3/19/2003 -- When it comes to CompTIA's, almost everyone knows about the A+ ; it is safe to call it the favorite son in the halls of Oakbrook Terrace, Illinois. A bit lower down on the list falls the Network+ exam. While it has not been able to match the success of A+, it is accepted by other vendors into their own certification programs and generally well regarded. A slew of new certifications, such as Security+, and HTI+ are also available and generate some press here and there.

Then there is the i-Net+ certification: a one-exam, lifetime certification of Internet-based skills. For some reason, this one is all too often overlooked and under appreciated. In talking with human resource managers, it appears that this certification is not well known beyond the halls of CompTIA, and it does not seem to generate much interest within those halls either. This is a downright shame, for I-Net+ truly is worth a serious look. Hopefully, this article can shed a little light on this exam and certification and do it the justice it deserves.

The Concept
The idea behind i-Net+, to quote from CompTIA, is to provide a "vendor-neutral, entry-level certification that tests baseline technical knowledge and skills of Internet, intranet, and extranet technologies independent of specific Internet related career roles." Translated into something meaningful, that means that it is a test of Internet-based concepts.

Is there a need for a certification of Internet-based concepts? Absolutely! Two reasons spring to mind:

1. In a tight job market, it is more important than ever to prove your knowledge by having it accredited by an independent party.
2. A number of other vendors offer similar certifications (CIW, most notably), but no one else offers the ability to get certified at their highest level with only one exam.

This last point is worth examining. With CIW, you can take a "basic" test on Internet technologies and become a CIW Associate. The "basic" is questionable, since you need to know HTML programming at a pretty high level in order to pass the exam. After this, you must pass a Server exam that really wants to make sure you know how to work with NT/2000 and Linux/Unix to reach the next level. This is counterintuitive since it defeats the vendor-neutrality of what a certification should be. Then there are two others exams you need to pass -- internetworking and security -- to become fully CIW certified.

This means you need to spend time, effort, and money to pass four exams with CIW to basically become certified at their highest-level of Internet-based certification, when you could do the same with one exam from CompTIA. Oh, sure, you had to learn a lot more with CIW, such as how to be an NT/2000 administrator and a Linux whiz, but what do those items really have to do with vendor-neutral Internet-based topics anyway? Nothing.

Pure and simple, there is no better vendor-neutral Internet-based certification available. The i-Net+ certification is a great timesaver, consisting on a single exam focused on what really matters.

The Implementation
The exam is as simple as any you would expect from CompTIA. It consists of 74 multiple-choice questions and you have 90 minutes in which to answer them. The grading scale ranges from 100 (so you don't feel like a nothing if you don't answer a single question) to 900, with 655 being the required passing score. A complete FAQ focused on i-Net+ can be found at http://www.comptia.org/certification/I-Net/faqs.asp.

There are five key categories (domains) on the exam, with a different weighting for each. These are:

• Internet Basics & Clients - 30%
• Development - 20%
• Networking - 20%
• Internet Security - 20%
• Business Concepts - 10%

A complete list of the exam objectives, subobjectives and topics can be found at http://www.comptia.org/certification/I-Net/inet_objectives.pdf (PDF download).

The Gripes
Of course, nothing's perfect:

1. Since the exam was revised in April 2002, most publishers have not updated their study guides. This makes it difficult to find relevant study material if you're weak in any of the objective categories. Most publishers who put out books to the first release were probably disappointed by the fact that the exam did not take off and decided not to update what they had out. This makes it very important that you examine any book on i-Net+ before you purchase it and make certain it says that it is for exam code IK0-002.
2. The exam is so overpriced that it is laudable of CompTIA for not breaking into laughter every time someone signs up for it. When you plunk down the soon-to-be-more-than $200, just remind yourself that you are saving time and effort by taking only one exam, and that there are worse things you could spend money on.

The Suggestion
With the labor market in the condition that it currently is in, everyone needs as much differentiation on their resume as they can get. Having a neutral third-party with a recognized name like CompTIA verify your Internet skills is a great idea, and i-Net+ is the perfect exam to use to authenticate that knowledge. Not only will you be adding another certification to your resume, but it is one that does not expire, and will allow you to stand out in the crowd.

Questions? Comments? Post your thoughts below!