The CEH v13 Costs $1,199 Minimum. I Took It Anyway. Was It the Dumbest Money I Ever Spent?
Let me start with the price because that's all anyone talks about. EC-Council charges $1,199 for the exam voucher alone. If you want their official training? That's $2,199. For a multiple-choice exam. In 2026. I took it anyway. And I have... feelings. The Good Parts (Yes, There Are Some) The CEH v13 covers a genuinely broad range of offensive security topics. Footprinting, scanning, enumeration, system hacking, web application attacks, cloud security, IoT hacking, AI-based threats. It's like a survey course of everything a penetration tester needs to know at a surface level. For HR departments and government contracting, the CEH is basically currency. DoD Directive 8570 (now 8140) lists it as a baseline cert for certain roles. If you want to work in federal cybersecurity, you probably need it — not because it proves you can hack, but because a policy document says you need it. And honestly? Studying for the CEH taught me a lot. The body of knowledge is solid even if the exam format is... questionable. The Parts That Made Me Angry It's still primarily multiple choice. In 2026. For a cert called "Certified Ethical HACKER." You'd think they'd require you to actually hack something. The CEH Practical exists separately but costs even more. The questions are memorization-heavy. "What port does [protocol] use?" "What tool would you use for [specific task]?" Real penetration testing is about problem-solving. The CEH tests whether you memorized a list of tools. That price tag. For $1,199-$2,199, you could get the OSCP ($1,749), which actually requires you to hack into machines. The OSCP is harder, but it proves you can do things, not just name things. Who Should Actually Get the CEH Be honest with yourself about why you want it: ✅ Get it if: You need it for a DoD/government role (8140 compliance), your employer is paying, or you need "ethical hacker" on your resume for credibility with non-technical stakeholders. ❌ Skip it if: You want to actually learn offensive security (get OSCP instead), you're paying out of pocket and $1,199 hurts, or you already have OSCP/GPEN/GWAPT. How I Actually Studied I didn't buy EC-Council's $2,199 training. Here's what I did instead: 1. Matt Walker's CEH All-in-One book — $40 on Amazon 2. CEH v13 practice questions on ExamCert (https://www.examcert.app/exams/ceh-v13/) — $4.99 for lifetime access 3. TryHackMe/HackTheBox — For actual hands-on practice 4. YouTube — Free walkthroughs Total study cost (excluding exam): Under $50. Compare that to EC-Council wanting $2,199. The ExamCert practice exams were clutch — they're scenario-based and cover all 20 CEH domains. Plus you get access to every other cert's questions with the $4.99 premium. Money-back guarantee if you don't pass. My Verdict After Taking It The CEH is an overpriced credential that still holds weight in specific situations. If someone else is paying, absolutely get it. But here's my honest take: the CEH on your resume opens doors that the OSCP doesn't, especially in the corporate and government world. Non-technical hiring managers know what "Certified Ethical Hacker" means. It's not about what should matter. It's about what does matter in the hiring process. Was it the dumbest money I ever spent? No. But it wasn't the smartest either. It was strategic. Get it if you need the doors it opens. Just don't pretend it makes you a hacker.
Let me start with the price because that's all anyone talks about.
EC-Council charges $1,199 for the exam voucher alone. If you want their official training? That's $2,199. For a multiple-choice exam. In 2026.
I took it anyway. And I have... feelings.
The Good Parts (Yes, There Are Some)
The CEH v13 covers a genuinely broad range of offensive security topics. Footprinting, scanning, enumeration, system hacking, web application attacks, cloud security, IoT hacking, AI-based threats. It's like a survey course of everything a penetration tester needs to know at a surface level.
For HR departments and government contracting, the CEH is basically currency. DoD Directive 8570 (now 8140) lists it as a baseline cert for certain roles. If you want to work in federal cybersecurity, you probably need it — not because it proves you can hack, but because a policy document says you need it.
And honestly? Studying for the CEH taught me a lot. The body of knowledge is solid even if the exam format is... questionable.
The Parts That Made Me Angry
It's still primarily multiple choice. In 2026. For a cert called "Certified Ethical HACKER." You'd think they'd require you to actually hack something. The CEH Practical exists separately but costs even more.
The questions are memorization-heavy. "What port does [protocol] use?" "What tool would you use for [specific task]?" Real penetration testing is about problem-solving. The CEH tests whether you memorized a list of tools.
That price tag. For $1,199-$2,199, you could get the OSCP ($1,749), which actually requires you to hack into machines. The OSCP is harder, but it proves you can do things, not just name things.
Who Should Actually Get the CEH
Be honest with yourself about why you want it:
✅ Get it if: You need it for a DoD/government role (8140 compliance), your employer is paying, or you need "ethical hacker" on your resume for credibility with non-technical stakeholders.
❌ Skip it if: You want to actually learn offensive security (get OSCP instead), you're paying out of pocket and $1,199 hurts, or you already have OSCP/GPEN/GWAPT.
I didn't buy EC-Council's $2,199 training. Here's what I did instead:
Matt Walker's CEH All-in-One book — $40 on Amazon. Covers everything you need
CEH v13 practice questions on ExamCert — $4.99 for lifetime access. Used these to identify knowledge gaps and drill weak areas. Way cheaper than EC-Council's official practice tests
TryHackMe/HackTheBox — For actual hands-on practice (even though the exam doesn't require it, understanding the concepts helps with the theory)
YouTube — Free walkthroughs of CEH concepts from multiple creators
Total study cost (excluding exam): Under $50. Compare that to EC-Council wanting $2,199 for their official course.
The ExamCert practice exams were clutch — they're scenario-based and cover all 20 CEH domains. Plus you get access to every other cert's questions too with the $4.99 premium. If you don't pass, money-back guarantee.
My Verdict After Taking It
The CEH is an overpriced credential that still holds weight in specific situations. If someone else is paying, absolutely get it. If you're paying, think hard about whether the OSCP or a GIAC cert would serve you better.
But here's my honest take: the CEH on your resume opens doors that the OSCP doesn't, especially in the corporate and government world. Non-technical hiring managers know what "Certified Ethical Hacker" means. They don't know what OSCP means.
It's not about what should matter. It's about what does matter in the hiring process.
Was it the dumbest money I ever spent? No. But it wasn't the smartest either. It was the most... strategic.
Get it if you need the doors it opens. Just don't pretend it makes you a hacker.
ment says you need it. And honestly? Studying for the CEH taught me a lot. The body of knowledge is solid even if the exam format is... questionable. The Parts That Made Me Angry It's still primarily multiple choice. In 2026. For a cert called "Certified Ethical HACKER." You'd think they'd require you to actually hack something. The CEH Practical exists separately but costs even more. The questions are memorization-heavy. "What port does [protocol] use?" "What tool would you use for [specific task]?" Real penetration testing is about problem-solving. The CEH tests whether you memorized a list of tools. That price tag. For $1,199-$2,199, you could get the OSCP ($1,749), which actually requires you to hack into machines. The OSCP is harder, but it proves you can do things, not just name things. Who Should Actually Get the CEH Be honest with yourself about why you want it: ✅ Get it if: You need it for a DoD/government role (8140 compliance), your employer is paying, or you need "ethical hacker" on your resume for credibility with non-technical stakeholders. ❌ Skip it if: You want to actually learn offensive security (get OSCP instead), you're paying out of pocket and $1,199 hurts, or you already have OSCP/GPEN/GWAPT. How I Actually Studied I didn't buy EC-Council's $2,199 training. Here's what I did instead: Matt Walker's CEH All-in-One book — $40 on Amazon. Covers everything you need CEH v13 practice questions on ExamCert — $4.99 for lifetime access. Used these to identify knowledge gaps and drill weak areas. Way cheaper than EC-Council's official practice tests TryHackMe/HackTheBox — For actual hands-on practice (even though the exam doesn't require it, understanding the concepts helps with the theory) YouTube — Free walkthroughs of CEH concepts from multiple creators Total study cost (excluding exam): Under $50. Compare that to EC-Council wanting $2,199 for their official course. The ExamCert practice exams were clutch — they're scenario-based and cover all 20 CEH domains. Plus you get access to every other cert's questions too with the $4.99 premium. If you don't pass, money-back guarantee. My Verdict After Taking It The CEH is an overpriced credential that still holds weight in specific situations. If someone else is paying, absolutely get it. If you're paying, think hard about whether the OSCP or a GIAC cert would serve you better. But here's my honest take: the CEH on your resume opens doors that the OSCP doesn't, especially in the corporate and government world. Non-technical hiring managers know what "Certified Ethical Hacker" means. They don't know what OSCP means. It's not about what should matter. It's about what does matter in the hiring process. Was it the dumbest money I ever spent? No. But it wasn't the smartest either. It was the most... strategic. Get it if you need the doors it opens. Just don't pretend it makes you a hacker.