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Cautionary tale for IT professionals

jasoneckert
I recently visited a Canadian National Park. While in the visitor's centre, I stopped to take some of the pamphlets at the at the round information kiosk:

Lady behind kiosk: If you like, you can sign our visitor's guestbook over here.
Me: Sure, I'd like that.
Lady behind kiosk: So, where are you coming from today?
Me: Cambridge, in the Kitchener-Waterloo area of Ontario.
Lady behind kiosk: That's great - I have family who live in Waterloo and Guelph.
Me: So you know the area well, then!
Lady behind kiosk: I do. What does your shirt mean?
Me: Oh, that's a tech pun - I work in the tech industry and the shirts they give out at tech conferences usually have punny slogans.
Lady behind kiosk: You work in tech? Would you know why this iPad we have can no longer connect to the printer here?

Yes, I ended up fixing the DirectPrint settings in the app for their Brother printer.
If you work in IT, remember: No matter how far you go, the printers will find you... :cautious:
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How often do you teach each of the CompTIA courses per year?

Michael Schmitz
Gregory Childers said:
I'm seriously considering letting a few more lapse because of the time/cost commitment. My Data+ expires in less than 100 days unless I get the required CEUs. No one has ever asked me to teach it, so keeping it would just be for bragging rights.
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same for me. i will let it expire, and see if there is a new Version with an TTT..
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How often do you teach each of the CompTIA courses per year?

Michael Schmitz
Gregory Childers said:
How frequently do you teach each of the following CompTIA courses per year? When was the last time you taught each one? How many CompTIA certifications do you have where you have never taught the class?

CompTIA's current portfolio of certification classes is as follows;

A+ (Core 1 and Core 2) 2-3 times per year.
Cloud+ never, not popular in Germany.
CloudNetX not yet
CySA+ twice per year
Data+ never teached
DataSys+ never teached
DataX never teached
Linux+ never teached
Network+ 2-3 times per year
PenTest+ maybe once in the last three year
Project+ never, not popular in Germany.
Security+ 5-6 times per Year
SecurityX never, not popular in Germany.
Server+ never, not popular in Germany.
Tech+ never, not popular in Germany.
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Some Courses i got requests to teach, but not enough Students to fill the Class to run.
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AI and Its Impact on Test Preparation

Mark Anthony Germanos
Gregory Childers said:
I have difficulty believing that MC questions cost $200-$1000 to develop when CompTIA uses unpaid volunteer SMEs to develop the question bank.
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I am afraid to ask how much the ambiguous PBQs cost. Here we go… How much do the ambiguous PBQ’s cost?

How about the questions that prompted you to move five items from the left column to the appropriate squares and sequence in the right column?
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AI and Its Impact on Test Preparation

Steve Linthicum
My recollection (that dates back a couple of years) is when participating in a meeting at CompTIA's headquarters that related to question creation along with exam objectives creation, I refused to accept compensation because I was an employee with a California community college and I was being compensated by way of salary during my participation time.
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AI and Its Impact on Test Preparation

Gregory Childers
Steve Linthicum said:
@Gregory Childers wrote: "CompTIA should make half the exam PBQs and interactive VM questions." Sounds like good advice, particularly for non-profit entities. But......

ChateGPT request:

Cost of standard multiple choice exam questions versus performance based questions

ChatGPT said:​

Got it — you’re asking about the relative cost of developing traditional multiple-choice questions (MCQs) versus performance-based questions (PBQs) for exams (like CompTIA, NBDE, etc.).
Here’s the breakdown:

1. Standard Multiple-Choice Questions (MCQs)​

  • Development Time & Cost
    • Typically cheaper to create.
    • A subject matter expert (SME) drafts the stem, options, and key.
    • Requires psychometric review and pilot testing, but overall production is straightforward.
  • Estimated Cost Range
    • Industry studies put MCQ development at $200–$1,000 per question (depending on complexity, SME rates, and review).
  • Ongoing Maintenance
    • Minimal. Updates needed only if content becomes outdated.

2. Performance-Based Questions (PBQs)​

  • Development Time & Cost
    • Much more expensive because they simulate “real-world” tasks.
    • Requires SMEs plus instructional designers, software developers, and test platform engineers.
    • Testing and validation take longer.
  • Estimated Cost Range
    • Can run $2,000–$10,000+ per item, depending on:
      • Simulation complexity (drag-and-drop vs. virtual labs vs. live environment).
      • Custom coding required.
      • Scoring design (partial credit, adaptive scoring, etc.).
  • Ongoing Maintenance
    • High. Software updates, platform compatibility, and content refreshes all increase lifecycle cost.
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I have difficulty believing that MC questions cost $200-$1000 to develop when CompTIA uses unpaid volunteer SMEs to develop the question bank.
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