James Stanger said:

Thank you, Stephen! Yeah, everyone: I've been curious, lately, how folks are feeling about cyber ranges. What are your experiences, and what specific vendors do you use? And, to expand on our above questions just a bit, what features do you and your students appreciate?

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Hol'up - Full Stop, Helm​

Dost my eyes yet decieveth me, or hast the great Dr. James Stanger made his presence known here in the CIN?

Oh and @Stephen Schneiter - "Capture the Flab"?? See and every Partner Summit, I roll into the gym at 0600 for the morning lift. I'm beginning to think this may have to be a more defined thing...

As for Cyber ranges, I've always been constrained to have to build my own, or use freebee environments like Hack the Box or the like. And one of the things I've often found is that you get general concepts down - but the one off specifics that tend to make things interesting tend to get left off, particularly as how threats evolve over time.

C Buckner said:

I am at a school district that has used TestOut PC Pro for years. I understanding the merging / moving the TestOut content to CompTIA but what I am confused about is if I need CertMaster Perform or CertMaster Learn for the A+ content?

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Great question. Basically, everything will be moving to CertMaster Perform. We hosted a CIN Instructor Toolbox a couple of weeks ago, where CertMaster Perform for A+ was discussed and demoed. They discussed the differences between CertMaster Perform and CertMaster Learn. You can check it out on-demand here. https://event.on24.com/wcc/r/4889911/993E4AD3DA0CD7A1DE986E9E0B6BF259

Your CompTIA rep should be able to answer your questions as well, and provide you access so you can take a look for yourself. Please let me know if I can assist.

They post a PDF or Word transcript of the entire course for ADA accessibility purposes. It's in the instructor resources list. I just found out about this last week because one of my students needed it. Click on Resources, and then look under Reference for Accessibility Document.

Congrats--that's a tough exam! You earned it!!

Gregory Childers said:

It's rare for anyone to get a perfect score because many of the questions are tricky.

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There was one question on mine that I am absolutely certain was wrong. It had two options that were correct (not just in my opinion, but the technology mentioned absolutely applied to both options), but only one could be selected.

Hello Cinners, Can you provide the link for the TTT of the 1201? I'm assuming there's no 1202 out yet... Lastly, is the new A+ available for students at this time?

Thanks!

At Prometheus Cyber Consulting, cyber ranges are a core part of both our internal training and community outreach efforts. We regularly use platforms like TryHackMe, Hack The Box, and Cyber Range Pro for structured skill-building, red vs. blue team simulations, and CTFs.

Last year, we launched a free cyber training initiative for local youth, using PicoCTF challenges as the foundation. It was an incredible experience-many of the students had never touched a command line before, and by the end of the program, they were solving real-world security puzzles and thinking like ethical hackers. It was inspiring to watch their confidence grow through hands-on learning.

Internally, we also run custom cyber range scenarios for our consultants. One standout exercise was a simulated API attack and defense drill, where teams had to secure a vulnerable API under threat from an APT-style actor. Exercises like these not only sharpen technical skills but also build teamwork and incident response capabilities.

What we love about cyber ranges:
- Realistic scenarios and immediate feedback
- Gamified learning environments that keep learners engaged
- The ability to tailor experiences to our specific training goals

What we find limiting:
- Limited customization options in some platforms
- Cost barriers for smaller teams or non-profit projects
- Some ranges lack depth in simulating enterprise-level infrastructure

Always happy to connect and share ideas-especially with others passionate about hands-on cybersecurity education.

Precious "Greetings From Red Team Offensive"

Thank you, Stephen! Yeah, everyone: I've been curious, lately, how folks are feeling about cyber ranges. What are your experiences, and what specific vendors do you use? And, to expand on our above questions just a bit, what features do you and your students appreciate?

omar_shukurov said:

Hello Everyone.​

I hope all is well. I'm a Sec+ certified cybersecurity teacher representing Baku Engineering University. We have been an Azerbaijan-based academic institution since 1997. We teach bachelor's, master’s, and doctoral programs well in our facilities. We would like to be an academic partner with CompTIA so that people can enjoy our partnership. We find it fitting for our labs, teachers, and students that a partnership would be available between us.

I have used multiple online resources that were advertised to be forms to apply for partnership but they were either completely unavailable(404) or unresponsive(no returns to my email). Can anyone help me in this regard? Like what is the correct process for applying to CompTIA’s Academic Partner Program? Is there any alternative contacts or regional representatives who could assist? Anyone who has been through this process is needed

Thank you in advance

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Hello @omar_shukurov, thanks for reaching out! Happy to assist. I am reaching out to find the local contact. As soon as I hear back from the team I will send and intro email to the both of you so you can connect. Hope this helps.

forwarded to fellow instructors ...

Congrats dear

Tempestt Woodard said:

Just wanted to share that I passed my CySA+ exam yesterday!!! I’m still on a high!

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Yes, learning and re-relearning is a crucial tasks everyone wanting to be relevant in tech have to embark on.
Bravo

omar_shukurov said:

Hello Everyone.​

I hope all is well. I'm a Sec+ certified cybersecurity teacher representing Baku Engineering University. We have been an Azerbaijan-based academic institution since 1997. We teach bachelor's, master’s, and doctoral programs well in our facilities. We would like to be an academic partner with CompTIA so that people can enjoy our partnership. We find it fitting for our labs, teachers, and students that a partnership would be available between us.

I have used multiple online resources that were advertised to be forms to apply for partnership but they were either completely unavailable(404) or unresponsive(no returns to my email). Can anyone help me in this regard? Like what is the correct process for applying to CompTIA’s Academic Partner Program? Is there any alternative contacts or regional representatives who could assist? Anyone who has been through this process is needed

Thank you in advance

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Nice move. this will open a new horizon for students, lectures and opportunity for the public to run short or custom programs with the university powered by the numerous certifications that CompTIA offers.

This really looks awesome. Lets watch out as the certification gets to mature. usually what happens with new certifications. feedback plays a role in shaping expectations and subsequent versions of the cert.

Sent an email Mark. Hope to hear from you soon .

Sent you an email hope to hear from you soon.