CEH Exam Cost and Requirements: The Training Route vs the Experience Route

How much does the CEH exam cost?

The CEH exam cost depends on where you test. EC-Council's online store lists the CEH exam voucher at $950 for an online exam with remote proctoring and at $1,199 for a Pearson VUE test center, as checked on November 1, 2026. Before you can buy either one, you must be eligible: through official EC-Council training, which usually includes the voucher, or through an approved eligibility application, which costs $100 and is not refundable. EC-Council says prices can vary by region and training partner.

Each voucher is non-transferable and valid for one year from the date it is released. Official training is priced separately, and EC-Council says it does not set the price of training sold through its partners, so there is no single list price for the training route. Nearly all official partners include the exam voucher in the training package.

What are the CEH eligibility requirements?

EC-Council lets you reach the exam in one of two ways.

• Official training. You complete official CEH training at an Accredited Training Center, through EC-Council's official online learning, or at an approved academic institution. You can then attempt the exam without a separate application. Before buying a voucher from EC-Council, you send your certificate of attendance.
• The experience route. You skip training and apply for eligibility. EC-Council asks for verifiable proof of at least two years of experience in information security, in any of the nine CEH domains, and the handbook asks that your employer endorse it. Instructors, trainers and PhDs qualify on the same terms.

One thing the experience route does not accept: EC-Council's CEH page says self-published videos are not a substitute for official training and will not be accepted as a valid method of study when you apply. Third-party prep, including ours, is not official training either, so it does not make you eligible. On this route, the application is judged on your work experience.

Training route or experience route: which fits you?

The experience route is the cheaper path at EC-Council itself, but only if you already have the background. If you plan to self-study on that route, full CEH prep planned for launch is built around the nine blueprint domains, for study alongside your own experience. It is not official EC-Council training and does not count toward eligibility.

How does the CEH eligibility application work?

The application has three stages, and timing is what catches people.

1. Applying. You submit the eligibility application with the $100 fee and list verifiers who can confirm your experience. EC-Council reaches out to those verifiers, so tell them to expect contact; slow replies from verifiers can extend the processing time.
2. Review. Verification and approval typically take 5 to 10 working days. If EC-Council asks for more information and gets no reply within 90 days, the application is treated as rejected, and you would start a new one.
3. After approval. You receive purchase links for the exam voucher. EC-Council's eligibility page says approvals are valid for 90 days; the handbook and the CEH certification page say 3 months from the date of approval. Either way, buy the voucher soon after approval. Once you buy it, you have 12 months to schedule and take the exam.

If EC-Council rejects the application, the $100 is not refunded. You can fix the reason and reapply. Holders of an active, version-specific CEH certification from versions 1 to 7, before ANAB accreditation, can have the application fee waived.

What does the CEH exam cost on each route?

Here is the arithmetic at EC-Council's listed prices for a candidate on the experience route, from application to the third year of certification:

On the training route, replace the first two rows with the price of your training package, which in most cases already includes the voucher and the application fee. Ask the partner what the package includes before you compare.

The larger cost risk is a failed attempt. One more attempt means another voucher, so it pays to check your readiness before you spend $950 or more. A timed 125-question mock exam planned for full CEH prep is designed for that check. To see what the exam covers first, read the guide to what's on the CEH exam, and try the 20 free CEH practice questions to find your weakest domain.

What does a CEH retake cost, and how long do you wait?

If you don't pass, EC-Council sells a retake voucher at a discounted price. You request it through EC-Council's retake application. The eligibility page does not list a fixed retake price, so ask EC-Council or your training partner, because many training packages include a retake. The waiting rules come from EC-Council's retake policy:

After a third failed attempt, EC-Council strongly advises official hands-on training. You also cannot retake the same version of the exam after passing it.

What does keeping CEH cost after you pass?

The CEH certification is valid for three years. To renew it, you earn 120 continuing education credits within those three years and pay the annual continuing education fee, which EC-Council lists at $80 for CEH, or $240 over three years. The fee is due each year from the date you were certified, not on a calendar date. If you don't pay, EC-Council suspends your member portal services, including downloading your e-certificate and updating your credits. Budget the $80 as a yearly cost from the start.

Does the CEH Practical cost extra?

Yes. The CEH Practical is a separate, optional 6-hour exam with 20 practical challenges, and EC-Council's eligibility page lists its voucher at $550. Passing both the knowledge exam and the Practical earns the CEH Master designation, which EC-Council says cannot be bought on its own. The Practical's direct route also asks for two years of information security work experience unless you attend official training. If you only need the CEH credential, you can skip the Practical and its voucher, and full CEH prep planned for launch covers the knowledge exam, not the Practical's hands-on challenges.