CompTIA Project+ Training vs Self-Study: Do You Need a Course? (2026)
No course is required for the CompTIA Project+. Here is what the training on the market costs, what it gives you, and when self-study is the smarter spend.
- NoCourse required?
- $499Official course
- ~$80Self-study
- 40-70 hPrep time
- $399Exam fee
Table of Contents
Most Project+ candidates do not need a paid course. CompTIA requires none, the content is introductory project management, and the Sybex guide plus the free objectives and a practice-exam pack cover it for about $80. If you want CertMaster, buy it only in the $764 Learn and Exam bundle, where it costs $245 on top of a voucher and retake you would buy anyway. A video course is worth paying for if project work is new to you.
CompTIA Project+ (PK0-005) is an entry-level, vendor-neutral project management exam for people who coordinate small and medium projects in a tech setting: project coordinators, team leads, business analysts and IT staff who run projects alongside their day job. It has up to 90 multiple-choice and performance-based questions in 90 minutes, a 710 pass mark on a 100-900 scale, and a recommended 6-12 months of project experience.
The training market is mid-sized and mostly self-paced. CompTIA sells its own CertMaster Learn, Practice and Labs products and bundles them with exam vouchers. Around those sit a few video courses (Dion Training, ACI Learning's ITPro, Infosec on Coursera) and one main book, the Sybex study guide. Nothing requires a course, and PK0-005, launched on November 8, 2022, is still the current version.
Is a course required for the CompTIA Project+?
CompTIA sets no prerequisites and no training requirement for Project+. Its exam page gives only a recommendation: experience equivalent to 6-12 months of hands-on project management in a tech environment. That is guidance, not an eligibility check; anyone can buy a voucher and book the exam. CertMaster products are optional study aids sold separately from the $399 exam voucher.
Cheapest credible way to prepare:Download the free PK0-005 exam objectives, watch Infosec's free 5-hour Project+ course on Coursera, read the Sybex CompTIA Project+ Study Guide ($30 e-book or $50 print list) and finish with a practice-exam pack such as Dion Training's ($29.99). That is about $60-80 in materials.
Three ways to prepare
Costs below are training only. The exam fee ($399) is the same whichever route you take.
CompTIA's own interactive course for PK0-005: instructional lessons, video, simulated labs, assessments and practice tests, with 12 months of access through CompTIA Central. CompTIA estimates 25-40 hours. Learn+Labs adds live virtual labs for $628, and the Learn and Exam Bundle with Retake ($764) pairs Learn with a voucher and retake that cost $519 on their own.
Best for:Employer-funded learners, and anyone who wants CompTIA's own material with lessons and practice on one platform
Watch out:Bought alone, Learn is poor value: the $764 bundle adds the voucher and a retake for $265 more. Access ends after 12 months.
Dion Training's complete PK0-005 course ($315 direct) bundles 12 months of video, the official CompTIA Project+ study guide e-book and practice exams; its Udemy version is 16.5 hours of video at $94.99 list, often discounted. ACI Learning's ITPro library has a 15.5-hour PK0-005 course on a $39-a-month subscription, about $78 for two months.
Best for:Learners who absorb material better from video and want an instructor's walkthrough of each exam objective
Watch out:Subscriptions keep billing until cancelled, and video alone does not train you for performance-based questions; add a practice-exam set.
CompTIA's free exam objectives define the four domains. Kim Heldman's CompTIA Project+ Study Guide, Third Edition (Sybex, 2022) covers PK0-005 in 480 pages for $50 print or $30 e-book at list. Infosec's free 5-hour Coursera course gives a quick video pass, and a practice-exam pack such as Dion Training's ($29.99) tests readiness.
Best for:Working project coordinators who already use the tools and terms and want the cheapest complete route
Watch out:Third-party practice questions imitate CompTIA's style but are not CompTIA-written; CertMaster Practice ($209) is the only official bank.
Every option on one price line
9 options for the CompTIA Project+, placed by list price. The numbered pins match the table.
- Official
- Third-party
- Free
- ExamCert
Log scale: each step to the right costs several times more. List prices checked October 2026, training only (exam fee not included).
| # | Option | Type | List price | Format and what you get |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CertMaster Learn for Project+ (V5)CompTIA | Official | $499 list | Self-paced online, 12 months' access; CompTIA estimates 25-40 h. Lessons, video, interactives, simulated labs, assessments and practice tests |
| 2 | CertMaster Practice for Project+ (V5)CompTIA | Official | $209 list | Online practice platform, 12 months' access; CompTIA estimates 10-20 h. Timed practice exams, objective quizzes and mastery scores for each exam objective |
| 3 | CompTIA Project+ (PK0-005) Complete Certification CourseDion Training | Third-party | $315 | Self-paced video, 12 months' access. Official CompTIA Project+ study guide e-book and practice exams |
| 4 | CompTIA Project+ (PK0-005) Complete Course & Practice ExamUdemy (Dion Training) | Third-party | $94.99 list | 16.5 h on-demand video. Full video course plus a practice exam; 2,932 ratings as of October 2026; often discounted |
| 5 | CompTIA Project+ (PK0-005)ACI Learning (ITPro) | Third-party | $39/mo (~2 mo) | 15.5 h of video in 88 episodes, subscription. Assessment included; the $59-a-month Premium plan adds hands-on labs and practice tests |
| 6 | CompTIA Project+ Study Guide: Exam PK0-005, 3rd ed.Sybex / Wiley (Kim Heldman) | Third-party | $50 print / $30 e-book | 480-page study guide, published September 2022. Full PK0-005 coverage organised by exam objective |
| 7 | CompTIA Project+ (PK0-005)Infosec on Coursera | Free | Free | About 5 hours of short videos, self-paced. All four PK0-005 domains in 5-10 minute videos mapped to the exam objectives |
| 8 | Project+ PK0-005 exam objectivesCompTIA | Free | Free | Web page and PDF. Every objective in the four domains, weighted 33%, 30%, 19% and 18% |
| 9 | ExamCert CompTIA Project+ appExamCert | ExamCert | $5.99 | Practice-question app for iOS and Android. 1,400+ exam-style questions with an explanation for every option, worked by domain |
Whichever route you pick, test it
A course or a book only proves itself under exam conditions. The CompTIA Project+ app has 1,400+ exam-style CompTIA Project+ questions with an explanation for every option. Do a mixed set before you pay for anything else.
App StoreGoogle PlayFree CompTIA Project+ practice testWhat a course gives you, and the free substitute
The honest question is not "is the course good?" but "which part of it can I not get for free?" For the CompTIA Project+:
Pay or self-study? 3 questions
Answer in order. The first yes decides it.
A complete CompTIA Project+ self-study kit
Everything a self-studier needs, at list price, totalled.
Finish the kit with exam-style practice
Work CompTIA Project+ questions by domain, see which areas a course would actually have helped with, and spend money only there.
App StoreGoogle PlayFree CompTIA Project+ practice testFAQ
Do I need a course to take CompTIA Project+?
No. CompTIA lists no prerequisites for Project+ and no training requirement. It recommends experience equivalent to 6-12 months of hands-on project management in a tech environment, but that is advice rather than an eligibility check. You can buy a voucher and book the exam with no proof of training, and every CertMaster product is an optional purchase.
How much does the Project+ exam cost?
CompTIA's US list price for the Project+ voucher is $399, or $519 with Retake Assurance, which adds a second attempt within 12 months. Bundles with training cost $548 (with Practice), $764 (with Learn) and $993 (Learn+Labs and Practice), each including the voucher and retake. Prices were checked on CompTIA's Project+ page in October 2026 and vary by country.
Is PK0-005 being replaced by PK0-006?
Not as of October 2026. CompTIA's Project+ page lists version V5, exam code PK0-005, launched November 8, 2022, with no retirement date, and CompTIA's page of draft exam objectives under development has no Project+ entry. CompTIA posts draft objectives there before new versions launch, so that page is the place to watch for a successor.
What does CertMaster Learn include?
CertMaster Learn for Project+ ($499 list) is CompTIA's self-paced course: instructional content, video, interactives, simulated labs, assessments and practice tests, with 12 months of access. CompTIA estimates 25-40 hours. Learn+Labs ($628) adds live virtual machine labs, CertMaster Practice ($209) is the question platform alone, and CertMaster Study ($144) is the official student guide e-book.
How long should I study for Project+?
Plan about 40-70 hours over four to eight weeks. CompTIA estimates 25-40 hours for CertMaster Learn and 10-20 hours for CertMaster Practice, which is a fair guide for the book route too. People already coordinating projects at work can sit at the low end; newcomers should allow extra time for the IT and governance domain and the performance-based questions.
Sources
Figures on this page come from CompTIA and the other primary sources below:
- CompTIA - Project+ certification (exam details, products and prices)
- CompTIA - Exam objectives under development
- CompTIA - CertMaster Practice
- Dion Training - CompTIA Project+ (PK0-005) Complete Certification Course
- Udemy - CompTIA Project+ (PK0-005) Complete Course & Practice Exam
- ACI Learning - CompTIA Project+ (PK0-005)
- Wiley - CompTIA Project+ Study Guide: Exam PK0-005, 3rd Edition
- Coursera - CompTIA Project+ (PK0-005) by Infosec
Checked October 15, 2026. Fees, outlines and eligibility rules change — confirm with CompTIA before you book.