How Much Does the CompTIA A+ Exam Cost in 2026?
A lot of people ask me: “Mike, what’s the CompTIA A+ exam actually going to cost me?”
Here’s the short answer: each Core costs $265 in the US, and you need both Core 1 and Core 2 to earn the A+ certification. So the official price tag is $530. That’s the part everyone Googles.
The part nobody Googles — and the part that surprises folks at checkout time — is everything else. Study materials, practice exams, a possible retake, and renewal fees three years from now. Once you add those in, the realistic total cost lands somewhere between $700 and $1,200 for most candidates. Let me walk you through where the real money goes, and how to spend less without cutting the wrong corners.
The CompTIA A+ Exam Cost in 2026 (At a Glance)
Here’s the quick breakdown of the official 2026 pricing for A+:
| Item | Price (USD) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Core 1 voucher (220-1201) | $265 | Single attempt at one exam |
| Core 2 voucher (220-1202) | $265 | Single attempt at one exam |
| Both Cores (full A+ certification) | $530 | Required to earn the cert |
| Retake (per attempt) | $265 | No discount on retakes (unless you buy with a voucher retake) |
| CompTIA CEU renewal | ~$25–$50/3 years | Optional if you stack certs (more on that below) |
These are the prices CompTIA sets through their official store. The same prices apply whether you sit for the exam at a Pearson VUE testing center or take it remotely through OnVUE proctoring from your kitchen table. There’s no testing-location discount, and there’s no online-only premium. The voucher is a voucher.
A few things you should know about A+ vouchers in general:
- They’re valid for approximately 12 months , so don’t buy one until you’re roughly 8–10 weeks from being ready to test.
- They’re non-refundable and non-transferable once you redeem them.
- The voucher code is what you actually pay for. Pearson VUE applies it at checkout when you schedule your exam.
That covers the official sticker price. Now let’s talk about why CompTIA charges for two exams.
Why Two Exams? Core 1 vs Core 2
A+ is the only CompTIA certification that requires you to pass two separate exams to earn one credential. That trips up almost every first-time candidate who’s used to seeing single-exam certs like Network+ or Security+.
Here’s how the two Cores split:
- Core 1 (220-1201) covers hardware, networking fundamentals, mobile devices, virtualization basics, and physical-side troubleshooting. If something has an LED on it or plugs into a wall, it lives in Core 1.
- Core 2 (220-1202) covers operating systems (Windows 11, macOS, Linux, mobile), security fundamentals, software troubleshooting, and operational procedures. If something has a login screen or a config file, it lives in Core 2.
You can take them in either order, and you don’t have to take them on the same day. Most candidates take Core 1 first because it’s the more concrete, hands-on exam — easier to study with cheap secondhand hardware on your kitchen table. Core 2 leans more on memorization and conceptual understanding.
You have 12 months from passing the first Core to passing the second one. Miss that window and you have to retake both. Don’t miss that window.
The Hidden Costs Most Candidates Forget
The voucher price is the part you can plan for. The rest is where budgets crack. Here’s everything else that ends up on your A+ tab.
Study materials. You need a book, a video course, or both. Mike Meyers’ All-in-One CompTIA A+ Exam Guide for the V15 (220-1201/1202) exams runs around $40–$60 retail in print, less for the e-book. A solid video course will run you anywhere from $30 (community recommendations) to $300+ (premium structured programs). You don’t need to spend $300 to pass A+. Plenty of people pass with the book and free YouTube content from a few well-known instructors. But you need something — A+ has too much breadth to wing.
Practice exams. This is the highest-leverage dollar in your A+ budget. A practice-exam package like TotalTester runs $30–$70 and gives you a question bank deep enough to surface your actual weak spots. People who score 85%+ on full-length practice exams pass the real thing on the first try at very high rates. People who skip practice exams retake more often. The math here is brutal: $50 in practice exams is roughly 19% of one $265 voucher, and a single retake costs $265. Skipping practice exams to save $50 is a bad bet.
A retake. Roughly 25–30% of first-attempt A+ candidates fail at least one Core. That’s another $265, with no retake discount. There are “second chance” retake vouchers available through certain partners but they must be bought with your initial voucher purchase. You can’t go back after you fail the initial exam and get the retake discount. If you have testing anxiety, you may want to plan as if a retake is a possibility. You know you best, just be honest with yourself, is the discount retake worth the expense?
Travel to a testing center. If you’re testing in-person at a Pearson VUE center, factor in $0–$30 per exam in gas, parking, or transit. If you’re testing online with OnVUE, this is zero — but you’ll need a quiet room, a clean desk, and a working webcam. OnVUE is strict about your environment.
Renewal. A+ is valid for 3 years from the date you pass the second Core. After that, you renew by either retaking the current exam ($265) or earning 20 Continuing Education Units (CEUs) through CompTIA’s CE program. Stack a Network+ or Security+ in the next three years and you renew A+ automatically — no extra fee. If you don’t stack, plan on $25–$50 per year in CE fees over the renewal cycle.
The honest total for most candidates, including study materials and a small budget for one retake risk: $700 to $1,200. The very low end ($600) assumes you self-study with a borrowed book, pass both Cores on the first try, and stack another cert before renewal. The high end ($1,500+) assumes a premium video course, official CompTIA training, and one or two retakes.
How to Pay Less for the CompTIA A+ Exam
Now the good news. There are at least four ways to legitimately spend less on A+, and most candidates qualify for at least one of them.
Buy through a CompTIA Authorized Partner. Companies like Total Seminars are CompTIA Authorized Partners, which means we can sell official vouchers below CompTIA’s direct retail. The discount is typically 10–15%, which on a full A+ ($530 retail) saves you $50–$80. Same voucher, same exam, same result. Just less money on the way in. You can grab discounted A+ vouchers here.
Bundle a voucher with retake protection. A voucher-plus-retake bundle costs under $100 more than a single voucher upfront. If you fail and need to retake, that $100 saves you a full $265. Whether the bundle makes sense depends on how confident you are. If you’re consistently scoring 85%+ on practice exams, skip the bundle. If your practice scores are bouncing between 70% and 80%, the bundle is cheaper than the math says it should be.
CompTIA Academic Store. If you have a valid .edu email from an accredited institution, CompTIA’s academic store can drop the voucher price up to 50%. This is the single biggest discount available, but it’s gated by your school email. If you’re a student, use it.
Military and DoD funding. Active-duty military and DoD contractors often have CompTIA exam costs covered through unit funding, COOL programs, or DoD 8140 directives. If you’re in uniform, talk to your education services officer before you spend a dollar of your own money. The same applies to many federal civilian roles.
Employer reimbursement. Most IT employers reimburse certification costs after you pass. Managed service providers (MSPs) and IT consulting firms are especially generous here because client contracts often require certified staff. Ask before you pay, even at a small shop. The worst answer you’ll get is no.
If none of those four apply to you and you’re paying out-of-pocket as an individual, an Authorized Partner discount is your best play. It’s not the largest discount, but everyone qualifies for it, and the math works out to “same exam, less money.”
Is the CompTIA A+ Worth the Cost?
I get this question almost as often as the cost question itself, so let me give you the honest version.
A+ alone won’t get you a senior IT role. It’s an entry-level credential, designed to validate that you can support a user, troubleshoot a machine, handle basic networking issues, and work safely inside standard IT procedures. That’s exactly what it does. No more, no less.
What A+ gets you is the door to entry-level IT work — helpdesk, field support, and field service roles where employers want some signal that a new hire can hit the ground running. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics put the median pay for Computer User Support Specialists at around $61,000 per year in 2024, with strong demand projected through the rest of the decade. That’s the floor. Most A+ holders are in roles paying $40K–$65K depending on geography.
So is $530 (or $700–$1,200 fully loaded) worth it for a role that pays $40K–$65K? Almost always yes. Even at the high end of total cost, the credential pays for itself in the first 1–2 months of a new job.
The honest caveat: A+ is the first cert, not the last. The path that actually moves your salary is A+ → Network+ → Security+, and from there into specialty certs like CySA+ or PenTest+. Each step opens new roles and new pay bands. A+ on its own gets you in the door. The certs you stack on top of A+ are what move you up.
For a deeper dive on whether the broader CompTIA path is worth it given your specific situation, take a look at our piece on whether CompTIA certifications are worth the cost.
Buying Your CompTIA A+ Voucher
When you’re ready to schedule, you have three real options:
- Buy direct from CompTIA at full retail. $265 per Core, $530 for both. Simplest path, highest price.
- Buy through an Authorized Partner like Total Seminars. Same official voucher, 10–15% off. See current A+ voucher prices →
- Buy a voucher + retake bundle. Costs about $100 more upfront. Saves you about $165 if you fail.
Whichever path you pick, don’t buy your voucher until you’re 8–10 weeks from being ready to sit for the exam. Vouchers expire 12 months from purchase, and that timer starts the moment you check out — not the moment you schedule. Buying too early just creates pressure you don’t need.
If you’re already studying and want to lock in a voucher at today’s price before any future CompTIA increases, that’s a fine strategy. CompTIA has raised prices roughly every 12-18 months, and June 2025 saw the most recent jump. Buy when you have a realistic exam date in mind.
Frequently Asked Questions
Two. You must pass both Core 1 (220-1201) and Core 2 (220-1202) within 12 months of each other to earn the certification.
You technically can. Most candidates space them at least 2-4 weeks apart so they can study each Core’s material properly and walk into each exam fresh.
Same as the first attempt – $265 per Core. CompTIA does not discount retakes. There’s also no waiting period for the first retake; you can rebook the same day you fail. After two failed attempts on the same exam, CompTIA does require a 14-day wait before your third attempt.
Yes. A+ is valid for 3 years from the date you pass the second Core. You renew by either retaking the current exam, earning 20 CompTIA CEUs through their CE program, or – most commonly – by earning a higher CompTIA cert (Network+, Security+, etc.), which automatically renews everything below it.
If you have a valid .edu email, CompTIA’s academic store is the biggest discount available – up to 50% off. If you don’t, an Authorized Partner like Total Seminars typically saves you 10-15% over CompTIA’s direct retail. Active-duty military often have A+ fully covered through unit funding.
No. Same voucher price either way. The difference is convenience, not cost. OnVUE is stricter about your testing environment – quiet room, clean desk, working webcam – but you skip the drive to a testing center.
That’s the real cost picture for A+ in 2026. The voucher is $530 for both exams. The full investment, done well, is closer to $800. The path back to that money is a job that pays significantly more than what you spent, starting in a matter of months.
If you’re ready to schedule, you can grab discounted A+ vouchers here. And if you want the practice exams and study materials that get most candidates over the line on the first try, take a look at what we’ve put together for A+.
Talk to you next week!