7/28/2004 -- Yesterday the Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA) released new objectives for an upcoming revision of its vendor-neutral Network+ certification exam.

The announcement was not entirely unexpected: In April, CompTIA said it was reviewing the current version of Network+ -- released in 2002 -- for possible revision.

Kris Madura, CompTIA certification program manager, told CertCities.com today the company does not yet have an official release date for the new exam, but did say it will be sometime "Spring" 2005. According to Madura, the final release date will be determined with the input of education partners to ensure that the timing is in line with their academic calendars.

"We're releasing the objectives now because we want to give [training partners] and content providers adequate time to prepare," she said. "We also want to assure candidates that [they] have time to begin and complete training and go forward with and complete the current exam now."

As for the revision itself, Madura said she wouldn't characterize it as either a minor or major upgrade. "There was a consensus from our [subject matter experts] and community at large that a revision was needed -- and obviously, we feel its valuable or we wouldn't be doing it -- but it's not like there's a 50 or 60 percent shift," she explained. "[Candidates] will see some relevant and valuable changes, [but] they can take some comfort that it's not a complete switch from old to new."

According to a document comparing the objectives, several technologies have been dropped from the title's focus, including AUI and BNC connectors, ICA and attached Network storage. New technologies include SSH, LDAP, Reverse Access Protocol, X.25, OS X, VPNs, and recent wireless networking standards.

Madura said that the new exam will have more emphasis on the "big picture" of administering a network; for example, not just installing an application, but making sure that candidates have an eye on how that may effect the entire network. "[This is] that is very much reflected in the Network Implementation domain," she said.

Objectives for the upcoming and current exam can be found here. Note that CompTIA now requires candidates to provide a name and e-mail address before downloading objectives from its Web site. A CompTIA spokesperson told CertCities.com that it implemented this change in order to better track downloads, and that information collected would only be used if candidates request further information during the process.

According to Madura, instead of releasing a separate beta test for the update, CompTIA will most likely seed unscored questions onto the current version of its Network+ exam, as was done with the most recent A+ update.

There are approximately 135,000 Network+-certified professionals worldwide. The upgrade will not affect those already Network+ certified as the title does not expire.

More information on this announcement can be found here. -Becky Nagel