Costs & Renewal
Certification Exam Costs Explained
·13 min read
What certification exams actually cost across CompTIA, AWS, Cisco, Microsoft, ISC2 and PMI, why prices differ so much, and how pricing tiers work.
Continue readingCertification Renewal vs Recertification: What Is the Difference?
Renewal and recertification are not the same thing. Learn which maintenance model your certification provider uses and what each one asks of you.
Aisha Rahman · 6 min read
"Renewal" and "recertification" get used interchangeably in forums, job adverts and even some provider marketing — but they describe two genuinely different maintenance models, and knowing which one your provider uses changes what the next three years of your professional life look like.
Short answer: renewal means keeping your certification current through continuing education and maintenance fees, without sitting another exam. Recertification means proving yourself again — usually by passing the current version of the exam before your credential expires. CompTIA, ISC2, ISACA and PMI run renewal (continuing-education) programmes; AWS requires exam-based recertification; Cisco lets you choose either route; Microsoft uses a free annual assessment that fits neatly into neither category.
Why the terminology gets muddled
Certification bodies invented their maintenance systems independently, so the vocabulary never standardised. PMI calls its programme the Continuing Certification Requirements (CCR) cycle and talks about "renewing" your Project Management Professional (PMP) credential. AWS's official policy page is titled "recertification" because re-testing is the only route it offers. CompTIA calls its system Continuing Education (CE) but lists "pass the latest exam version" as one valid renewal path — so a CompTIA holder can technically recertify in order to renew.
The confusion is understandable, but the underlying distinction is simple. Ask one question: when my cycle ends, does my provider demand a new exam pass, or will it accept documented learning instead? Everything else — fees, credit names, deadlines — hangs off that answer.
Renewal: the continuing-education model
Under a renewal model, your certification runs on a fixed cycle — three years is the norm — and you keep it alive by logging approved professional-development activity and paying a maintenance fee. No exam, no test centre, no proctor.
The credits go by different brand names but mean the same thing:
- CEUs (Continuing Education Units) — CompTIA. Security+ needs 50 CEUs per three-year cycle; A+ needs 20. CompTIA's CE fees are charged per cycle when you renew via CEU upload: as of August 2026, $75 for the A+ tier and $150 for the Security+ tier, paid by the expiration date.
- CPEs (Continuing Professional Education credits) — ISC2 and ISACA. A Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) holder logs 120 CPE credits per three-year cycle and pays ISC2's $135 annual maintenance fee; ISACA's Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA) requires 120 CPE hours per cycle with a minimum of 20 per year, reported annually.
- PDUs (Professional Development Units) — PMI. PMP holders earn 60 PDUs per three-year CCR cycle, then pay a renewal fee of $60 for PMI members or $150 for non-members.
- CE credits — Cisco. 30 credits renew a CCNA; 80 renew a CCNP-level certification, with exam/credit combinations also allowed.
The activities that earn credit are broadly similar across providers: courses, conferences, webinars, teaching, publishing and documented work experience, each with its own caps and categories. The practical routines for banking these credits efficiently are a separate discipline, covered in our guide to keeping your certifications current.
What renewal asks of you
Renewal rewards consistency. Spread 50 CEUs over three years and it is a background task; leave them until month 35 and it becomes a scramble. The model's real cost is administrative — tracking activities, keeping evidence for audits, and paying fees on schedule — rather than intellectual.
Recertification: the exam-based model
Under a recertification model, continuing education either does not exist or is not enough on its own. When your cycle ends, you sit an exam again.
AWS is the clearest example. AWS states that its certifications are valid for three years, and the only way to stay certified is to pass the current version of the same exam before expiry (foundational and associate certifications can alternatively be renewed by passing a higher-level exam). There is no CE ledger to maintain — but there is a genuine test of current knowledge, against the current exam version, with current content. AWS softens the blow with a 50% discount voucher granted after any exam pass, usable towards recertification.
Cisco sits between the models: every Cisco certification is valid for three years, and you may recertify by exam or renew through Cisco-approved Continuing Education credits — your choice.
What recertification asks of you
Recertification concentrates the effort. Nothing is required for roughly two and a half years, then you prepare for and pass a live exam — one that has usually been revised since you last saw it. That means genuine revision, not paperwork. If your recertification route runs through an exam, benchmark yourself early: a timed practice-test simulation against the current exam objectives will show whether two weeks or two months of revision stands between you and a safe pass.
The odd one out: Microsoft's annual assessment
Microsoft's role-based certifications (such as Azure Administrator Associate) are valid for just 12 months, but renewing is neither a CE programme nor a proctored recertification exam. It is a free, unproctored, open-book online assessment on Microsoft Learn, available during the final six months before expiry; passing extends the certification one year from its expiration date. Microsoft Fundamentals certifications never expire at all. Full mechanics are in our Microsoft certification renewal and expiration guide.
Renewal vs recertification at a glance
| Factor | Renewal (CE-based) | Recertification (exam-based) |
|---|---|---|
| Core requirement | Documented continuing education | Pass the current exam version |
| Typical cycle | 3 years | 3 years (Microsoft role-based: 1 year, via its free assessment) |
| Ongoing cost | Maintenance/renewal fees (e.g. ISC2 $135/yr AMF; PMI $60–$150 per cycle; CompTIA $75–$150 per cycle) | Exam fee, sometimes discounted (AWS grants a 50% voucher after a pass) |
| Effort pattern | Steady, spread across the cycle | Concentrated revision near expiry |
| Risk of failure | Low — audit or paperwork issues, not a pass/fail event | Real — a failed exam near expiry leaves little runway |
| Knowledge check | Indirect (activities may not match exam content) | Direct, against the current exam version |
| Providers using it | CompTIA, ISC2, ISACA, PMI (Cisco optionally) | AWS (Cisco optionally) |
Neither model is universally better. CE-based renewal suits professionals whose work already generates qualifying activity; exam-based recertification suits those who would rather prove currency once than log credits for three years — and it forces you to actually revisit the material.
How to tell which model you are on
- Find your provider's official certification-maintenance or recertification policy page — search "[provider] certification renewal policy".
- Look for a credit currency (CEU, CPE, PDU, CE credit). If one exists, you are on a renewal model, possibly with a re-exam alternative.
- Check for an annual fee or annual reporting duty separate from the cycle itself — ISC2's annual maintenance fee and ISACA's yearly CPE reporting both bite before the three-year deadline does.
- Note the exact end date of your cycle and how it is anchored (certification date, anniversary, calendar year). How those cycles and windows are structured across providers is mapped in certification renewal deadlines explained.
If your certificate has already lapsed, the terminology no longer matters much — what you need is the recovery path, covered in what happens when a certification expires.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to retake my certification exam to keep it?
Only if your provider uses exam-based recertification (AWS) or you choose that route (Cisco, or CompTIA's re-exam option). CompTIA, ISC2, ISACA and PMI holders can maintain entirely through continuing education and fees.
Are CEUs, CPEs and PDUs interchangeable?
Conceptually yes — all are continuing-education credits — but each provider only accepts activity logged under its own programme rules. One conference talk may qualify under several programmes, but you must claim it separately with each body.
Is one model cheaper than the other?
It depends on the certification and how you earn credits. A full comparison of maintenance fees, CE costs and recert exam pricing across providers is in certification renewal costs explained.
Can passing a harder exam renew an easier certification?
Often, yes. CompTIA's stackable model renews lower certifications automatically when you earn or renew a higher one, and AWS lets a higher-level exam renew foundational and associate certifications.
Which model should shape your plan?
You do not choose the model — your provider did — but you should plan around it. On a renewal model, set a quarterly credit target now and treat the fee dates as hard deadlines. On a recertification model, put a revision block in your calendar six months before expiry and check whether the exam version has changed since you passed. And if you hold certifications on both models simultaneously, the strategic overview in recertification requirements explained will help you see the whole board before either clock runs out.
Exam facts in this guide were checked against official certification-provider pages on . Fees, exam codes and policies change — confirm on the provider’s own site before you book.
Put it into practice
Test what you have just read
Reading about an exam only takes you so far. Work through practice questions for your certification and find the gaps before exam day does.
You may also like
Costs & Renewal
How Much Does a Professional Certification Cost?
·7 min read
The real end-to-end cost of earning a professional certification — exam fees, training, materials and the extras most first-time candidates forget.
Continue reading
Costs & Renewal
Are Certification Courses Worth the Cost?
·5 min read
When paid certification training earns its price and when self-study wins — a decision framework comparing courses, bootcamps and self-study by candidate situation.
Continue reading