Briefing
What the SSCP costs: exam fee, endorsement and staying certified
The SSCP (Systems Security Certified Practitioner) certification costs US$249 to sit in the Americas — the standard registration on ISC2’s exam pricing page, checked October 2026 — and US$135 a year to keep once you hold it, per ISC2’s member policies, same date. Everything else on the bill depends on what happens between booking and renewal: a moved date, a second attempt, a lapsed cycle.
SSCP cost at a glance
US$654
first pass + three annual fees
249 + 3 × 135, before tax
Two lines are fixed: the exam fee and the annual fee. The rest only appear if a date moves, an attempt fails or a cycle lapses.
| Line item | Amount | When it applies | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Exam registration | US$249 | at booking; one attempt, to be sat within 365 days of purchase | ISC2 pricing |
| Reschedule | US$50 | each time you move the appointment | ISC2 pricing |
| Cancel | US$100 | if you drop the booking instead of moving it | ISC2 pricing |
| Retake | another US$249 | after a 30, 60 or 90-day wait | ISC2 retake policy |
| Peace of Mind Protection | price on ISC2 | optional at purchase; two attempts within 180 days | ISC2 SSCP page |
| Annual maintenance fee | US$135 a year | every year you are certified; one fee covers all your ISC2 certifications | ISC2 member policies |
| Annual fee, Associate of ISC2 | US$50 a year | while you are still earning the experience year | ISC2 member policies |
| Associate to SSCP upgrade | US$85 | the difference between the two annual fees, when you are endorsed | ISC2 member policies |
Tax depends on where you sit the exam. Prices for EMEA (in euros) and the UK (in pounds) are on the same pricing page; check it before you pay, because ISC2 has changed exam prices before.
The exam fee (and what changes it)
The standard registration is US$249 across the Americas, Asia-Pacific, the Middle East and Africa, per ISC2’s exam pricing page, checked October 2026. Europe and the UK pay in euros and pounds at the rates on that page, and local tax is added according to the test centre’s location — which is always a Pearson VUE centre, because ISC2 does not offer this exam online.
One fee buys one attempt. The exam-only purchase gives you 365 days to schedule and sit it, per ISC2’s certification page (checked October 2026). Treat that as the outer clock of your study plan and pick the date the day you pay; an open-ended booking is how the 365 days run out.
Peace of Mind Protection: the arithmetic
ISC2 also sells the exam with Peace of Mind Protection: two attempts within 180 days of purchase. Its price is on ISC2’s certification page. ISC2 prices it below two single registrations, so it pays off only if you need the second attempt and can sit both within 180 days of purchase. With the 30-day wait after a first attempt, your first sitting has to happen by around day 150 for the second to land inside the window.
Rescheduling, cancelling and retakes
Moving an appointment costs US$50; cancelling it costs US$100, both per ISC2’s pricing page, checked October 2026. The numbers set a simple rule: if a date stops working, move it. Cancelling and buying again later costs US$100 + US$249 = US$349, against US$50 for a reschedule.
Two reschedules cost as much as one cancellation. Book a date you can hold, and read the change terms on the pricing page before you touch it.
Retakes: a full fee every time
On the exam-only purchase one fee covers one attempt, so the next one is a new US$249 registration. As of October 2026, ISC2’s retake policy requires 30 test-free days after a first attempt, 60 after a second and 90 after the third and any later one, with at most four attempts in 12 months.
COST-R4
The worst year on the retake policy
- Attempts
- 4 in 12 months, the maximum
- Waiting
- 30 + 60 + 90 = 180 days between them
- Exam fees
- 4 × US$249 = US$996
A failing result comes with a proficiency reading per domain — below, near or above the standard — and no numeric score. Spend the 30 days on the domains marked below before you pay again.
After you pass: endorsement and the annual maintenance fee
Passing gives you the exam; the certification comes after endorsement. You submit an endorsement application within 9 months of the exam date; ISC2 typically reviews it in 4–6 weeks, per its FAQ. The experience rules themselves are on the SSCP overview; here is the path as a payment schedule.
Day 0
Register
US$249 in the Americas (ISC2 pricing, checked Oct 2026). From here you have 365 days to sit the exam.
Before exam day
Hold the date
US$50 for each move, US$100 to cancel. Nothing else is due before the exam.
Exam day
Pass or fail on the spot
No numeric score. A fail starts a 30-day wait, and the next attempt is another full registration.
Within 9 months
Endorsement
Submit the application with your year of experience or qualifying degree. Without either, you become an Associate of ISC2 and have 2 years to earn the year.
Every year
Annual maintenance fee
US$135 a year once certified, US$50 a year as an Associate, per ISC2’s member policies, checked Oct 2026.
Every 3 years
CPE cycle closes
60 CPE credits per cycle. Miss them and the certification goes through grace, then suspension.
The Associate route leaves the exam fee alone and changes the yearly line. You pay US$50 a year while you earn the experience and, when you are endorsed, the US$85 difference up to the certified fee, per the member policies, checked October 2026. Associates also report 15 CPE credits a year.
Keeping the SSCP: CPE credits
The certification runs in three-year cycles. To renew you need 60 continuing professional education (CPE) credits per cycle plus the annual fee each year, per ISC2’s member policies. ISC2 suggests a pace of about 20 credits a year; the binding number is the 60 at the end of the cycle.
- End of year 1: 20 credits logged
- End of year 2: 40 credits logged
- End of year 3: 60 credits, cycle closed
- Annual fee paid in each of the three years
Twenty a year is under two credits a month. Fall short at the end of a cycle and you get a 90-day grace period, then suspension; after two years suspended it is terminated, and coming back then takes 120 CPE credits within 12 months or a new exam (ISC2 member policies, checked October 2026).
Studying: free vs paid
Study spend runs from zero to the price of a paid course; this page lists no figures for it. The free end: the 60 SSCP practice questions on this site are weighted like the 2025 outline and work under a 57.6–72-second pace meter, 2 hours spread over 125 or 100 items.
Whatever you buy, check its date: material written before 1 October 2025 describes the retired format, while the current SSCP exam format is 100–125 adaptive items in two hours with no going back. ISC2 sells self-paced training of its own; its price appears only in its checkout.
More timed SSCP practice
The practice app for iPhone draws on a bank of 5,013 questions, so each timed set is new material.
Ways to keep your SSCP cost down
Step 01
Pay for one attempt
The cheapest attempt is the first one. Run the practice log under the pace meter until you finish inside budget, then book. Every fail adds US$249 and at least 30 days.
Step 02
Book a date you can keep
A move is US$50, a cancellation US$100 (ISC2 pricing, checked October 2026). Choose the date the day you pay, while most of the 365-day window is still ahead.
Step 03
Ask who pays
Ask your employer whether a training or certification budget covers the exam fee and the annual fee. If you work in a U.S. Department of Defense workforce role, ask about certification funding there; ISC2 lists the SSCP as approved under DoDM 8140.03.
Step 04
Never let a cycle lapse
Twenty CPE credits a year and the annual fee on time keep the exam fee a one-off. A terminated certification can cost a new exam.
Is the SSCP worth the cost?
At US$249 plus US$135 a year (ISC2, checked October 2026), you buy a practitioner-level credential that verifies experience as well as knowledge: the endorsement step checks a year of work in the domains. ISC2’s certification page lists it as approved under DoDM 8140.03 (checked October 2026), and the exam is ANAB-accredited to ISO/IEC 17024. If you later go for CISSP, this credential is on its experience-waiver list and counts for one of the five required years, per ISC2’s April 2026 waiver update; the CISSP never requires it.
Whether that is worth it depends on the alternative; see SSCP vs Security+ and SSCP vs CISSP.
FAQ
How much does the SSCP exam cost?
US$249 standard registration in the Americas, Asia-Pacific, the Middle East and Africa, per ISC2’s exam pricing page, checked October 2026. Europe and the UK are priced in euros and pounds on the same page, and tax depends on the test location.
How much does it cost to get the SSCP certification?
On a first-time pass, US$249 for the exam plus US$135 for each year you hold the certification (ISC2 member policies, checked October 2026): US$654 over a first three-year cycle, before tax and study costs. Each retake adds another US$249.
How long is the SSCP valid for?
It runs in three-year cycles and stays active while you earn 60 CPE credits per cycle and pay the annual fee. A missed cycle gets a 90-day grace period, then suspension; after two years suspended it is terminated, and reinstating it takes 120 CPE credits within 12 months or a new exam.
Is the SSCP worth the cost?
It is a practitioner-level, experience-verified credential approved under DoDM 8140.03. Weigh it against the alternatives on SSCP vs Security+ and SSCP vs CISSP.
Do you have to pay ISC2 every year?
Yes. The annual maintenance fee is US$135 a year for SSCP holders and US$50 for Associates of ISC2, per ISC2’s member policies, checked October 2026. One fee covers every ISC2 certification you hold.
Log a few items every day
The app keeps the same rhythm on your iPhone; the full log stays free on this site.