I'm excited to share that this session was so awesome that I'm waiting for the recorded version so I ca watch it again! It's that valuable. If you haven't signed up for the course, do it now. You won't regret it. The presenter, Jill West, is top-notch. We are honored to have her at CIN.

In the Microsoft Certified Trainer (MCT) Forums recently a trainer too us through the saga of his breaking the exam rules and being blocked from testing for a period of time (possibly two years). While this specific case was about Microsoft exams, I feel it is important that we all know the importance of following the exam rules... especially when we are taking Remote-Proctored exams instead of going into an testing centre.

I wrote this article about the incident: https://garvis.ca/2026/06/29/exam-rules/

Folks, the rules are clear, and when you register you will be told what they are. Whether this is your first or your hundredth exam, take the time to review the rules and make sure you can abide by them. For instance (a big one, and in this case the reason behind the issue): Touch screens are forbidden. Your proctor will see second monitors and make sure you disconnect them, but they will not see that your screen is a touch screen. That is on you to know.

I am happy that I have never been accused of breaking the rules... but I confess, when I heard about this incident I went back and reread the rules to be sure I did not accidentally do so. I have not taken a CompTIA exam since, but will do the same... every single time.

I wanted to give you all a heads-up. A person using the username kiranjadhav010407 has posted all the CompTIA-branded (still copyrighted) Security+ SY0-601 materials on LinkedIn. I reported it and asked that it be taken down, but there were over 350 comments: a mix of copyright warnings and thanks for posting.

When things like this happen, some people blame folks like us: instructors who have access to and use those copyrighted training materials.

Hi all, like the title says, I'm going back to training after a break and have some questions.
1. I have the original A+ and Sec+ that never expire as well as other versions that did expire. I've taught both those classes over a couple dozen times each, do I need to take the latest exams?
2. I had the CTT+ which was discontinued, are there any Train the Trainer replacements needed?
3. I never took Net+ because my multiple MCSA, MCSE and MCITP certs were considered higher level and so Net+ wasn't required. I've taught that class countless times as well, will I need to pass the newest exam?

Want to get back on the horse, thanks for any information you can give.

Hi everyone,

I hope you’re all having a great week.

I am currently trying to map out some lesson plans for the new CompTIA CompCerts (Certificates of Competency) series, but I'm having trouble finding the official course outlines.

Specifically, I am looking for the detailed curriculum/syllabus outlines for:

• a+ Cyber
• AI Prompting Essentials
• (And any other current Essentials / CompCert offerings)

I’ve done a search through the portal/website but haven't had any luck locating them yet.

Could anyone point me in the right direction or share the specific path/link where these are typically hosted?

Thanks in advance for the help!

Good Afternoon. Im hoping to find instructor resources (slides) for Linux+ V8. Any assistance is appreciated.

V/R

Hi All,

As the post title suggests, my organization is looking for a Server+ instructor who will deliver a training session for us. I was contacted by our HR regarding this, so I don't have all the details yet, but the training is going to be conducted onsite, in our office along Ayala Avenue in Makati. The training will last 5 days, most likely from Monday to Friday (no exact dates yet). Interested parties may send me an e-mail at

[email protected]

So that I may then forward your information and any concerns you may have to our HR Team.

Thanks in Advance!

I am pleased to announce that I have successfully completed the CompTIA SecAI+ exam, achieving a score of 900. This achievement represents a meaningful milestone in my ongoing commitment to continuous learning and professional development in the rapidly evolving field of AI security.


I would like to extend my sincere appreciation to the Train-the-Trainer (TTT) sessions, which provided invaluable insights and practical knowledge that significantly deepened my understanding of AI security concepts. The on-demand study materials were exceptionally well-structured and played a crucial role in my exam preparation.


A very special thank you to Stephen Schneiter for giving me the opportunity to participate in this program and for providing the exam voucher. Your support and commitment to helping learners succeed are truly appreciated.


I also appreciate CompTIA for developing a certification that addresses the growing importance of securing AI systems and applying AI responsibly in today's cybersecurity landscape.


I look forward to building on this achievement and applying these insights to real-world challenges at the intersection of AI and cybersecurity.


#CompTIA #SecurityAI #CompTIAAI #AISecurity #CyberSecurity #ArtificialIntelligence #GenerativeAI #ContinuousLearning #ProfessionalDevelopment #TTT #Certification #LifelongLearning

Hi everyone!

I was not able to receive the CertMaster voucher/access codes for both SecAI+ and CySA+.

For SecAI+, I attended the training through the on-demand sessions, and I saw that @Stephen Schneiter mentioned that learners should receive the access code after completing the first session, even for on-demand learners. I already completed the sessions, but I have not received the email yet.

For CySA+, I attended the first day live session, but I also have not received the CertMaster voucher/access code.

May I kindly ask if the voucher/access codes are sent automatically after attendance is recorded, or if they can be resent directly?

I would appreciate your help on this. Thank you!

Hi All,

I originally obtained my Security+ Certification in July 2020 with the SY0-501 version. Three years later, in 2023, I renewed it using the CertMaster CE product for security+ at the time. Now, it's renewal time again. I would like to ask some clarifications because some of the official info is a little conflicting.

In this information page about CertMaster CE:


It specifically mentions SY0-601 or earlier.

However, in the actual product page:


All the way to bottom where the CE Product is, there is no mention of or earlier. Only SY0-601 is mentioned by name.

Will I be able to renew my certification using the current CertMaster CE product for Security+? My expiration is on the 24th this July, but I can probably bang it out in a week. Just have to consider the purchase approval process in my company. Any clarifications are welcome.

I have never used CompTIA for certifying my high school students. However, TestOut was good (in my opinion) so here I am. What are the pro's and con's for those of you with experience doing so with CompTIA? Does the training provided align with the certification exam? What is your typical pass rate? Do you have someone (like a Rep) I can contact for pricing? Or this there an online form to request a Quote? Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.

~Tiffany

Hello CIN'ers! Is anyone having troubles activating exams on the CompTIA side? All courses are working fine for me except Certmaster Network+. All tabs work except "custom quizzes" Seems to be a credentials-related issue by the error message.
I did all the basic support stuff, logged fully out and then back in etc.

If it persists more than a few hours I will reach out to CompTIA Support. Just curious if others are having this issue.

I wanted to share a success story based on my experience in the last 7 years teaching. Maybe it will inspire those facing challenges ahead or maybe you've already "checked out" looking at the wall of text?

In 2019, I visited my dad who taught welding at a CTE high school for several years. I never had the opportunity to leave work and see his shop. It was the last day of the school year that year. The principal pulled me aside and informed me that the IT instructor put in his letter of resignation that morning. He joked that I should apply, after hearing what I do through my dad. I asked to see the classroom and well...it was in shambles. Poor guy was teaching IT as it was 20 years ago. Most equipment was straight from the early 00s and even the 90s. Few "modern" desktops with DDR3 with poor cable management. There were piles of junk everywhere. Nothing was organized. Most of the desktops weren't in working condition.

I was content at the time. I was the Director of Technology for a private school district. I worked 15 minutes from home. Something tugged in my heart that this school needed me to turn it around. It was a dying program. Students weren't getting certified and it was in danger of being removed from the school. I was happy with the amount of funding it received. I saw that it had good "bones" to build on. My family thought I was crazy but I left my current position and decided to teach the Cisco IT Networking Academy program at the CTE school...an hour and 45 minutes away. Yes, I had to return to college. Yes, it wasn't comfortable but this was something I CHOSE to do.

Original program format
Name: Cisco IT Networking Academy
Courses: IT Essentials (S1 11th grade), NDG Linux Essentials (S2 11th grade), CCNA: Routing & Switching I (S1 12th grade), and CCNA: Routing & Switching II (S2 12th grade)
Curriculum: NONE
Max class size: 22 made up 50% merit (first choice + good grades) and 50% lottery (could be 2nd or third choice, didn't make it based on merit)
Block schedule: A day (12th grade) and B day (11th grade) schedule. 9:50AM-1:50PM every day, alternated
Certifications offered: From what I gathered, students only completed CompTIA A+ exams. It was required in their junior year.

I was told to look into Cisco NetACAD by the administration. The university we were accrediated through demanded that I take 3 courses with them in order to receive access to the Cisco curriculum. It was a face-to-face only course which required me to drive an hour and 45 minutes to work, an hour to take the course, and then 2 hours (not including traffic + tolls) home. That's asinine! She did give me temporary access to it so I could download PowerPoint but within my first hour of reading it, I found enough blatant typos and misinformation that made me want to avoid it altogether. It was NOT good.

I connected with the small amount of students I inherited (8 seniors survived + 22 incoming juniors) and established trust. The seniors failed my competency check of A+ objectives. None of them were certified or took the certification exam, despite it being required in their junior year. The juniors were still under the impression that this was an "easy A" and could sleep all day. Seniors shared that they did a lot of Packet Tracer but the app didn't work most of the time. They also made lots of CAT5e cables, repetitvely. I ended up building the plane in the air and focused on giving them real-world experience. We fixed all the desktops, rearranged the classroom, organized it in a way that it made sense, and...COVID hit. The momentum stopped. No certification tests were taken. They were all waived of taking exams that year.

Despite being an odd year, I knew exactly what I needed to do. A roadmap was developed. I formed a Program Advisory Council, shared my findings, and they supported me in fighting the state to change how my program was formatted. It took two years to get it right but we got it done! The result:

Name: IT Networking Academy (Cisco)
Courses: IT Networking I (S1 11th grade), IT Networking II (S2 11th grade), and IT Networking III (Year-long 12th grade)
Curriculum: Started with CompTIA CertMaster Learn + Labs later migrated to CompTIA TestOut Pro
Certifications offered: CompTIA A+ Core 1 for IT Networking I (optional), A+ Core 2 for IT Networking II (optional), and Security+ for IT Networking III (required to take)

In addition, these are the changes I made over the last 7 years (COVID did slow down progress a bit):

• Turned one closet to a server room with a floor-to-ceiling network rack. Installed cabinets and shelving to make it student accessible. This is where students "shop" for all of their tools, parts, consumables, peripherals, etc.
• Turned another closet into a colocation for senior equipment. There are multiple network racks. Students install their rack-mounted routers, switches, APs, and servers and access them over SSH from their desks in the classroom. Messed up? Fix it the old fashioned way by grabbing laptop and a console cable!
• Established an entire air-gapped LAN. Created a domain network for obvious reasons. Established multiple server hosts running many virtual machines for educational purposes.
• Established a simulated "WAN" using a public subnet. All senior racks connect to the WAN so they can access my classroom LAN over VPN. They can also host and port forward their own network services from their own LANs. I give students dedicated time to work on "passion projects" to learn about installing and hardening public services. They have an absolute blast with this! I also set up a "public DNS" server so they learn how proper DNS works and create domains. Every senior gets their own "WAN-hosted" Linux VM, in addition to whatever they host locally in their private subnet.
• Built new PCs over time to offer 1:1 desktops for students so they can be their own local admins on the air-gapped LAN. Now all support Windows 11.
• Installed a laptop cart that dual boot between Windows 11 and Backbox Linux. I chose Backbox because the district IPS has a cow when it detects a Kali machine on their network but doesn't care about Backbox.
• Created a number of classroom websites and systems:
  • Custom developed a help desk game where students have to respond to client emails within a certain amount of time to earn points. It has a points shop where students can exchange points for "sabotages" to send to other students (such as ransomware, denial-of-service attacks, etc.) to slow them down. Students can choose the content domain when they join the game.
  • Custom developed several other gamification sites that help students with more difficult content, such as: subnet math, keyboard shortcuts, commands, etc. each game has some type of leadboard to encourage friendly competitions.
  • Custom developed several other "serious" learning systems, such as: a mobile device management system (simulates connected devices) with a built-in assessment system, subnet management, etc.
  • Self-hosted CTFd system primarily used by seniors.
  • Self-hosted help desk (based on Frappe) where I assign real tickets for students. They receive a marking period grade for their participation in their "help desk apprenticeship" for the school. I use this as a real-world training tool and coach them on professionalism and communication.
  • A number of custom-created vulnerable web apps, services, and services.
• Worked with local businesses and received quality donations such as a large format printer (which I used to create custom classroom posters), 65" large format display (updated every day with content with a Raspberry Pi), Sharp copier, etc.
  • Employers also partnered up so we can become a feeder program for employment.
• Periodically create red vs blue (cyber range) activities for seniors where I set up a room divider and they compete against each other (a class favorite).
• Started participating in SkillsUSA. Last year my kids earned gold in Cyber Security and Internet of Things (Smart Home) and competed at nationals!! We placed 4th overall in the nation for Cyber Security!
• Subscribed to Pear Deck to help make class lectures more engaging and Gimkit for gamified practice assessments
• Slowly developed several custom practice exams for A+ and Security+ in addition to what's offered in TestOut Pro and Practice (an option for students to purchase)
• My own "professor messer"-style study notes for all courses to compliment the textbook and to meet accommodation needs.

The result? Well...

This year we broke another program record with 13 of 18 senior students earning their Security+ and 14 of 20 students (only 16 took the exams) earning their A+! I couldn't be more proud of my kids. It's so cool to see them get EXCITED to learn new things in class, get jobs, or get accepted to great colleges/universities. That's what gives me the fuel to keep going!! It's been an absolute blur but I guess time flies when you're having fun!! I wouldn't be able to do any of this if it wasn't for a supportive administration that truly believes in their faculty! If you have the support, the passion, and ambition, YOU can do it!

Hi All,

It has been a while since I used CertMaster, and I'm a little bit confused as to the inclusion/integration of the laboratory aspect. I can distinctly remember being able to launch Virtual Laboratory environments in CertMaster Learn for both A+ and Security+, but much has changed since then (I think this was around 2022, give or take a few years). I've been looking at the product pages and even used the chatbot, but can't get the answer I'm looking for.

Basically, my company is looking into these Certifications:

1. A+ (both cores)
2. Network+
3. Security+
4. Server+
5. Tech+

If we bought just the CertMaster product, which ones would also have an integrated laboratory? For example, in the product page of Network+, it has the following bullet point

• Extensive practice: Engage with simulated labs, assessments, and questions to reinforce your learning.

So I would assume Network+ CertMaster Learn does have an integrated lab, and there is no need to purchase the standalone laboratory. Is this the same case for the others listed?

I passed my SecAI exam, and immediately afterward I fell sick. My physiotherapist said it was due to heavy lifting. I was like, "How? I didn't lift anything!"

This is based on a true story, but I'm recovering well, guys.
Thank you so much, Stephane, for the voucher, and thank you to our instructor for the course and all the support.

Hi Guys,
I have passed both the CompTIA A+ and Network+ exams, which gives me the stackable certificate for CIOS (CompTIA IT Operations Specialist). All three certs (CIOS included) are available to download on the CompTIA (cp.certmetrics.com) certification site. The A+ is the current 220-1201 and 220-1202 and the Network is the N10-008 (which is valid until November 2027). I have received my A+ and Net+ badges on Credly, but I have not received and invitation to collect the CIOS badge. Is there something else I have to do to obtain this badge.
I have contacted Credly support, who instructed me to contact CompTIA support. I contacted CompTIA support, who directed me to a like to the site that explains what "Stackable Certs" are...
If anyone could shed some light on this I would appreciate it.

I'm more than happy to tell everyone that I passed the A+ core 1 and 2! Thank you @Stephen Schneiter and the CIN for making this happen! Planning to take the A+ exam? focus on gaining skills through the lab exercises. It will give you practical knowledge to answer the PBQs. That's all folks!! =)

Excited to announce that I’ve passed the CNX-001!
Thank you, @Stephen Schneiter and the CIN, for making this possible.

I've been attending a lot of TTT Sessions, and now I'm working through the exams. Just passed A+ Core 1 and 2, Linux+ is next!

Greetings folks,

I'm new here, and to the CompTIA, and I would like to know how to print out Authorized Partner Certificate? I used sso.comptia.org to login, is this the correct link, or there is another link for the institution?

Thank you,

Hi
I enjoyed the recent session on CySA+. Great sessions indeed.
When will the Exam Voucher for CySA+ be available?
Looking forward...,.

After a long study hour and sleepless, nights I finally passed security plus the exam was supper tricky.

Join us for the new CompTIA Expansion Series certification launch for AutoOps+ V1! Our guest instructor, @Tyler Harris, will lead us through the six-session series covering the exam objectives and provide hands on examples as you strengthen your DevOps skills pertaining to cybersecurity. We will discuss how to cover the content with students and suggest various labs to let students gain hands-on experience as they prepare for certification.

CompTIA AutoOps+ validates your skills to automate, secure, and optimize IT operations across cloud and hybrid environments. As part of CompTIA’s new Expansion Series, AutoOps+ is designed to augment your core IT competencies with specialized expertise in automation, scripting, and infrastructure management. Gain hands-on experience to bridge traditional IT roles with modern DevOps practices.

What: CIN TTT Series: AutoOps+ V1
When: June 23rd - July 9th, 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM CT
Who: Tyler Harris, Instructor, ARIMA Consulting, LLC
Where: ON24
Register Here

Join us for the CIN TTT series covering the new CompTIA AI Fundamentals Compcert course. Our guest instructor, @Jill West, will lead us through the four-session series covering the course objectives and provide hands on examples as you strengthen your AI skills. We will discuss how to cover the content with students and suggest various labs to let students gain hands-on experience using AI safely, effectively, and responsibly.

AI Fundamentals is a credit-bearing, hands-on course designed specifically for the academic market to help institutions teach students how to understand and use artificial intelligence safely, effectively, and responsibly. This three-credit course equips non-technical learners with foundational AI literacy and practical skills that are increasingly required across academic programs and entry-level careers, regardless of major.

What: CIN TTT Series: AI Fundamentals
When: July 13th - July 23rd, 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM CT
Who: Jill West, Professor, Georgia Northwestern Technical College
Where: ON24
Register Here

Hi Team,

I was looking to resume learning / study for the CyberDefense Pro v2 courseware.

I do not see this courseware listed.

Anyone experiencing the same, or perhaps a suggestion on what I need to click on / accept / something?

I have created a help ticket, so pending that I may revist this thread and update / advise.

Thanks all!

happy trails!

--chris
Melbourne AUS