CompTIA charges $370 for a single CySA+ exam attempt. That's the easy number to find. The harder number—what candidates actually spend—typically runs $600 to $1,200 once you factor in study materials, a practice exam suite, and the real possibility of a first-attempt fail. The CS0-003 pass rate hovers around 60–65% industry-wide, which means roughly one in three people are writing another check. This guide breaks down every component of the CySA+ exam cost so you can budget accurately and avoid the surprises that catch most candidates off guard.
The Base CySA+ Exam Cost
The official CySA+ exam fee (exam code CS0-003) is $370 USD as of 2026. You purchase a voucher directly from CompTIA or through an authorized voucher reseller. A few things worth knowing before you buy:
- Vouchers expire. CompTIA exam vouchers are typically valid for 12 months from purchase. If life gets in the way and you push your exam date, you may lose the voucher and pay again.
- Regional pricing exists. CompTIA uses purchasing power parity for some regions. Candidates outside the US, UK, and Western Europe often pay less — sometimes significantly less. Check the CompTIA Store with your billing country selected before assuming $370 is your price.
- Discounts are available. CompTIA offers discounts for active military, veterans, and students enrolled in accredited institutions. CompTIA CertMaster bundles also reduce the effective per-exam cost if you were planning to buy their official study tools anyway.
- Testing center vs. online proctored. The exam fee is the same either way, but online proctored testing through Pearson OnVUE has specific technical requirements. If your home environment doesn't pass the pre-check, you'll need to book a testing center — which occasionally adds a small facility fee depending on location.
CySA+ Exam Cost With Study Materials: The Realistic Total
The $370 exam fee is just the starting point. Here's how candidates' total spend typically breaks down:
Study Courses: $15–$200
Third-party video courses on Udemy, Coursera, and edX are the most cost-effective prep option for most candidates. A solid CS0-003 course runs $15–$50 on Udemy (during sales) or $50–$100 on subscription platforms. CompTIA's own CertMaster Learn product costs around $249 standalone, though it's frequently bundled into exam packages at a lower marginal cost.
Practice Exams: $20–$60
Practice tests are non-negotiable for CySA+. The exam uses performance-based questions (PBQs) — drag-and-drop scenarios, simulated log analysis, and network diagram tasks — that you will not be ready for from video courses alone. Budget for at least one dedicated practice exam product with realistic PBQ simulations, not just multiple-choice banks.
Study Guides / Books: $30–$55
Mike Chapple and David Seidl's official CompTIA CySA+ Study Guide (Sybex) is the standard reference and runs around $45 new. Many candidates treat it as optional if they're using a comprehensive video course, but it's useful for covering gaps the videos miss.
Retake Costs: $0–$370
CompTIA's retake policy requires a mandatory waiting period before a second attempt. If you fail a second or subsequent attempt, the waiting period extends. There's no free retake included with the standard voucher purchase. CompTIA does sell a "CySA+ Exam + Retake Bundle" for around $499 — if you're not confident in your readiness, this can be worth buying upfront rather than paying full price twice.
Realistic Total Budget
- Minimum (disciplined self-study, first attempt pass): $420–$480
- Average candidate: $600–$800
- With a retake or premium tools: $900–$1,200
CompTIA Bundles and Whether They're Worth It
CompTIA offers several bundled packages that combine the exam voucher with their own study tools:
- CySA+ Exam + CertMaster Learn: ~$599. Includes the exam voucher plus CompTIA's official e-learning platform. If you learn well from structured, text-heavy modules and want everything from one vendor, this is defensible.
- CySA+ Exam + CertMaster Practice: ~$499. The retake bundle. Includes exam voucher, one free retake, and their practice test platform. This is mathematically sound if you think there's any real chance of failing.
- CySA+ Exam + CertMaster Learn + Labs + Practice: ~$899+. The full suite. Hard to justify unless your employer is paying and you need official CompTIA materials for documentation purposes.
For most self-funded candidates, a third-party course plus a dedicated practice exam product plus the standalone exam voucher will deliver better value than CompTIA's own bundles — and often better instruction.
Top CySA+ Prep Courses Worth the Money
These are the courses with strong track records for CS0-003 specifically, ranked by student ratings and relevance to the current exam objectives.
CompTIA Cybersecurity Analyst (CySA+) - CS0-003 Exam - 2026
Rated 8.5 on Udemy. One of the more current options aligned to the CS0-003 objectives, with strong coverage of the threat detection and vulnerability management domains that carry the heaviest exam weight. Good for candidates who want structured video instruction without platform lock-in.
Cybersecurity Analyst Assessment: Security+ & CySA+ Practice Course
Rated 8.5 on edX. Particularly useful if you're coming from a Security+ background and need to assess which CS0-003 knowledge gaps to prioritize — the combined assessment format helps you identify weaknesses across both exam domains efficiently.
TOTAL: CompTIA CySA+ Cybersecurity Analyst (CS0-003)
Rated 8.1 on Coursera. A comprehensive, self-paced option well-suited to candidates who want to spread study across several weeks while maintaining access through a subscription. Covers all five exam domains with lab simulations.
CS0-003: CompTIA CySA+ Cybersecurity Analyst Mock Unofficial Course
Rated 8.0 on Udemy. Purpose-built practice exam product rather than a video course. Use this alongside a primary study course — the performance-based question simulations are where candidates typically fall apart on the real exam, and this addresses that directly.
CompTIA CySA+ (CS0-003)
Rated 7.8 on Coursera. A modular option on Coursera, useful if you prefer to study individual exam domains rather than a monolithic course — allows you to focus time on weaker areas without rewatching content you already know.
Is the CySA+ Worth the Cost? An Honest ROI Assessment
Whether $600–$1,000 is worth spending depends almost entirely on where you are in your career and what role you're targeting.
CySA+ is worth it if:
- You're targeting SOC analyst, vulnerability analyst, or threat intelligence roles. Many job postings for these titles list CySA+ as preferred or required, and having it shortens your job search meaningfully.
- You work for a government contractor or are pursuing DoD roles. CySA+ satisfies DoD 8140 requirements for IAT Level II and IASAE positions, making it effectively mandatory for advancement in that sector.
- Your employer has tuition reimbursement. If they'll pay for it, the ROI calculation gets very easy very fast.
CySA+ is harder to justify if:
- You don't have Security+ yet. CySA+ is positioned as an intermediate cert, and without the foundational knowledge Security+ validates, the exam is significantly harder and the credential less coherent on a resume.
- You're targeting penetration testing or red team roles. CySA+ is defensive/blue team. For offensive security, PenTest+ or OSCP is a more direct signal to hiring managers.
- You're in a non-security IT role and not actively pivoting. The cert has limited relevance outside security analyst career tracks.
Salary data from Cyberseek and job boards consistently puts CySA+-associated roles (Security Analyst, SOC Analyst II+) in the $75,000–$100,000 range in US markets, with government and contractor roles often higher. At that level, a $600–$1,000 investment that helps land or advance to one of those roles pays back in weeks.
FAQ
What is the CySA+ exam cost in 2026?
The standard CySA+ exam fee is $370 per attempt. Regional pricing variations exist — candidates in some countries pay less through CompTIA's localized pricing. Total all-in cost with prep materials typically runs $600–$1,200 depending on what study resources you use and whether you need a retake.
Does CompTIA offer a CySA+ retake policy?
Yes, but there's no free retake built into the standard voucher. If you fail once, you must wait before retaking. CompTIA sells exam-plus-retake bundles (approximately $499) that include one free second attempt. If you're not confident, buying the bundle upfront is cheaper than paying for two separate vouchers.
Can I get a discount on the CySA+ exam voucher?
CompTIA offers discounts for active-duty military, veterans, and students at accredited institutions. Academic pricing is typically 50% off. Voucher resellers occasionally offer modest discounts (5–10%) on standard pricing. CompTIA CertMaster bundles can also reduce the effective per-exam cost if you planned to buy their study tools anyway.
How much should I budget for CySA+ study materials?
A realistic study budget beyond the exam fee: $30–$50 for a Udemy video course (on sale), $20–$40 for a practice exam product, and $40–$50 for the official study guide if you want a reference book. That's $90–$140 in materials on top of the $370 exam fee for a total around $460–$510 for a first attempt on a lean budget.
How hard is the CySA+ exam, and what's the pass rate?
The passing score is 750 out of 900. Industry-reported pass rates generally fall in the 60–65% range for first attempts, meaning a meaningful portion of candidates retake. The performance-based questions (PBQs) — log analysis, network diagrams, scenario-based tasks — are where unprepared candidates fail. Multiple-choice-only prep is insufficient.
Is the CySA+ harder or easier than Security+?
Harder. CySA+ assumes you have Security+ knowledge as a baseline and builds on it with more analytical depth — applying frameworks, interpreting actual threat data, making incident response decisions. Candidates who jump to CySA+ without Security+ or equivalent job experience typically struggle significantly with both the material and the exam format.
Bottom Line
The CySA+ exam cost is $370 per attempt, but plan for $600–$800 total if you're studying properly and $900–$1,200 if you end up needing a retake or buy CompTIA's official bundles. The certification is genuinely useful for blue team security roles, DoD-adjacent work, and anyone actively trying to move into a security analyst position — not as a general-purpose resume credential for non-security IT roles.
If you're funding this yourself: buy the standalone voucher, pick a third-party CS0-003 course (the Udemy options rated 8.5 are solid), and add a dedicated practice exam product that covers performance-based questions. Don't cheap out on the practice exams — that's where the real exam is won or lost. If there's any real risk of failing, the retake bundle at ~$499 is worth considering over two separate $370 purchases.
Spend 60–90 days studying consistently and you're in a reasonable position to pass on the first attempt and keep the total cost closer to the lower end of the range.