Will taking the new A+ 1101 & 1102 jeopardize my 2028 expiration date?

[mviola859]

Hello everyone,

I have already passes CompTIA Security + 601 and Linux + XK0-005. Doing so has extended my A+ certification expiration date out to 2028.
If I go and pass the new 1101 and 1102 does that nullify my 2028 expiration date and only extend my A+ out three years from now?
Let me know if you need further clarification.

Thank you,
Mike

 

[Eugene]

I don't think it should. I only see mine stay the same or extend out for the expiration date. That is my experience.

 

[mviola859]

Thank you Eugene.

 

[Mark Anthony Germanos]

Why are you investing time and energy in the A+, when the next step up is Security+ and you have achieved that?

 

[mviola859]

Mark,

I'm an instructor for CompTIA certifications and even though I have achieved all the certs, I
have to stay current with the new ones. Make sense? This is why I asked my original question.

Do you know if it will nullify my A+ certification that has been extended out to 2028?

Thank you,
Mike

 

[Gregory Childers]

No, taking the new A+ will not wipe out the 2028 expiration. I've been certified in A+ four times and my current one is good through 2028.

 

[Fanuel]

Good observation @ Mark

Why are you investing time and energy in the A+, when the next step up is Security+ and you have achieved that?

 

[Walt Jaqua]

Why are you investing time and energy in the A+, when the next step up is Security+ and you have achieved that?

As an instructor, it is vital to take current exams for all courses you are teaching. Taking an exam, from an instructors perspective, is not just about being certified, it's about being aware of what the exam covers, how the questions have evolved over time, how the exams cover the objectives. This is crucial for instructing others on the content. Not passing answers that appear on the exam- that should be frowned on by everyone. But rather just to be informed in better guiding our delivery of content, labs, hands-on, practice questions, etc.

 

[Gregory Childers]

I've taken the A+, Net+, and Sec+ four times and the Project+ and CySA+ twice. Honestly, the exams don't change radically from one version to the next. I'll take them if an employer requires it but I don't see a lot of value in spending that much money when I can just renew my highest level cert with CEUs and renew all the rest.

 

[Michael Viola]

Walt and Gregory very much for your answers. I know what I have to do now. Walt I took the A+ TTT series with you. It was FANTASTIC!
Are you teaching any TTT courses?

Thank you,
Mike

 

[Jill West]

I've taken the A+, Net+, and Sec+ four times and the Project+ and CySA+ twice. Honestly, the exams don't change radically from one version to the next. I'll take them if an employer requires it but I don't see a lot of value in spending that much money when I can just renew my highest level cert with CEUs and renew all the rest.

But when we can renew these certs via TTT vouchers, it's not "spending money", it's instructors keeping up with the exams as the TTTs are intended to do. I think keeping certs current is less important to me than seeing the exams regularly, so I can better help my students know what to expect and help them get past that test anxiety. I've passed almost every exam I've taken. But I often go in to take an exam I don't really feel ready for (bc the voucher is expiring) to make sure I at least get to see the exam and can share insights with students. I've passed those every time except once. This was advice from @dwightwatt that has gotten me past a lot of test anxiety and resulted in me walking through those test center doors a lot more than I would have if my focus was on passing, even when I pay for the exam myself.

Maybe for those who have been teaching the exams for decades, it's not so important to take every one. But there are so many instructors who have never taken the exams they're teaching, or they've only taken it once. This is what really needs to change.

 

[Gregory Childers]

I don't like "teaching to the test." A class should be about more than just passing an exam, even for military clients who must pass the exams for their jobs.

I want to ensure that every student has a hands-on, working knowledge of the material when class is over. They should have some new skills which they can immediately use at work. I want to go outside the exam objectives and show the students how this fits in with the rest of the IT ecosystem.

If they can apply the knowledge, passing an exam should be much easier.

 

[Jill West]

I don't like "teaching to the test." A class should be about more than just passing an exam, even for military clients who must pass the exams for their jobs.

I want to ensure that every student has a hands-on, working knowledge of the material when class is over. They should have some new skills which they can immediately use at work. I want to go outside the exam objectives and show the students how this fits in with the rest of the IT ecosystem.

If they can apply the knowledge, passing an exam should be much easier.

Teaching to the test is not the same thing as helping students prepare for the test. I think it's completely legitimate to discuss how concepts might be tested, and what kinds of surprise topics might show up on the exam. The only way I can know those things is if I've taken these types of exams often and recently myself. Most certainly these other things (hands-on experience, troubleshooting, immediately applicable skills, filling in gaps and concepts not listed in the objectives) should also be covered. It's not "either-or." Being assessed on what you know and having that sense of accountability from trying to pass the exam is an important part of the learning process.

 

[Bruce Weaver]

This longer than 3 year thing has been puzzling me lately. I thought it was 3 years PERIOD. My latest certs reflect longer than I expected for the expiration date. It had never been this way before for me.

 

[Gregory Childers]

This longer than 3 year thing has been puzzling me lately. I thought it was 3 years PERIOD. My latest certs reflect longer than I expected for the expiration date. It had never been this way before for me.

The pandemic threw off a lot of the timelines. 3 years was never a hard and fast rule.