GMOB Certification Cost 2026: Complete Pricing Breakdown

The GMOB Cost Picture at a Glance

The GIAC Mobile Device Security Analyst (GMOB) credential is issued by GIAC Certifications and administered by GIAC, LLC. Its price is not a single number. The total depends on whether you attempt the exam once or twice, whether you buy the official practice exam, whether you pay for SANS training, and whether you plan to keep the credential current beyond its four-year validity window.

Here are the published fixed fees, all in US dollars and exclusive of applicable sales tax:

If you want to understand how these numbers fit into the larger decision about whether to pursue the credential, read our complete ROI analysis of the GMOB certification alongside this breakdown.

Exam Attempt, Retake, and Practice Exam Fees

The $999 Certification Attempt

The base fee buys you one proctored, web-based exam attempt. The exam contains 75 questions with a 2-hour time limit, and the minimum passing score is 71%. The attempt is delivered either onsite through Pearson VUE or remotely through ProctorU, subject to attempt-specific eligibility. Your assigned attempt page on the GIAC exam portal is the authoritative source for your specific objectives, format, and passing score, so check it after registering.

The attempt is activated when you register, and you have 120 days from activation to complete it. That window matters financially. If you buy the attempt too early and your preparation stalls, you risk letting the window close with nothing to show for the fee. Our guide to GMOB exam dates, testing windows, and scheduling walks through how to time your activation.

The $899 Retake

A retake costs $100 less than the first attempt. That discount is modest, and it should not be treated as a safety net. Submitted answers on the GMOB exam cannot be changed, and the open-book format rewards preparation more than improvisation. If you want a realistic picture of what you are up against, review how hard the GMOB exam really is and the GMOB pass rate discussion before committing your budget.

The $399 Practice Exam

The official GIAC practice exam is a separate purchase at $399. Think of it as insurance priced against the $899 retake fee: if it prevents one failed attempt, it has paid for itself and then some. It is also a fast way to learn how GIAC phrases scenario questions, which matters because the real exam prohibits materials resembling practice or exam questions and answers in your reference set.

Where Training Spending Enters the Equation

Training Is Optional, Not Required

GIAC lists no formal certification prerequisites for GMOB, and training is optional and recommended rather than mandatory. That is a significant cost lever. A candidate who already performs mobile application assessments professionally can plan around the exam fees alone. For eligibility specifics, see our overview of GMOB requirements, prerequisites, and qualification.

SANS SEC575 as the Preparation Course

The course most associated with this credential is SANS SEC575: iOS and Android Application Security Analysis and Penetration Testing. SEC575 tuition is billed separately from the GIAC exam attempt, and the published GIAC pricing page does not fold the two together. Check the SANS course page directly for current tuition and delivery formats rather than relying on third-party figures.

Two course details help you decide whether you need it:

• SEC575 recommends programming experience, basic Linux and terminal familiarity, and penetration-testing knowledge. These are course recommendations, separate from GIAC certification eligibility.
• The live SEC575 page references Android 14 and iOS 17, while the linked brochure references Android 12 and iOS 15. The differing platform examples do not identify which version your assigned exam draws on, so treat the course as a curriculum rather than an exact exam map.

For more on the training path and what it covers, see our GMOB training overview.

Self-Study as the Low-Cost Route

Because the exam is open book with hardcopy books, notes, and an index, a disciplined self-study route is viable for experienced practitioners. Your main costs become printing, binding, and indexing your own materials, plus the optional practice exam. The tradeoff is time and the absence of structured lab practice, which is where many candidates lose points.

The Four-Year Ownership Cost: Renewal and CPEs

The credential is valid for four years. To renew, you must either earn 36 approved CPE credits during the active four-year period or pass a renewal exam, and in both cases you pay the standard USD $499 renewal fee. Candidates comparing the long-run price of ownership should include this in their numbers.

See GIAC's CPE information and renewal guide pages for what activities qualify, and verify details there since renewal procedures can be updated.

Hidden and Easily Missed Costs

Sales Tax

Every published price excludes applicable sales tax. Depending on your location, the final invoice may be higher than the listed fee, so budget a margin rather than assuming the sticker price is the checkout price.

Proctoring Setup

You can test onsite through Pearson VUE or remotely through ProctorU, subject to attempt-specific eligibility. Remote testing saves travel but requires a compliant testing environment and equipment. Onsite testing may involve travel to a test center. The GIAC proctoring pages and the GIAC Proctored Exam Reference Guide describe the rules, and you should read them before exam day to avoid a technical problem that costs you a session.

Open-Book Preparation Materials

The exam permits hardcopy books, notes, and an index, but prohibits internet access, personal electronic references, and materials resembling practice or exam questions and answers. Printing and binding a thorough set of course books and a personal index costs money and, more importantly, hours. Building a quality index is one of the most valuable preparation activities, and it is a cost many first-time candidates underestimate.

The Cost of Failing

A failed attempt costs $899 for the retake plus the time lost. Reviewing the GMOB passing score requirements helps you calibrate readiness: a 71% minimum on 75 questions leaves little margin for entire weak domains.

Three Budget Scenarios for GMOB Candidates

These scenarios use only the published fixed fees. SANS tuition is left as a separate line because it is billed independently.

Add SEC575 tuition to any scenario if you take the course, and add the $499 renewal fee if you plan to hold the credential past four years. The lean route only makes sense for candidates with substantial hands-on mobile assessment experience.

Spending Your Prep Budget by Exam Domain

The exam objectives cover 11 domains, published without official percentage weights. Because weights are not published, avoid allocating money or hours using invented proportions. Instead, spend where your own skills are thinnest. A skeleton of the domains and where paid resources tend to pay off:

For a full breakdown of each area, see our complete guide to all 11 GMOB exam domains. If your goal is a structured plan rather than a budget, the GMOB study guide for passing on your first attempt lays out a sequence.

A Budget-Aware Sequencing Idea

Since this is the one place where scheduling matters to cost, here is a short example of timing spend against your 120-day attempt window. Activate your attempt only once your index is largely drafted, so the clock is not running while you are still gathering materials.

Getting an Employer to Pay

Mobile application security is a specialty that appears in application security teams, penetration testing consultancies, mobile-focused product companies, and security roles that assess internal or customer-facing apps. Hiring managers in these settings often have training budgets, and the fixed GIAC fees make the request easy to scope. To see how the credential appears in real postings, read our overview of GMOB jobs and who hires for them.

When making the case, include these points in your request:

1. The exact fees: $999 for the attempt, $399 for the optional practice exam, plus any SANS tuition quoted separately.
2. The renewal obligation: $499 and 36 approved CPE credits or a renewal exam every four years.
3. The retake exposure: $899 if the first attempt is unsuccessful, and whether the company will cover it or expect you to.
4. The 120-day completion window, so your manager understands the timeline.

If your employer covers training, clarify in advance whether reimbursement depends on passing and whether repayment terms apply if you leave.

Weighing Cost Against Career Value

The cost of the credential only means something relative to what it returns. Earnings vary widely by role, region, and experience, and we do not quote unverified salary figures here. Our GMOB salary guide discusses how to think about compensation, and our overview of the GMOB certification explains what the credential signals to employers.

If you are earlier in your research and want the basics, our pages on what GMOB certification is and what GMOB stands for cover the fundamentals. To measure readiness before you spend on an attempt, try the GMOB practice tests on the main site and compare your results against the question style you will face on the real exam.

For a last-minute fact check before exam day, our GMOB cheat sheet condenses must-know details, and you can return to the practice test hub to rehearse timing across 75 questions in 2 hours.

Frequently Asked Questions