STS Certification Cost 2026: Complete Pricing Breakdown

The Real Price of STS at a Glance

Budgeting for the Smart Technology Systems (STS) credential from ETA International is refreshingly simple compared with many technical certifications. The headline number is the exam fee, but the true cost depends on how you test, whether you pair the core exam with an endorsement, whether you buy optional study materials, and how you handle maintenance over the four-year term. This guide breaks down every line item that ETA publishes, flags what is not publicly quoted, and shows you where you can save.

If you are still deciding whether the credential makes sense for your career, pair this article with our ROI analysis of the STS certification and our STS salary guide. For a broader orientation to what the credential is, start with What Is STS Certification?

The USD 105 Exam Fee and What It Covers

The published fee for the Basic STS examination is USD 105. ETA lists a single price in its STS program table rather than splitting it into member and nonmember tiers, which means you do not need to join the association just to get a discount on the core exam. Membership is optional; the STS stand-alone certification does not require ETA membership or an Associate CET (CETa) credential. If you want the full eligibility picture, see our breakdown of STS requirements and prerequisites.

What does that USD 105 buy? A single sitting of the proctored written knowledge examination, which ETA's shared STS table describes as 75-80 questions delivered in two hours. The certification catalog and exam-information table publish that question range, but the exact core STS count and the scored versus unscored split are not publicly specified, so plan around the range rather than a single number. The passing score is 75%, which you can explore further in our STS passing score guide.

Proctoring: Where the Extra Dollars Appear

The exam fee is only part of the story, because every STS sitting requires a proctor and photo ID. ETA's testing provider, ETA Certification Administrators, offers several delivery paths: in-person testing through the Trapeza online testing system, paper-and-pencil testing, and remote proctoring through ExamRoom.AI.

Remote Proctoring

Two-hour remote proctoring adds USD 16 on top of the exam fee. For most candidates this brings the remote-delivery total to USD 121 for a single standard attempt. Remote testing also has equipment requirements: a webcam, microphone, a suitable computer, and reliable connectivity, with registration arranged through ETA. If your home internet is shaky, factor in the cost of securing a better connection or borrowing a suitable location, because a failed technical setup can cost you time and money.

Local Proctors and Test Sites

If you test in person at a test site or course-approved school, the proctor charges are set locally and are not quoted in ETA's public materials. Some schools and employers absorb these costs, while independent test sites may charge their own proctoring fee. Before you register, contact the site directly and ask for the full out-of-pocket price, including any administrative charges. Do not assume the USD 105 figure is the final number if you are testing locally.

The Half-Price Core Exam Rule

The single biggest savings opportunity in the STS pricing structure is ETA's half-price offer. According to ETA, the core STS exam is offered at half price when taken at the same time as at least one endorsement. The STS program includes four separate endorsements beyond the Basic STS credential, and each carries its own exam fee, so this is a bundling decision rather than a pure discount.

Here is how to think about it:

• Core exam only: You pay USD 105 for the Basic STS credential and nothing else on the exam side (plus any proctoring).
• Core plus an endorsement in the same session: You pay the endorsement's published price plus half of the core fee. If you were already planning to pursue an endorsement, this is effectively a discount on the core exam you needed anyway.
• Core now, endorsement later: You pay full price for the core exam today and the endorsement fee later, forfeiting the half-price benefit.

The right choice depends on your job. If you work for a smart home integrator or security and surveillance installer who will require an endorsement within months anyway, bundling can make financial sense. If you only need the foundation credential for now, test the core exam alone and avoid paying for endorsement content you are not ready for. Endorsement exams cover different material than the Basic STS competencies, which are the focus of this article.

Retakes: One Free Attempt, Then What?

ETA offers one free eligible retake within one year of your first exam session. That is a genuine safety net, but read the fine print: remote-proctoring charges remain payable on the retake. If you tested remotely, plan on paying the USD 16 proctoring charge again, and if you tested locally, expect the site to charge its own proctoring fee again.

The free retake window is one year from the first session, so do not treat it as an open-ended guarantee. If you fail your first attempt, use the score feedback to pinpoint weak domains, study deliberately, and schedule the retake before the window closes. For guidance on how demanding the test is, read How Hard Is the STS Exam? Note that ETA does not publicly disclose an STS-specific candidate pass rate, so our STS pass rate article focuses on what can and cannot be verified.

Preparation Spend: Optional, Not Mandatory

ETA does not mandate any fixed training hours, degree, or paid course before you can sit for STS. That means preparation spending is entirely up to you. Here are the options worth knowing about.

ETA's Study Resource

ETA advertises a USD 59.95 study resource in the STS section of its website. However, the linked public eITPrep catalog visibly identifies the Security and Surveillance endorsement course rather than a separate Basic STS course, so core-course availability remains unverified. Before buying anything, confirm directly with ETA exactly which course the USD 59.95 price covers and whether it targets the Basic STS exam or an endorsement. Do not assume an endorsement course teaches the core syllabus.

Membership and Practice Exams

ETA's membership page lists STS member practice-exam access. Membership is not mandatory for the exam, and practice-exam access does not give you actual certification questions, but it can be a cost-effective preparation tool if you plan to stay in the industry. Compare the membership cost against what you would otherwise spend on prep, and remember you can also use free resources such as the official competency document, which is published by ETA and reproduces the 12 numbered top-level domains from which exam questions derive.

Free Official Material

The Basic STS Certification Competency Requirements document is publicly available and unweighted, meaning ETA does not publish percentage weights for any of the 12 domains. It is the single most valuable free resource because ETA states its exam questions derive from these competencies. Pair it with our STS study guide and our one-page STS cheat sheet, and you can build a thorough plan without paying for expensive courses. For hands-on practice questions, try the STS practice tests on the main site.

The Four-Year Maintenance Bill

Earning the certification is not a one-time expense. The STS credential has a four-year term with maintenance required. For non-hands-on certifications like STS, the general maintenance rules require:

• The maintenance form, with a fee of USD 25 per year (USD 100 over the four-year cycle).
• Either 10 continuing-education contact hours per year (40 over the cycle) or an Employer Verification Form completed by a supervisor.

ETA recommends submitting maintenance annually rather than waiting until the end of the term. That spreads the cost, keeps your records current, and reduces the risk of a last-minute scramble. If your employer will complete the verification form, you may avoid paying for separate continuing education, which can reduce the cash outlay to just the annual fee. If you rely on continuing-education hours instead, budget for any training or course costs required to reach 10 contact hours each year.

Total Cost Scenarios

Because ETA does not quote local proctor charges, we can only calculate fully known scenarios using published numbers. The table below uses figures from ETA's public materials and leaves out anything not quoted.

These totals exclude optional study resources, membership dues, and any continuing-education costs. They also do not include the value of your time or any lost wages for exam day.

Matching Your Budget to the 12 Domains

One of the smartest ways to control cost is to avoid failing and paying for repeat proctoring. That means studying the right content. The Basic STS competency document contains 12 top-level domains with no published weightings, so you cannot rely on a "high-weight" shortcut. Instead, make sure you are fluent across all of them. For a deeper walkthrough, see our complete guide to all 12 STS content areas.

Because the exam draws on all 12 competencies and the questions are written, a well-rounded candidate who reads the competency document closely is far less likely to need a paid retake. If you want to understand the broader scope before you invest, see What Is STS? and STS training.

Smart Ways to Keep STS Costs Down

You can compress your total spend without sacrificing your odds of passing. Here is a practical approach tied to STS specifics rather than generic advice.

Beyond the schedule, consider these money-saving moves:

• Ask your employer first. Many smart home and security companies reimburse certification fees or complete the Employer Verification Form for maintenance at no cost to you.
• Decide on endorsements before you register. If you will pursue one soon, bundling can halve the core exam fee.
• Test when you are ready, not when you are rushed. A free retake still carries proctoring costs, so a prepared first attempt is the cheapest path.
• Use free official material before buying. The competency document is the actual blueprint for exam questions.
• Verify before you buy study resources. Confirm that the USD 59.95 resource actually targets the Basic STS exam rather than an endorsement.
• Check scheduling early. Consult our STS exam dates and scheduling guide so you are not paying rush or rescheduling charges.

For context on what the acronym itself covers, our explainers on STS meaning and what STS stands for confirm that this credential is specifically Smart Technology Systems from ETA International, not any other certification that shares the abbreviation. You can also review the main STS certification page for a high-level overview.

Frequently Asked Questions