-
To ensure you get the most out of your CIN membership and stay connected with the latest updates, we are asking all members to update their community profiles. Please take a few moments to log in and: • Complete all sections of your profile • Review your current information for accuracy • Enter an alternative email address if desired (CIN requires your valid business email address for your training organization). Keeping your profile up to date helps us better serve you, ensures your account is correctly linked with CompTIA’s CRM, streamlines processes, enhances communication, and guarantees you never miss out on valuable CIN opportunities. Thank you for taking this important step! step!
Latest activity
Passed PT0-003 today
- By Leslie
- CompTIA PenTest+
- 19 Replies
Well done! Congratulations!smashed the exam today!
Huge thanks to CIN and a big shoutout to @Stephen Schneiter & CompTIA for making it happen.
On to the next one! SecurityX
Passed Linux+ XK0-005
- By Leslie
- CompTIA Linux+
- 24 Replies
Awesome! Congratulations!This has been quite the journey — one that started back in November!
Between work and life in general, I finally just said, "Screw it... I'm going to sit down with this material, digest it, take the exam, and pass it!"
Let me tell you — the Linux+ XK0-005 exam is not for the faint of heart. For someone with VERY LITTLE experience (aside from what’s needed for Network+), I was honestly surprised at how well I did.
I must've watched the Linux+ XK0-005 Train the Trainer videos at least three times, dissected the CompTIA objectives, used ChatGPT as my study partner (which sometimes went off the rails until I had to yell, “HEY! FOCUS ON…”), and jumped in and out of several Linux VM distros just to get a feel for what I was getting myself into. In the end, I felt prepared and confident going into the exam.
On July 22, 2025, I sat for the Linux+ XK0-005 certification exam. I had 67 questions in total: 3 PBQs and 64 multiple-choice, with 90 minutes to complete them. I didn’t exactly take the test under ideal conditions either — I had a cortisone shot in my left knee the day before (7/21/25), and if you’ve ever experienced the flare-ups afterward... you know. I was gripping the desk during some parts of the test. But I muscled through it.
My strategy: I answered all the multiple-choice questions first, skipping the PBQs and marking them for review. Once I finished those, I had plenty of time left to circle back, carefully work through the PBQs, and then do a full review of the entire exam. I went question by question — reading, re-reading, marking answers, cross-referencing topics on my whiteboard, and analyzing each one thoroughly. I don’t usually recommend this strategy to my students (I’m a high school teacher who offers CompTIA certification classes), but in this case… it paid off. After completing the post-exam survey, the screen popped up: “CONGRATULATIONS — YOU PASSED!”
If you’re new to Linux — stick with it. I did, and it paid off.
Passed PT0-003 today
- CompTIA PenTest+
- 19 Replies
smashed the exam today!
Huge thanks to CIN and a big shoutout to @Stephen Schneiter & CompTIA for making it happen.
On to the next one! SecurityX
Huge thanks to CIN and a big shoutout to @Stephen Schneiter & CompTIA for making it happen.
On to the next one! SecurityX
Passed Linux+ XK0-005
- CompTIA Linux+
- 24 Replies
I just remember some questions on the exam and was like, "What the hell is that about?", but then I went into "teacher mode" and remembered what I say to my students about the CompTIA exams:
"If you know the objectives inside and out and see something on the exam that's way out there, it's not a scored test question." On my exam, out of the 67 questions - I maybe saw 4 questions that were like that which left me scratching my head.
Also for those of you looking at taking Linux+, it's not enough to know what the commands are. You have to know the options/switches for each. So, make sure you flash card the hell out of those command options/switches and put yourself in different situations on the various Linux VM distros where you're using those commands to the point where it just becomes muscle memory.
