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Home > Archive > General Discussion > January 2002 > CompTIA Raising Prices for their exams in February!!!
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CompTIA Raising Prices for their exams in February!!!
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| dagger 2002-01-08, 10:15 am |
| Got an email from CompTIA this morning.......it basically read:
"As a valued CompTIA IT Professional member, we want to give you advanced notice that beginning February 1, 2002, CompTIA will introduce new worldwide certification pricing. 2002 prices for all CompTIA certifications will increase an average of 7%."
That is going to push the price of a $190.00 exam to over $200.00!!!!!!!
CompTIA can kiss my A**!!! | |
| sibley 2002-01-08, 10:24 am |
| That goes double for me. | |
| Nicole 2002-01-08, 10:46 am |
| An extra 7%? That doesn't sound bad to me. M$ just raised their exams 20%, and while I don't think Oracle has raised theirs yet, they were already $125 a pop (that's $625 per certification IF you pass them all the first time.)
Prices go up. Heck, I used to buy coffee for $.25. | |
| sibley 2002-01-08, 10:49 am |
| Yes, but that is still about twice what other certs are available for. CompTIA is getting too high, especially considering the elementary nature of their exams. | |
| dagger 2002-01-08, 10:54 am |
| quote:
Originally posted by Nicole
An extra 7%? That doesn't sound bad to me. M$ just raised their exams 20%, and while I don't think Oracle has raised theirs yet, they were already $125 a pop (that's $625 per certification IF you pass them all the first time.)
Prices go up. Heck, I used to buy coffee for $.25.
Well put it this way.
for the people in Canada,
we will have to pay over $300.00
now for an entry level exam.
A little expensive don't you think?
M$ prices even with the 20% mark up
are still way cheapter then CompTIA's. | |
| PotatoHead 2002-01-08, 11:19 am |
| I'm glad i got A+ and Net+ over with, you never know when its goin to go up again!! | |
| Nicole 2002-01-08, 12:03 pm |
| Just a little comparative study:
(US prices)
Comptia:
A+ -- $132 per test, $264 for certification
Net+ -- $190
(Everything except A+ is at the $190.00 per test pricing.)
Microsoft: $125 per test
MCP -- $125
MCSA -- $500
MCSD -- $500
MCDBA -- $500
MCSE -- $875
Oracle: $125 or $150 per exam
DBO -- $125
OCA -- $250
OCP DBA -- $625
OCP DBA mixed release -- $750
OCP Internet Dev -- $500
OCP Java Dev -- $525
OCP App Dev Rel 2 -- $625
Cicso: $125 - $250 per test | |
| dagger 2002-01-08, 1:23 pm |
| yes that is CompTIA's prices
before Feb 1st 2002.
After that....add 7%  | |
| Nicole 2002-01-08, 2:04 pm |
| Oops, they didn't have their prices updated everywhere on their site yet. Here are the new ones:
Comptia:
A+ -- $139 per test, $278 for certification
Net+ -- $199
(Everything except A+ is at the $199.00 per test pricing.)
That's only $7 and $9 difference. I guess I don't understand why that would mean NOW they are too expensive. | |
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| Guys, think about it as an investment for your future. Now, how many guys here has got a job or offer because of passing these exams, and have you earn back anything to compensate/payback for these exam fees yet? If "Yes", then you earn it, no problem... If "not", then you have reasons to compain I can understand. But at least you got some stepping stone for knowledge like someone here put it. Just a thought. Be Patient and cheer up.. | |
| dagger 2002-01-08, 3:06 pm |
| quote:
Originally posted by ping
Guys, think about it as an investment for your future. Now, how many guys here has got a job or offer because of passing these exams, and have you earn back anything to compensate/payback for these exam fees yet? If "Yes", then you earn it, no problem... If "not", then you have reasons to compain I can understand. But at least you got some stepping stone for knowledge like someone here put it. Just a thought. Be Patient and cheer up..
Ok there is something called an investment....and there is also something called being ripped off.
These exams are just not worth that much money.
i-net+ is $190.00 ok now add 7% to that...we get $203.30 US that is roughly $300.00 Canadian. The exams are more then my weekly paycheck!! That is stupid! We are getting ripped off. They are not worth that much at all. | |
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| I feel your pain, and totally agree, that's way too outrageous for canadian folks!! More than your WHOLE pay check?? I thought less than a paycheck... oh man, that is total rip-offs!!!! Heck, I will not get these exams myself. Sorry for my mis-understanding. I think I will stay away from comptia exams too. | |
| dagger 2002-01-08, 3:31 pm |
| It's ok Ping, I'm just mad because
CompTIA was sooo cool in the past
they were all for the learning IT technician.
They have really changed over the last few months and have became more $Corporate$.
So now it will cost me over $600.00 CA to write the i-net+ and Linux+ exams. .ouch!
It just doesn't seem right for entry level certs. | |
| Nicole 2002-01-08, 3:47 pm |
| Dagger,
Like any kind of education, one has to weigh the pros and cons of the investment. Anyone who beggars themselves to get certification after certification without putting them to use is, as you say, getting ripped off, quite voluntarily. I'd say the same of someone who goes out and buys a lot of computer books at US$50 each or more and then doesn't use what they learn.
You can put all kinds of alphabet soup after your name, and without applying it at work it does you no good at either getting promoted or getting a job elsewhere, or even retaining anything you've learned.
So is $278 too much for an A+ certification? No, I don't think so. From a hiring standpoint, I respect an A+ more than an MCP, simply because the A+ is harder work to get. When was the last time anyone saw a help desk position asking for an MCP? Most of them ask for an A+, though.
Is another $199 too much to get a Net+? Maybe. If one is working as the hot chick behind the counter at the Gap, yes, probably it is  Focus on getting some experience instead, even if it means volunteering. But if you're working at a helpdesk or in a computer related job, or you're the secretary that also gets to tbe the office computer guru, then it's probably a wise investment. | |
| dagger 2002-01-08, 5:40 pm |
| Nicole,
thanks for your reply, but what I'm saying is, It's not what you do with the cert after you get it (you do whatever you want). I'm talking about, how much these certs are costing now with this new increase. I find it's getting out of hand. It's the principal of the whole matter.
I don't think it's right for a company like CompTIA to hike the prices up even more
since they are one of the most expensive exams vendors around at the moment.
It's great to have your A+ and Network+ ..etc.
But the bottom line is they are already very expensive, and if you do land a job with your A+ that's great. But most of the CompTIA certs are not worth over $200.00 US.
Is everybody rich who is in this forum or something?..lol
All I'm saying is, the CompTIA certs are great, but I know when I am being
suckered by a company.
Are you willing to pay $400.00 for a CompTIA exam when they hike the prices up even more?
Or are you going to let them walk all over you??
Am I the only one who feels this way? | |
| Nicole 2002-01-08, 6:24 pm |
| I see what you are saying, but I think CompTIA is the wrong target. The exams themselves are really fairly cheap, especially since Prometric and the other testing centers are keeping most of the money. CompTIA is at least spending some of that money trying to protect the value of their certs by chasing down professional braindumpers whose action diminish the worth of your certification!
Micro$lop just creates a new exam to make you take them over and over again -- making those prices in reality MUCH higher than CompTIA's, and the value of the cert steadily getting lower since they don't do anything but pay lipservice to the concept of defeating cheaters.
BUT I do have a problem with the whole certification industry. I know I have several Oracle books on my shelf that were $125 EACH -- not because they are great books, but because you need them to pass the exams. And I doubt it's the authors who make the big bucks for all their hard work! The exam prices are the *least* of the problems. Let's take a typical MCP exam:
1 study book, $50
2nd study book because the first doesn't cover enough, $50
ExamCram book, because neither study book covered the obscure terminology, $35
SelfTest Software or similar: $100
1st try at exam, because none of the study materials were relevant: $125
2nd Exam: $125
Result: $485 MCP certification that doesn't mean much and will expire in under 2 years.
Rinse & repeat.
That's not counting the folks who can't (or won't) self-study, and end up paying a teacher, or else get sucked into TechSkills or the like and pay $5,000 for a curriculum.
Or you can read through a book, download a few braindumps and cheat your way through for much cheaper... but then get fired because you don't know the skillset.
But if you DON'T have any certifications, the market has been so hyped that you MIGHT look bad compared to other applicants, so it sort of becomes unemployment insurance. Even if you are a well-meaning IT Manager (like me) who knows 95% of certification is bogus, you find yourself looking at resumes without them with a tainted perspective... I mean, EVERYONE has certifications now, why doesn't this guy?
Forget an extra $9 in the exam price. We've all been sucked into a self-perpetuating certification industry which has gone from being a signpost of knowledge to a revenue generator. Yeah, I'm doing it, too. Like I said, unemployment insurance...
Now who's ranting 
Join us next week for Nicole's diatribe on: You think recruiters are annoying to employees? You should see how they harass employers! | |
| wbafrank 2002-01-08, 11:42 pm |
| You Guys think you got it bad? In the UK we have to pay this price plus 17.5% value added tax on top. Whose better off now? | |
| sibley 2002-01-09, 6:46 am |
| quote:
Originally posted by Nicole
The exams themselves are really fairly cheap[i]
Where I live, 200 U.S. bucks is equivalent to 1200 bucks. Cheap? I don't think so. If I had money like that, I would not need to get certified in the first place! | |
| Nicole 2002-01-09, 11:15 am |
| Of for heavens sake, the exchange rate doesn't work that way! The exchange rate is not a reliable indicator of currency valuation in local terms. For anyone sitting at home going "Gosh, $1200!" it's not the same thing, okay?
I'd explain it, but I think I've spent enough time on this thread. If anyone is intersted, I suggest looking up the Economist's Big Mac index on the web. | |
| Doug_Black 2002-01-11, 3:21 am |
| I think the "real" problem here is the fact that many of the Certification Vendors are raising the rates on their exams when the US & the World economy at large is going poorly, aka "recession". I think that these vendors should of waited and at least pre-announced the fact that they were going to raise rates, say starting in June or July so people would have time to plan and adjust their needs and goals and possibly the economy would be better than it is currently.
If the Internet "bubble" had not popped and we were all employeed making decent money and possibly our employeers were paying the bill we would not be so concerned. Well that was 1999 and 2000, when times were better for most of us, me included. I also think that some of these vendors need to do like the drug companies and reduce the rates for some countries that are financially 2nd or 3rd rate compared to the United States! I just heard California is now the 7th largest economy in the world!! Yes, I live in the United States, and Texas borders Mexico which I would consider to be atleast 2nd rate country financially. I also know that many in the US go to Canada or Mexico for example and buy their medical prescriptions at 50 to 75% less and that is not fair seeing the US props up the prices in the US to support other countries lower pricing.
All I can say is that I will likely buy one more voucher in advance for the Linux+ and then I am through with the CompTIA certs for a while, five(5) total. Just can't say the same for my Microsoft exams, but I also just bought five exam vouchers before Micro$oft raised their prices another $25 each, so I did save $125 by planning ahead, equals one FREE exam! (LOL)
All we can do is grin a bear this outrage and write to the various vendors and see if we can have them post-pone their time frame.
 Just another unemployeed IT tech! | |
|
| At present in South Africa we are loking at the following:
A+ R 1 219.80
N+ or INet R 1 755.60
Linux Between R 912.00 and R1 755.60
These include our 14% tax.
I have always thought them as being expensive, but it is dependent on teh part of the country one lives in.
Where I come from in Durban the salaries are not so great, so a N+ exam will cost approximately ¼ of ones monthly salary may be a little less. Whereas in Jbg one earns approxiamtely three times that one would earn in Durban in the same position.
I guess it is all relative - I know it was said that the exchange rate has nothing to do with it, but with our rand value dropping so much the pricing of our exams escalate. The pricing given above was December 2001 pricing.
Our pricing is not based on what Comptia stipulates alone, but also on our exchange rate. | |
| DivxGuy 2002-01-11, 1:26 pm |
| quote:
M$ just raised their exams 20%
Actually it was 25% - from $100 to $125.
I signed up for three MCP exams the day before the increase took effect.
RD | |
| CatLady 2002-01-11, 2:32 pm |
| Wow! You guys are unreal! Okay, I am just a duffer here, but while I like to take tests, getting prepared is a pain...it is really hard to find "good teachers", especially the one called experience (eww, that sounds trite). Sad but true... As far as prices, my RENT goes up 50+ every year and the place only gets worse, so don't cry...the only sure thing is death, taxes and prices going up..... | |
| CatLady 2002-01-11, 2:56 pm |
| California is 5th, not 7th...
We are also broke because of Bush and his Texas kronies, who ripped US off. We paid 160 billion dollars for 20 billion dollars of electricity. I guess ripping people off is everywhere...... | |
| Fredv2 2002-01-11, 6:03 pm |
| quote:
Originally posted by Doug_Black
All I can say is that I will likely buy one more voucher in advance for the Linux+ and then I am through with the CompTIA certs for a while, five(5) total. Just can't say the same for my Microsoft exams, but I also just bought five exam vouchers before Micro$oft raised their prices another $25 each, so I did save $125 by planning ahead, equals one FREE exam! (LOL)
All we can do is grin a bear this outrage and write to the various vendors and see if we can have them post-pone their time frame.
Just another unemployeed IT tech!
The Microsoft Exams in New Zealand have just risen from $180 to $300 ($75US up to $125US) it appears they subsidise the exams in the areas where there isn't a large number of Microsoft certifications. Lucky fo me I have only two more Microsoft exams I want to do in the short term. The increase came in without much warning I rang up to book an exam and got told the new price (that wouldn't fit on my Visa . | |
| sbirchfield 2002-01-12, 7:21 am |
| Charging $200 for a Comptia exam is horrible. They aren't worth the $190-264 we were paying for them now. I teach A+ and Net+ and I will tell you the value they hold in the real world is not enough to justify paying more for them.
What they aren't taking into consideration is all of the money students spend on training and study materials. Tack on another $2200 for classes and maybe more for additional study materials and the A+ can cost you $2500+.
I hope that this comes back to haunt Comptia. I know I have taken my last exam with them.
S | |
| dagger 2002-01-12, 9:19 am |
| Well said sbirchfield  | |
| shiva050101 2002-01-12, 2:11 pm |
| FYI:
Comptia is a non profit organization | |
| cross36 2002-01-12, 5:57 pm |
| how many times is CompTia going to raise their prices. i thought it was $132 an exam | |
| DivxGuy 2002-01-13, 10:43 pm |
| quote:
it is really hard to find "good teachers", especially the one called experience (eww, that sounds trite).
Good thing I can get by with books and Transcender exams.
RD | |
| shiva050101 2002-01-13, 11:17 pm |
| yes it is really hard to find someone competetant enought to "teach" or "train" in life's disciplines
I learned a long time ago, that a good students becomes a good student not because of a good teacher, but rather his/her motivation.
Do not expect much from your A+, MCSE, or Cisco teachers. Training is now a scam. Since the economy is such a mess, most putative techies are milking the system by "teaching" networking classes. They take your money and don't teach squat.
This is why those books are usefull.
My $0.02
David | |
| NickL 2002-01-13, 11:39 pm |
| {{{Do not expect much from your A+, MCSE, or Cisco teachers. Training is now a scam. Since the economy is such a mess, most putative techies are milking the system by "teaching" networking classes. They take your money and don't teach squat.}}
I agree with you totally. Instead of spending alot of money on S***t in "training schools" that shouldn't be in business to begin with, use that money for a BS degree or second BS degree in IT, and self study for certification in addition. The money will be much better spent. | |
| DivxGuy 2002-01-14, 12:16 am |
| I'd be happy if I could afford books and Transcender exams...
RD | |
| NickL 2002-01-14, 12:31 am |
| {{{I'd be happy if I could afford books and Transcender exams...}}}
There is a tool to get things that you want and need even when you can't afford them: MASTERCARD, I survived on it for three years while attending college. It allows you to have a life and not have to cut corners. But of course I used extra student loan money to "refinance" the high interest debt.
Just get what you need to pass the tests. If you don't get the materials you will never pass.
So what is worse? | |
| CatLady 2002-01-14, 10:28 am |
| maybe so, but somebody started you off, which would NOT happen if you were female. the groundwork is the most important part... | |
| Nicole 2002-01-14, 10:39 am |
| quote:
maybe so, but somebody started you off, which would NOT happen if you were female. the groundwork is the most important part...
CatLady, please clarify your comment here. | |
| CatLady 2002-01-14, 10:45 am |
| I received the post of Divx that he "got by" with books and Transcender....
I doubt that he STARTED with books . somebody gave him basic information first, which they don't bother with for females, at least when I went to school (and I see few changes) | |
| Nicole 2002-01-14, 12:09 pm |
| Well, that's a whole other can of worms. The same opportunities are generally there, but most young girls aren't interested in computers/math/science, and they aren't interested because no one (i.e. adults, parents, teachers) has ever shown them it can be interesting.
When I was in elementary school (back when dinosaurs roamed the earth), we all had to take a computer programming class. Most of the girls just thought it was a stupid thing to do, although I thought it was kinda fun.
10 Print "Nicole
20 Goto 10
(It was a progressive school. Even the boys had to take Home Ec and Etiquette class.)
While I can't say it sparked a firestorm of interest at the time, I think it did help make me feel comfortable around these new-fangled things.
Anyway, I thought you were saying something else, and I'm glad I was wrong | |
| DivxGuy 2002-01-14, 12:59 pm |
| quote:
I received the post of Divx that he "got by" with books and Transcender....
My MCP studies are all self-financed - I'm not doing this for an employer (I'm unemployed).
quote:
I doubt that he STARTED with books . somebody gave him basic information first, which they don't bother with for females, at least when I went to school (and I see few changes)
When I went to elementary school, a computer was an IBM 360 or 370 or DEC PDP-11; they certainly didn't give us any training on those.
When I first attempted to get into this field, my employer grudgingly paid for the courses I passed, as per the union agreement, but the entry-level jobs in the I.S. department were filled exclusively by young women.
RD | |
| CatLady 2002-01-14, 11:51 pm |
| Well, Divx, I have worked for ATT, Western Electric and NEC, and although I was WAY smarter than most of the males working there, I was always passed by for training, if possible. I placed on the 97th percentile in the college boards for BOTH language and math/science. But I only got the most basic, need-to-know stuff at work, while IDIOT males (and no I am not saying that all males are idiots, just the ones I worked with), got sent to the schools that got you promotions...I have built entire Central Offices, broken them down, cabled them, hard wired them, tested them, wired up customers, run fiberoptic cables at a time before most knew what they were, modified software, etc., but none of that counts without schooling if you are female...it may sound bitter, but I know what a black man feels like when he is called "boy". It has NOT changed for women... | |
| shiva050101 2002-01-15, 12:07 am |
| O.K. ladies,
Yes it is a men dominated society but behind every man there is a woman telling him what to do. Perhaps because he does not know what to do next
I am an Asian Indian Male. I have to work harder too just be recognized for my accomplishement against the majority male in this country.
I don't get upset anymore. It is a waste of energy. We do our best in this world. Real friends, family members, and supervisors know who is the one actually working. That does not mean the real competent employees gets chosen to be the next lead/manager or receives the a best raise. It is a fact of life.
Everybody should have other things goin on in their life to compensate for these types of inequities.
Take Care,
David | |
| DivxGuy 2002-01-15, 2:23 am |
| quote:
But I only got the most basic, need-to-know stuff at work, while IDIOT males (and no I am not saying that all males are idiots, just the ones I worked with), got sent to the schools that got you promotions...
Every company is like that - they play favorites with some and ignore others. Pure performance usually isn't enough to become a favorite, either.
As for me, no company ever urged me as an individual to seek training. The only training I've gotten I sought (and usually paid for) on my own initiative.
If you're finishing in the 97th percentile in math and science, you should have no problem getting an MCSE with just study guides and Transcender exams, which should make you stand out as a self-learner. Go for it!
RD | |
| dagger 2002-01-15, 6:05 am |
| With these new CompTIA cert prices,
for those of you who are lucky
and the company you work for pays for your exam.
Do you think with these new price changes
the company might change their mind
about paying for your exams? | |
| wbafrank 2002-01-15, 6:17 am |
| Good question Dagger - I feel if company's still want their employee's to do the job they will still pay, also they may change their outlook and look for already qualified personnel!! | |
| dagger 2002-01-15, 7:23 am |
| quote:
Originally posted by wbafrank
Good question Dagger - I feel if company's still want their employee's to do the job they will still pay, also they may change their outlook and look for already qualified personnel!!
wbafrank, I think you just hit the nail right on the head with that.
Think about it.....
maybe now it won't be such a good idea
to be promoting "continuing education" on your resume.
With these exam prices, the company might take it as your going to cost them lots of money! | |
| CatLady 2002-01-20, 6:50 am |
| You just don't get it, Divx..........
The PLANT MANAGER was East Indian where I worked, the OWNERS were Japanese, upper management was ALL MALE.....the leads were mostly female so they could say it balanced out.......but these women were fired when times got tough, they had to make up excuses when the plant didn't turn out product fast enough (when it usually was NOT in their control).....
Favoritism was the ONLY way a female got schooling or promotions....she had to be someone's daughter, wife, etc. Schooling was kept a big secret, except in the men's bathroom........
The whole world treats you different if you are female. You have it easy....... | |
| dagger 2002-01-20, 9:37 am |
| CatLady, DivxGuy
You two should start a new thread
called Favoritism in the work place. | |
| DivxGuy 2002-01-20, 3:21 pm |
| Done.
RD | |
| darthw 2002-01-20, 6:40 pm |
| Catlady, spare me! You make me want to cough up a hair ball. Keep the subject matter at hand focused on the original thread.
I personally don't have a problem with the CompTIA exam prices currently. Anyone paying thousands to get the training for A+ or N+ has been misguided by somebody somewhere. There are vo-techs here that offer training for those exams for a few hundred, or less plus the cost of the exam. And, of course, like many of us there are good self-study resources as well.
For me having the A+ cert. enabled me to maintain a mid-20K tech position years ago. So a few hundred dollar investment for that type of annual salary was very reasonable.
I think of the CompTIA exams as an excellent introduction to a variety of IT subject matter. The self-study materials available are good, and the price for them is reasonable, so the cost of training is minimal. I think A+ will get an entry-level tech a job faster than an MCSE will because it is expected that an A+ tech may be more likely to have limited experience. And I have found that much of the material I've learned in CompTIA exams has flowed well into other vendor exams, resulting in less study time for other exams. Not to mention that Novell and Microsoft allow some of the exams to meet their requirements for CNE and MCSE. | |
| CatLady 2002-01-20, 11:40 pm |
| quote:
Originally posted by dagger
CatLady, DivxGuy
You two should start a new thread
called Favoritism in the work place.
I've got nothing more to say. "You don't convert a people because you silence them". | |
| kussnyder 2002-01-21, 7:32 am |
| One point nobody has mentioned tho is that you don't have to retake the A+ or Network+ exams every couple of years like the MS ones | |
| shiva050101 2002-01-21, 11:09 am |
| Good Point,
That not retake again A+ policy may change.
Technoloy is ever changing. Afterall CompTia is a "non profit" org. So they need to make more money. They can alway raise the prices for the cerrification for more than what that certification is worth in the industry.
One will have to keep up. If you stay in the IT realm, you will be forced to keep up one way or another both at the hardware realm and networking realm.
David |
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