CEH v13 Certification Guide 2026: Exam, Cost, Syllabus, AI, Practical & Study Plan

CEH v13 certification is EC-Council’s current AI-powered Certified Ethical Hacker program, designed to validate knowledge of ethical hacking, reconnaissance, system attacks, network security, web application testing, cloud, IoT/OT, wireless security, and cryptography. The core CEH knowledge exam contains 125 multiple-choice questions and lasts four hours. Candidates can also take the optional six-hour CEH Practical with 20 challenges; passing both earns CEH Master. CEH v13 adds AI-driven techniques across the ethical-hacking lifecycle and extensive hands-on cyber-range practice for real-world skill development.

What Is CEH v13 Certification?

The CEH v13 certification, officially delivered by EC-Council, is the 13th version of the Certified Ethical Hacker program. EC-Council now markets the program as CEH AI, reflecting the integration of artificial intelligence into ethical-hacking training. As of August 2026, EC-Council states that CEH is currently on Version 13.

The CEH v13 course combines attack methodology, defensive countermeasures, vulnerability analysis, web and network security, cloud, mobile, IoT/OT, and cryptography. Official training includes 20 modules, 221 hands-on labs, 550 attack techniques, and more than 4,000 hacking and security tools.

For any CEH v13 study guide or CEH v13 study material, prioritize concepts and attack/defense relationships rather than memorizing commands.

CEH v13 vs v12: What Changed?

The biggest difference in CEH v13 vs v12 is AI-driven ethical hacking throughout the workflow. EC-Council introduced v13 in September 2024 and applies AI concepts across reconnaissance, scanning, gaining access, maintaining access, and covering tracks.

Area	CEH v12	CEH v13 / CEH AI
Core ethical hacking	Strong focus	Retained and updated
AI integration	Limited/not central	Embedded across hacking phases
Learning approach	Theory + labs	Learn, Certify, Engage, Compete
Current status	Previous version	Current Version 13
Career preparation	Offensive-security foundation	Adds AI-assisted workflows and AI-security exposure

For candidates comparing CEH v12 vs v13, v13 is the relevant study target because EC-Council’s current program is Version 13/CEH AI.

CEH v13 Exam: Format, Duration and Passing Score

The CEH v13 exam is knowledge-based. Passing it earns CEH; the practical exam is optional and used to progress to CEH Master.

Exam Detail	CEH Knowledge Exam
Exam code	312-50
Questions	125 multiple-choice questions
Duration	4 hours
Delivery	ECC Exam / Pearson VUE
Passing score	Variable cut score, typically 65%–85%
Practical required for CEH?	No

EC-Council explains that different exam forms have different cumulative cut scores, so there is no single universal CEH v13 passing score. Its current CEH page says typical cut scores range from 65% to 85%.

CEH v13 Exam Blueprint: What Should You Prioritize?

The official CEH exam blueprint v5.0 groups the exam into nine domains. The published question counts add to 125. The displayed percentages are rounded and total 101%, so use the question counts—not percentage arithmetic alone—when planning study time.

CEH v13 Blueprint Domain	Questions	Weight
Information Security & Ethical Hacking Overview	7	6%
Reconnaissance Techniques	21	17%
System Hacking Phases & Attack Techniques	19	15%
Network & Perimeter Hacking	30	24%
Web Application Hacking	18	14%
Wireless Network Hacking	6	5%
Mobile Platform, IoT & OT Hacking	12	10%
Cloud Computing	6	5%
Cryptography	6	5%

The exam-weighting lesson is clear: network/perimeter hacking, reconnaissance, system hacking, and web application hacking dominate the blueprint. Together, these areas account for most of the scored questions.

CEH v13 Syllabus and Modules

The official CEH v13 syllabus contains 20 modules. Rather than treating the CEH modules v13 as isolated chapters, group them by attack lifecycle:

• Discovery: Introduction to Ethical Hacking, Footprinting and Reconnaissance, Scanning Networks, Enumeration.

• Assessment and exploitation: Vulnerability Analysis, System Hacking, Malware Threats.

• Network attacks: Sniffing, Social Engineering, Denial-of-Service, Session Hijacking, Evading IDS/Firewalls/Honeypots.

• Application attacks: Hacking Web Servers, Hacking Web Applications, SQL Injection.

• Modern environments: Wireless Networks, Mobile Platforms, IoT/OT, Cloud Computing.

• Protection and trust: Cryptography.

The CEH v13 objectives also include AI-supported exercises in areas such as footprinting, scanning, enumeration, vulnerability analysis, system hacking, social engineering, web hacking, SQL injection, and cryptography.

CEH v13 Tools: What Actually Matters for the Exam?

Do not memorize a massive CEH v13 tools list. Focus on tool purpose: reconnaissance, scanning, enumeration, vulnerability discovery, packet analysis, exploitation, web testing, wireless assessment, and cryptography. Official training provides exposure to thousands of tools.

CEH v13 Practical Exam

The CEH v13 Practical is a separate six-hour, hands-on assessment delivered in the iLabs Cyber Range. Candidates face 20 practical challenges involving tasks such as network scanning, vulnerability analysis, system hacking, web application attacks, and related security-audit activities.

Passing the knowledge exam gives you CEH. Passing both the CEH knowledge exam and CEH v13 practical exam earns the CEH Master designation.

CEH v13 Certification Cost and Exam Voucher Price

The CEH v13 certification cost depends on whether you buy training or only an exam voucher. Current official pricing can change, but EC-Council presently lists the following:

Item	Current Listed Price
CEH exam voucher – remote RPS	$950
CEH exam voucher – Pearson VUE	$1,199
On-demand certification course	Starting at $1,699
Live online certification course	Starting at $2,499

If you plan to buy CEH v13 exam voucher access directly, note that the official vouchers are non-transferable and valid for one year from release.

For searches such as CEH v13 exam cost in India, avoid relying on a fixed INR figure from an old blog. EC-Council says training pricing varies by region and delivery format; taxes, exchange rates, authorized training-center bundles, and promotions can change the final amount.

How to Get CEH v13 Certified

There are two main eligibility paths. Candidates who complete official EC-Council training can become eligible through that route. Candidates who skip official training can use the experience-based application path; EC-Council states that candidates should have two years of IT security experience or complete official training.

A practical certification path is:

1. Confirm eligibility through official training or the experience-based application.

2. Study the current CEH v13 course outline and official blueprint.

3. Build hands-on familiarity with scanning, enumeration, exploitation, web security, cloud, and defensive countermeasures.

4. Use timed practice to prepare for 125 questions in four hours.

5. Schedule and pass the CEH knowledge exam.

6. Take the optional CEH Practical if your goal is CEH Master.

Best CEH v13 Study Strategy

A strong preparation plan should follow exam weight rather than textbook order. Spend the most time on Network and Perimeter Hacking, followed by Reconnaissance, System Hacking, and Web Application Hacking. Practice interpreting outputs and scenarios instead of memorizing tool names.

Use the CEH v13 blueprint as your checklist, the official courseware as your knowledge source, labs for skill reinforcement, and mock exams for time management. For each topic, be able to answer four questions: What is the attack? How is it performed? How is it detected? How is it mitigated?

Is CEH v13 Worth It in 2026?

CEH v13 fits aspiring ethical hackers, cybersecurity analysts, network/security engineers, vulnerability analysts, SOC professionals, and IT professionals seeking structured offensive-security skills. EC-Council continues to identify Version 13 as the current release.

For certification, prepare for the 312-50 knowledge exam first. For stronger hands-on validation, continue to CEH Practical and CEH Master. Combine blueprint-driven study, labs, and scenario-based practice rather than passive reading.