Why is Comptia so Damn Expensive

Porkalust

I was just looking at the prices of the Security plus bridge exam on the vue site to surprise is $190 Us dollars !. How does Comptia come up with these prices? and all you get certificate printed on regular letter paper and a cheap card, I know they exam well recognize but they too expensive.

wastedtime

It would be nice if they had a better card and certificate. You got to remember that they are lifetime certifications, and I believe it is their main source of income.

Bl8ckr0uter

Porkalust wrote: »

I was just looking at the prices of the Security plus bridge exam on the vue site to surprise is $190 Us dollars !. How does Comptia come up with these prices? and all you get certificate printed on regular letter and a cheap card, I know they exam well recognize but they too expensive.

Well for one they a forever certs, so they make a lot when you take the cert but you dont have to renew it so think of it like 190 for the rest of your life.
For two since they are forever certs and they dont get like 250 every 3 years like other companies

nel

Porkalust wrote: »

I was just looking at the prices of the Security plus bridge exam on the vue site to surprise is $190 Us dollars !. How does Comptia come up with these prices? and all you get certificate printed on regular letter and a cheap card, I know they exam well recognize but they too expensive.

I honestly dont know. But when you find out, let me know so i can slap their ceo across the face with a big fish.

Seriously, i would second the rest and say its simply due to them being lifetime certs.

Megadeth4168

Definitely due to the "lifetime" cert attribute. I think that they would benefit by creating an intermediate cert program. One that requires the entry level cert, and also has an expiration/renewal period.

If properly marketed, and technically challenging enough, I believe that could be a positive direction for CompTIA.

My idea of technically challenging of course, would involve some kind of hands on lab (which might cost too much) or at the very least some kind of simulators.

One issue is that CompTIA is a non-proprietary testing vendor. So it seems like it would be difficult to create some kind of simulator or lab environment, because inevitably, there will be some proprietary hardware or software being used.

massiramones

190$? hey! i was looking forward to have this certification too.... u know in Italy how much cost take an exam for security + 2008???
SY0-201???

286.00 EURO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Mean 417,2137$$$$ Dollars.........................................

I'll have to won lottery

Porkalust

I understand the lifetime cert will lead to the high price of the the Sys 101 which I shell out US$258.00 but if u want to update your cert to the Sys-201 $190 is too much it's more than half the cost of the full exam.

apena7

Because 24-hour server uptime isn't cheap.
Oh wait, we're talking about CompTIA right? Nevermind...

blargoe

Why is Comptia so Damn Expensive

Because they can, and people continue to pay.

WilliamK99

190 for Security Plus is a Bargain, start following the MCSE, MCSA, CCNA/CCNP paths and you will be throwing away alot more money, and have to get recertified every 3 years, at least with Comptia, they are lifetime certs.

Besides if you figure they have to pay the testing center, personnel to actual design the tests, and someone to continually update it, 190 is a bargain.

Porkalust

You misunderstood the $190 is to update my current security plus to the 2008 version, I think Comptia could of charge around $125 or less :)for the bridge exam and Recertification is not a waste of money its actually a good thing it help maintain the Value of the cert...!!

leefdaddy

I'd have to vote for the whole "lifetime" thing. Only thing that really makes sense...

mikedisd2

knwminus wrote: »

Well for one they a forever certs, so they make a lot when you take the cert but you dont have to renew it so think of it like 190 for the rest of your life.

Not good enough. How much does it have to cost in order to be unjustifiable? In Aust. it's $480, half my weekly wage. I'd never consider doing a CompTia exam due to the cost alone.

No employer goes "Wow, he's got A+!" They want specific certs like MSCE etc. At least around here anyway.

JDMurray

blargoe wrote: »

Because they can, and people continue to pay.

It's capitalistic the principle of "what the market will bear."

mikedisd2 wrote: »

How much does it have to cost in order to be unjustifiable? In Aust. it's $480, half my weekly wage. I'd never consider doing a CompTia exam due to the cost alone.

When the market no longer supports their pricing they will be forced to offer discounts or reduced prices. I haven't paid for a CompTIA exam myself since 2005 because of the prices, and the prices have been going up since. CompTIA certs are still desirable and therefore still pricey.

brad-

Specifically for the Sec+ exam, the passing score is so high, and the fail rate is also high...so i didnt take the exam even after i spent a month prepping for it, for fear of throwing that $$$ down the toilet gambling.

I think for that hefty price, they should allow you a retest in a month's timeframe...kind of like MS's second shot.

Zartanasaurus

Anyone have an idea how much the test center takes out of that price?

Slowhand

Aside from the benefits of CompTIA offering lifetime certs and being very much in demand, the high prices are a definite downside. The thing to remember, though, is that CompTIA is a business and they want to make money for the services they offer, just like Microsoft, Cisco, Red Hat, Juniper, etc. The others aren't cheap either, - $250 for the CCNA, $125 a pop for Microsoft exams, and then there's the CCIE - but if you don't agree with CompTIA's pricing policies, do what every consumer has the power to do and hit them where it hurts by simply not taking their exams.

If the high prices aren't worth it, in your mind, then it makes no sense to keep paying those prices and it might be better worth your time, money, and effort to pursue other certs. It's all about the fundamental question: is the cert worth it? If it is, great; if it's not, then don't put your money on the line.

eMeS

Zartanasaurus wrote: »

Anyone have an idea how much the test center takes out of that price?

As I remember (and I only really know for Prometric), as a testing center you are paid an amount per test, after a certain volume. The volume as a I remember was on a monthly basis, with the first tier before any payment per test being a relatively high target. Upon hitting that target, at the time, the payment was $5 per exam. After that there were other targets, and the amount that the testing center would get increases as targets are met, however, the targets were ridiculously high.

On the topic of the thread, I agree with JD that to some extent certification vendors charge what the market will bear. Additionally, I'd like to point out that CompTIA is a non-profit, but also generates a stream of revenue by allowing organizations to join them.

I don't know for sure, but don't the members have some say in setting the exam prices?

MS

Plantwiz

Slowhand wrote: »

...

If the high prices aren't worth it, in your mind, then it makes no sense to keep paying those prices and it might be better worth your time, money, and effort to pursue other certs. It's all about the fundamental question: is the cert worth it? If it is, great; if it's not, then don't put your money on the line.

100% agree!

mikedisd2

Slowhand wrote: »

If the high prices aren't worth it, in your mind, then it makes no sense to keep paying those prices and it might be better worth your time, money, and effort to pursue other certs. It's all about the fundamental question: is the cert worth it? If it is, great; if it's not, then don't put your money on the line.

Way to kill the banter dude.

But that's exactly what I'm doing. There's no demand for them in Aus.

ipconfig.all

Comptia has the best fundamental stuff and also their certifications expire ever 2 years.

bgrablin

apena7 wrote: »

Because 24-hour server uptime isn't cheap.
Oh wait, we're talking about CompTIA right? Nevermind...

Took the words out of my mouth. I hope they choke on my cash!

skrpune

ipconfig.all wrote: »

Comptia has the best fundamental stuff and also their certifications expire ever 2 years.

just to clarify, the certs don't ever expire - they update the objectives every 2-3 years on average, but you don't need to recertify unless your employer requires it.

AlexMR

JDMurray wrote: »

It's capitalistic the principle of "what the market will bear."


When the market no longer supports their pricing they will be forced to offer discounts or reduced prices. I haven't paid for a CompTIA exam myself since 2005 because of the prices, and the prices have been going up since. CompTIA certs are still desirable and therefore still pricey.

They are changing that much not because of costs but because of value. They have a good marketer in pricing. The whole concept of cost-plus pricing is outdated and proven ineffective. pricing is based on value added and I think we all are going to agree that in terms of vlue added the most expensive of those certifications are still a bargain.

I was complaining about the CCNA voice exam because it REALLY IS expensive, but that is only when you are in the process of making the payment. When you think of value, they are really cheap.

When you think of it, maybe Cisco exams are the cheapest. or to say it differently, the biggest bargain. I mean, 600USD for a CCNP? That's cheap!!

Norbie

...Because Satan takes so much off the top.

JDMurray

AlexMR wrote: »

When you think of it, maybe Cisco exams are the cheapest. or to say it differently, the biggest bargain. I mean, 600USD for a CCNP? That's cheap!!

When you compare the employment value to the average cost to obtain, the MCSE, CISSP, and the most popular Cisco certs are probably the best certification values out there.

Firemarshalbill.com

Zartanasaurus

The testing centers make about $3 per exam per person

Zartanasaurus

Firemarshalbill.com wrote: »

Zartanasaurus

The testing centers make about $3 per exam per person

Not exactly a lucrative business.

JDMurray

Zartanasaurus wrote: »

Not exactly a lucrative business.

This is why most testing centers are an adjunct facility to some other type of business. The community college where I take my exams has a 12-seat exam room and they average 30-40 certification candidates per day, six days a week (this includes IT, nursing, contracting, and aviation certs). At $3 a pop, they're pulling in around $600/week, and that must pay the electricity, maintenance, and the hourly wages of the exam admins.

Slowhand

JDMurray wrote: »

This is why most testing centers are an adjunct facility to some other type of business. The community college where I take my exams has a 12-seat exam room and they average 30-40 certification candidates per day, six days a week (this includes IT, nursing, contracting, and aviation certs). At $3 a pop, they're pulling in around $600/week, and that must pay the electricity, maintenance, and the hourly wages of the exam admins.

And that doesn't include the testing centers that offer other types of exams, not just IT certifications. If you look on Prometric or Vue's site, there are options for taking exams in everything from medicine and law to electricians' certs and real estate licenses. The Prometric center down the street from my house has only two machines, in a testing room of anywhere from 25 to 30 workstations, dedicated to IT exams. I've never seen the place empty and rescheduling is always a hassle because of the volume of candidates they see come through the door.

Kasor

Just suck it up and drive on... Hopefully, that you can get reimbursement from work or at least able to get a better job interview...