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Passed Network+ today!

jasoneckert
Had a dusty old voucher lying around from the last TTT — figured I should probably use it before it expired and turned into digital compost.

This exam actually had a suspicious number of networking questions on it... 😏

Props to the TTT session for giving me just enough of a guilt trip to schedule it.
Now back to pretending subnetting is fun in front of students.
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Do You Report Cheating?

Rick Butler
Gregory Childers said:
When the A+/Net+/Sec+ trifecta were transitioning from "good for life" certifications to CE certifications, I was teaching a lot of CompTIA classes on military bases.

At one particular base, I was teaching Sec+. The class was engaged. They were asking pertinent questions.

At the end of class, their commanding officer handed each one of them a set of burned CDs with the name of a well-known brain dump written in Sharpie on the surface. He told them to memorize the questions and answers and that they would be fine.

I was extremely angry that they were so brazen about cheating. I reported them, even with the risk of losing future work.

There is no place in our industry for cheaters.
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This happened at our college as well. My daughter was handed a DVD with a bunch of VCE files on it. She asked me about it - I told her to shred the thing and summarily put a stop to the practice.

I'm know people out there still rely on VCEs to cheat the system.

Part of the problem within the DoD (I guess it's DoW, now?) is the pressure that military members as well as civilian contractors have to pass according to DoD 8570/8740 standards. I distinctly remember two stories where people where required to have Sec+ but were not in jobs even requiring that kind of knowledge (two ladies who did desk phones, one fellow who did surveillance cameras). They all lost their jobs because they could not get the cert in the very short timeframe. This puts a lot of pressure on people to pass an exam, knowledge of which they would not need to do their job effectively, just to keep their job.

I presented this problem directly to Todd Thibodeaux a couple years ago. While he said that CompTIA was working with the DoD to sort it, it was really 'their' problem. He was right, but that doesn't help matters with those that lost their jobs.

It doesn't justify cheating, but it does explain the motivation.

/r
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Need some assistance and Help with A+ Pace

Rick Butler
Gregory Childers said:
I used to teach Core 1 and 2 in 40 hours.

I skipped every single lab, practice quiz, PBQ, and practice exam and assigned them as outside work.
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That's the only way I can see getting that done. 100% didactic - death by powerpoint.

didohawk said:
i m having problem finding the presentation planner here is what i have under resources tab
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You won't find it there - those kinds of things will be in the original curriculum offering for instructors. The CIN resources would just be things that instructors would share with one another (hints, training ideas, homegrown materials, etc) as well as Train the Trainer presentations.
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Need some assistance and Help with A+ Pace

jarrelrivera
5 hours per day x 9 days? o_O
Your client might need to see the content themselves.
In any case, I suggest that you refer to platform.comptia.org, then change the course pacing guide

You may be able to deliver the course, sure.
But you might need to skip the labs altogether, and focus only on the book content.
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Do You Report Cheating?

Gregory Childers
David Staples said:
Hey everyone, happy Tuesday! So I was teaching a DataSys+ class last week and there are some security topics in the course. This being a military group, I knew that they had most likely done a Security+ at some point and mentioned that they should have seen some of these topics on their Security+ exam. One of the students relayed to me that he thought the exam was so much easier now than it was years ago when he first took it. I asked when he took it and he said just a few months ago. I asked more about his experience on the exam and he said that these days all you have to do is memorize the questions in the test bank because they're practically the same questions as on the exam. I asked more about the test bank he (and another student who was in his same Sec+ class) used and he went on to describe the VCE Player that is commonly used with braindumps. He also said that when he had a difficult question on the exam, he simply raised his hand and the instructor would sit there and go through the question with him. The instructor was not only proctoring the exam, but also helping students out during the exam.

After the class was over, I talked to the owner of another training company that I knew does business with this group and he said he had already reported it to CompTIA, but CompTIA seems to be saying they can't do anything without any sort of hard evidence and apparently isn't going to do anything about it. So my question is, should I even bother reporting this to CompTIA if they're not going to do anything anyways? All I have is what students told me about their experience. No physical, hard, concrete evidence. Does CompTIA actually care about cheating, or so long as a training company brings them a lot of business they don't really care about how they get the students to pass the exam? What would you do?
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When the A+/Net+/Sec+ trifecta were transitioning from "good for life" certifications to CE certifications, I was teaching a lot of CompTIA classes on military bases.

At one particular base, I was teaching Sec+. The class was engaged. They were asking pertinent questions.

At the end of class, their commanding officer handed each one of them a set of burned CDs with the name of a well-known brain dump written in Sharpie on the surface. He told them to memorize the questions and answers and that they would be fine.

I was extremely angry that they were so brazen about cheating. I reported them, even with the risk of losing future work.

There is no place in our industry for cheaters.
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Do You Report Cheating?

BrianFord
David Staples said:
That's part of the problem here. The training company is also the testing center and has a couple of "mobile sites" that allows them to offer proctoring of exams onsite. My understanding is that they are supposed to send a proctor, but that they have been letting the instructor input another proctor's information and credentials and just proctoring the exam themselves, so the instructor ends up being the proctor. And being a mobile site, that they can set up in a hotel conference room / ball room / etc.... there's no cameras. They're relying on the trust and integrity of the people, which in this case... well... you be the judge. 🤷‍♂️
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David,

This is a Pearson Vue problem. CompTIA relies on Pearson to administer the exams. I've seen this too. Pearson Vue 'Mobile Test Centers' are renowned for cheating.

Brian
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  • Question
Other Exam Languages in Tech+

rene
I have been teaching IT certifications, system administration and programming skills for over 10 years.

ITF+ is available in the following languages: English, Chinese, Japanese, Thai and Vietnamese.
Now, the newer Tech+ certification is only available in English.

Is there any chance of Tech+ being available in other languages in the future? I could contribute German as it is my native language.
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A+ Core 1 and Core 2 CertMaster Learn Custom Quiz Question Issues

C
Bruce Weaver said:
As we all know in IT, bugs can creep in when systems get redesigned. Only schools creating custom quizzes using CompTIA's question bank are affected. And CompTIA is actively working with our curriculum department...I just wish they would prioritize A+ over other projects.

If the powers that be read these threads, I think a courseware forum for content issues/updates/questions would be a very valuable addition.
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Thank you, Bruce. I agree 100% about the courseware forum for content issues/updates/questions.
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A+ Core 1 and Core 2 CertMaster Learn Custom Quiz Question Issues

B
Chris S said:
And CompTIA is silent on this...shame.
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As we all know in IT, bugs can creep in when systems get redesigned. Only schools creating custom quizzes using CompTIA's question bank are affected. And CompTIA is actively working with our curriculum department...I just wish they would prioritize A+ over other projects.

If the powers that be read these threads, I think a courseware forum for content issues/updates/questions would be a very valuable addition.
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How do I acquire a CySA+ Instructor manual

Rick Butler
Joeel said:
The CySA+ TTT series may help you,
Here you go : https://cin.comptia.org/resources/cysa-cs0-003-on-demand-ttt-series.183/
Follow the instructions.
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The videos are linked there, but the learning content is only available during the TTT, not after. OP can check if he'd like, under the blue paperclip icon, but the content is generally only available during the seminar.
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CIN The Pulse: Managing critical space cybersecurity: Guarding against the failure of imagination

Stephen Schneiter
Hello CINners! I am super stoked, this is going to be a great one, so mark your calendars now!
Join with us as we talk with @James Stanger and Renee Wynn, former CIO of NASA. Renee will share stories about the steps she took to instill a cybersecurity culture in NASA. We'll discuss concepts such as the different mindsets that Operational Technology and Information Technology workers have, as well as implementing secure by design principles.

Ever wonder how cybersecurity is managed in satellite and GPS systems? Do you know why NASA technicians especially worry about lateral movement during a cybersecurity incidents involving satellites? Ever think about the ramifications of successful cybersecurity attacks on critical space infrastructure? Then join in on the discussion to learn more.

Discussion points will include:
  • The technologies, services, and platforms that Renee's teams protected at NASA.
  • Renee's efforts to instill cybersecurity into engineer, Operational Technology, and scientific mindsets.
  • The ramifications of cybersecurity failures in critical systems, from satellites to GPS.
  • Managing differing priorities, including availability and innovation versus cybersecurity when working with both legacy and cutting-edge space technologies.
  • How "failure of imagination" remains the cybersecurity industry's biggest problem.
What: CIN The Pulse: Managing critical space cybersecurity: Guarding against the failure of imagination
When: Wednesday, October 1, 2025, 11:00 AM CDT (1 hour webinar)
Who: Dr. James Stanger, and Renee Wynn
Where: ON24
Register Here

CIN The Pulse Renee Wynn PromoSlide.png
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Do You Report Cheating?

Rick Butler
I've told this story a few times regarding 'braindump chumps'.

We had an instructor who was teaching for us once who was teaching connectorizing RJ-45/Cat5e cables. A relatively simple task for someone with A+ and Net+ training and certs - which, this person had (which we found later, he was a 'chump'). When a student came to him and asked about how to do it, the instructor's response was "I don't know - go look it up on YouTube."

Yeah, he was summarily terminated.

So +1 to Jason's comment - because while the braindump helped him get the job, the braindump also prevented him from keeping it.
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Recommendations for an enhanced learning environment in the online A+ and Security+ courses

Rick Butler
jarrelrivera said:
I personally find it challenging to teach A+ Core 1 online, due to the constraints of not being able to do actual / hands-on demonstrations. Like, how can you teach "how to install a RAM or a CPU?" True, there's simulated lab now, but it is still different when you do it in actual.
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The one thing that comes to mind is installing RAM onto a motherboard. How do you simulate the gentle yet firm downward pressure you need to place on the DIMM so you don't damage it or the motherboard, not to mention the ever-satisfying 'click' when DIMM seats and the retaining clips lock into place?

Possible to teach, sure. But not nearly as satisfying.

There's also that interaction between students that does not rightfully occur in an online class. That opens up a completely different dynamic, but I'm going to keep saying it anyway, because I think it's this interaction that a key to real learning engagement.

Sadly, everyone wants online delivery now for courses, out of convenience and cost.

/r
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Why has CompTIA no Exam Question Feedback Button during Exam?

Michael Schmitz
Jeff Strain said:
I think some questions are there for reasons other than to test if you know the best answer. They may be there for the following reasons.

Time Waster - To make you spend too much time on one of the questions that is not even graded. May not have any correct answers or may no make any sense at all
Distractor - Kind of like a time waster, but may be a grammar issue or a typo for us who just can't let it go.
Cheat Catcher - Part of an anti-cheating plan, I would explain more here, but... got to catch them cheaters.
Question Testing - Testing new questions. This one needs no explanation.
All Others - Because I have to complete the percentage pie chart with the ones I don't know about. I sure hope it is key lime, as I am hungry.
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Doesn`t explain, why the Official Exam has no feedback button to questions (mostly all others have that in their Exam).
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