New CompTIA Certificate Holders are No Longer Certified for Life

In January 2010, CompTIA changed its policy, ditching its old "lifetime" certifications in favor of a recertification program where A+, Security +, and Network+ certifications would expire after three years. This change caused an immediate uproar within the IT community. After all, certificate holders with so-called "lifetime" certifications suddenly held certifications that were set to expire!

Because of the backlash, CompTIA changed the program so that the new expiring certifications would only apply to certifications earned after December 31, 2010. For those with existing "lifetime" certifications earned before that date, their certifications will never expire.

With the existing certificate holders now satisfied, the new recertification program now applies to any new CompTIA certification earned from 2011 forward. Each certification is valid for a period of three years. In order to recertify an expiring certification, the certificate holder must either prove continuing education or pass a recertification exam. For certificate holders holding two or more of the new certifications, recertifying at the highest level covers renews the lower level certifications as well. For example, renewing the Security+ certification automatically recertifies the certificate holder's A+ and Network+ certifications.

Now that there are two types of certifications (lifetime and continuing education), CompTIA appends "CE" (for continuing education) to the end of the new certifications. For example, a certificate holder who earned the A+ certification in 2009 holds the CompTIA A+ certification while a certificate holder who earned the A+ certification in 2011 holds the CompTIA A+ CE certification.

Renewing involves either earning continuing education credits called CEUs or passing the most current certification exam. Professional, relevant activities related to the topic such as publishing articles and white papers, attending workshops or conferences, teaching or lecturing, completing additional training, or earning other certifications can also earn additional CEUs.

The CEUs required for renewing each certification are:

• A+ - 20 CEUs
• Network + - 30 CEUs
• Security + - 50 CEUs

Why the change? CompTIA's A+, Network+, and Security+ certifications are accredited by the International Organization for Standardization. In order to maintain this accreditation, recertification is required. In addition, most of the other major certification programs, such as those operated by Microsoft and Cisco, require recertification.

Since employers may perceive certifications earned many years ago obsolete, it may be advantageous for lifetime certificate holders to opt into the CE program. CompTIA allows for this up until December 31, 2012.

About CBT Planet:

Whether you're opting into the new CE program, a new CompTIA candidate, or a certificate holder who needs to renew, CBT Planet's CompTIA certification training prepares you for success. CBT Planet offers a large selection of instructor-led CompTIA A+ training in a variety of formats including computer based training (CBT), instructor-led videos on DVD, online training videos, live distance learning classes, boot camps, and study guides. Onsite and online employee training are also available. CBT Planet constantly updates its offerings to reflect the latest changes to certification programs and technologies, ensuring timely, relevant certification and re-certification training.