Checked 18 October 2026. From SailPoint’s handbook (last updated 23 September 2026), the Leader prep guide and SailPoint’s 30 January 2025 announcement, read 18 October 2026. Offers and prices change; check Identity University before you plan around a free exam.
One SailPoint exam is free to anyone: the Identity Security Leader knowledge credential, with no fee for its first 3 attempts. The Professional and Expert knowledge credentials are free when you take their Identity University training path (the handbook says they come free with the path), or 2 training units ($200) bought alone. Every proctored certification costs money: $400 for the Engineer, Administrator and IdentityIQ Engineer, $300 for the IdentityIQ Associate. ProSyllabus is an independent study site, not affiliated with SailPoint. Every rule and price here is quoted or summarised from SailPoint’s own pages, read on 18 October 2026.
SailPoint Leader prep guide, handbook and Identity University, read 18 October 2026.
What is free and what is not
| Exam | Cost | Condition | Proctored |
|---|---|---|---|
| Identity Security Leader credential | No exam fee for the first 3 attempts | Complete all courses in the Leader path first; SailPoint’s 2025 announcement calls it free to anyone | No, open book |
| Identity Security Professional credential | Free with its training path, or 2 training units ($200) alone | The Administrator training path | No |
| Identity Security Expert credential | Free with its training path, or 2 training units ($200) alone | The Engineer training path | No |
| Certified IdentityIQ Associate | $300 | IdentityIQ Introduction and Essentials courses first | Yes |
| Certified Identity Security Administrator | $400 | None enforced | Yes |
| Certified Identity Security Engineer | $400 | None enforced | Yes |
| Certified IdentityIQ Engineer | $400 | None enforced | Yes |
From the handbook, the prep guides, SailPoint’s 30 January 2025 announcement and Identity University, read 18 October 2026. $400 is about ₹34,400 or £300 at our rate (₹86 and £0.75 to the US dollar).
Where other pages get this wrong
There is no free voucher for SailPoint’s proctored certification exams in SailPoint’s published rules.
Commonly published instead: “free SailPoint certification” pages that list the $400 Engineer exam as free, or sell “vouchers” for it.
The handbook says certification exams are bought only on Identity University and enrollments are non-refundable. The free items are the Leader credential and, with their training paths, the Professional and Expert credentials. A voucher bought anywhere else is not something SailPoint’s pages describe.
The Identity Security Leader credential
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Questions | 30: multiple choice, matching and true/false |
| Time | Up to 45 minutes, one sitting; it cannot be paused or saved |
| Format | Online, open book, not proctored |
| Fee | None for the first 3 attempts |
| Prerequisite | All courses in the Identity Security Leader path |
| Validity | Does not expire |
| Audience | “existing and emerging leaders in the identity security industry” |
SailPoint says the courses are the study guide and there is no separate one. You may keep notes open, but it warns the exam “does not simply test recall” and asks you to apply and analyse. The six courses run from launching an identity security career and the history of IAM and IGA to planning a strategy, SailPoint’s products, implementation roadmaps and managing projects. Like every SailPoint exam it ends early once the result is decided, and you cannot go back to a question.
Two habits help on an open-book exam with a 45-minute limit. Take notes as you go through the courses, as SailPoint suggests, and organise them by course so you can find a point in seconds. And do not plan to look everything up: 30 questions in 45 minutes is 90 seconds each, and the exam ends early once your result is decided, so reading the notes for every question is not realistic.
The free route, step by step
| Step | Do | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Create an Identity University user ID | Every SailPoint exam is registered there; one login per person |
| 2 | Complete the Identity Security Leader path | All its courses unlock the exam |
| 3 | Take the Leader credential | No fee for the first 3 attempts; open book, 45 minutes |
| 4 | Share the badge | A pass creates a digital badge in Identity University |
| 5 | Decide on the next step | Professional or Expert credential with its path, then a $400 certification once you have hands-on experience |
The handbook bans creating multiple Identity University logins and holding several registrations under different logins, and lets SailPoint ban anyone who breaks its terms. A free exam is not a reason to open a second account.
How the Professional and Expert credentials work
The two other knowledge credentials sit on the Identity Security Cloud training paths. The Identity Security Professional credential follows the Administrator path and the Identity Security Expert credential follows the Engineer path. Both are online and not proctored. The Professional exam has up to 51 multiple-choice and matching questions and the Expert up to 65 multiple-choice and multiple-select questions, each in up to 90 minutes. Neither expires.
The handbook says completing the training path unlocks the exam and that the credential is free when you buy the path; it also lets you buy the exam alone for 2 training units, which it values at $200, and gives no refund on that standalone purchase. Whether the path itself costs you anything depends on access: SailPoint’s January 2025 announcement said these credentials are free with a valid Identity University subscription, which some employers and partners hold. If your employer works with SailPoint, ask before paying.
Where the free credential fits
The Leader credential is the right first step for managers, architects, sellers and people new to identity security. It is not a technical certification; for engineering roles, in our view, the role-based certifications carry more weight. Our SailPoint certification path and cost guide shows all seven exams in order, and the worth-it guide covers when the paid certification pays off.
Free, but plan the attempts
Three free attempts is generous, but each one still ends early once the result is decided, and SailPoint gives no score beyond a percentage per course. Use the first attempt properly: finish every course, keep your notes in course order, and read the score report afterwards to see which course to revisit. The prep guide promises no fee for the first 3 attempts and does not say what a fourth costs, so check Identity University before you plan one.
Free practice for the paid exams
SailPoint offers two free Caveon sample tests to learn the DOMC format the proctored exams use; see the DOMC guide. For SailPoint content, 3 questions of our Identity Security Engineer practice exam are free, and here is one like them:
Free question · Virtual Appliances · DOMC format
A network team asks which connections the virtual appliance needs with the Identity Security Cloud tenant. Which answer is correct?
In the real exam you see one option at a time and answer Yes or No before the next appears. Judge each in turn:
- Option 1: The tenant connects inbound to the VA on a port you open in the firewall — Yes or No?
- Option 2: The VA needs an inbound VPN from SailPoint to work — Yes or No?
- Option 3: The VA starts every connection outbound; no inbound connection from outside your network is needed — Yes or No?
- Option 4: The VA and the tenant only exchange files by email — Yes or No?
Answer: Yes to option 3, “The VA starts every connection outbound; no inbound connection from outside your network is needed”, No to the others. SailPoint states that whatever deployment option you choose, communication with the tenant is initiated outbound from the VA, so no inbound connection from outside your network is required. SailPoint docs. A Yes to a wrong option, or a No to the correct one, costs you the question: SailPoint’s format page says that to get it right you must judge correctly every option you are shown, and its prep guides say the number of options you see varies.
An original ProSyllabus question, not a SailPoint exam question. Questions like it are in our Identity Security Engineer practice exam, in the DOMC format with a timer and a score for each exam domain; 3 of them are free there.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a free SailPoint certification?
The Identity Security Leader knowledge credential has no exam fee for its first 3 attempts. It is a credential, not a proctored role-based certification.
Is the SailPoint Identity Security Engineer exam free?
No. It costs $400 on Identity University, including one free retake within 364 days.
Are the Professional and Expert credentials free?
The handbook says knowledge credentials are free with their training path. Bought alone, each exam costs 2 training units, which SailPoint values at $200.
What is an Identity University subscription?
SailPoint’s paid training access, which some employers and partners hold. SailPoint’s January 2025 announcement said the Professional and Expert credentials are free with a valid subscription.
Does the Leader credential expire?
No. SailPoint lists knowledge credentials as not expiring.
Is the Leader exam open book?
Yes. It is online, open book and not proctored, but SailPoint says it tests applying and analysing, not just recall.
Can I get a free retake of the paid exams?
Yes. Each certification enrollment includes one free retake within 364 days of purchase.
Are there SailPoint certification vouchers?
SailPoint’s handbook says certification exams are bought only on Identity University. It describes no third-party vouchers.
Sources
- official — SailPoint: Identity Security Leader knowledge credential exam preparation
- official — SailPoint: Professional Certification and Credentialing Program, Policy Handbook (last updated 23 Sep 2026, read 18 Oct 2026)
- official — SailPoint Community blog: What’s new in SailPoint’s Certification and Credentialing Program (published 30 Jan 2025)
- official — SailPoint Identity University: SailPoint Certified Identity Security Engineer (Purchase | $400, read 18 Oct 2026)
- official — SailPoint Identity University: SailPoint Certified IdentityIQ Associate (Purchase | $300, read 18 Oct 2026)
- official — SailPoint: Certification proctored exam format (DOMC)
official = a document published by the conducting body. reported = a news or coaching site we could not check against an original. Where sources disagree this page says so rather than picking one.
