- The 2026 GIME Price List at a Glance
- What the $999 Attempt Actually Buys You
- Retakes, Extensions and the 570-Day Ceiling
- Is the $399 Practice Exam Worth It?
- Training Costs: The Part GIAC Doesn't Price for You
- Renewal and the Four-Year Cost of Ownership
- Three Sample Budgets for Different Candidates
- Where Preparation Money Pays Off Most
- Frequently Asked Questions
- A GIME certification attempt costs USD $999, a retake is $899, and sales tax is added where applicable.
- The optional practice exam is $399, an attempt extension is $479, and renewal is $499.
- SANS training (such as FOR518) is priced separately and is recommended, not required, for GIME eligibility.
- Each extension adds 45 days, but total access can never exceed the 570-day maximum.
The 2026 GIME Price List at a Glance
Budgeting for the GIAC iOS and macOS Examiner (GIME) is simpler than for many credentials because GIAC publishes a short, flat fee schedule. There is no tiered member pricing to decode. What takes more thought is the surrounding spend: training, reference materials, and the possibility of a second attempt. This guide separates the fixed fees from the variable ones so you can build a realistic total.
| Item | Fee (USD) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Certification attempt | $999 | One proctored exam: 75 questions, 2 hours |
| Retake | $899 | Applies if a first attempt is unsuccessful |
| Practice exam | $399 | Optional; sold separately from the attempt |
| Attempt extension | $479 | Adds 45 days, subject to the 570-day maximum |
| Renewal | $499 | Alternative to earning 36 CPEs; see renewal section |
All of these figures exclude applicable sales tax. SANS training courses and affiliate bundles carry their own pricing and are not part of the attempt fee. For the full lay of the land on what the credential covers before you commit money, see What Is GIME Certification?
What the $999 Attempt Actually Buys You
The $999 fee purchases a single certification attempt: one web-based, proctored exam of 75 questions with a 2-hour time limit. You choose between an onsite Pearson VUE center or remote proctoring through ProctorU, subject to availability for your purchased attempt. The passing score is 67% for exam versions released on or after June 2, 2022. For a deeper look at what that number means and what it does not, read GIME Passing Score 2026: Exactly What You Need to Pass.
The 120-day activation window
Once you activate your attempt, you have a 120-day window to complete it. This is separate from the 2 hours of exam time. Think of it as the scheduling runway, not the clock on the test itself. Purchase-specific delivery terms and your GIAC account govern the exact details of your attempt, so check your account after buying. If you are planning around calendar deadlines, GIME Exam Dates 2026: Testing Windows, Deadlines & Scheduling covers the scheduling side.
Rules that affect your wallet indirectly
Two exam rules shape what else you will spend on. First, the exam is open book: printed books, notes, and an index are permitted, while electronic references, internet access, and materials resembling practice or exam questions and answers are prohibited. That means printing and binding costs, and the time to build a quality index, belong in your budget. Second, submitted answers cannot be reviewed or changed. There is no safety net of a second pass through flagged items, which raises the value of thorough preparation before you pay for the attempt.
Retakes, Extensions and the 570-Day Ceiling
Two fees exist to rescue an attempt that is not going to plan, and they solve different problems.
Retake: $899
A retake is for candidates who sat the exam and did not reach the 67% passing score. It costs $100 less than a first attempt, but it is still a substantial outlay, which is why the quality of your first-attempt preparation matters financially.
- Applies after an unsuccessful attempt
- Priced below the initial $999 fee
- Governed by the retake terms in your GIAC account
Extension: $479
An extension is for candidates who have not yet finished and need more calendar time. It adds 45 days to your access, but only within the 570-day maximum access limit.
- Adds 45 days per extension
- Cannot push total access beyond 570 days
- Useful if work or travel disrupts a planned test date
Compare the two honestly: an extension at $479 costs roughly half of a $999 attempt, so if you simply need more time, it is far cheaper than failing and retaking at $899. Conversely, buying an extension to avoid facing an exam you are underprepared for only defers the problem. If you are weighing readiness, How Hard Is the GIME Exam? Complete Difficulty Guide 2026 and GIME Pass Rate 2026: What the Data Shows are the right next reads. Note that GIAC's sources reviewed here do not specify a population pass rate, so treat any claimed figure with caution.
Is the $399 Practice Exam Worth It?
At $399, the practice exam is the single most debatable line item. It costs about 40% of the attempt fee, which sounds steep until you compare it to the cost of a failed attempt. A $399 diagnostic that prevents a $899 retake pays for itself on a single avoided failure.
The practice exam is optional, and it is distinct from third-party question banks. Whatever you use, remember the exam-day rule: materials resembling practice or exam questions and answers may not be brought into the testing session. Use practice questions to find weak domains during preparation, then convert what you learn into your own notes and index rather than carrying question-style material in.
Training Costs: The Part GIAC Doesn't Price for You
The largest swing factor in your total cost is training, and it is entirely optional. GIME has no formal prerequisites: no mandatory education, work-hour, training-hour, or reference requirement. Training is recommended rather than compulsory. For the eligibility picture in full, see GIME Requirements 2026: Eligibility, Prerequisites & How to Qualify.
The related SANS course, FOR518: Mac and iOS Forensic Analysis and Incident Response, is priced separately from the exam fee, and SANS affiliate bundles have their own pricing. GIAC's published fee schedule does not fold course cost into the $999 attempt. Because that cost varies and is set by SANS rather than listed in the GIAC fee schedule, check the SANS course page for current pricing instead of relying on a number quoted elsewhere.
FOR518's own description mentions that working knowledge of forensics and the Unix command line is useful. Treat that as course guidance, not as a GIME eligibility requirement. Experienced Apple forensic examiners may reasonably skip formal training and self-study; newer examiners often find structured training reduces the risk of a retake. More on the options is in GIME Training.
What the exam objectives tell you about prep scope
GIAC lists 13 certification objective headings, in its own order and capitalization. No official percentage weights are published, and the objectives are exam objectives rather than a preparation curriculum, so you cannot allocate study money by weight. They are:
- Apple Application Analysis
- Apple File System Artifacts
- Apple Systems Triage
- Application Fundamentals
- Document and iCloud analysis
- Encrypted Container and Memory Analysis
- Incident Response
- Introduction to Apple Operating Systems
- Introduction to Disk and File Systems
- Log Analysis and Timeline Creation
- Pattern of Life
- Productivity Application Analysis
- User Data and System Configuration
With no published weighting, spread your preparation and your index across all of them rather than betting on a favorite. The breadth is itself a cost driver: more topics mean more index-building time and more reason to consider guided training. Each heading is unpacked in GIME Exam Domains 2026: Complete Guide to All 13 Content Areas.
Key Takeaway
Because no objective carries a published weight, you cannot save money by skipping "minor" areas. Budget your time evenly across all 13 headings, and spend extra only on the domains where practice results show real gaps.
Renewal and the Four-Year Cost of Ownership
A GIME certification is valid for 4 years. Renewal can happen two ways: earn 36 CPEs, or pass the renewal exam and pay the renewal fee of $499. The CPE route avoids the exam fee but requires documented professional activity over the cycle.
There is also a discount mechanic worth knowing. Additional renewal registrations within 2 years after a full-price $499 renewal are $249 each. This matters if you hold more than one GIAC certification and can align renewals, since the second and later registrations inside that window cost half as much.
| Renewal path | Cash cost | What it requires |
|---|---|---|
| CPE route | See GIAC renewal terms | 36 CPEs within the certification cycle |
| Renewal exam | $499 | Pass the renewal exam |
| Additional renewal within 2 years of a full-price renewal | $249 each | Follows a full-price $499 renewal |
For a first-attempt success, the minimum four-year cash outlay is $999 for the exam plus any renewal expense, before tax, study materials and optional extras. Whether that return justifies itself depends on your career path; see Is the GIME Certification Worth It? Complete ROI Analysis 2026, and for the earnings side, GIME Salary Guide 2026: Complete Earnings Analysis.
Three Sample Budgets for Different Candidates
These scenarios use only the published GIAC fees. Training, books and printing are shown as separate lines because they vary by buyer and are not GIAC-set.
Scenario A: Confident self-studier, passes first time
Experienced examiner who skips the practice exam and formal training.
- Certification attempt: $999
- Total GIAC fees: $999 (plus tax, printing, and personal study materials)
Scenario B: Cautious candidate, uses the practice exam
Wants a late-stage readiness check before sitting the real exam.
- Certification attempt: $999
- Practice exam: $399
- Total GIAC fees: $1,398 (plus tax and study materials)
Scenario C: Needs a second try
Practice exam first, then an unsuccessful first attempt followed by a retake.
- Certification attempt: $999
- Practice exam: $399
- Retake: $899
- Total GIAC fees: $2,297 (plus tax and study materials)
The gap between Scenario A and Scenario C is $1,298 in GIAC fees alone, which illustrates why spending on preparation is usually cheaper than spending on a retake.
Where Preparation Money Pays Off Most
Rather than a generic study plan, think about sequencing your spend around GIME's actual structure: 75 questions in 2 hours means roughly 1.6 minutes per question, with no ability to change submitted answers. That favors preparation that makes lookup fast.
Foundations first
- Cover Introduction to Apple Operating Systems and Introduction to Disk and File Systems, since later artifact work builds on them
- Start your index skeleton with these terms
Artifact-heavy domains
- Work through Apple File System Artifacts, Apple Application Analysis, and Productivity Application Analysis
- Add Log Analysis and Timeline Creation and Pattern of Life, which reward careful cross-referencing
Integration and readiness
- Review Incident Response, Apple Systems Triage, and Encrypted Container and Memory Analysis
- Take your practice attempt, then patch weak spots in the index
A compact reference you can lean on while building materials is GIME Cheat Sheet 2026: One-Page Review of Must-Know Facts, and for a fuller preparation framework see GIME Study Guide 2026: How to Pass on Your First Attempt. For hands-on question practice that costs far less than a retake, use the GIME practice tests.
Who actually pays: employer versus self-funded
Many digital forensics and incident response professionals have their certification costs covered by an employer, especially when the credential supports casework or a service offering. If you are self-funding, ask whether your organization reimburses exam fees after a pass, since that changes how much risk you carry on the $999. To see where the skills are used day to day, browse GIME Jobs.
Frequently Asked Questions
A GIME certification attempt costs USD $999, excluding applicable sales tax. A retake is $899, the optional practice exam is $399, an attempt extension is $479, and renewal is $499. SANS training is priced separately.
GIAC does not publish a member/non-member price schedule for these fees. The listed amounts are the published prices, so check your GIAC account or the pricing page for any promotions that may apply at the time of purchase.
No. There are no formal prerequisites and training is recommended rather than compulsory. FOR518 is the related SANS course, but its recommendations are not eligibility requirements, and its cost is separate from the exam fee.
You can buy an attempt extension for $479, which adds 45 days to your access. Extensions are subject to the 570-day maximum access limit, so total time cannot be extended indefinitely.
The certification is valid for 4 years. You can renew by earning 36 CPEs or by passing the renewal exam with the $499 renewal fee. Additional renewal registrations within 2 years after a full-price $499 renewal are $249 each.
Plan the fixed fees first, decide deliberately about the optional practice exam and training, and treat the retake and extension fees as costs to avoid through solid preparation rather than line items to expect.