ICC exam cost calculator: fees, retakes and total budget

How the calculator works

• Per attempt = exam fee + the test-center premium, if you pick a test center.
• Best case = exams × per attempt + the code books, prep and travel you enter. Every exam is passed on the first try.
• Retakes = each retake at the per-attempt amount, plus the travel and time off you enter for it.
• Total = best case + retakes. The ceiling adds 5 retakes for every exam in the plan, which is all 6 attempts.

What it assumes and what it leaves out

• The prefilled fee is the $320 list price per attempt. ICC members get discounted pricing, so replace it with the amount your account shows.
• Every exam in the plan is priced at the same fee. If your exams are listed at different prices, run the calculator once per price and add the totals.
• The test-center premium has no prefilled amount. ICC's scheduling page shows the current premium, and it applies to each in-person attempt.
• Code books, prep, travel and time off start at zero. Code books are your own cost, and the right edition depends on the exam you book, so enter what you will actually buy.
• State licence fees, membership dues and employer reimbursement are not modeled.

Print a cost estimate for your employer

Press Print this estimate under your totals to get one page with the exam fees, any test-center premium, your code books, prep and travel, your retakes, the total and the ceiling. It has lines for your name, an approver and the date, and a link that reopens the same numbers. Hand it in with a reimbursement request or save it as a PDF from the print dialog. Copy a link to this estimate sends the same numbers to a supervisor or a coworker.

The retake rules in plain words

Each attempt costs the exam fee. ICC allows 6 attempts within a six-month period for national certification exams. After the sixth, you wait until six months from your first attempt to register again. Contractor and jurisdiction-specific exams have their own rules. An exam purchase is final and valid for 365 days. The results and retakes guide covers the limits and how to read your report, and the exam cost and scheduling guide covers booking.

Three example budgets

Each line uses the same math as the calculator. The $150 in the second line is an example entry for one code book, not an ICC price.

Worked out: one B1 attempt is $320. Adding one retake and $150 for a book is $320 + $320 + $150 = $790. Four exams are 4 × $320 = $1,280, and one retake adds $320 for $1,600. The ceiling for the B1 alone is 6 × $320 = $1,920. These are original arithmetic examples, not exam questions.

Ways to spend less

• Find your weak areas before you pay for another attempt. A retake is a second exam fee, so the cheapest fix is knowing which outline areas cost you points. The free 10-question check scores you by area in minutes.
• Book the exams your route names. The ICC exam picker shows the exams on your path, so you do not pay for one you do not need.
• Plan the weeks before you book. The ICC B1 study plan builder fits your prep to your exam date.
• Check how much of the route is online. The online certification guide separates prep, the remote exam and the state steps.
• Ask your employer. If an employer pays, ask which costs it covers and whether repayment depends on passing.

Frequently asked questions