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Passed PT0-003 today

What would be your scale of CompTIA exams from #1 the hardest to the #10 the easiest? :)

And, if you were an IT organization looking for certifications - what would be your certification requirements for getting hired?
Exams are easy or difficult based on your level of experience. Two decades ago, I thought Security+ was easy. Now I find it incredibly simple after passing six different versions of the exam.

The second question is impossible to answer because all jobs are role-specific and have their own needs. A data scientist would have no need for A+ and an entry-level help desk employee would have no need for CloudNetX.
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Passed PT0-003 today

Congratulations! In my opinion, SecX is a bit easier than PenTest+ because you don't have to know 50+ different tool sets. Good luck!
What would be your scale of CompTIA exams from #1 the hardest to the #10 the easiest? :)

And, if you were an IT organization looking for certifications - what would be your certification requirements for getting hired?

Passed Linux+ XK0-005

Excellent job, Jason. Congrats. I have back problems so I can relate to taking exams through discomfort.

Best,
-Moez
I started my IT Certification journey when I was 26 years old and at the time I was working on the old school Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE) certification. I had a tooth extraction that morning and sat for the 6th exam that afternoon (Internetworking with TCP/IP) dull, sore, achy, and just miserable and even back then I passed that test in the first attempt!

I took my CCNA certification in 2002 with a pulled calf muscle (and was on crutches for a bit)

There were other injuries and certification exams I've passed so maybe for PenTest, I'll schedule open heart surgery a week before or something. I seem to pass exams when I'm injured. LOL!
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Passed SecurityX CAS-005

Well done! I found that exam to be the toughest CompTIA exam and was thrilled to pass it. I passed A+, N+, Sec+, PenTest+, CySA+, Data+, DataX, Cloud+, CISSP (passed after 100 questions). Remaining targets: Linux+, CloudNetX hopefully in 2026.
The only current CompTIA exams I haven't completed are Linux+ and DataX. I've got DataX scheduled within a month.

I also passed the CISSP with the minimum number of questions, which was 125 at the time before they shortened the exam by 25 questions last year.

Passed PT0-003 today

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💪
Congratulations! In my opinion, SecX is a bit easier than PenTest+ because you don't have to know 50+ different tool sets. Good luck!

Passed Linux+ XK0-005

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.
congratulations
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Passed Linux+ XK0-005

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.
Excellent job, Jason. Congrats. I have back problems so I can relate to taking exams through discomfort.

Best,
-Moez

Passed Linux+ XK0-005

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.
congratulation

Passed Linux+ XK0-005

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.
Congratulations

Passed Linux+ XK0-005

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.
Awesome! Congratulations!

Passed Linux+ XK0-005

Congrats @Jason Perretta! Well done!

Boy, do I agree with you on this @Gregory Childers! While Linux as a whole has quite a few challenging concepts overall, the exam is worlds apart from the Network+ or Security+ in terms of extreme detail questions.
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. :)

Passed Linux+ XK0-005

Without a doubt, the Linux+ exam is the toughest CompTIA exam outside of the SecurityX/CloudNetX/DataX Expert series exams. PenTest+ is probably the second toughest.

Congratulations! Are you considering other Linux certifications like Linux Professional Institute (LPI) or RedHat?
I agree Linux+ is different among all especially "chaining small commands"....... Linux prefers a set of more specialized, smaller tools that can be used in combination to complete more difficult tasks, so one should know exactly what they are doing no "trial and error" in exam.

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