CBT Direct??

Good afternoon all. My name is James and I am currently enlisted in the US Navy. I am an IT2(Information Systems Technician, E-5) going on 9 years now.

I am looking to become a civilian within the next year and I am pushing to get as many certs as I can.

I recently signed up for some CBT training through Comptia's website that sent me to CBT direct. I paid $1200 for the A+, Network+, Security+, and Server+ training modules. I have 12 months to use this training which seems to me to be enough time to aquire them all. They also gurantee your money back if you do not pass the exam after completing the their training and practice exams. I really wish I would have found this site prior to spending that much, but we will see if it pays off.

Has anyone ever used this company? If so, how much did it prepare you for the exam?

I just started the training, and it seems to be very imformative. Its has already refreshed my memory as well as taught me a few things I overlooked before.

Thanks in advance for any input you can provide.

Awesome site, keep up the good work!

James

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jryantech

Hey Jruckas! Welcome to the forums!

Thanks for doing service for your country thats awesome.

As for your certifications $1200 for training in A+, Network+, Security+ and Server+ is not bad at all!

Normally you would most likely get 1-2 books ($60-120), a few practice exams ($100-200) and some other material for each one, without a guarantee to pass! That would be about ~$1000-1200.

My advice is to use what you paid for and the tech notes on this forum.

Although I never used CBT Express there is http://www.cbtnuggets.com/ which has very good reviews though I do not know if they are affiliated.

Good luck

Jruckas

Thanks for the welcome.

You made me feel better about spending the $1200 too. I probably should have taken the time to do some more research, but I figured if Comptia lets them advertise on their website, they have to be a decent company. Only time will tell.

Thanks again for the reply and I will be using the tech notes listed above.

James

dynamik

Yea, CBTs are usually $200-300+ per series, so the pricing is in line with others if the quality is decent. You should probably pick up a written resource for each exam as well. CBTs usually aren't in-depth enough.

Welcome to the site.

Jruckas

dynamik wrote:

Yea, CBTs are usually $200-300+ per series, so the pricing is in line with others if the quality is decent. You should probably pick up a written resource for each exam as well. CBTs usually aren't in-depth enough.

Welcome to the site.

For written resources, what do you recommend for A+?

dynamik

I see a lot of people recommend the Mike Meyers books for A+ and Network+. I have them and they seem like good resources, but I haven't taken the exams. The Syngress book was good for Security+, and the Server+ Bible (really cheap used on Amazon, around $5) is probably the best resource for that.

http://www.amazon.com/Certification-All-One-Guide-Sixth/dp/0072263113/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1214331931&sr=8-1

http://www.amazon.com/Network-Certification-All-Guide-Third/dp/0072253452/ref=pd_bbs_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1214331931&sr=8-2

http://www.amazon.com/Server-Certification-Bible-Trevor-Kay/dp/0764548093/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1214331954&sr=8-1

http://www.syngress.com/catalog/?pid=4350

SrAtechie

Welcome to the forums! Have you checked out your skillsoft courses on Navy e-learning? I use the books 24x7 feature as my reading material to supplement the CBT Nuggets training DVD's that I purchase for studying. I'd recommend you check it out because they have a lot of free books for the courses you're wishing to take.

Jruckas

Dynamik,

Thanks for the info on the written resources. I will check those out.

SrAtechie,

Thanks for the heads up on the NKO training. I would never have expected them to have material like that. Here I thought it was only good for GMT. lol...

Thanks again!

James

Jruckas

I just checked out e-learning and they need to update their A+ material with the new stuff. Good info though and I will use it for the other certs.

James

Plantwiz

CBTNuggets is pretty decent. I've enjoyed and gotten a bit out of the ones I've used...though A+ wasn't one of them.

TrainSignal provides a 'whole' picture of the area and I think prepares people better then merely teaching to the exam topic.

If you have access to either, I'd say you have a good resource at your figure tips.

thanks for your service!!

Good luck!

Faulken

I am new to this forum and let me tell you that it seems to be God send! Anyway I've been searching for a site just like this one. Regarding the CBT thing. I signed up and downloaded their comptia objectives free. Next thing I know they called me like the next day. I though this was GREAT. Anyway, we threw around some pricing for the classes and they told me that it would be $875 for the class and the exam would be separate all total right around $1000. This didn't sound bad as come of the other sites and local tech schools were quoting at least 3 times that amount per certification. Nothing was said, however about any money back deal.
After I got off the phone with them I thought that was it. I discussed it, showed interest, and then I told them that I would be in touch. Had to go out that afternoon and when I got home... 3 more calls from CBT with no messages. I called them back and requested the do not call list.

So, should I go with CBT for the exam training or would I be better off to go at it as a lone wolf?

Jruckas

Faulken wrote:

I am new to this forum and let me tell you that it seems to be God send! Anyway I've been searching for a site just like this one. Regarding the CBT thing. I signed up and downloaded their comptia objectives free. Next thing I know they called me like the next day. I though this was GREAT. Anyway, we threw around some pricing for the classes and they told me that it would be $875 for the class and the exam would be separate all total right around $1000. This didn't sound bad as come of the other sites and local tech schools were quoting at least 3 times that amount per certification. Nothing was said, however about any money back deal.
After I got off the phone with them I thought that was it. I discussed it, showed interest, and then I told them that I would be in touch. Had to go out that afternoon and when I got home... 3 more calls from CBT with no messages. I called them back and requested the do not call list.

So, should I go with CBT for the exam training or would I be better off to go at it as a lone wolf?

I am guessing that you are talking about DBT Direct. If so, $875 sounds too high. When I talked to them, they told me it would have been about $400-$500 for one cert CBT training. So far the training seems to be worth the money. I will be able to tell you more when I take the exam.
Call this guy, Tom Perry 1-800-653-4933 X1211 He called me back within minutes of signing up on their website. He calls every other week to check to see how I am doing with the training.

However you study habits are, will determine what type of resources you will use. I find that CBT's with a written resource(Mike Meyers A+ All-in-one 6th edition) is the way for me.

James

markusrawson

I am think of signing up. Do you think it is worth it have you had any problems yet

Kev B

Hello to all, I'm new to this forum. Looks like no-one has posed anything in a while about CBT Direct. I just completed my masters in IT Sec. However I was thinking of signing up for CBT to help really prepare for some certs. Has anyone here ever used the chapter 31 (Voc Rehab) to pay for the CBT Direct training? They tell me that they work with Veterans all the time. I was thinking of going ahead and getting started and let them reimburse me when I get approved for the Voc Rehab program, however what if Voc Rehab doesn't approve them? Then I'm stuck. So just wondered if anyone had any experience with the Voc Rehab and CBT. Thanks in advance for your feed back.

RaBeck

Just want to clarify, CBT Nuggets is NOT affiliated in any way with CBT Direct.

Darril

@Kev B, Welcome to the forums. Congrats on getting your Masters in IT Sec. Thanks for your service and sorry to hear to that you're eligible for the Chapter 31 Voc Rehab program. Given the choice between living with a service-connected disability and getting some benefits to overcome them, or leaving the service healthy, most people would choose the latter. I honestly don't know anything about CBT Direct but a few things came to mind.

First, I'd suggest that you don't put out any money you can't afford to lose with the hope that it'll be approved. In some government programs, even if it's approved later, you won't be reimbursed for money you paid before.

Second, you might benefit from a continuing education track at a college or university instead of this. For example, many training institutions provide full MCSE and CCNA tracks that start out with the CompTIA trio of A+, Network+, and Security+.

Last, with the Masters in IT Security, you can probably self-study and earn some certs. Here's a simple timeline to build a solid foundation of IT certifications through self-study:

A+ 90 days to complete the two exams
Network+ another 30-45 days to complete the one exam
Security+ another 30-45 days to complete the one exam

Depending on how much time you have to study, you might easily be able to accelerate this schedule.

Some people might debate the value of the A+ certification for some with a Masters in IT Security but since you posted in the A+ forum, I included it.

Hope this helps.