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Compare certifications
Pick up to 3 certifications and compare them side-by-side on cost, exam format, recertification, salary signal, quality, and domain coverage.
GIAC / SANS · professional
GCIHGIAC Certified Incident Handler
Incident handling methodology and lifecycle.
Official pageComparing
GIACGDAT
GIAC / SANSGCIH
› Cost
Exam fee
GDAT$979
GCIH$979
Exam fee
$979
$979
Annual maintenance fee
GDAT—
GCIH—
Annual maintenance fee
—
—
3-year cost of ownership
GDAT$979
GCIH$979
3-year cost of ownership
$979
$979
› Exam mechanics
Pass mark
GDAT73% (scaled per attempt)
GCIH73% (scaled per attempt)
Pass mark
73% (scaled per attempt)
73% (scaled per attempt)
Retake policy
GDAT$999 fee · 30d wait
GCIH$999 fee · 30d wait
Retake policy
$999 fee · 30d wait
$999 fee · 30d wait
Study time
GDAT150–280 hrs
GCIH80–150 hrs
Study time
150–280 hrs
80–150 hrs
Validity
GDAT4 yrs
GCIH4 yrs
Validity
4 yrs
4 yrs
CPE / yr
GDAT9 CPEs
GCIH9 CPEs
CPE / yr
9 CPEs
9 CPEs
Delivery
GDATmixed
GCIHonline proctored
Delivery
mixed
online proctored
› Salary signal (US base)
Range
GDAT$125K – $180K
GCIH$100K – $150K
Range
$125K – $180K
$100K – $150K
Median
GDAT$150,000
GCIH$120,000
Median
$150,000
$120,000
Premium %
GDAT—
GCIH—
Premium %
—
—
Role context
GDATSenior detection engineer / purple team operator, US, 5+ years.
GCIHIncident responder / blue team analyst, US, 3–5 years.
Role context
Senior detection engineer / purple team operator, US, 5+ years.
Incident responder / blue team analyst, US, 3–5 years.
› Quality (4-axis rubric · 0–10)
Schema quality
GDAT8.5
GCIH8.5
Schema quality
8.5
8.5
Practice evidence
GDAT6.5
GCIH5.5
Practice evidence
6.5
5.5
Maintenance
GDAT7.5
GCIH7.0
Maintenance
7.5
7.0
Market recognition
GDAT6.5
GCIH8.5
Market recognition
6.5
8.5
Average
GDAT7.3
GCIH7.4
Average
7.3
7.4
› Recognition & lifecycle
Recognition
GDATGlobal
GCIHGlobal · US · EU · UK
Recognition
Global
Global · US · EU · UK
ISO 17024 accredited
GDAT—
GCIH✓
ISO 17024 accredited
—
✓
DoD 8140 baseline
GDAT—
GCIH✓
DoD 8140 baseline
—
✓
Holders worldwide
GDAT—
GCIH25,000
Holders worldwide
—
25,000
Current version
GDAT2024 SEC599 refresh (2024-06)
GCIH2024 SEC504 refresh (2024-04)
Current version
2024 SEC599 refresh (2024-06)
2024 SEC504 refresh (2024-04)
› Domain coverage
A10Security Operations
GDAT·
GCIH● core
A10Security Operations
·
● core
A11Detection Engineering & Threat Hunting
GDAT● core
GCIH○ touched
A11Detection Engineering & Threat Hunting
● core
○ touched
A19Cyber Deception & Active Defense
GDAT● core
GCIH·
A19Cyber Deception & Active Defense
● core
·
A21Malware Analysis & Reverse Engineering
GDAT·
GCIH○ touched
A21Malware Analysis & Reverse Engineering
·
○ touched
A7Incident Response & Forensics
GDAT·
GCIH● core
A7Incident Response & Forensics
·
● core
A8Threat Intelligence
GDAT● core
GCIH·
A8Threat Intelligence
● core
·
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