CompTIA defines unauthorized training materials as a source—a website, a PDF file, a social media page, a chat session, etc.—that contains certification exam content. The content included in unauthorized training materials is exactly the same or substantially similar to questions appearing on a CompTIA certification exam. All of CompTIA’s exam content is considered CompTIA intellectual property and, as such, is protected by copyright laws.
Additionally, CompTIA’s exam content is never released to the general public. Therefore, if exam content was fraudulently obtained, using such unauthorized materials to prepare for a CompTIA exam constitutes cheating. Providers of such unauthorized materials are in violation of CompTIA intellectual property rights and nondisclosure agreements.
If you are ever unsure whether the training material you are using is authorized or unauthorized, please contact examsecurity@comptia.org with your question or inquiry.
Consequences for candidates caught using unauthorized training materials
Despite a candidate’s knowledge of whether content is considered unauthorized training material, if a candidate memorizes unauthorized content in order to pass an exam and CompTIA discovers this occurred, the candidate will be banned from taking CompTIA exams for at least 12 months and lose his or her CompTIA certification. In addition, his or her test scores will be invalidated. As mentioned above, these actions will be taken even if the candidate did not have fraudulent intentions.
If you think you have discovered a site or provider that appears to be selling or distributing unauthorized training materials containing CompTIA exam content, please inform CompTIA by sending an email to examsecurity@comptia.org.
Assessing training content validity
In a joint effort, over 15 certification bodies from various industries, including CompTIA, have identified testing guidance* and best practices for candidates preparing to take exams through the Association of Testing Publishers (ATP). If you encounter any of the following during your exam preparation, this could indicate that exam fraud is happening, and you should “walk away”:
- Anyone who tells you that you are “guaranteed” to pass.
- Anyone who claims to have the latest or actual exam content.
- Any site or training that only provides questions/answers and has no educational content.
- Any site or training that covers a wide variety of exams in different sectors and industries.
- Anyone who offers to register you for the exam or asks you for your online account username and password.
- Anyone who encourages you to share real questions that you encountered in the exam with them.
- Any individual online or at a testing center who offers to take the exam for you.
- A community or chat room, including social media, that encourages sharing of exam content in a forum or message board.
- Any exam prep site that includes content with persistent typos and poor grammar.
*Guidance for Test takers Taking High Stakes Exams (2022) ATP
Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Large Language Models (LLMs)
CompTIA does not authorize or condone the use of artificial intelligence (AI), large language models (LLMs), or similar automated tools to generate study questions, practice exams, or exam‑related content for CompTIA certifications.
Candidates must not use AI or LLM tools for the purpose of attempting to recreate, predict, or obtain exam questions or answers. Any such use is considered a violation of CompTIA exam policies.
Many AI‑based tools are trained on large collections of publicly available data that may include unauthorized training materials, such as braindumps or other content derived from compromised exam questions. Because of this, AI‑generated study materials may:
- Contain incorrect, misleading, or outdated information
- Reflect content that is not aligned with current CompTIA exam objectives
- Include material that is identical or substantially similar to live CompTIA exam questions, even if unintentionally
Using AI‑generated questions or answers presents a serious risk to candidates. Studying from materials that include unauthorized or inaccurate content may negatively impact exam preparation and can result in violations of CompTIA’s exam policies.
Candidates are responsible for ensuring that all exam preparation materials come from authorized and legitimate sources. If AI‑generated content is determined to include unauthorized CompTIA exam content, its use may be considered cheating—regardless of whether the candidate intended to gain an unfair advantage.
To help you determine if a site is considered valid or invalid, please enter the URL in the below field.
Note: The following URLs will NOT yield accurate results:
- http://comptia.org/home
- www.comptia.org
- https://www.comptia.org/resources/test-policies
Please submit only the domain name, as seen in the example in the open field (i.e., comptia.org). Please do NOT include www, https, /subdomain, etc.