Companies know that they must be at the forefront and competitive in today’s business world. They should enhance the skills of their teams in IT infrastructure. CompTIA certifications and training courses are a great option to help them succeed.
NetCom Learning offers a comprehensive CompTIA workforce training plan that will significantly increase the productivity of your team in all these crucial domains. CompTIA certifications are subject to a limited validity and must be renewed regularly to ensure that your team is current.
This blog gives an overview of CompTIA Continuing Education (CE), and offers tips for renewing CompTIA certifications.
What is CompTIA’s Continuing Education (CE Program)?
CompTIA certifications are internationally recognized for their marketability, effectiveness, and competitiveness across organizations. This credential is essential for a successful IT career.
CompTIA Continuing Education (CE), which aims to maximize your certification investment, provides a roadmap to ensure certification longevity. The CE program’s key features include:
Validity Period – CompTIA certifications such as CompTIA Network+ or CompTIA Advanced Security Practitioner+ are valid for 3 years from the date they were issued.
Renewal Period – Individuals who have earned certifications must renew them within three years to keep their certification valid.
CEUs – The CE program enrollment also grants the CEUs (Continuing Education Units), towards maintaining the certifications.
Top Tips to Renew Your CompTIA Certification
These are some tips to help renew your CompTIA certifications, including definitions of relevant terms that will make it easy for you to understand.
Topic
Description
RENEWAL CYCLE
Your CompTIA certification date is 3 years.
CEUs (Continuing Education Units).
You earn the CEUs by participating in continuing education (CE). Each certification requires a pre-determined number of CEUs to renew.
CE FEES
Before you can submit CEUs, you must pay the continuing education fees. If you are renewing your certifications by passing CertMaster CE, or clearing a higher-level qualifying CompTIA certificate, this fee is not applicable. To earn CEUs for your CompTIA certification renewal, you must complete and submit the CE activities.
Validity of certification
All certifications obtained before January 2011 are valid for life. They are called Good-For-Life (GFL). All certifications after 01/01/2011 have a validity period of 3 years and a renewal cycle of 3 years.
Renewal CEUs
For renewal of your certification(s), you will need to have a certain amount of CEUs. The CE fees must be paid before you submit any completed activities for CEUs. The renewal cycle, and not the calendar year, determines the due dates for payment of the fees.
Below is a list of CompTIA certifications, along with the annual fees and CEUs required to renew the CE program.
Name of the Certification
CE Fee (Annual).
Total CE fees for 3-year period
CEUs are required for renewal
CompTIA CASP+
$ 50
$ 150
75 CEUs
CompTIA A+
$ 25
$ 75
20 CEUs
CompTIA CySA+
$ 50
$ 150
60 CEUs
CompTIA Network+
$ 50
$ 150
30 CEUs
CompTIA PenTest+
$ 50
$ 150
60 CEUs
CompTIA Security+
$ 50
$ 150
50 CEUs
CompTIA Cloud+
$ 50
$ 150
50 CEUs
CompTIA Linux+
$ 50
$ 150
50 CEUs
Which CompTIA Certifications at a Higher Level Can Renew Lower-Level CompTIA Certificates?
CompTIA CE allows you to renew all your lower-level certifications if you renew your highest-level certification. This route allows you to renew multiple CompTIA Certifications. Here is a general overview of the hierarchy of levels for your reference:
Hierarchy
CompTIA CASP+
CompTIA CySA+
CompTIA PenTest+
CompTIA Security+
CompTIA Cloud+
CompTIA Network+
CompTIA Linux+
CompTIA A+
CompTIA Continuing Education (CE), Program Benefits
CompTIA CE offers many benefits, including the following:
CompTIA CE certifications can be kept valid and you can renew them anytime between 3 and 5 years.
You can increase the overall return on your financial and time investment in exam preparation.
You can make an informed decision about which CompTIA certification you want. Keep in mind that if you are able to obtain the higher-level CompTIA certification, your lower-level CompTIA certifications will automatically be renewed.
Certificate Name/Renew
CompTIA CASP+
CompTIA A+
CompTIA CySA+
CompTIA Network+
CompTIA PenTest+
CompTIA Security+
CompTIA Cloud+
CompTIA Linux+
CompTIA CASP+
–
–
–
CompTIA A+
–
–