The real cost of CompTIA A+: exam, training, and renewal

The exam is the down payment; training and renewal are the rest of the cost. Below is what each piece actually costs, every figure sourced and dated. The exam, the training, and the renewal are separate — a course is not the certification.

See the certification itself: CompTIA A+.

What it costs

Keeping it current

This credential is valid for 3 years. Renewal model: Upload CEUs / CertMaster CE / or retake; fee waived by passing a higher CompTIA cert. You must earn 20 continuing-education credits per 3-year cycle. Continuing-education credits are something you earn (often through activities you'd do anyway); the renewal/maintenance fee above is the amount paid to the certifying body.

A transparent 3-year estimate

Self-study route ≈ $623 — just the exam ($548) plus renewal $75 over 3 years, studying with free self-paced material (many vendors publish it).

With a paid course ≈ $1,918 — add the lowest published training ($1,295–$2,795) to the exam and renewal.

These are illustrations from cited components, not quotes; they exclude retakes, study materials, and your time, and use the lowest published (commercial, non-discounted) training price. Your cost will differ.

Many certification vendors publish free self-paced training (for example AWS Skill Builder and Microsoft Learn), so the training line can be $0 if you self-study — see the training-options pages and the training providers hub.

Sources

• Exam fee: https://www.comptia.org/en-us/certifications/a/core-1-and-2-v15/
• Training: https://www.onlc.com/comptia-certification-training-classes.htm
• Renewal/maintenance: https://www.comptia.org/en-us/resources/ce/learn/continuing-education-renewal-fees/

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