How much does the PT0-003 exam cost?

The official PT0-003 exam fee is $439 (US$439 for a standalone voucher at CompTIA's standard retail price. A voucher bundled with one retake is US$579. Pricing varies by region and is shown once you sign in; confirm with CompTIA.). The range reflects US$439 for a standalone voucher at CompTIA's standard retail price. A voucher bundled with one retake is US$579. Pricing varies by region and is shown once you sign in; confirm with CompTIA.. That is the core cost, before any optional study materials or travel.

What is the total cost of PT0-003 in 2026?

At minimum you pay the exam fee ($439 (US$439 for a standalone voucher at CompTIA's standard retail price. A voucher bundled with one retake is US$579. Pricing varies by region and is shown once you sign in; confirm with CompTIA.)). A realistic total usually lands higher once you add any paid study materials, test-centre or travel costs, and a possible retake. The breakdown on this page shows every confirmed line so you can build your own estimate.

How much does it cost to retake the PT0-003 exam?

A resit means paying the exam fee again. One sit plus one retake is roughly $878 in exam fees, about double a single sit. Some providers offer discounted resit pricing or require a waiting period, so check the official retake policy.

Are there ways to pay less for PT0-003?

Yes. Lean on the free and official study material before paid courses, watch for legitimate early-bird or scheduled discounts, do the membership maths where a membership lowers the fee, and pass the first time so you avoid a retake. There is no trick that removes the official exam fee itself.

Cost · Cybersecurity

PT0-003 cost: full breakdown (2026)

What the PT0-003 actually costs once you add up the exam fee and everything around it - plus a realistic total, what a retake adds, and honest ways to keep the bill down. Fees change, so treat these as a planning guide and confirm the current amount on the official page before you pay.

By The Exam Atlas Editorial Team · Verified 2026-08-05

Full cost breakdown

Every cost line we could confirm for PT0-003. Optional items are marked - you do not need them all to pass.

Exam voucher US$439

Voucher with one retake included US$579 CompTIA's Retake Assurance bundle; cheaper than paying twice if you are unsure

Retake on a plain voucher Full fee again there is no free retake

Optional CertMaster study products US$149-709 each Study, Practice, Labs, Learn and Perform are all optional; larger bundles cost more

Renewal US$150 CE fee per 3-year cycle plus 60 CEUs, or renew fee-free by passing a higher or newer qualifying exam

Only the items above are confirmed from the provider. We do not list fees we cannot verify, so your real-world total may include extras (travel to a test centre, optional courses) that are personal to you.

What you will realistically spend

At minimum you pay the exam fee: $439 (US$439 for a standalone voucher at CompTIA's standard retail price. A voucher bundled with one retake is US$579. Pricing varies by region and is shown once you sign in; confirm with CompTIA.). For most candidates the real outlay lands higher than the bare fee once you add the items below - how much higher depends on the choices you make, not on a fixed price.

Included in the figures above: the official exam fee only.

Not included (and easy to forget):

Study materials or a prep course, if you choose paid ones over the free and official resources.
Travel or a test-centre surcharge, if you sit in person rather than online.
Renewal or recertification later - this credential is valid for 3 years (continuing education).
A retake fee if you do not pass first time (see below).

If you have to retake it

A resit means paying the exam fee again. Sitting once and retaking once would cost roughly $878 in exam fees alone - about double the single-sit cost, depending on US$439 for a standalone voucher at CompTIA's standard retail price. A voucher bundled with one retake is US$579. Pricing varies by region and is shown once you sign in; confirm with CompTIA..

Some providers run discounted or bundled resit pricing and may require a waiting period between attempts. Check the provider's retake policy before you book - the figure above assumes you simply pay full price twice.

How to spend less on PT0-003

Lean on free and official material first. The provider's own objectives and guides are free and are the most accurate source - paid courses are optional, not required to pass.
Watch for early-bird or scheduled-discount windows. Some bodies discount fees at certain times of year or for first attempts; book when a legitimate discount is live rather than assuming the price is fixed.
Do the membership maths. Where a membership lowers the exam fee, add the membership cost to the discounted fee and compare against the non-member fee - it only saves money if the total is lower.
Self-study before you buy a course. Try the free resources first; only pay for structured training if you genuinely need the structure. That single decision is usually the biggest line on the bill.
Pass the first time. The cheapest exam is the one you only sit once - the retake fee above is the easiest cost to avoid.

Free, no-cost resources for PT0-003:

We keep this honest: there is no trick that removes the official exam fee. Real savings come from skipping paid extras you do not need and not paying for a retake.

Is it worth the money?

It is worth it if the process side of testing is part of your job, or if you need a credential a non-technical HR filter will recognise. PenTest+ is the only mainstream pentest certification that weights scoping, rules of engagement, legal considerations and reporting as a full domain, and those are exactly the parts junior testers get wrong on real engagements. Its performance-based questions also push you past pure recall, and at US$439 it costs a fraction of OSCP or CEH. Be honest about what it does not do. It is a proctored exam with a mix of question types, not a 24-hour practical, so it does not prove to a red-team hiring manager that you can compromise a live network - OSCP still does that better, and job postings for hands-on roles say so. Against CEH the comparison is closer: both are largely assessment-style, but PenTest+ is cheaper, has no training-or-experience eligibility gate, and covers the engagement lifecycle in more depth, while CEH has broader brand recognition with recruiters and appears on more compliance baselines. A sensible reading: take PenTest+ if you want the methodology, the vendor-neutral badge and a stepping stone; take OSCP if you need to prove you can actually break in; take CEH mainly when a job posting or contract names it.

For the roles, pay bands and job outlook this credential is linked to, see the salary and career value section on the PT0-003 overview. That is where the cost above turns into a return - or does not.

How the price compares

Exam fees for other Cybersecurity certifications, for a sense of whether PT0-003 sits at the cheap or pricey end:

Exam	Exam fee
PT0-003 (this page)	$439 (US$439 for a standalone voucher at CompTIA's standard retail price. A voucher bundled with one retake is US$579. Pricing varies by region and is shown once you sign in; confirm with CompTIA.)
SCS-C03	$300 (Specialty-tier fee; taxes and local-currency pricing vary. A 50% discount voucher from any previous AWS certification pass can be applied.)
CS0-003	$404
SY0-701	$404

Fees shown for comparison only and change over time. Currencies may differ by provider; confirm each on its official page.

To see where PT0-003 sits across every field, see our 2026 certification cost report - all 65 exams ranked, with mandatory add-on fees and renewal costs compared.

PT0-003 cost: common questions

How much does the PT0-003 exam cost?: The official PT0-003 exam fee is $439 (US$439 for a standalone voucher at CompTIA's standard retail price. A voucher bundled with one retake is US$579. Pricing varies by region and is shown once you sign in; confirm with CompTIA.). The range reflects US$439 for a standalone voucher at CompTIA's standard retail price. A voucher bundled with one retake is US$579. Pricing varies by region and is shown once you sign in; confirm with CompTIA.. That is the core cost, before any optional study materials or travel.
What is the total cost of PT0-003 in 2026?: At minimum you pay the exam fee ($439 (US$439 for a standalone voucher at CompTIA's standard retail price. A voucher bundled with one retake is US$579. Pricing varies by region and is shown once you sign in; confirm with CompTIA.)). A realistic total usually lands higher once you add any paid study materials, test-centre or travel costs, and a possible retake. The breakdown on this page shows every confirmed line so you can build your own estimate.
How much does it cost to retake the PT0-003 exam?: A resit means paying the exam fee again. One sit plus one retake is roughly $878 in exam fees, about double a single sit. Some providers offer discounted resit pricing or require a waiting period, so check the official retake policy.
Are there ways to pay less for PT0-003?: Yes. Lean on the free and official study material before paid courses, watch for legitimate early-bird or scheduled discounts, do the membership maths where a membership lowers the fee, and pass the first time so you avoid a retake. There is no trick that removes the official exam fee itself.