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Saving Money on Certifications

Tip

These tips can save you hundreds (or thousands) of dollars on your certification journey.

  • AWS: 50% discount on your next exam after passing any AWS certification
  • Linux Foundation: Frequently runs 30-50% off sales on CKA, CKAD, CKS, KCNA, KCSA, and PCA (watch for Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and KubeCon sales)
  • Linux Foundation Bundles: CKA + CKS or CKA + CKAD bundles save ~$200 vs buying separately
  • CompTIA: Academic pricing available for students; bundles (exam + training) often cheaper than buying separately
  • CompTIA: Look for CompTIA CertMaster bundles and retake vouchers
  • HashiCorp: Terraform Associate at $70.50 is one of the cheapest certs in the industry
  • GitHub: All four GitHub certs are $99 each with free prep material on Microsoft Learn
  • ISC2: CCSP exam fee is $599 but ISC2 members get study resources included with annual membership
  • NVIDIA: Free self-paced DLI courses to prepare; only pay when you take the exam
  • Employer Reimbursement: Many companies cover certification costs — always ask before paying out of pocket
  • Retake Policies: Check each provider's retake policy before scheduling — some include free retakes with bundles