By Ed Tittel

By now, you no doubt know about the direct costs associated with a broad range of IT certifications—that is, for exams, labs and required courses. And you may have learned about indirect costs as well. In fact, shouldering related indirect costs is what makes various approaches to some certifications possible, from “Cadillac” versions, where each exam is preceded by classroom training, to “no-frills” versions, where budget concerns (and, therefore, self-study) reign supreme. For other certifications, courses are required, so expenses vary far less.

Space prevents an analysis of all technical certification programs, but by analyzing both the direct and indirect costs associated with the ones covered here, you’ll learn how to estimate and analyze the price tag for any certification. Along the way, you should also learn about ways to make the most of your certification experiences, while keeping costs as low as possible.

Understanding Direct Costs

Although requirements for certification vary from case to case, direct costs for IT certifications tend to come in two predominant formats:

• Exam and/or lab costs only: In these programs, passing only the test or hands-on elements is all that’s required.

• Mandatory courses plus exam and/or lab costs: In these programs, one must take specific courses to qualify for related exams, labs or both.

That said, these formats are subject to the following observations or consequences:

• The exam/lab-only formats permit self-study preparation, which lowers the floor on costs for obtaining such certifications to the lowest possible level from an out-of-pocket cost perspective.

• Most certification programs recommend courses to precede their exams, not because courses produce additional revenue, but also because students who take courses are statistically more likely to pass related exams than those who practice self-study exclusively.

• Some certification programs offer course-exam/lab combinations for one (higher) fee, while also offering exam/lab-only versions for a single (lower) fee. Red Hat’s RHCE Linux certification and the SANS GSEC security certification are two examples of this kind of program.

When it comes to calculating direct costs, therefore, the following elements must be considered when running the numbers:

• The total cost for exams, or the sum of the costs for all exams you must take to complete the certification.

• The total cost for labs, or the sum of the costs for all labs you must take to complete the certification.

• The total cost for classes, if any are required to complete the certification.

The sum of all these costs represents the direct cost for completing the certification. These are documented in the first number values for the certifications that appear in Table 1.

Understanding Indirect Costs

Whereas it’s easy to quantify direct costs for certification programs, indirect costs can be a bit trickier. That’s because there are many ways to learn what’s necessary to obtain a certification, and each way has its own associated costs. It’s also because there may be a tendency to overlook some contributors to cost that often don’t get a dollar value assigned to them. Indirect costs also fall into two broad categories:

• Out-of-pocket costs: This is stuff you must actually pay for and includes things like books, study guides, practice tests, flash cards, software and anything else you have to shell out money to obtain your certification.

• Intangible costs: If there’s one thing certification requires, it’s your time: Your time is worth money and should really be included when figuring out what certification really costs. For consultants or other professionals who make a living by billing for their time, this should be a familiar concept. For salaried workers, students and others who may pursue certification, it’s important to place some value on the hundreds of hours a typical IT certification will take out of your life. The loss of that time can have other implications on personal and family life as well, so don’t be too quick to discount the value of the time you put into obtaining a certification! Table 1 estimates the number of hours required for different certification programs.

In the interest of simplicity, we used up to three different approaches–which allow candidates to master the material necessary to obtain the certifications we cover–to calculate associated costs where they are applicable. These are also covered in Table 1, where the three approaches are as follows:

• Self-Study: In this approach, we assume candidates will purchase at least two books, at least one practice exam and add those to the direct costs involved for the programs we cover. This is what was called the “no-frills” approach earlier and represents the least expensive option as shown clearly in Table 1.

• Computer-Based Training (CBT): In this approach, we use the same costs as for the self-study approach (except for programs where CBT includes one or more practice tests, in which case we deduct practice test costs) plus the cost of some form of computer-based training to help candidates prepare. Depending on the program, this can involve anything from instructor-led, distance-learning courses to CD-ROM or Web-based training, consisting of reading materials, exercises and opportunities for instructor and student interaction via e-mail, chat rooms or message boards.

• Instructor-Led/Classroom Training (ILT): In this approach, we assume candidates will attend some form of official vendor- or organization-approved classroom training or some kind of unofficial, unapproved classroom training as part of the exam preparation process. We also include the basic costs associated with the self-study approach in our totals here, since we think those materials are necessary for anyone who wishes to prepare for a certification exam. It’s possible, however, that some candidates might elect not to buy a separate $50 to $100 study guide if the course materials they receive are sufficient to help them prepare for the exams. However, that kind of cost variation is relatively insignificant when you consider that most certification-related ILT costs $300 per classroom day and up. Of course, since this option provides the greatest degree of support for candidates and costs the most, this is what was called the “Cadillac” approach earlier.

In the sections that follow, we apply these costs to half a dozen specific certification programs and explain how to calculate their direct and out-of-pocket costs. We also provide information on typical time investments involved that you can use to add the cost of your time to the overall cost calculations if you so choose.

Microsoft MCDBA, MCSE and MCSD

Microsoft exams all cost $100, so determining direct cost is easy: It’s equal to $100 multiplied by the number of exams required for a particular certification. To calculate indirect costs, we made the following assumptions:

• Candidates spend $80 on books, which may include two study guides at $40 each or a $50 study guide and a $30 exam cram.

• Candidates spend $70 on a practice exam, which usually includes enough questions for two or more distinct attempts at the exam. This permits the first take to be used for self-assessment to help guide study and the second (and subsequent attempts) to provide a measure of readiness.

• Self-study costs include the costs of books ($80), a practice exam ($70) and the exam ($100) per topic for a total of $250 per topic.

• CBT costs include the self-study charges plus an average cost of $230 to take a CBT course on the topic involved. Actual price ranges may be as low as free (www.leapit.com) or as high as $500 or more, depending on the vendor. We used $480 per exam topic as our metric to calculate costs for this approach.

• ILT courses run from $300 per classroom day to as high as $500 per classroom day. Most Microsoft topics are covered in five days of classroom training, so we added five times the number of exams times the range of daily per-seat charges to the self-study costs to calculate costs for this approach and rounded to the nearest hundred dollars.

• Although individual experience will vary somewhat from topic to topic, we used an average of 60 hours of preparation and exam time for each Microsoft exam to give you some basis to put a cost on your time investment. Please adjust these numbers to reflect your own personal experience to obtain the best possible estimate.

Novell CNE and MCNE

Novell exams also cost $100, so direct cost is equal to $100 times the number of exams required. To calculate indirect costs, we made the following assumptions:

• Candidates spend $80 on books, which may include two study guides at $40 each or a $50 study guide and a $30 exam cram.

• Candidates spend $70 on a practice exam, which usually includes enough questions for two or more distinct attempts at the exam. This permits the first take to be used for self-assessment to help guide study and the second (and subsequent attempts) to provide a measure of readiness.

• Self-study costs include the costs of books ($80), a practice exam ($70) and the exam ($100) per topic for a total of $250 per topic.

• CBT costs include the self-study charges plus an average cost of $230 to take a CBT course on the topic involved. Actual price ranges may be as low as free (www.leapit.com) or as high as $500 or more, depending on the vendor. We used $480 per exam topic as our metric to calculate costs for this approach.

• ILT courses run from $300 per classroom day to as high as $500 per classroom day. Most Novell topics are covered in five days of classroom training, so we added five times the number of exams times the range of daily per-seat charges to the self-study cost to calculate costs for this approach and rounded to the nearest hundred dollars.

• Although individual experience will vary somewhat from topic to topic, we used an average of 60 hours of preparation and exam time for each Novell exam to give you some basis to put a cost on your time investment. Please adjust these numbers to reflect your own personal experience to obtain the best possible estimate.

Oracle DBA and Developer

Most Oracle exams cost $125 (except for some developer exams), so determining direct cost is easy: In most cases, it’s equal to $125 multiplied by the number of exams required for a certification. To calculate indirect costs, we made the following assumptions:

• Candidates spend $80 on books, which may include two study guides at $40 each or a $50 study guide and a $30 exam cram.

• Candidates spend $70 on a practice exam, which usually includes enough questions for two or more distinct attempts at the exam. This permits the first take to be used for self-assessment to help guide study and the second (and subsequent attempts) to provide a measure of readiness.

• Self-study costs include the costs of books ($80), a practice exam ($70) and the exam ($125) per topic for a total of $275 per topic.

• CBT costs include the self-study charges plus an average cost of $300 to take a CBT course on the topic involved. Actual price ranges may be as low as free (www.leapit.com) or as high as $500 or more, depending on the vendor. We used $575 per exam topic as our metric to calculate costs for this approach.

• ILT courses run from $300 per classroom day to as high as $500 per classroom day. Most Oracle topics are covered in five days of classroom training, so we multiplied the number of exams by five and multiplied that by the range of daily per-seat charges to calculate costs for this approach, rounding to the nearest hundred dollars.

• Although individual experience will vary somewhat from topic to topic, we used an average of 80 hours of preparation and exam time for each Oracle exam to give you some basis to put a cost on your time investment. Please adjust these numbers to reflect your own personal experience to obtain the best possible estimate.

Cisco CCNA, CCNP, CCDP and CCIE

Cisco exams are a bit trickier. Cisco offers more testing options (combining multiple tests from one track into a single test in another track at a bit of a discount) that make it impossible to calculate Cisco purely on a per-exam basis. Here, we provide details as to how we calculated the cost for each of Cisco’s programs separately for that reason.

• CCNA: The only single-exam certification in the batch, the direct cost for the exam is $100. We estimated 80 hours of effort to prepare for the exam, $80 for books, $70 for a practice exam, $300 for CBT and the usual $300 to $500 for each of five classroom days of training. This explains the numbers for the CCNA entry in Table 1.

• CCNP and CCDP: Each of these certifications has two test tracks: one at $100 that covers a single topic plus a second that covers three topics for $200 for a total of two exams and $300 or four exams at $100 each. Hence, the variation in direct costs. (Candidates willing to take three exams back-to-back save $100 for the pain involved in learning the material.) We estimated 80 hours per topic for all four topics no matter which track you choose, with per-topic costs of $80 for books, $70 for practice exams, $300 for CBT and $300 to $500 for each of five classroom days of training. This explains the numbers for the CCNP and CCDP entries in Table 1.

• CCIE: The CCIE exams cost $300 for the written exam and $1,250 for the two-day lab exam. The time commitment is about 150 hours for the written exam and 250 hours for the lab exam for a total of 400 hours altogether. The bibliography for these exams is also extensive, so we budgeted $500 for books here, $70 per practice test, $300 per CBT and $300 to $500 per classroom day at five days per topic.

• This is one program where candidates might be advised to plan spending more on books than for some other programs, particularly since Cisco does an excellent job of supplying detailed bibliographies per exam topic. We’d suggest raising the average budget to $200 per topic for books, if your budget can stretch that far (add $130 for each required exam to your chosen study category to figure a new, higher budget).

Prosoft Certified Internet Webmaster (CIW)

Prosoft exams also cost $125, so the direct cost is equal to $125 times the number of exams required. To calculate indirect costs, we made the following assumptions:

• Candidates spend $80 on books, which may include two study guides at $40 each or a $50 study guide and a $30 exam cram. Books aren’t yet available for this curriculum. (Expect them in Q4 of this year. If you need to take the exams before then, you may have no choice but to use official Prosoft self-study materials instead, which we cover under the CBT heading below.)

• Candidates spend $70 on a practice exam, which usually includes enough questions for two or more distinct attempts at the exam. This permits the first take to be used for self-assessment to help guide study and the second (and subsequent attempts) to provide a measure of readiness.

• Self-study costs include the costs of books ($80), a practice exam ($70) and the exam ($125) per topic for a total of $275 per topic.

• CBT costs include the self-study charges plus $495 to purchase each of two official Prosoft authorized self-study kits (which we treated as equivalent to CBT courses in this story): one for Foundations (required for all CIW tracks) and one for either Master CIW Designer or Master CIW Administrator, depending on which track you choose to pursue. Thus, CBT costs include self-study costs plus $990 for self-study kits.

• ILT courses run from $300 per classroom day to as high as $500 per classroom day. Most CIW topics are covered in five days of classroom training, so we added five times the number of exams times the range of daily per-seat charges to the self-study costs to calculate costs for this approach and rounded to the nearest hundred dollars.

• Although individual experience will vary somewhat from topic to topic, we used an average of 60 hours of preparation and exam time for each CIW exam to give you some basis to put a cost on your time investment. Please adjust these numbers to reflect your own personal experience to obtain the best possible estimate.

CompTIA Certifications

All CompTIA exams cost $140 for individuals who work for CompTIA member companies and $190 for non-members, so the direct cost is equal to the number of exams for the certification times the exam rate. To calculate indirect costs, we made the following assumptions:

• Candidates spend $80 on books, which may include two study guides at $40 each or a $50 study guide and a $30 exam cram.

• Candidates spend $70 on a practice exam, which usually includes enough questions for two or more distinct attempts at the exam. This permits the first take to be used for self-assessment to help guide study and the second (and subsequent attempts) to provide a measure of readiness.

• Self-study costs include the costs of books ($80), a practice exam ($70) and the exam ($140 to $190) per topic (some topics require two exams) for a total of $290 to $530 per topic.

• CBT costs include the self-study charges plus an average cost of $200 to take a CBT course on the topic involved. Actual price ranges may be as low as free (www.leapit.com) or as high as $500 or more, depending on the vendor. We used $200 per exam topic as our metric to calculate costs for this approach.

• ILT courses run from $300 per classroom day to as high as $500 per classroom day. Most CompTIA topics are covered in five to 10 days of classroom training, so we added five to 10 times the number of exams times the range of daily per-seat charges to the self-study costs to calculate costs for this approach and rounded to the nearest hundred dollars.

• Although individual experience will vary somewhat from topic to topic, we used an average of 50 hours of preparation and exam time for each CompTIA exam (except for A+, which we set at 80 hours) to give you some basis to put a cost on your time investment. Please adjust these numbers to reflect your own personal experience to obtain the best possible estimate.

• A+ requires two exams and usually takes 10 days of training; all other CompTIA topics require only one exam and usually take five days of training. Please calculate accordingly.

Security Certifications

Because these certifications are all over the place in terms of costs, viable preparation approaches, effort and so on, we discuss them individually in the following list in the order in which they appear in Table 1.

• The SANS GIAC Security Essentials Certification (GSEC) is the SANS entry-level credential. It’s based on a three-day class or online course equivalent, where the price for the CBT and ILT options are the same and include the cost of the exam as well as the training. The self-study option supposes $200 for books and $100 for the practice exam, in keeping with the broad requirements for this certification (which also explains the rather high time requirement so typical for all security certifications).

• The SANS LevelTwo certification covers numerous topics that range from firewalls and perimeter protection to intrusion detection, incident hacking, securing Windows NT or Unix and more. It’s necessary to take classes or CBT to take the SANS LevelTwo exams, which is why self-study shows up as not available in Table 1. Costs vary by the topic and the amount of training involved, between the low ($1,500) and the high ($2,500) shown in Table 1.

• The ISC2 System Security Certified Professional (SCCP) credential is an entry-level, single-exam certification that runs for three hours and is given only at specific locations twice a year, at most. (Once is more normal outside major metro areas.) Thus, by taking this exam, you may incur travel expenses over and above what’s documented in Table 1. As with SANS GSEC, we suppose $200 for books and $100 for the practice exam, but the time requirement for this certification is lower than SANS GSEC.

• The ISC2 Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) is a senior-level, single-exam certification that runs for six hours and is likewise offered, at most, twice per year in specific locations. Travel expenses may be incurred for this exam as well. It uses the same $200 for books and $100 for practice exam, as with the other items in this category.

Counting All the Costs

The approach we took doesn’t necessarily cover all costs that some candidates might incur in obtaining a certification. This is particularly true for candidates who have to travel any appreciable distances to attend training or take exams. Travel costs (and in some cases, costs for lodging and meals) may also be necessary for such candidates. In fact, some exams or labs may only be offered in a limited number of locations (this is true for the CCIE lab and for the SCCP and CISSP exams in particular), so it will be necessary for candidates not fortunate enough to live near a scheduled location to add travel costs to the out-of-pocket costs associated with obtaining a certification as well.

As you consider what certification will cost you, be sure to figure those costs two ways: one that assigns some value to your time and therefore includes the personal cost to you and another that counts only out-of-pocket costs so you can figure out exactly how much you’ll have to pay for your certification. Your time you can spend as you choose, so unless you must account for that time to someone else, the figure that includes the cost of your time may only be useful in helping you weigh one certification against another or in deciding which certification tracks to follow.

Ed Tittel is the VP of IT certifications at iLearning.com, a purveyor of online learning environments and community support. He is also the author of numerous books and articles on certification topics. Contact Ed at ed.tittel@iLearning.com.

Table 1: Costs for Training by Vendor/Program
# of Exams	Vendor	Direct Costs	# of Hours	Self-Study	CBT/Online	Classroom/ILT
	Microsoft*	$100	60	$250	$480	$1,750
5	MCDBA	500	300	1,250	2,400	8,800-13,800
4-7	MCSE	400-700	240-420	1,040-1,820	1,920-3,360	7,040-19,320
4	MCSD	400	240	1,040	1,920	7,040-11,040
	Novell*	100	60	260	480	1,760-2,760
5-6	CNE	500-600	300-360	1,300-1,560	2,400-2,980	8,800-16,560
4-6	MCNE	400-600	240-360	1,040-1,560	1,920-2,980	7,040-16,560
	Oracle*	125	80	285	505	1,785-2,785
4-5	DBA	500-625	320-400	1,140-1,425	2,020-2,525	7,140-13,800
5	Developer	650	400	1,450	2,550	8,800-13,800
	Cisco**	N/A	N/A	250-460	560-660	1,750-2,960
1	CCNA	100	80	250	550	1,750-2,750
2/4	CCNP	300-400	320	900-1,000	1,500-1,600	6,900-11,000
2/4	CCDP	300-400	320	900-1,000	1,220-2,240	6,900-11,000
2	CCIE	1,550	400	2,190	2,790	4,690-6,690
	Prosoft CIW*	125	50	285	585	1,785-1,785
3	Designer	375	150	825	1,815	5,325-8,325
7	Developer	875	350	1,925	N/A	12,425-19,425
4	Administrator	500	200	1,100	2,090	7,100-11,100
	CompTIA**
2	A+	280-380	80	430-530	830-930	3,430-5,430
1	Others	140-190	50	290-340	490-540	1,790-2,790
	Security**
1	SANS GSEC	425	80	725	1,595	1,595
1**	SANS Level2	1,500-2,500	80	N/A	1,500-2,500	1,500-2,500
1	SSCP	295	60	595	895	2,095-3,095
1	CISSP	395	100	695	995	2,195- 3,195
Notes: * All exams cost the same. ** Costs of tests vary; high and low numbers include these variable costs.