Latest activity

BrianFord · 2026-06-22T13:51:01-0500

S

Shea Bennett said:
I have reported to LinkedIn almost 1000 times about scammers coming from India or the Philippines sending connect requests to myself and countless others in my network offering 100% guarantee's to pass exams. Here is the problem that really needs the CIN involvement from CompTIA because I see NO ONE talking about it on this side of the fence. LinkedIn is doing absolutely nothing and what is horrible and shameful is there is a bustling market and as hard as I work my butt off daily to study. I think EVERYONE should be required to take the exam HONESTLY. I know we have all of these written bylaws but criminals and their customers don't give a crap about rules.

1. Enable Geolocation exam scheduling. If a person's address is in Baltimore, Maryland or Philadelphia, PA. They should not be able to have a exam pass on their exam center from India, Shanghai, China or a foreign country outside of the US. The same is vice versa for someone sitting in Nairobi, Kenya with an exam center in Pakistan or India.

2. Focus on Practical questions in a higher density 80/20 versus multiple choice exams where brain dumps are common from unscrupulous vendors. I have reported even US based exam centers where I was asked if I wanted to pass some CompTIA or ISC2 exams. What was even more surprising is the same exam center was still open and I know they were doing this scam. I know it is a business and they have to be "caught", but if you see a ridiculous amount of exam passing in the same center. Their should be pattern verification and validation. This is not rocket science.

3. Cheaters will always find a way. I get it, but seriously. If we want employers and industry to take CompTIA exams dead serious. I would question why we don't make it more challenging for scammer companies or cheaters who profit off of the CompTIA name and exam brands.

4. Identify the exam center by name and location ON THE CERTIFICATION VALIDATION PORTAL. That is the #1 way to put a nail slammed shut on the scammer. If the exam center location is printed on the Certificate itself AND in the portal of the Certification validation portal. It literally shames people into taking their own dang exam and it disincentivizes the scammers whole business model of anonymity. CompTIA could lead the industry to doing such a simple change by adding a line to the certification exam with the location of the exam center where a person took the exam. Remote proctored exams should identify the city, state or country the exam was proctored.

5. "Login and take the exam for you" scams which has become the most common. Work with Pearson Vue to block all remote session ports during the exam and common remote software which will be a running process on the machine. If a person's machine flags. Require them to report to a local onsite exam center instead of just cancelling the exam.

Thoughts?

Shea,

You raised many important points, and I applaud you for offering great ideas to address this problem.

That said, these folks have been skulking around the Internet in various forums for as long as there has been an Internet.

Many of your ideas could be addressed by Pearson VUE. I've encountered everything you mentioned AND MORE. And I've reported these incidents to Pearson Vue. I can tell you that in some instances, when the fraud scheme is large, Pearson will act. This is a 'whack-a-mole' problem. Small operators that disappear before any action can be taken.

As an instructor, I try to educate everyone I work with that exam fraud is a crime, that it will cause reputational harm to those who engage these services, and that it will not benefit anyone but the perpetrators.

Brian

HugoB · 2026-06-22T12:31:39-0500

Stephen Schneiter said:
Hello @Abu Afza, both the SecurityX (CASP+) and PenTest+ TTT series were conducted earlier in 2025. You can register for the series and view on-demand. The links are below. We currently do not have vouchers for either of those series. I would suggest reaching out to your CompTIA rep once you have completed the series and talk with them about receiving a voucher.

CIN TTT series PenTest+ https://event.on24.com/wcc/r/4821633/F7054CF63397DAA6C0A422EC9DC5AF6F/5896646
CIN TTT series SecurityX https://event.on24.com/wcc/r/4854152/3E56437647F4B735CE4532A778B513D8/5954601

Hi @Stephen Schneiter ,

I would only like to have access to the CertMaster material for PenTest+ PT0-003, if possible. I already hold the certification, so I would not need a voucher — just temporary access to CertMaster for study and review purposes.

Thank you in advance.

Shea Bennett · 2026-06-22T10:50:32-0500

I really dislike multiple choice questions. I highly prefer hands-on tasks! P-)

Gregory Childers said:
Honestly, you could skip every PBQ on every CompTIA exam and still pass if you answer enough multiple-choice questions correctly.

PBQs take too long to answer, considering they have a relatively low correlation with pass/fail rates.

Shea Bennett · 2026-06-22T10:49:10-0500

Cyber Russ said:
So... I've had a CompTIA SecurityX exam voucher sitting in my account for quite a while. I must have rescheduled this test a dozen times because of work commitments, family schedules, not enough time to study, kids screaming in the background, and life in general.

Last night, while the kids were outside following the classic rule of "come home when the streetlights come on," I headed to my home office testing center and finally sat for the exam.

I felt calm, focused, and confident. But I knew that Linux simulation question was coming, the one you can't go back to. It showed up around question 10, and honestly... I completely botched it. At that moment, I was convinced the exam had beaten me. After all, it had defeated me back in February 2025 and my older version recently expired.

I pushed forward, finished the remaining questions, went back through my flagged items, and even had some fun working through the Performance Based Questions (PBQs).

Then came the infamous 13 question survey. If you've ever taken a CompTIA exam, you know exactly what I'm talking about! I clicked Submit, and unlike most CompTIA exams, there was no immediate pass or fail message. I walked away wondering where I stood.

This morning, I was texting my friend Nancy, who is a huge part of my Facebook community, and I was telling her all about my experience. I was convinced I hadn't passed.

Then... I received an email from CompTIA congratulating me and asking me to accept my digital badge.

Wait... what?!

I logged into the CompTIA portal, pulled up my score report, and there it was.

PASS!

The biggest lesson I took away from this experience is simple. Don't doubt yourself. One tough question, or even one tough exam experience, doesn't define the outcome. Set a goal, commit to it, and keep moving forward. Sometimes the biggest obstacle standing in your way is your own self-doubt.

View attachment 2636

Congratulations!!! Man...I remember the early 80's of be home when the street lights come on!!! No cellphones...nothing. People wonder why I refuse to give my young teens a cellphone! Shoot...my Mom and Dad knew we were alive when we walked in the door for dinner ha ha ha. We're so paranoid now-a-days!

Shea Bennett · 2026-06-22T10:44:50-0500

Bruce Weaver said:
The forum you want to look at is https://cin.comptia.org/forums/comptia-webinars.32/ but note that no cost vouchers are only provided for a short time window after the Train-the-Trainer ends. So You can register for the CySA+ TTT which had it's first session today and watch it on demand and if you attend all sessions, you will get a complimentary voucher for that certification. You could not, for example, watch the Network+ TTT's at this point to get a voucher.

The time window has been disbanded. They announced in the current TTT CySA+ training. Now you have until the end of the series to make up all the missed participation or your cooked.

Shea Bennett · 2026-06-22T10:19:20-0500

BrianFord said:
OK CINers. I'll confess. I build and distribute flashcards to my students. I've been using Quizlet for years. In 1-on-1 engagements, it has always worked well. It's always handy to have a flashcard deck available for small-group training so students can interact, compete, and demonstrate what they've learned. I've found that I sometimes have to monitor the level of competitiveness in some small group settings. When I have too many Type-A personalities, I'll team people up (I pick the teams) to diffuse that. The problem is that some of my students have started distributing my flashcards. Without asking, and after I asked them not to. Quizlet has no DRM solution to limit sharing. And if that wasn't bad enough, somebody tried selling one of my decks, and Quizlet sent me a 'That's Not Allowed' notice.

What tools are other CINers using for flashcards? I've heard of Anki. I have a friend who uses and swears by Notion. Thoughts? Comments?

I literally had some printed with Amazon and gave them out during class and collected them after the course. I have found that most young folks today are too lazy to do anything with something that is not electronic.

Shea Bennett · 2026-06-22T10:10:08-0500

@Stephen Schneiter is there any way to get the certification team's eyes on deck for proposed exam integrity security?

Shea Bennett · 2026-06-22T10:08:33-0500

I have reported to LinkedIn almost 1000 times about scammers coming from India or the Philippines sending connect requests to myself and countless others in my network offering 100% guarantee's to pass exams. Here is the problem that really needs the CIN involvement from CompTIA because I see NO ONE talking about it on this side of the fence. LinkedIn is doing absolutely nothing and what is horrible and shameful is there is a bustling market and as hard as I work my butt off daily to study. I think EVERYONE should be required to take the exam HONESTLY. I know we have all of these written bylaws but criminals and their customers don't give a crap about rules.

1. Enable Geolocation exam scheduling. If a person's address is in Baltimore, Maryland or Philadelphia, PA. They should not be able to have a exam pass on their exam center from India, Shanghai, China or a foreign country outside of the US. The same is vice versa for someone sitting in Nairobi, Kenya with an exam center in Pakistan or India.

2. Focus on Practical questions in a higher density 80/20 versus multiple choice exams where brain dumps are common from unscrupulous vendors. I have reported even US based exam centers where I was asked if I wanted to pass some CompTIA or ISC2 exams. What was even more surprising is the same exam center was still open and I know they were doing this scam. I know it is a business and they have to be "caught", but if you see a ridiculous amount of exam passing in the same center. Their should be pattern verification and validation. This is not rocket science.

3. Cheaters will always find a way. I get it, but seriously. If we want employers and industry to take CompTIA exams dead serious. I would question why we don't make it more challenging for scammer companies or cheaters who profit off of the CompTIA name and exam brands.

4. Identify the exam center by name and location ON THE CERTIFICATION VALIDATION PORTAL. That is the #1 way to put a nail slammed shut on the scammer. If the exam center location is printed on the Certificate itself AND in the portal of the Certification validation portal. It literally shames people into taking their own dang exam and it disincentivizes the scammers whole business model of anonymity. CompTIA could lead the industry to doing such a simple change by adding a line to the certification exam with the location of the exam center where a person took the exam. Remote proctored exams should identify the city, state or country the exam was proctored.

5. "Login and take the exam for you" scams which has become the most common. Work with Pearson Vue to block all remote session ports during the exam and common remote software which will be a running process on the machine. If a person's machine flags. Require them to report to a local onsite exam center instead of just cancelling the exam.

Thoughts?

Shea Bennett · 2026-06-22T09:52:36-0500

@Stephen Schneiter or @Nick Pierce will there be a TTT for the new version of Security+ 801?

Shea Bennett · 2026-06-22T09:51:11-0500

I wish CompTIA would get rid of multiple choice questions or minimize them to less than 20 to put an end to these scammers and also to make the exam more real world. In the real world, your not going to be asked a question when your given a task. It will be researching the issue and then logging in and fixing it.

Shea Bennett · 2026-06-22T09:16:28-0500

I'm watching the timer tick down myself! I need to get it in gear!!!

MBA · 2026-06-22T08:53:00-0500

Looking forward to it. Thanks, Stephen.

Shea Bennett · 2026-06-22T08:49:59-0500

Stephen Schneiter said:
Join us for the new CompTIA Expansion Series certification launch for AutoOps+ V1! Our guest instructor, @Tyler Harris, will lead us through the six-session series covering the exam objectives and provide hands on examples as you strengthen your DevOps skills pertaining to cybersecurity. We will discuss how to cover the content with students and suggest various labs to let students gain hands-on experience as they prepare for certification.

CompTIA AutoOps+ validates your skills to automate, secure, and optimize IT operations across cloud and hybrid environments. As part of CompTIA’s new Expansion Series, AutoOps+ is designed to augment your core IT competencies with specialized expertise in automation, scripting, and infrastructure management. Gain hands-on experience to bridge traditional IT roles with modern DevOps practices.

What: CIN TTT Series: AutoOps+ V1
When: June 23rd - July 9th, 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM CT
Who: Tyler Harris, Instructor, ARIMA Consulting, LLC
Where: ON24
Register Here

View attachment 2637

Registered! Looking forward to this one.

Shea Bennett · 2026-06-22T08:47:35-0500

Registered!

Abu Afza · 2026-06-22T07:51:14-0500

Stephen Schneiter said:
@Abu Afza, yes, I will take a look to see what I can find out.

Thanks a lot

Stephen Schneiter · 2026-06-22T07:07:25-0500

@Abu Afza, yes, I will take a look to see what I can find out.

Stephen Schneiter · 2026-06-22T07:03:50-0500

I do not mean for this to sound like a sales push, as it is not intended that way. But, in my experience taking CompTIA exams, I really like to use the CertMaster Practice to get ready. I think that tool offers different modes to look at questions, based on exam objectives and timed and untimed format. So you can really tailor your studying to areas you need to concentrate on.

Given your experience, this is where I would focus zeroing in on the AI objectives questions, then taking a look at the total practice exams Just my opinion, as everyone prepares differently.

Stephen Schneiter · 2026-06-22T06:47:51-0500

Nikita Umwali #1 said:
is there an overall Competency exams for all comptia courses in one package please ?

Hi @Nikita Umwali #1, there is not a single package that contains competency exams for all CompTIA certifications. Each course separately would have the competency exam as part of the courseware.

Abu Afza · 2026-06-22T06:41:42-0500

TechTrainer11 said:
Congratulations what qualifications are you looking for next

CloudNetX

TechTrainer11 · 2026-06-22T06:18:47-0500

Congratulations what qualifications are you looking for next

Ramelan Prakoso · 2026-06-21T17:45:28-0500

Stephen Schneiter said:
Hello @Abu Afza, both the SecurityX (CASP+) and PenTest+ TTT series were conducted earlier in 2025. You can register for the series and view on-demand. The links are below. We currently do not have vouchers for either of those series. I would suggest reaching out to your CompTIA rep once you have completed the series and talk with them about receiving a voucher.

CIN TTT series PenTest+ https://event.on24.com/wcc/r/4821633/F7054CF63397DAA6C0A422EC9DC5AF6F/5896646
CIN TTT series SecurityX https://event.on24.com/wcc/r/4854152/3E56437647F4B735CE4532A778B513D8/5954601

thanks, I'll use this resouces for my pentest+ exam next month

Abu Afza · 2026-06-21T08:22:50-0500

@Stephen Schneiter, I checked the PenTest+ on-demand and confirmed that I have already attended all the sessions, but I did not receive the voucher. Could you please check it and arrange the voucher for me? I really appreciate any help you can provide.

Abu Afza · 2026-06-21T08:14:39-0500

Stephen Schneiter said:
Hello @Abu Afza, both the SecurityX (CASP+) and PenTest+ TTT series were conducted earlier in 2025. You can register for the series and view on-demand. The links are below. We currently do not have vouchers for either of those series. I would suggest reaching out to your CompTIA rep once you have completed the series and talk with them about receiving a voucher.

CIN TTT series PenTest+ https://event.on24.com/wcc/r/4821633/F7054CF63397DAA6C0A422EC9DC5AF6F/5896646
CIN TTT series SecurityX https://event.on24.com/wcc/r/4854152/3E56437647F4B735CE4532A778B513D8/5954601

@Stephen Schneiter, I checked the SecurityX on-demand and confirmed that I have already attended all the sessions, but I did not receive the voucher. Could you please check it and arrange the voucher for me? Thanks in advance.

AdmireB · 2026-06-21T07:11:54-0500

Fanuel said:
Just to Add, The CINers who are active on this forum, and members of CompTIA Delivery Partners

Thanks Fanuel, I am currently attending the CySA+ TTT sessions.

Fanuel · 2026-06-21T06:01:31-0500

Gregory Childers said:
CIN offers free vouchers to instructors who attend every session of a TTT for the different certifications.

Just to Add, The CINers who are active on this forum, and members of CompTIA Delivery Partners

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