CompTIA Introduces New Certification Requirements

"Certified for Life" is a phrase most CompTIA certification holders are familiar with. Once certified in A+, Network+, or Security+ the certification would always be recognized, hence the phrase. As of January 1, 2011 this will no longer hold true for those who certify after this date, there will be requirements for certification holders to recertify every three years.

CompTIA will not require recertification for any current holders of CompTIA A+, CompTIA Network+ or CompTIA Security+ certification. For candidates currently preparing to sit for any exam listed above, if you pass an exam and become certified by December 31, 2010, you too will have a lifetime certification with no requirements for recertification or retesting. This information is from CompTIA's press release from January 2010.

Effective January 1, 2011, all new CompTIA A+, CompTIA Network+, or CompTIA Security+ certifications will be valid for three years from the date the candidate is certified. After three years, the certification must be renewed.

So what does this mean to you? First if you're thinking of getting A+ certified in 2010, get going because after January 1, 2011 the new set of rules will apply to you. It's estimated that anyone using the LearnKey courseware and MasterExam should have their certification within about 4 months in a self paced mode. For those of our fans in school push to get completed with the courseware by summer at the latest and use our test prep tools, MasterExam or CramMaster to make sure you ace the test.

If you can't start until September, then get ready to push hard to get certified by December 1, 2010. Near the end of the year it is sometimes harder to get seated at exams much after the middle of the month. So don't dawdle!

Now that you understand what this change means to you, the only other question that remains is why the change now? These requirements will ensure the certification holders will develop and expand their skills to keep pace with the fast changing IT environment. Now remember, there will be several different ways to keep your certifications current without necessarily taking a new exam. According to CompTIA's press release in January 2010, activities that will qualify to keep your certification current are; teaching, lecturing or presenting on relevant industry topics, participating in non-degree courses or computer-based training, attending relevant industry conferences and events, participating in a CompTIA exam development workshop, publishing articles, whitepapers, blogs or books on relevant topics, obtaining other industry certifications, or completing industry-related college courses from degree-granting institutions. Many of these things you may be doing already.

LearnKey has recently gained CAQC stamp of approval for Network+ and Security+ training courses. We are finalizing the A+ training course and should have final approval by the end of March. The approval certifies that LearnKey training lives up to the rigorous learning objectives set by CompTIA, who specifically recommends CAQC materials to prepare for the exams.

Also, CompTIA courses have been accepted to meet the DoD requirements for the U.S. Department of Defense recognizing CompTIA certifications in its technical and management tracks for information assurance technicians and managers under DoD Directive 8570.1M. Both ISO, and DoD require that CompTIA ensures certification skills are maintained.

CompTIA A+, CompTIA Network+ and CompTIA Security+ are effective foundational-level certifications that pave the way to earning higher-level and vendor-specific certifications.

Need more information? Check out our web site, www.learnkey.com. As for Mike Meyers A+ fans, you have got to check out the latest on YouTube.


View LearnKey course sample clips: CompTIA A+, Network+, Security+