, ISC2 policy describes an US$85 upgrade payment when the associate's US$50 AMF for that year has been paid. Subsequent certified-member maintenance is US$135 annually. The exact account balance and due date shown by ISC2 should guide payment.

Application and endorsement costs

ISC2 requires a candidate who passes to submit the application within nine months. The process requires an experience record and endorsement, but ISC2's published process does not present a separate general application charge in addition to the AMF described above. Your first certification AMF is due after approval. Avoid treating a third-party endorsement service or resume review as an ISC2 requirement; the official process allows an eligible ISC2 professional to endorse your experience, or ISC2 may conduct the endorsement review.

If you apply for Associate status after passing because you lack experience, budget the US$50 associate AMF and annual 15 CPE requirement instead of the US$135 member AMF at that stage. Associate status is not the CISSP credential. If you hold it for several years while gaining experience, include each annual associate AMF in your personal cost forecast. Once you advance, the difference between the paid associate fee and the first member AMF may be due.

Preparation and study expenses

Study costs range from a low-cost self-study plan built around the official exam outline and selected references to paid courses, books, and question banks. There is no universal required course purchase. Compare resources by how well they cover the current outline, the quality of their explanations, their access period, and whether they clearly distinguish original practice from protected live exam content.

A question bank can help you diagnose gaps, but it cannot reproduce the CISSP CAT algorithm simply by calling itself an adaptive simulation. A fixed practice score is not a guaranteed prediction of the official result. Spend on a resource when it addresses a real gap, such as weak identity concepts or difficulty explaining why a control fits a scenario, rather than buying several overlapping libraries.

Include opportunity costs that affect your own plan: transit to a test center, lodging, meals, childcare, missed paid hours, and any accommodation-related travel. These costs differ by candidate and city. If you take an online or remote appointment where available, check its separate technical and room requirements before assuming that it eliminates all travel or setup costs.

Example budgets for different paths

US candidate who passes on the first attempt

The minimum published US charges to sit once and receive the full credential are US$749 for the exam and US$135 for the first member AMF, or US$884 before tax, study materials, travel, and later renewal. This is a fee illustration, not a promised total: checkout tax or a change in published prices can alter the amount.

Candidate who needs a second attempt

At the current US listed price, two separately purchased attempts would total US$1,498, plus the first US$135 member AMF if the candidate later qualifies and is approved. The combined US$1,633 figure excludes taxes, courses, travel, and CPE. A qualifying bundle may change the exam-purchase cost, so compare the written package terms before purchase.

Candidate who passes before qualifying for the credential

A candidate who passes but lacks experience may apply for Associate status and pay the US$50 annual associate AMF while gaining qualifying work. Add that fee for each associate year, then account for the upgrade to certified-member status after experience and application approval. The associate route creates a longer cost timeline than a direct first-time application, but it also preserves an official status while the candidate completes the experience requirement.

How to build your own total

Make a short estimate with four separate lines: exam attempts; preparation purchases; application and maintenance; and logistics or time away. Use the amount displayed for your actual purchase, not a foreign-currency conversion. Add the first AMF only when forecasting the cost of receiving the credential, and include annual AMFs and CPE activities when estimating a full three-year cycle.

Keep a retake reserve only if it is useful for your finances. Do not assume a retake is inevitable or assume that one practice score makes it impossible. If you buy a two-attempt package, record its expiration and the retake waiting periods on your calendar. The objective is a budget based on actual policy and your plan, not a speculative high-end shopping list.

ISC2 can change exam prices, maintenance fees, package benefits, and policy details. When you are ready to register or pay maintenance, use the current official purchase and account pages. This is where region, taxes, current availability, and your individual cycle are reflected.

Price a package against buying attempts separately

Use a two-column comparison before buying an exam bundle. On the current US list price, two separate US attempts would total US$1,498 before tax. A bundle that includes two attempts costs less than that only if its stated benefits and your eligibility make both attempts usable. If a bundle also includes instruction, assign value to the instruction only if you would otherwise buy it. Do not count an unused course seat as money saved.

Check whether the bundle requires scheduling within a set period, whether both attempts must occur by a deadline, whether the second attempt is subject to the regular 30/60/90-day wait periods, and whether the voucher is valid in your region. These terms determine practical value. A candidate who cannot use the second attempt before expiration may be better served by one exam purchase and a separate study plan.

Record the seller, purchase date, exam code, voucher region, expiration date, refund conditions, and included attempts. If a package is sold by a training provider, distinguish its own course access policy from ISC2's exam retake policy. The provider may control class access while ISC2 controls retest timing.

Budget continuing education as time and choice

The CISSP cycle requires 120 CPE credits, normally 40 credits a year, with 90 Group A and 30 Group A or B over three years. Those credits can come from different eligible activities. A paid conference or class may carry a registration price, while an employer learning session or qualifying webinar may have no separate cost. The activity must still meet ISC2's rules and be reported accurately.

Estimate the time needed to select, complete, and document CPE activities. If you plan 40 credits per year, spread them across the year and keep certificates or other accepted proof. The cost of an activity is not just its fee: travel, time away, and relevance to your professional development matter. Avoid purchasing a course only because a provider advertises a number of credits; verify that the activity can be claimed under the current ISC2 policy.

An associate's annual 15 CPE requirement is separate from the certified-member 120-credit cycle. If you expect to remain an Associate for several years, budget both its US$50 annual AMF and the time needed for each year's CPE. When you qualify and advance, the new certified cycle and higher maintenance fee begin under ISC2's current process.

Choose a budget that fits your route

Candidate A has five years across two domains and is ready to apply after passing. At current US listed amounts, one attempt plus the first member AMF is US$884 before tax. Candidate B expects one possible retake and budgets US$1,633 for two separately purchased exam attempts and the first member AMF. This is a reserve scenario, not a prediction that the second attempt will be needed.

Candidate C expects to pass before meeting the work requirement. The first phase is an exam purchase and an associate application with a US$50 annual AMF. Candidate C then budgets one associate AMF for each year spent gaining experience, plus eligible CPE activity costs. When the full experience is accepted, the upgrade payment may be US$85 if the associate fee for that year has been paid. The member's US$135 annual AMF applies after certification.

Illustrate the maintenance horizon

A three-year illustration helps separate the one-time exam expense from ongoing maintenance. At current US listed prices, one exam attempt is US$749. Three annual US$135 member AMFs across the first certification cycle add US$405, for US$1,154 in published exam and maintenance charges over that period. This excludes tax, training, travel, lodging, and any paid CPE activity. It assumes the fee remains unchanged and the candidate passes on the first attempt.

If a candidate buys two separate US attempts and later receives CISSP, two listed exam fees are US$1,498. Adding the first three annual member AMFs produces US$1,903 across the exam and first three-year maintenance horizon, before the same personal and tax costs. A bundle with two attempts changes the purchase side only if its terms are usable; it does not erase certification maintenance.

The figures are planning examples, not an invoice or a guarantee of future charges. If you qualify as an Associate first, use the associate AMF for each associate year and then add the upgrade difference when you advance. The account's invoice and cycle dates control the actual payment schedule.

Each scenario excludes tax, study materials, transportation, lodging, lost work time, and future price changes. Make those visible as separate lines so the official exam price does not get confused with the personal total. Recheck amounts at checkout and when ISC2 opens your maintenance billing.