Every major certification vendor reads the certification retake policy differently: CompTIA requires no waiting period between a failed first attempt and a second attempt, then a 14-calendar-day wait before the third attempt and every attempt after that. Microsoft and ISC2 take the opposite approach, layering waiting periods from the first failure onward. This guide compares the official rules from all three vendors, exactly as published on their policy pages, and ends with a retake planning checklist you can run before you book anything.
How this comparison was built
Each rule below was read directly from the vendor’s own policy page during this revision: the CompTIA Certification Retake Policy, the Microsoft exam retake policy page and the ISC2 post-exam and retake policy page. Vendor pages change without notice, so treat this as a verified snapshot and confirm the policy page before scheduling. Where a vendor publishes no rule, the table says so instead of guessing.
Retake rules at a glance
| Vendor | After a first fail | Between later attempts | Attempt cap | Cost per retake |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CompTIA | No waiting period before attempt two | At least 14 calendar days from the last attempt | Not stated as a numeric cap; beta exams once only | Full exam price every time |
| Microsoft | 24-hour wait | 14-day waiting period | 5 attempts per 12-month period | You must pay to retake |
| ISC2 | 30 test-free days | 60 days after attempt two, 90 days after attempt three and later | 4 attempts per 12-month period | Standard exam fee applies |
The practical consequence: a failed ISC2 exam costs you far more calendar time than a failed CompTIA exam, because the ISC2 clock starts after the very first attempt while CompTIA only starts counting before the third.
CompTIA: fastest second chance
CompTIA’s policy is unusually generous on the second attempt. If you fail your first attempt, there is no mandatory cooling-off period before you try again, which is why some candidates book a retake within days. From the third attempt onward, the policy requires at least fourteen calendar days between attempts, counted from the date of your last attempt.
Two boundary rules matter more than the waiting periods. First, once you pass an exam and earn the certification, you cannot sit the same exam code again without prior consent from CompTIA; retesting the same material means waiting for the next exam series. Second, CompTIA charges the full exam price on every attempt and offers no free retests or discounts on retakes, so a quick second chance is still a paid second chance. A test found in violation of the retake policy is invalidated, and repeat violators can be permanently banned from the certification program.
Microsoft: five attempts in twelve months
Microsoft makes you wait 24 hours after a first failed attempt, then 14 days between later attempts, with a maximum of 5 attempts in any 12-month period counted from the first attempt. If you exhaust all five attempts, eligibility only returns 12 months after that first attempt date. Like CompTIA, Microsoft blocks retaking an exam you have already passed unless the certification has expired.
There is one documented escape hatch, and it is narrow. Microsoft grants waiting-period waivers only for internet connectivity or equipment failures documented with a Pearson VUE case number. The request must cite the case number, and the vendor states plainly that waivers will not be granted for any other reason. If you failed because of a home-network drop during an online-proctored session, open the Pearson VUE case the same day; if you simply underprepared, the 14-day clock stands.
Microsoft also maintains separate regimes for its other credentials: renewal assessments have no retake limit, Office Specialist exams follow their own 48-hour cycle, and beta exams can be taken only once during the beta period. Check which policy your specific exam falls under before assuming the standard rule applies.
ISC2: escalating test-free days
ISC2 applies an escalating cycle of 30, 60 and 90 test-free days after the first, second and third attempts, and caps each certification exam at 4 attempts per 12-month period, covering CC, SSCP, CISSP, CCSP, CGRC, CSSLP, ISSAP, ISSEP and ISSMP. This structure is deliberately punishing for repeated failures: a candidate who fails three CISSP attempts faces a 90-day wait for the fourth, and the fourth is the last inside the 12-month window.
Planning implication: with ISC2, the decision to retake quickly is expensive in a different currency. Each failed attempt extends the next mandatory wait, so a rushed second attempt that fails pushes attempt three to 60 test-free days out. Budget your preparation depth against the escalating calendar, not just the exam fee.
Build your retake plan
Use this ordered procedure the day you receive a failing score:
- Identify the vendor policy page for your exact exam and screenshot the current rule set with its date; never rely on forum summaries.
- Compute your earliest eligible retake date from the vendor’s clock, not from when you feel ready.
- Run a structured error review on your attempt: classify every miss by domain, and rebuild study time around the weakest two domains.
- Schedule the retake at a realistic date given that review, keeping the attempt cap in mind before you spend one.
- If you failed due to a technical failure on an online-proctored Microsoft exam, open the Pearson VUE case immediately and attach the case number to any waiver request.
For the middle steps, a structured practice exam strategy for security certifications gives you a repeatable way to convert misses into a domain-by-domain plan, and the scheduling tactics in how to pass a certification exam while working full time help you fit the escalating ISC2 waits into a realistic calendar without burning attempts.
Sources
- CompTIA Certification Retake Policy — CompTIA
- Exam and Applied Skills assessment lab retake policies — Microsoft Learn
- What To Do After Your ISC2 Certification Exam — ISC2