The SSCP exam cost is U.S. $249 per attempt in the Americas, Asia Pacific, the Middle East and Africa. In EMEA it is EUR 239.04, and in the UK it is GBP 201.69. ISC2 sets price and tax by where you sit the exam, so a candidate in Manchester and a candidate in Madrid pay different amounts for the same two hours.
That fee covers one sitting. Moving your date costs extra, canceling costs more, a retake costs the full fee again, and once you pass, ISC2 charges a U.S. $135 annual maintenance fee for as long as you hold the credential. The exam is delivered only at Pearson VUE test centers, with no online option, so travel can be a cost too. Each line of that bill is broken out below, followed by what the day itself involves. If you have not yet settled on the SSCP, the overview of what the SSCP certification is will help you decide before you spend anything.
What is the SSCP exam cost in each region?
ISC2 publishes three price points for the SSCP. Which one applies depends on the location of the test center, not your nationality or where your employer is based.
| Region | SSCP exam fee |
|---|---|
| Americas, Asia Pacific, Middle East, Africa, and regions not listed | U.S. $249 |
| EMEA (euro pricing) | EUR 239.04 |
| United Kingdom | GBP 201.69 |
ISC2's own wording is "Pricing and taxes based on location of exam." So the number you see at checkout may carry local tax on top. If you live near a border, or travel for work, it is worth checking what the same exam costs at a center in the next country over. The content and format do not change with the price.
For a sense of scale within ISC2's own lineup, the CISSP costs U.S. $749, three times the SSCP fee. That gap is one of several reasons people weigh the two, which the SSCP vs CISSP comparison covers in full.
What does the SSCP really cost over three years?
The exam fee is the number people search for. The number that matters is what you spend between buying the exam and your first renewal. Here is a worked example for a U.S. candidate who already meets the experience requirement and passes on the first try.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Exam, one attempt | $249 |
| Annual maintenance fee (AMF), year 1 | $135 |
| AMF, year 2 | $135 |
| AMF, year 3 | $135 |
| Three-year total | $654 |
Over a full certification cycle, the maintenance fee costs more than the exam. That surprises people, and it is the main reason to treat the SSCP as a subscription you are signing up for rather than a one-off purchase.
The AMF is a flat U.S. $135 for SSCP holders, the same figure ISC2 charges CISSP, CCSP and others. If you later add a second ISC2 certification, you still pay one AMF, due on your earliest certification anniversary. Some jurisdictions add tax to it.
Alongside the fee, you owe continuing education. The SSCP needs 60 CPE credits per three-year cycle: 45 in Group A and 15 more in Group A or B. ISC2 suggests about 20 a year (15 Group A plus 5 Group A or B) so you are not cramming in year three. Miss the cycle deadline and there is a 90-day grace period before suspension.
What if you pass without the year of experience?
You can sit the SSCP before you have one year of experience in the exam domains. Pass, and you become an Associate of ISC2 instead of a full SSCP. The costs shift:
- The Associate AMF is U.S. $50 a year, with 15 CPE credits annually.
- You have up to two years to earn the one year of experience.
- When you upgrade to full SSCP, you pay a U.S. $85 upgrade AMF and a new three-year cycle starts.
That route is cheaper per year while you are an Associate, but it adds a deadline: the endorsement application itself, not just the experience, must be complete before your Associate period ends. The rules on what counts as experience, including part-time work, internships and the degree pathway, are in the SSCP requirements post.
How much does it cost to reschedule or cancel?
Plans change, and ISC2 charges for it.
| Change | U.S. | UK | EUR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reschedule | $50 | £35 | €40 |
| Cancel | $100 | £70 | €80 |
Do the arithmetic on the U.S. figures. A reschedule costs about 20% of the exam fee. A cancellation costs about 40% of it. That second number is the trap.
Here is how it catches people. Three weeks before the exam, a practice score comes in low, and the instinct is to cancel, regroup and buy the exam again later. Do that and you have spent $100 to walk away, and then $249 again to come back. Rescheduling to a date six weeks out costs $50 and keeps the original purchase alive. If you intend to sit the SSCP at all, moving the date is almost always the cheaper choice.
The other timing rule: an exam-only purchase has to be scheduled and sat within 365 days of buying it. A year is a generous window. Even so, the cheapest way to use it is to book a real date once you have a study plan with weeks on it. A booked date with a $50 escape hatch tends to concentrate the mind better than an open voucher. If you need a schedule to build around, the SSCP study plan lays one out by domain weight.
What happens if I fail, and how long until I can retake?
A retake is a new purchase at the full fee. ISC2 also makes you wait, and the wait grows with each attempt:
- After your first attempt: 30 test-free days.
- After your second attempt: 60 test-free days.
- After your third attempt, and every one after: 90 test-free days.
- No more than four attempts in any 12 months.
Put those together and the realistic worst case looks like this. Four attempts inside a year is possible but tight, since the waits alone add up to 180 days. Four attempts at U.S. $249 is $996 in exam fees before you hold anything. Most people will never come close, but it is a useful number to have in your head when deciding whether a few more weeks of preparation are worth it.
If you fail, ISC2 gives you proficiency levels for each domain rather than a numeric score. Use them. They tell you where the next 30 days should go. Because scoring is compensatory, you do not need to be strong everywhere, but a domain flagged as weak on a 16% weight deserves more attention than one on the 9% Cryptography domain. How hard the SSCP exam is goes deeper into how the adaptive scoring reaches its pass or fail decision.
Is Peace of Mind Protection worth it?
ISC2 sells an exam purchase called Peace of Mind Protection that includes two attempts, both to be taken within 180 days. ISC2 does not print a price for it on the SSCP page, so we will not guess one here. Check the current price when you register and compare it with $249 plus a possible second $249. ISC2 says it costs less than two single exams, so if you think a retake is a real possibility, it can make sense. The 180-day limit is the catch: both attempts have to fit inside half the normal 365-day window.
Can I take the SSCP exam online?
No. The SSCP is delivered only at Pearson VUE test centers. ISC2 ran online-proctoring pilots, ended them, and now describes online proctoring as "an unnecessary risk."
That makes travel a hidden line item for some candidates. If your nearest center is a few hours away, budget for the trip, and possibly a night nearby, so you are not starting a two-hour exam after a long drive. Book early if your local center has limited seats, because the reschedule fee applies if the only date you can get turns out to be wrong.
The exam is offered in three languages: English, Japanese and Spanish.
What does SSCP exam day look like?
The day is short and fairly strict. Here is what to expect, in order.
Check-in. The name on your registration must exactly match your ID. A missing middle name or a different spelling can cost you the sitting, so check this the day you book, not the day before. From June 2026, phones and other electronic devices are prohibited, and Pearson VUE staff may scan you with infrared and metal-detection wands.
The exam itself. The SSCP uses Computerized Adaptive Testing for every candidate. You will see between 100 and 125 items in a maximum of two hours, mostly multiple choice with some advanced item types. Twenty-five of those items are unscored pretest questions, and you cannot tell which ones they are, so treat every item as if it counts.
The clock. Breaks come out of your two hours. At the full 125 items, you are working at under 60 seconds a question. Most candidates are better off skipping the break than losing several minutes of it.
When it stops. Once you have answered at least 100 items, the exam ends as soon as the system is 95% confident you are above or below the pass point. If it never reaches that confidence, it stops at 125 items or at the time limit and compares your final estimate with the standard. The pass mark is 700 out of 1000, though you will not see a numeric score.
Leaving. You get an unofficial result at the test center when you check out. The official result arrives by email. ISC2 notes that official results can sometimes take about six to eight weeks, so do not plan a job start date around an email you expect the next morning.
After you pass: the clock you still have to watch
Passing is not the last step. You have nine months from your exam date to complete the certification application. It needs an endorser, an ISC2-certified professional in good standing who provides their Member ID and surname. If you do not know one, ISC2 can endorse you directly, but it will ask for proof of employment. Applications are randomly audited, so keep your employment records where you can find them.
ISC2 lists no separate application fee, though your first AMF is due once the application is approved. Missing the nine-month deadline wastes the $249 you already spent. Set a calendar reminder the day you pass.
If you would rather go into all of this with one study resource that follows the official outline, our ISC2 SSCP Study Guide 2026 covers the seven domains in plain English, with practice questions and every answer explained.
FAQ
How much does the SSCP exam cost?
The SSCP exam costs U.S. $249 in the Americas, Asia Pacific, the Middle East and Africa, EUR 239.04 in EMEA, and GBP 201.69 in the UK. ISC2 sets the price and any tax by the location where you sit the exam. Each attempt, including a retake, is charged at the full fee.
Does the SSCP have an annual fee?
Yes. Once certified, you pay an annual maintenance fee (AMF) of U.S. $135. If you pass without the required year of experience and become an Associate of ISC2, the AMF is U.S. $50 a year until you upgrade, at which point you pay a U.S. $85 upgrade AMF.
Can I take the SSCP exam from home?
No. The SSCP is delivered only at Pearson VUE test centers. ISC2 ended its online-proctoring pilots and does not offer a remote option.
How soon can I retake the SSCP if I fail?
You must wait 30 days after your first attempt, 60 days after your second, and 90 days after your third and any later attempts. You can sit the exam no more than four times in 12 months, and each attempt costs the full exam fee.
How long do I have to use an SSCP exam purchase?
An exam-only purchase must be scheduled and taken within 365 days of buying it. Peace of Mind Protection, which includes two attempts, requires both attempts within 180 days.
Want one plain-English resource for the whole exam? The ISC2 SSCP Study Guide 2026 is mapped to the official SSCP exam outline domains, with practice questions and every answer explained.
Simply Certified is an independent publisher. SSCP, CISSP, CCSP and ISC2 are trademarks of ISC2. Our books are independent study material and are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by ISC2.