How much does the CCNA exam cost if I fail and need a retake?

A resit costs the full $300 again, with no discount on the second attempt. Cisco enforces a five-calendar-day wait after your first sitting. Cisco lists Exam Safeguard Plus at $450 with a second attempt within 90 days. One guide quotes Exam Safeguard at $375 with one retake. At retail, one failure turns a $300 line into $600.

What will the CCNA exam cost in my country?

One guide lists a $300 USD base fee everywhere. Pearson VUE bills in local currency and adds local tax. The UK and EU add value-added tax, so the total is $300 plus VAT. India lands near $354 with 18 percent GST. Australia sits near $330 with 10 percent GST. Canada lands between about $315 and $345 with GST or HST of 5 to 15 percent. US candidates pay $300 plus state sales tax where testing services are taxed.

Do I need study materials, or is the $300 enough?

The $300 only buys a seat. One 2026 guide puts official guides and video courses at $40 to $150. Practice exams add $50 to $150, which puts a lean self-study plan at $390 to $600. Adding paid labs and used equipment takes it to $600 to $800. Instructor-led training runs $1,800 to $3,800, and another guide prices that route at $3,500 to $5,000 or more. Packet Tracer is free.

Is the CCNA worth $300 if I am moving from help desk to networking?

The US Bureau of Labor Statistics, or BLS, reports a median for network and computer systems administrators. That median is $99,130 a year as of May 2025. It is a backdrop for the job group, not a CCNA wage. BLS does not count CCNA holders. One compiled list quotes CCNA holder averages from $82,000 to $106,000. No published source quantifies a CCNA pay premium. Check local job postings before you count on a raise.

Should I take the CCNA first or go straight to CCNP or DevNet?

Cisco lists CCST at $125 and CCNA at $300. DevNet Associate costs $300. CCNP core is $400 plus a $300 concentration, so CCNP alone costs $700. DevNet costs the same as CCNA, so price will not decide between them. The sources here do not say which exam employers prefer. Pick the exam that matches the job you want, then price that path.

CCNA Exam Cost - Full 2026 Budget Breakdown

Q: How much does the CCNA exam cost in 2026?

One attempt at the 200-301 exam is $300 USD plus tax. That is Cisco official price, and the Pearson VUE Government Store lists the same $300. A discounted third-party voucher costs $274.95. You must use it by November 30, 2026. It works only in the US, Canada and Puerto Rico. For a full budget, allow about $390 to $600 for self-study. Guides and practice exams add $90 to $300 on top of the seat.

How much does the CCNA exam cost in 2026?

CCNA stands for Cisco Certified Network Associate. The 200-301 exam is Cisco's entry-level networking certification.

Cisco lists the exam on its official CCNA exam page at $300 plus tax. You pay by credit card or with Cisco Learning Credits. The test runs 120 minutes with 100 to 120 questions in multiple-choice, drag-and-drop and simulation formats.

The Pearson VUE Government Store sells the same seat for $300.00, with no member price shown.

A third-party seller offers a discount. A voucher for the 200-301 exam sells for $274.95 against a $300.00 regular price. That is a saving of $25.05, or 8 percent. You must take the exam by November 30, 2026. It works only in the US, Canada and Puerto Rico. All sales are final with no refund.

What the seat price does not tell you

The seat price answers only part of the CCNA exam cost question. Guides, practice exams and labs come on top, and the budget section below prices each line. One 2026 cost guide puts study time at 150 to 200 hours.

How to decide between them

Here is the rule that ranking guides leave out. Cisco's page says Exam Safeguard Plus costs $450 and gives a second chance within 90 days. It does not say whether the first attempt is inside that price. If it is, the bundle beats a $600 exam and resit by $150. That saving applies only if you fail once and retake within 90 days. If you pass first time, you pay $150 over the $300 seat for cover you never use. One guide quotes a $375 bundle, which would be $75 cheaper again. Check at checkout what each bundle includes.

Exam Safeguard Plus - Cisco's own bundle at $450, adding a second attempt within 90 days
Cisco Associate Exam Safeguard - a bundle quoted by one 2026 guide at $375, adding one retake
Full-price resit - a further attempt at $300 with no discount, after a five-calendar-day wait
Third-party voucher - $274.95 for the same exam, use by Nov 30, 2026, no refunds

Any voucher bought outside Pearson VUE carries risk. Cisco does not guarantee such vouchers or codes. Unauthorized, fraudulent or reused vouchers can lead to sanctions, including a possible lifetime exam ban.

What does the CCNA cost outside the United States?

One 2026 guide lists the base fee as $300 in every country. Pearson VUE, which runs the test centers, bills in your local currency and adds local tax. That guide gives these totals as estimates, not fixed prices. Confirm your local price at checkout.

Country or region	Base fee	Local tax	Indicative total
United States	$300	State sales tax	$300 plus state tax
United Kingdom	$300	Value-added tax (VAT) at the standard rate	$300 plus VAT
European Union	$300	VAT at the standard rate	$300 plus VAT
India	$300	Goods and services tax (GST) at 18 percent	about $354
Australia	$300	Goods and services tax (GST) at 10 percent	about $330
Canada	$300	GST or harmonized sales tax (HST), 5 to 15 percent	about $315 - $345

Retakes follow the same rule. A resit costs the full $300 again, taxed where you live.

What is the real budget beyond the exam fee?

The $300 buys a seat and nothing else. Adding study materials turns the CCNA exam cost into a real budget. One 2026 cost guide splits the spend into these lines:

Official guides and video courses - $40 to $150
Practice exams - $50 to $150
Self-paced training - $100 to $600
Instructor-led or live training - $1,500 to $3,500
Labs - $0 to $500; used equipment $150 to $500

Packet Tracer, Cisco's free network simulation tool, costs nothing. Instructor-led training is the big jump. One guide puts that route at $1,800 to $3,800. Another prices it at $3,500 to $5,000 or more.

Route	Typical total	What is in the number	Note
Exam only	$300	One attempt	The floor for everyone
Lean self-study	$390 - $600	$300 exam, $40-$150 guides, $50-$150 practice exams	$450 is a typical example; another guide says $375-$500
Self-study with paid labs	$600 - $800	Exam plus practice and lab bundles	One guide's range; used gear $150-$500
Instructor-led or live online	$1,800 - $3,800	$1,500-$3,500 training on top of the exam	Another guide says $3,500-$5,000+

Before you book, read the guide to how to pass the CCNA exam. It lays out study plans that fit these budgets.

How does the CCNA compare with other Cisco certification costs?

CCNA is one rung on a Cisco ladder. Cisco publishes exam prices by certification level. You can price the paths you care about before you start.

Certification	Exam	Price	Why it matters for the CCNA decision
CCST Networking or Cybersecurity	CCST	$125	Cheapest entry exam
CCNA	200-301	$300	3-year validity, no prerequisites
DevNet Associate	200-901	$300	Same price as CCNA; pivot into automation
CCNP core	350-xxx	$400	Add a $300 concentration for CCNP alone

CCST, or Cisco Certified Support Technician, is the lowest-priced entry exam at $125. CCNA recertification needs 30 Continuing Education, or CE, credits. It also works through a retake of the current exam, or a higher-level Cisco certification.

DevNet Associate, exam 200-901, costs the same $300 as CCNA, so price will not separate the two. CCNP, or Cisco Certified Network Professional, needs a core exam at $400 plus a concentration at $300. That makes CCNP alone $700, or $1,000 with CCNA on top.

Compare exam fees the same way. The CompTIA Security+ exam cost guide prices a competing security exam. The AWS certification cost 2026 guide covers the cloud side. For the security track, see the list of best cybersecurity certifications.

Is the CCNA worth it for your career?

The US Bureau of Labor Statistics, or BLS, reports wages for network and computer systems administrators. The median annual wage is $99,130, and that figure covers May 2025. The lowest 10 percent earn less than $62,640. The highest 10 percent earn more than $155,050. The BLS occupational page carries the full figures.

BLS does not say how many of these workers hold a CCNA. Read the wage as a backdrop for the job group, not as a CCNA wage.

One 2026 list of CCNA holder pay quotes PayScale at about $95,000 on average. Its range runs from $57,000 to $142,000. It quotes Glassdoor at about $106,000 and ZipRecruiter at about $82,000. No source quantifies a salary premium for CCNA holders over non-certified staff. Check local job postings before you count on a raise.

If you have no degree, check the guide to the best IT certifications without a degree. IT means information technology, and the guide lists credentials employers accept without one.

What should you do next?

The seat costs $300 and a typical self-study budget runs $390 to $600. The deciding numbers are your local tax rate and your odds of failing.

Price your country from the table above and add the local tax. Buy retake protection only if you expect one failure and can retake inside 90 days. Pick the budget line from the table that matches how you study.

Photo: blickpixel, Pixabay Content License, via Pixabay (https://pixabay.com/photos/network-cable-rj45-patch-patch-cord-499792/)

CCNA Exam Cost - What Do You Really Pay In 2026?

How much does the CCNA exam cost in 2026?

What the seat price does not tell you

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