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The HashiCorp Terraform Associate exam costs $70.50 plus local taxes — the cheapest major credential in the cloud-native stack. The exam runs 1 hour, is valid 2 years, and includes no free retake. Version 003 retired January 8, 2026 and the current 004 exam keeps the same price. Full cost picture with free official prep, the $295 Professional tier, and how it pairs with the CKA.
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The CKA exam costs $445 in 2026 — up from the $395 most older guides quote after the February 2025 Linux Foundation price increase — and that single fee includes one free retake, two Killer.sh simulator attempts, and 12 months of exam eligibility. Full bundle pricing, CKS upgrade costs, the CARE program rules, discount windows, and free Killercoda practice, all verified.
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Google Cloud certification costs $99 for Cloud Digital Leader, $125 for Associate Cloud Engineer, and $200 for every Professional exam in 2026. Foundational and Associate credentials now last three years while Professional certs last two. Free official sample questions for every exam, the full Cloud Architect ladder at $424 in fees, prep costs, and salary ROI — all verified.
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Azure certification cost in 2026 is $99 for Fundamentals (AZ-900, AI-900, DP-900) and $165 for every Associate, Expert, and Specialty exam. Full AZ-900 to AZ-305 Architect path runs $429 in exam fees. Free annual renewal through Microsoft Learn.
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AWS certification costs in 2026 run $100 for Foundational, $150 for Associate, and $300 for Professional and Specialty exams. Total realistic budgets run $175 to $1,250 with prep and retakes. Covers SAA-C03, SAP-C02, and every active exam.
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SIE exam cost in 2026: $100 per attempt (FINRA raised it from $80 in January 2026), no sponsorship required, 75 questions in 1h45m, valid 4 years. With free FINRA prep resources the total can be $100-$400 - the cheapest entry point into US finance careers.
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Series 7 exam cost in 2026: the FINRA fee is now $395 per attempt (raised from $300 in January 2026 - the $245 figure in older guides is outdated), plus the $100 SIE co-requisite and $147-$177 state exams. Prep runs $50-$1,100. Most candidates are firm-sponsored - full breakdown.
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CFA Level 1 cost in 2026: registration is $1,140 early / $1,490 standard and the old $350 enrollment fee is eliminated (Feb 2026 windows onward). Prep from Kaplan Schweser or Wiley adds $700-$1,800. Realistic all-in $1,140-$3,300 - full verified breakdown.
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Salesforce Admin certification cost in 2026: $200 exam fee plus applicable tax, $100 retake, free Trailhead prep, and free maintenance modules. Realistic all-in $200-$700, bootcamp paths $500-$2,000. Certified admins earn $75K-$100K+ in the US.
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Certified Scrum Master cost in 2026: CSM courses from the Scrum Alliance run $250-$2,495 (typically $400-$1,500) with the exam and two attempts included, then $100 + 20 SEUs every 2 years. PSM I from Scrum.org is the $200 exam-only alternative that never expires - full comparison inside.
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CAPM certification cost in 2026: exam fee $225 for PMI members / $300 for non-members, plus 23 contact hours of training. Realistic all-in $450-$700, premium paths $1,300+. Retakes $150-$200, renewal 15 PDUs + $60-$150 every 3 years. The verified PMP entry path.
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PMP certification cost 2026 after Aug 6 raise: $445 PMI member exam, $675 non-member, retake $275/$375. PMI membership $139/yr. 35 contact hours required plus 5-year experience.
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