Security+ cost, booking and exam day: the real budget, the retake rules and the ID check that turns people away

Two avoidable losses catch Security+ candidates. The first is a budget built on one voucher, when a course, labs, practice tests and a possible retake arrive later and double the cost. The second is an ID that fails the check and ends exam day before it starts.

This page covers both: what to budget, how to book and retake, and the identity rules as CompTIA's Candidate ID Policy sets them out. The rules were checked against CompTIA's documents in October 2026.

Why is there no Security+ voucher price on this page?

Because no single price would be true for you. CompTIA sells vouchers through its store and through partners, and the price varies by country, currency, bundle and promotion. A figure printed here would be right for some readers, wrong for others and possibly out of date when you read it.

The honest answer is a method:

1. Open the CompTIA store for your country on the day you buy.
2. Note the price of a single voucher for your exam version.
3. Compare it with bundles that include training or retake cover.
4. Read the voucher terms before you pay.

The voucher is one line of the budget. The rest is where your real decisions sit.

What are all the costs, and which budget fits you?

There are seven categories. Many candidates budget for the voucher alone.

The three budgets differ in training and labs, not in the exam fee. The economy budget uses a self-paced course, a free home lab and one practice-test source. The standard budget adds official labs and retake cover. The intensive budget uses an instructor-led course instead of a self-paced one, and keeps the labs and retake cover.

In every budget, plan for a possible second attempt. Then save where it does not risk the pass. Ask your employer to sponsor the voucher, especially if your role requires the credential. Build your lab on free virtual machines rather than paying for every lab, and use one practice-test source thoroughly.

Before you spend anything, though, check the one thing money cannot fix on exam day: your identity documents.

What are CompTIA's ID rules?

CompTIA's Candidate ID Policy asks for two original, unexpired IDs.

• Primary ID: government-issued, with your name and a recent, recognisable photo.
• Secondary ID: at least your name and a signature, or your name and a photo.

Three details catch candidates. The first and last name on both IDs must match your registration exactly. IDs must normally be issued by the country in which you are testing. Without a qualifying primary ID from that country, you may use a passport from your country of citizenship.

The third detail concerns work and study cards. Employee and student cards count as secondary ID only if they meet the conditions set out in the policy.

Read the country rule as written, without stretching it either way. It says "normally", and the passport route applies when you have no qualifying primary ID from the testing country. The detail sits in the policy itself, so read it for your testing country before you buy a voucher.

In the book's example, a candidate living in Dubai on a residence visa used two UAE-issued documents: her Emirates ID as primary and her driving licence as secondary. She registered with her name exactly as printed on both.

How do booking, retakes and rescheduling work?

Book in five steps:

1. Create a CompTIA account and a Pearson VUE account with the same name as on both IDs.
2. Buy an exam voucher from CompTIA or an authorised source.
3. In Pearson VUE, choose Security+, the exact exam code (SY0-701 or SY0-801) and the language.
4. Choose a test centre or OnVUE, then a date that fits the end of your plan.
5. Save the confirmation and set reminders a week, a day and an hour before.

Check the code twice. V8 is expected on or around 17 November 2026, and V7 stays available until it retires in English on 11 June 2027. During the overlap, both codes are available.

CompTIA's retake policy sets two rules. There is no waiting period between your first and second attempt. Before a third or later attempt, you must wait at least 14 calendar days from your last attempt. Every attempt is paid in full, with no free retakes or retake discounts.

Rescheduling and cancellation sit in your Pearson VUE account, under the deadlines it shows for your appointment. This page gives no fixed window, because the one that counts is shown against your booking. Check it the day you book, and avoid any change close to exam day.

What happens on exam day?

At a test centre, bring your two original IDs and arrive early. Centres check your identity and photograph you before the exam.

Online with OnVUE, the room is the test before the test. You need a private, enclosed room, a clear desk and clear walls, a webcam, a stable connection and a passed system test. Run the system test before you book and again on the day. Close every other application and keep your IDs ready for the check-in photographs. Notes on a wall or a second monitor can fail the room check.

In either setting, have a plan for performance-based questions: flag them, move on and return with the time left.

What to do next

Put your two IDs side by side today and check the names and the country rule. Create both accounts with your name exactly as printed. Then price a voucher and a bundle for your country and choose your budget level.

Chapter 9 of the book walks through every cost, and the budget template in Appendix C sets out all three levels for your own prices. Appendix D holds message templates for voucher, name and record problems, and Appendix E is the exam-day checklist. To set a date your budget can trust, use Security+ study hours and plan, and plan ahead for renewal and CEUs.