ISC2 CC Exam Cost: The $199 Fee, the $50 Annual Fee, and What Happened to the Free CC Exam

How much is the ISC2 CC exam fee in your region?

ISC2's exam pricing page lists one standard registration price per region. For the CC exam, as checked on November 1, 2026:

ISC2 bases pricing and taxes on where the exam is administered, says currencies vary by country, and leaves the details to Pearson VUE at registration, so the total you pay can be higher than the list price. The fee buys one attempt: an exam-only purchase includes a single exam attempt that you must schedule and sit within 365 days of buying it.

Is the ISC2 CC exam still free?

Not for new candidates. ISC2's One Million Certified in Cybersecurity program gave participants free access to the CC Online Self-Paced course and a free CC exam. ISC2 says the program passed its goal of more than 1 million enrollments, and it closed new enrollments effective May 20, 2026. Here is what that means, according to ISC2's page on the program's conclusion:

• No new free seats. No one new can enroll, and ISC2 will issue no new free exam seats.
• Issued codes have a hard deadline. A CC exam code issued through the program that has not expired must be used to schedule and take the exam by December 31, 2026.
• Expired codes stay expired. Once a code expires it cannot be reactivated, and standard ISC2 exam policies apply.
• The course is separate. If you enrolled before May 20, 2026 and your course access has not expired, you can still take the course, and finishing it is not required to sit the exam.

For a 2027 exam date, plan on paying the standard fee. ISC2 says it will keep working with public and private sector partners, including nonprofit, academic and government workforce programs, to reduce barriers to cybersecurity education and exams. Its page names no new free CC program, so ask your school, employer or local workforce program what they cover before you pay.

What do you pay after you pass the CC exam?

Passing is not the last cost. ISC2 says that after you pass, you complete the application form and pay the U.S. $50 Annual Maintenance Fee, and you then hold the CC certification and become an ISC2 member. All ISC2 members commit to the ISC2 Code of Ethics.

To keep the certification, ISC2 requires two things:

• 45 CPE credits in each three-year certification cycle. CPE stands for continuing professional education.
• The $50 AMF every year of the cycle.

If you fall behind, ISC2 gives certified members a 90-day grace period after the end of the cycle to submit missing CPE credits and pay past-due AMFs. A suspended credential can stay suspended for up to two years. After that, ISC2 terminates it, and getting it back means retaking and passing the exam.

What do rescheduling, cancelling and retaking cost?

ISC2's pricing page lists two change fees:

A retake is a new attempt, and ISC2's retake policy covers CC like its other certifications. After a first attempt, you may retest after 30 test-free days. After a second attempt, you wait 60 test-free days from the most recent one, and after a third or later attempt, 90. You may attempt the CC exam up to 4 times within any 12-month period.

With exam-only purchases at $199 each, a second attempt doubles the exam cost to $398. ISC2 also sells Peace of Mind Protection, an exam purchase that includes two attempts at a lower cost than two single exams. Both attempts must be taken within 180 days of purchase and under the retake policy, and ISC2 says it is not eligible for refunds. Check its current price in ISC2's store and compare it with $398 before you buy. Before you pay for a second attempt, see the per-domain question counts planned for full ISC2 CC prep at launch and make sure your weakest domain gets the most practice.

How much does the ISC2 CC certification cost over three years?

Add the fees up over a first three-year cycle. This worked example uses ISC2's U.S. list prices as checked on November 1, 2026, and it is an editorial illustration, not an ISC2 quote:

The totals leave out taxes, any training or books you buy, and the cost of earning 45 CPE credits, which depends on the activities you choose. A reschedule adds $50 and a cancellation $100. The single biggest saving is passing on the first attempt, which keeps the second exam fee and the 30-day wait out of the plan.

If you want structured practice for that first attempt, compare the question and flashcard counts planned for full CC prep, which are launch targets for a product that is not on sale yet.

How can you prepare for the CC exam without overspending?

Start with what costs nothing:

1. Read the official outline. ISC2 publishes the CC exam outline on its website as a downloadable PDF, and the guide to the five ISC2 CC domains explains what each domain covers, how the weights compare, and how the adaptive exam works.
2. Check yourself on a sample. The 20 free ISC2 CC practice questions cover all five domains, explain every option and show which domain each miss came from.
3. Plan the weeks before you book. The free ISC2 CC study planner turns your exam date and daily minutes into a dated outline weighted by domain, so you pick a date you can prepare for.

Buy the exam once your plan fits inside the 365 days an exam-only purchase gives you to schedule and sit it. When you want a full rehearsal of the 2-hour limit, full CC prep at launch adds a 125-question timed mock exam.