how i know cert providers are legitimate

[unhappy]

I am looking to expand my certs w/ Cisco and Oracle. There are many advertisement in local papers about some of these certs w/ insane price difference. I do, want to save money. How do I know which one of these ppl are legitimate and which ones are not?

[zENGER]

Are you talking about the classes or the tests?

As far as I know, the testing prices are set by the test maker, like Cisco.

[unhappy]

the tests

[zENGER]

In my experience the price is set by the test maker. The proctor doesn't even get the test until a few minutes before it is administered, and you actually have to register with the vendor. This is how the Novell and Microsoft ones are atleast. The proctor then in turn has to pay the vendor for that test, and they charge you a small markup for using their facility. If you're finding a place that has a major discount I wouldn't trust it one bit. They probably aren't offering legit tests.

[Black Cluster]

I think emailing the cert issuer is the best bet .... don't gamble and set any exam unless you are pretty sure that everything is going on its right track ..... just check twice before commencing ...

[dmorgan]

The test center should have plaques on the walls or in prominent places that say things like "Cisco Certified Test Center" or "Authorized CompTIA testing center" (provided they aren't forged). You could also go through a third party, well known testing center like Prometric . That is how I did it, and I just recieved my certificate.

[d0pp]

The company who's cert you are after (ie. MS, Novell, Cisco) should have a list of testing providers/centers on their site. THat is the best source of information, since it is coming right from the company.


Or companies like Prometric, as dmorgan mentioned. I personally go through a company called Advantage Training Systems, but that's cause my best friend happens to be their MCT.

[vanman]

Well unhappy i have just put my son through 1 year of cisko training at a firm in SA called CCS who has a registered code for conducting these courses..He has done ccna,and about seven or eight other ones from which he had to write 4 international exams..You actually write them online at a designated time and get your points straight after from which you then can see if you have passed..Imust tell you that the pass rate was very high , something like 85 to 90% in some tests..He then received his Certificates from cisko int..and got a card which enstated him as a Cisko certified network associate with a reference code attached as well as his student number..

I will try and get you the ones that he completed in SA and maybe you can go from there..
hope it will help
vanman

[unhappy]

thank you for all your replies ...

for things like ccna ... do i need in-lab experience ... if so how can i get it. how much is a training and where can i get it