[Question] Cheapest way to buy a voucher for CEH (without taking official course)

Cyber_Marsu

Hi all,

Sorry in advance for my long post but i wanted to give some context :

I'm already employed in the security field and I don't want to become a pentester but i would like to have a "more offensive" cert in my resume for being more attractive.

OSCP means too much dedication for my needs, Pentest+ seems a good (best ?) choice but no HR seems to have heard from it, idem for eLearning ones, SANS/GIAC certs are more than expensive.... so i'm left with CEH... even if it has a bad reputation in the community.
Since it's a personal choice with no real short-term need, I'll have to finance it all

I will use books and online training stuff, not an official course.

From their website*  I understand I'm going to have to pay $100 to validate that I have the prerequisites.

They ask for about one week to give an answer and the code issued then is valid for 3 months for buying the exam voucher (code 312-50) that is valid for one year. Correct ?

My nightmare starts here...

Pearson Vue voucher is about $1199... let me try to do some optimization :

ECC one $950 and it seems you can buy an upgrade for $100 to go for P Vue... (stange : this is cheaper than the direct buy ?!).

There are also update for "remote" proctored exam from both previous ones, but can you buy it directly  ? is it cheaper (and worth it with all stuff to implement) ? I saw post on discounted vouchers but from "other" sources and, in the other hand, on ECC websites they specify that they are the only sellers...

Can someone help me clear up this whole mess and give me tips for the cheapest and legal way to get this exam ?

I've got a last question ; let say I pass.... is there any financial advantage to go in a short period of time for the practical exam or can I do it later (maybe never) ?

Regards

PS : to know ECC centers location you have to submit the voucher code... so you have to buy it before even knowing if you have a center in your country....  :O

*I removed all my links as i get this message "You have to be around for a little while longer before you can post links".

SteveLavoie

In your situation, I would stay away from CEH... too much problem and hassle for the benefit. Pentest+ is something that is easier to complete. There is study material and Comptia is not acting like a fancy princess like EC-Council. 

Have you think about doing Elearnsecurity certification ? 1300-1600$ USD for eCPPTv2 certification. At that price, you get the exam, study material and labs access. 

yoba222

Have you tried getting your company to pay for it? That's the cheapest way. But if not, having actual security work experience is far more valuable than the overpriced piece of paper that is the CEH cert.

Info_Sec_Wannabe

With the price difference, learning and reputation in the industry, I'd say go the extra mile and push for OSCP. On top of the price difference, CEH has yearly (correct me if I'm wrong) fees as well as opposed to OSCP 

Cyber_Marsu

Many thank you for your comments.

Let me add a little more context : I'm currently in a more managerial/governance role than custodian (and that's fine by me). My employer does not ask me for any more certifications than I already have in my current position.

The reason I want to add a certification in this field is to have a card to play when/if opportunities arise...

So I'm looking for a balance between the effort to make (I admit it), the price (self financed) and the value of the card. Even if it is decried and mocked, in France, people outside the community know only the CEH (the most historical) and (a bit less even if it's changing) the OSCP. They have little or no knowledge of the other certifications like Pentest+ or eXPT...

 

For CEH, 

Without revising, I tried some online tests and I can answer almost everything... which corresponds to its "entry level". On the other hand, the gap for the OSCP seems very (too ?) big to me : I "play" a little with HTB and I am "script kiddie" level..; It reflects my real level...  I can barely root only easy machines and read forum to move forward and grab tips. Even if i like the game, the investment of time for is difficult to impose on my family in addition to my work and other occupations, especially since I do not claim to be a pentester, just show sufficient knowledge of techniques to manage a team in this area.

The Pentest+ could be a good lead if it was better known in France but if there are tons of free content to prepare for the CEH, i found much less for Pentest+.... Maybe because is newer...  Feel free to share usefull links...

For all these reasons even if I'm really incomfortable with the way they NOT answer direct question (by chat or mail) and its bad reputation I think I'll stay on the CEH for my specific purpose... unless I read you and discover an alternative (see above on Pentest+)

Regards

shochan

Yeah, it's like $950 + $100 (non refundable fee), if you fail, it's another $499 to take it again.  I would go after the CySA+ ($300ish) instead...or PenTest+ (if you know your programming languages well as it covers Python, Ruby + some Bash scripting from what I can recall).  OR dive in deep and take all the OSCP labs and see if you can get ready to take the 24hr exam.

Cyber_Marsu

I must admit that seeint that seeing that CompTIA PenTest+ Exam Voucher + Exam Retake + eBook - The Official CompTIA cost less than the half of the CEH theorical part voucher only... maybe that will be my target... even if it means working (much) more than to try CEH..... In the balance : cheaper, deeper, more value in the community vs more known, easier but very expensive....

... getting out of my comfort zone might be more interesting in the end... even if that means more personal work and less short term objective...  thanks again for your feedbacks

PS : from what I read  read (ok) AND write (will need to improve) python, ruby, bash & powershell

beads

The EH exam really isn't going to help much outside of making you take the "tour of tools". Its a good place to learn some very basic concepts but don't count on the cred to open any doors. Most people here are being very generous with their opinions on the exam. It is good for checking off the DoD requirement and part of the WGU Master's in InfoSec. Outside of that, I wouldn't bother putting it on my resume unless I had too much whitespace that needed filling.

Yes, I have been required to pass the exam in the past for client needs but those days are more than a decade in the past. Ever so thankfully.

b/eads