Is Comptia's CTP+ certification harder than the other exams?

Certification: CompTIA CompTIA CTP+ - c824

CompTIA CTP+ certification is also referred to as the CompTIA Convergence Technology Professional Certification. It is a technical certification of an advanced level that aims to train the candidate in convergent technologies. It focuses on different aspects of technologies which are used to run various businesses. In fact, CTP+ is one of the most admired certifications around the world which many of the vendors require.

This certification has got only one exam which tests all of the skills which the candidates gain during this certification. In this regard, it is quite important that the candidate prepares well for the exam in order to clear it with the required marks. However, there are some factors which make the certification harder than other certifications by CompTIA. In this article, we will discuss some of the reasons why this certification is considered to be harder. Based on the available evidence we will conclude whether this certification is really harder or is it just a false idea which has emerged regarding this certification. In this regard, well will have a look at the topics included in the exam, the structure of the exam, passing marks required and the overall difficulty level.

Topics Included in the Exam – Difficulty Level

There is just one exam which has been associated with this certification. In order to clear this exam, the candidate must get the required marks. However, the topics included in the exam are quite technical and demanding. In order to clear the exam, the candidate must have good concepts and a considerable amount of background knowledge as well. Following are the topics which are included in the exam:

1.  Planning various IP networks

This is one of the most important topics. The candidate needs to have in-depth knowledge about IP Addressing and should be able to develop different types of IP networks with ease.

2.  Voice and telephony services

In this topic, the candidate will be required to identify various functions and technologies which are used in the voice and telephony services. In addition, he will also have to know the process of voice troubleshooting in analog and digital environments.

3.  Wireless networking

The candidate should be familiar with all the conecpts of wireless networking in depth.

4.  Identification of various requirements

The candidate should be able to identify the requirements for transporting voice, text, modem and fax through a converged solution.

5.  Identification of security issues

The candidate should be able to identify and resolve security problems for converged networks.

As you can see, all of the topics which are included in the exams are quite technical and advanced. In addition to this, there are a wide range of topics in the exam as well, unlike most other certifications. This is the reason why this certification’s exam is considered to be tough and difficult, especially for those with little background knowledge and weak concepts.

Does the Exam Structure make it difficult to solve?

As far as the structure of this exam is concerned, it will have only multiple choice questions. The candidate will have to select one answer for each question. The total number of questions which will appear in the exam is 65. In addition to this, the candidate will be given a time of 90 minutes to solve each question. This leaves the candidate with 1 minute and 20 seconds for each question.

Considering the difficulty of this exam, the time provided is quite appropriate. According to the statistics, most of the people have had not issue in completing the exam due to the constraint of time. In fact, the time given is good enough for each question, unlike many other certifications. This is one reason which provides some kind of relaxation in solving this exam.

What Prerequisite Skills are required?

The complexity and difficulty of a certification exam can be judged from the prerequisites required for that certification. In this regard, this certification has some important prerequisites which the candidate must acquire before he can opt for this certification. The candidate should have at least 24 months of working experience in the field of data networking and other convergence related technologies. In addition to this, the candidate must have acquired the CompTIA Network+ certification. All of these prerequisites show that the certification’s exam will be quite tough.

Required Percentage to Clear the Exam

If you wish to clear this exam, you need to get at least 49 out of 65 questions correct. This means that you are required to get at least 75% marks to clear this exam. You need to keep in mind that the passing marks for this certification are less than other CompTIA certifications, which required 78% marks to pass the exam. However, consider the difficulty of the exam; even 75% marks are high. This is the reason why very few people who sit for the CompTIA CTP+ exam are able to clear it.

Final Verdict

In order to figure out whether the certification is tougher than other certifications, we need to sum up all of the facts which are stated above. As far as the topics included in this exam are concerned, they are very difficult and demanding. This requires the candidate to prepare quite well for them and have clear concepts. In addition to this, the required percentage to clear this exam is also quite high considering the complexity of the exams, which adds to a layer of difficulty. Furthermore, the prerequisites required for this certification are also quite advanced, which shows that this certification has been designed for professional people. Although the time required to solve this exam is good enough, it cannot compensate for the difficulty of the exam.

Hence, we can conclude that CompTIA CTP+ certification is much harder than than certifications.