Is CompTIA A+ hard?
Judge whether two-exam breadth is manageable through device, operating-system, networking, security, and ticket work.
What the vendors actually require
How hard is an IT certification?
Direct answer
What to do
There is no universal difficulty ranking. Start with the vendor's formal prerequisite and recommended background, then test whether you can perform the core work in a lab. This page has dated experience evidence for 147 certifications.
Prepare now when
- The vendor-recommended foundations are already familiar in practice.
- You can complete representative tasks without copying a walkthrough.
- A diagnostic attempt identifies specific study gaps you can close.
Build foundations first when
- Open registration is the only reason you think the exam is beginner-ready.
- The basic vocabulary and practical tasks are still unfamiliar.
- You are using a difficulty label as a substitute for testing readiness.
Reviewed 2026-08-26
Credential-specific decisions
Choose the exam you are considering
These pages turn the official scope and recommended background into practical prepare-now or build-foundations-first advice. They do not predict whether you will pass.
Is CompTIA Network+ hard?
Use IP addressing, troubleshooting, device behavior, and hands-on tasks to decide whether the exam is manageable yet.
Is CompTIA Security+ hard?
Check whether networking, systems, identity, logging, and security scenarios are familiar enough to begin exam-specific study.
Is Cisco CCNA hard?
Use subnetting, routing, switching, configuration, and troubleshooting labs to decide whether CCNA is the right next step.
Is AWS Cloud Practitioner hard?
Separate a foundational AWS vocabulary decision from the hands-on administration or architecture work you may actually need.
Is CompTIA Linux+ hard?
Test command-line administration, security, automation, and troubleshooting before committing to exam-specific preparation.
Is CompTIA PenTest+ hard?
Check networking, Linux, web, legal-scope lab, evidence, reporting, and remediation foundations before paying for preparation.
Is CCNP Enterprise hard?
Start only when CCNA-level troubleshooting is routine and one concentration matches a real enterprise-networking gap.
Is CISSP hard?
Start with the qualifying-experience gate, then test whether your judgment spans the credential’s broad security domains.
Is ISC2 CC hard?
Use the no-experience entry point as a foundation decision, then pair the published scope with practical security work.
Registration is open; the vendor also positions it as foundational (17)
Learnerside found both an open-registration or no-experience statement and the vendor’s own foundational positioning. That does not mean the exam is easy or that preparation is unnecessary.
| Certification | Vendor | What we found on the vendor’s page | Read on |
|---|---|---|---|
| CC - Certified in Cybersecurity | ISC2 | No prerequisite stated. source | 2026-08-23 |
| Certified Associate in Project Management | Project Management Institute | A secondary diploma (high-school or global equivalent) plus 23 contact hours of formal project-management education — no work experience and no prior certification required. source | 2026-06-14 |
| Certified Cybersecurity Technician (CCT) | EC-Council | No experience prerequisite stated on the official eligibility page. Candidate purchases the listed CCT exam voucher. source Second route: No training-or-experience gate is stated on the official eligibility page. | 2026-06-26 |
| Cisco Certified Support Technician Cybersecurity | Cisco | No formal prerequisites. source | 2026-09-09 |
| Cisco Certified Support Technician IT Support | Cisco | No formal prerequisites; candidates should understand the exam topics before taking it. source | 2026-07-04 |
| Cisco Certified Support Technician Networking | Cisco | No formal prerequisites. source | 2026-06-12 |
| Cloud Digital Leader | Google Cloud | Prerequisites: None. source | 2026-06-26 |
| Cloud Fundamentals | ISACA | No prerequisite stated on page. source | 2026-06-26 |
| Generative AI Leader | Google Cloud | No prerequisite stated. source | 2026-06-26 |
| IT Audit Fundamentals | ISACA | No prerequisite stated on page. source | 2026-06-26 |
| IT Risk Fundamentals | ISACA | No prerequisite stated on page. source | 2026-06-26 |
| ITIL 4 Foundation | PeopleCert | No experience requirement stated. source | 2026-07-29 |
| Microsoft Azure Fundamentals | Microsoft | None source | 2026-08-23 |
| Microsoft Certified: Azure Data Fundamentals | Microsoft | No formal prerequisites; open registration. source | 2026-07-04 |
| Microsoft Certified: Power Platform Fundamentals | Microsoft | No experience requirement stated. source | 2026-06-26 |
| Microsoft Certified: Security, Compliance, and Identity Fundamentals | Microsoft | No formal prerequisites; open registration. source | 2026-07-04 |
| Palo Alto Networks Certified Cybersecurity Apprentice | Palo Alto Networks | No formal prerequisite stated on the vendor page. source | 2026-07-30 |
The vendor recommends prior background (100)
These statements describe preparation or the intended audience, not a registration gate. A recommendation can still be useful: compare it with work and lab evidence you can already demonstrate.
| Certification | Vendor | What we found on the vendor’s page | Read on |
|---|---|---|---|
| Associate Google Workspace Administrator | Google Cloud | 6 months of Google Workspace Super Admin experience in a real or test environment. Hands-on experience with Business Plus edition and knowledge of Enterprise Edition features and functionality. Certification renewal: Candidates may renew their certification source | 2026-06-08 |
| AWS Certified AI Practitioner | Amazon Web Services | Up to 6 months of exposure to AI/ML technologies on AWS; familiarity with core AWS services and use cases, the shared responsibility model, IAM, and AWS service pricing. source | 2026-08-07 |
| AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner | Amazon Web Services | Up to 6 months of exposure to AWS Cloud — explicitly not required; the exam targets candidates new to cloud who may not have an IT background. source | 2026-08-23 |
| AWS Certified CloudOps Engineer - Associate | Amazon Web Services | Individuals with about one year of experience deploying, managing, and operating workloads on AWS; FAQ says one year with deployment, management, networking, and security on AWS. source | 2026-06-26 |
| AWS Certified Data Engineer - Associate | Amazon Web Services | Ideal candidate has the equivalent of 2-3 years of experience in data engineering or data architecture and a minimum of 1-2 years of hands-on experience with AWS services. source | 2026-06-26 |
| AWS Certified Developer - Associate | Amazon Web Services | One or more years of prior hands-on experience developing and maintaining applications by using AWS services is recommended. source | 2026-06-26 |
| AWS Certified DevOps Engineer - Professional | Amazon Web Services | Two or more years of experience provisioning, operating, and managing AWS environments is recommended for the target candidate. source | 2026-06-26 |
| AWS Certified Generative AI Developer - Professional | Amazon Web Services | Target candidate should have two or more years building production-grade applications on AWS or with open-source technologies plus one year hands-on implementing generative AI solutions. source | 2026-06-26 |
| AWS Certified Machine Learning Engineer - Associate | Amazon Web Services | At least one year of experience using Amazon SageMaker and other ML engineering AWS services; FAQ also states at least one year in ML engineering or related field and one year hands-on with AWS services. source | 2026-06-26 |
| AWS Certified Security - Specialty | Amazon Web Services | Intended for experienced individuals with five years of IT security experience designing and implementing security solutions and two or more years hands-on securing AWS workloads. source | 2026-06-26 |
| AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Professional | Amazon Web Services | Recommended experience is two or more years using AWS services to design and implement cloud solutions. source | 2026-06-26 |
| AWS Certified Solutions Architect Associate | Amazon Web Services | At least 1 year of hands-on experience designing AWS cloud solutions (the vendor's recommendation, not a requirement); candidates with 1–3 years of IT experience have earned it. source | 2026-08-23 |
| CCDE | Cisco | Learners are recommended to have five to seven years of experience with designing and architecting network solutions, as well as engaging in other related activities, such as pre-sales work. source | 2026-06-12 |
| CCIE Automation | Cisco | Cisco states there are no formal prerequisites; learners are recommended to have five to seven years of experience with designing, deploying, operating, and optimizing the certification technology area. source | 2026-06-26 |
| CCIE Collaboration | Cisco | Cisco states there are no formal prerequisites; learners are recommended to have five to seven years of experience with designing, deploying, operating, and optimizing the certification technology area. source | 2026-06-26 |
| CCIE Data Center | Cisco | Cisco states there are no formal prerequisites; learners are recommended to have five to seven years of experience with designing, deploying, operating, and optimizing the certification technology area. source | 2026-06-26 |
| CCIE Enterprise Infrastructure | Cisco | Cisco states there are no formal prerequisites; learners are recommended to have five to seven years of experience with designing, deploying, operating, and optimizing the certification technology area. source | 2026-06-26 |
| CCIE Security | Cisco | Learners are recommended to have five to seven years of experience with designing, deploying, operating, and optimizing security technologies and solutions. source | 2026-06-12 |
| CCIE Service Provider | Cisco | Cisco states there are no formal prerequisites; learners are recommended to have five to seven years of experience with designing, deploying, operating, and optimizing the certification technology area. source | 2026-06-26 |
| CCIE Wireless | Cisco | Learners are recommended to have five to seven years of experience with designing, deploying, operating and optimizing enterprise wireless technologies and solutions prior to taking the exam. source | 2026-06-12 |
| CCNP Automation | Cisco | Cisco states there are no formal prerequisites; learners often have three to five years of experience implementing solutions in the certification technology area. source | 2026-06-26 |
| CCNP Collaboration | Cisco | Cisco states there are no formal prerequisites; learners often have three to five years of experience implementing solutions in the certification technology area. source | 2026-06-26 |
| CCNP Cybersecurity | Cisco | Candidates often have three to five years of experience implementing enterprise networking solutions. source | 2026-06-12 |
| CCNP Data Center | Cisco | Cisco states there are no formal prerequisites; learners often have three to five years of experience implementing solutions in the certification technology area. source | 2026-06-26 |
| CCNP Enterprise | Cisco | Cisco states there are no formal prerequisites; learners often have three to five years of experience implementing enterprise network solutions. source | 2026-08-24 |
| CCNP Service Provider | Cisco | Cisco states there are no formal prerequisites; learners often have three to five years of experience implementing solutions in the certification technology area. source | 2026-06-26 |
| Certified System Administrator | ServiceNow | No required experience or prerequisite stated. source | 2026-06-26 |
| CompTIA A+ | CompTIA | CompTIA recommends 12 months of hands-on experience in an IT support specialist role (a recommendation, not a requirement). source | 2026-09-09 |
| CompTIA Cloud+ | CompTIA | 2–3 years of hands-on experience as a systems administrator or cloud engineer (a vendor recommendation, not a requirement). source | 2026-06-19 |
| CompTIA CloudNetX | CompTIA | at least 10 years of IT experience, including 5 years in a network architect role, with hybrid cloud environments and foundational knowledge equivalent to Network+, Security+, and Cloud+ (a vendor recommendation, not a requirement). source | 2026-06-19 |
| CompTIA CySA+ | CompTIA | About 4 years in a SOC analyst or vulnerability analyst role. source | 2026-08-23 |
| CompTIA Data+ | CompTIA | 18–24 months in a data analyst or similar job role, with exposure to databases, analytical tools, basic statistics, and data visualization (a vendor recommendation, not a requirement). source | 2026-06-19 |
| CompTIA DataAI | CompTIA | 5+ years in data science or a similar role (a vendor recommendation, not a requirement). source | 2026-06-19 |
| CompTIA DataSys+ | CompTIA | no prerequisites, with 2–3 years of experience in a database administrator role recommended (a vendor recommendation, not a requirement). source | 2026-06-19 |
| CompTIA Linux+ | CompTIA | 12 months of hands-on experience with Linux servers; CompTIA A+, Network+, or Server+, or comparable knowledge is recommended. (a vendor recommendation, not a requirement). source | 2026-06-19 |
| CompTIA Network+ | CompTIA | CompTIA recommends A+ plus 9–12 months of hands-on experience in a junior network-administrator or network-support-technician role (a recommendation, not a requirement). source | 2026-09-09 |
| CompTIA PenTest+ | CompTIA | 3–4 years in a penetration tester job role, with Network+ and Security+ or equivalent knowledge (a vendor recommendation, not a requirement). source | 2026-08-23 |
| CompTIA Project+ | CompTIA | equivalent to 6–12 months of hands-on experience managing projects in a tech environment (a vendor recommendation, not a requirement). source | 2026-06-19 |
| CompTIA Security+ | CompTIA | CompTIA recommends Network+ plus two years in a security or systems-administrator role (preparation guidance, not a registration requirement). source | 2026-09-09 |
| CompTIA SecurityX | CompTIA | minimum of 10 years of general hands-on IT experience, including 5 years of hands-on security, with Network+, Security+, CySA+, Cloud+, and PenTest+ or equivalent knowledge (a vendor recommendation, not a requirement). source | 2026-06-19 |
| CompTIA Server+ | CompTIA | CompTIA A+ certified or equivalent knowledge, with two years of hands-on experience in a server environment (a vendor recommendation, not a requirement). source | 2026-06-19 |
| Databricks Certified Data Engineer Professional | Databricks | Related course attendance and one year of hands-on experience in data engineering tasks outlined in the exam guide are highly recommended. source | 2026-06-26 |
| Databricks Certified Machine Learning Professional | Databricks | Course attendance and one year of hands-on Databricks experience are highly recommended. source | 2026-06-26 |
| Fortinet NSE 4 - FortiOS 7.6 Administrator | Fortinet | No required experience or prerequisite stated. 1–2 years of experience with networking; 0–1 year of experience with network security; Minimum of 6 months of hands-on experience with FortiGate source | 2026-06-26 |
| Fortinet NSE 5 - FortiAnalyzer 7.6 Analyst | Fortinet | A minimum of 6 months to 1 year of hands-on experience with FortiGate and FortiAnalyzer is recommended. source | 2026-06-26 |
| Fortinet NSE 5 - FortiManager 7.6 Administrator | Fortinet | A minimum of 6 months to 1 year of hands-on experience with FortiGate and FortiManager is recommended. source | 2026-06-26 |
| Fortinet NSE 5 - FortiWeb 8.0 Administrator | Fortinet | 3 years of experience with networking; 1 year of experience with network security; A minimum of 6 months of hands-on experience with FortiWeb source | 2026-06-26 |
| Fortinet NSE 6 - FortiMail 7.4 Administrator | Fortinet | 3 years of experience with networking; 1 year of experience with network security; Minimum of 6 months of hands-on experience with FortiMail source | 2026-06-26 |
| Fortinet NSE 6 - LAN Edge 7.6 Architect | Fortinet | 3 years of experience with networking (wireless and wired); 1 year of experience with network security; 1 year of experience with identity management and access control source | 2026-06-26 |
| Fortinet NSE 6 - Network Security 7.6 Support Engineer | Fortinet | 3 years of experience with networking; 3 years of experience with network security; Minimum of 2 years of hands-on experience with FortiGate source | 2026-06-26 |
| Fortinet NSE 6 - OT Security 7.6 Architect | Fortinet | A minimum of 2 years of experience in design, implementation, and integration of the Fortinet solution in an OT infrastructure is recommended. source | 2026-06-26 |
| Fortinet NSE 6 - SD-WAN 7.6 Enterprise Administrator | Fortinet | 3 years of experience with networking; 3 years of experience with network security; 2 years of experience with FortiGate and FortiManager source | 2026-06-26 |
| Fortinet NSE 7 - Enterprise Firewall 7.6 Administrator | Fortinet | 3 years of experience with networking; 3 years of experience with network security; 2 years of experience with FortiGate, FortiManager, and FortiAnalyzer source | 2026-06-26 |
| Fortinet NSE 7 - Public Cloud Security 7.6.4 Architect | Fortinet | 2 year of experience with Fortinet security solutions; 2 years of experience with AWS cloud; 2 years of experience with Azure cloud source | 2026-06-26 |
| Fortinet NSE 7 - Security Operations 7.6 Architect | Fortinet | 1 year of experience with network security; 6 months of experience working in SOC source | 2026-06-26 |
| GIAC Foundational Cybersecurity Technologies (GFACT) | GIAC (SANS) | No formal experience requirement found on the official GIAC certification page; GIAC certification attempts are activated after application approval and purchase. source | 2026-06-26 |
| GIAC Information Security Fundamentals (GISF) | GIAC (SANS) | No formal experience requirement found on the official GIAC certification page; GIAC certification attempts are activated after application approval and purchase. source | 2026-06-26 |
| GIAC Security Essentials (GSEC) | GIAC (SANS) | No formal experience requirement found on the official GIAC certification page; GIAC certification attempts are activated after application approval and purchase. source | 2026-06-26 |
| Palo Alto Networks Certified Cloud Security Engineer | Palo Alto Networks | Vendor page states candidates have 3+ years in a cloud security-related field and 1-2 years with Palo Alto Networks cloud security solutions or Cortex platform and/or other CNAPP solutions. source | 2026-07-30 |
| Palo Alto Networks Certified Network Security Architect | Palo Alto Networks | Vendor page states candidates have 5+ years of experience architecting for Zero Trust across the Network Security platform and 2+ years of Palo Alto Networks hands-on experience. source | 2026-07-30 |
| Palo Alto Networks Certified Security Operations Architect | Palo Alto Networks | Vendor page states candidates have 5+ years of experience designing security operations incident response and threat detection/prevention solutions and 2+ years of Palo Alto Networks hands-on experience. source | 2026-07-30 |
| PMI-PMOCP - PMI PMO Certified Professional | Project Management Institute | PMI certifications page states 3+ years of experience. source | 2026-06-26 |
| Professional Cloud Architect | Google Cloud | 3+ years of industry experience including 1+ years designing and managing solutions using Google Cloud source | 2026-06-08 |
| Professional Cloud Database Engineer | Google Cloud | 5+ years of overall database and IT experience, including 2 years of hands-on experience working with Google Cloud database solutions source | 2026-06-08 |
| Professional Cloud Developer | Google Cloud | 3+ years of industry experience including 1+ years designing and managing solutions using Google Cloud. source | 2026-06-08 |
| Professional Cloud DevOps Engineer | Google Cloud | 3+ years of industry experience including 1+ years designing and managing production systems using Google Cloud source | 2026-06-08 |
| Professional Cloud Network Engineer | Google Cloud | 3+ years of industry experience including 1+ years designing and managing solutions using Google Cloud source | 2026-06-08 |
| Professional Cloud Security Engineer | Google Cloud | 3+ years of industry experience including more than 1 year designing and managing solutions using Google Cloud source | 2026-06-08 |
| Professional Data Engineer | Google Cloud | 3+ years of industry experience including 1+ years designing and managing data solutions using Google Cloud. source | 2026-06-08 |
| Professional Machine Learning Engineer | Google Cloud | 3+ years of industry experience including 1 or more years designing and managing solutions using Google Cloud. source | 2026-06-08 |
| Salesforce Certified Business Analyst | Salesforce | Business analyst who understands business needs, captures requirements, and collaborates with stakeholders on Salesforce solutions. source | 2026-06-26 |
| Salesforce Certified Data Cloud Consultant | Salesforce | Consultant with experience implementing and consulting on enterprise data platforms in a customer-facing role. source | 2026-06-26 |
| Salesforce Certified Platform Administrator II | Salesforce | Seasoned Salesforce administrators who can apply advanced platform features to business problems. source | 2026-06-26 |
| Salesforce Certified Platform Developer | Salesforce | Developer who understands custom business logic and interfaces on Lightning Platform and when to use declarative versus programmatic methods. source | 2026-06-26 |
| Salesforce Certified Platform Developer II | Salesforce | Experienced Salesforce developer using advanced programmatic platform capabilities, data modeling, and complex business logic. source | 2026-06-26 |
| Salesforce Certified Platform Foundations | Salesforce | No required experience or prerequisite stated. Designed for people with fundamental awareness of Salesforce as an integrated CRM platform and up to 6 months of Salesforce user experience. source | 2026-06-26 |
| Salesforce Certified Sales Cloud Consultant | Salesforce | Consultant trained to design and implement sustainable, scalable Sales Cloud solutions for customer success. source | 2026-06-26 |
| Salesforce Certified Service Cloud Consultant | Salesforce | Consultant who designs and implements scalable Service Cloud solutions meeting customer business requirements. source | 2026-06-26 |
| SnowPro Advanced: Administrator | Snowflake | 2 or more years of hands-on experience with Snowflake as an Administrator in a production environment source | 2026-06-26 |
| SnowPro Advanced: Architect | Snowflake | 2 or more years of hands-on experience with Snowflake as an Architect in a production environment source | 2026-06-26 |
| SnowPro Advanced: Data Analyst | Snowflake | 1 or more years of hands-on practical experience with Snowflake as a Data Analyst in a production environment source | 2026-06-26 |
| SnowPro Advanced: Data Engineer | Snowflake | 2 or more years of hands-on experience as a Data Engineer in a production environment source | 2026-06-26 |
| SnowPro Advanced: Data Scientist | Snowflake | 2 or more years of hands-on experience with Snowflake as a Data Scientist in a production environment source | 2026-06-26 |
| SnowPro Core Certification | Snowflake | 6 or more months of experience using Snowflake source | 2026-06-26 |
| SnowPro Specialty: Gen AI | Snowflake | 1 or more years of Gen AI experience with Snowflake, in an enterprise environment source | 2026-06-26 |
| SnowPro Specialty: Snowpark | Snowflake | 1 or more years of hands-on Snowpark experience in a production environment source | 2026-06-26 |
| Splunk Core Certified Power User | Splunk | No required experience or prerequisite stated. Entry-level baseline for users of Splunk Enterprise and Splunk Cloud; blueprint says no prerequisite exams. source | 2026-06-26 |
| Splunk Core Certified User | Splunk | No required experience or prerequisite stated. Optional entry point for candidates with little to no Splunk experience or prior knowledge; no prerequisite exams or courses. source | 2026-06-26 |
| Splunk O11y Cloud Certified Metrics User | Splunk | No required experience or prerequisite stated. Foundational exam for Splunk Observability Cloud users; blueprint says there are no prerequisite exams. source | 2026-06-26 |
| VMware Certified Advanced Professional - Network Virtualization Deploy | VMware (Broadcom) | 1-2 years of relevant data center or virtualization experience is recommended; the minimally qualified candidate statement requires a VCP-NV certification. source | 2026-06-26 |
| VMware Certified Advanced Professional - Network Virtualization Design | VMware (Broadcom) | The VMware Certified Advanced Professional - Network Virtualization Design (VCAP-NV Design) certification verifies an individual's advanced skills in designing VMware NSX solutions, including network security, segmentation, and integration with other technologies. Job-roles associated with this certification include Network Virtualization architects and consultants. source | 2026-06-26 |
| VMware Certified Advanced Professional - VMware Cloud Foundation Automation | VMware (Broadcom) | The VMware Certified Advanced Professional – VCAP Administrator Automation certification validates the expertise required to support and troubleshoot private cloud environments built on VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF). Candidates for this certification are typically responsible for implementing, maintaining, and supporting VCF infrastructure to help their organizations meet service level objectives related to availability, performance, and security. Earning this certification demonstrates a professional’s ability to effectively diagnose and resolve issues within VCF-based private cloud environme source | 2026-06-26 |
| VMware Certified Advanced Professional - VMware Cloud Foundation Networking | VMware (Broadcom) | The VMware Certified Advanced Professional – VCAP Administrator Networking certification validates a candidate’s ability to design, deploy, configure, manage, and troubleshoot VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) Networking environments across enterprise and multi-cloud infrastructures. Successful candidates demonstrate a strong understanding of VCF Networking features, functions, and architecture, as well as integration with VMware vSphere. source | 2026-06-26 |
| VMware Certified Advanced Professional - VMware Cloud Foundation Storage | VMware (Broadcom) | The VMware Certified Advanced Professional – VCAP Administrator Storage certification validates a candidate’s ability to design, configure, manage, and troubleshoot advanced storage capabilities in VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) environments. This certification is intended for experienced architects, storage specialists, virtualization professionals, and systems administrators responsible for designing and operating resilient, secure, and high-performance storage in VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) environments. source | 2026-06-26 |
| VMware Certified Professional - VMware Avi Load Balancer Administrator | VMware (Broadcom) | at least 3 months of hands-on product experience is recommended; the minimally qualified candidate has at least 3 months’ hands-on experience with VMware Avi Load Balancer. source | 2026-06-26 |
| VMware Certified Professional - VMware Cloud Foundation Administrator | VMware (Broadcom) | At least 1 year of IT experience is recommended; at least 6 months with the relevant VMware product/components is recommended; the minimally qualified candidate has the knowledge to install, configure, manage, and perform basic troubleshooting of a VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF) solution. source | 2026-06-26 |
| VMware Certified Professional - VMware Cloud Foundation Support | VMware (Broadcom) | The VMware Certified Professional - VMware Cloud Foundation Support (VCP-VCF Support) certification validates the skills required to support and troubleshoot private cloud environments built on VMware Cloud Foundation (VCF). This certification is designed for IT professionals expanding from existing support infrastructure roles and into cloud administration / Site Reliability Engineer (SRE) roles. Candidates for this certification include professionals responsible for implementing, maintaining and supporting VCF infrastructure in a way that contributes to an organization meeting service level source | 2026-06-26 |
| VMware Certified Professional - VMware vSphere Foundation Support | VMware (Broadcom) | The VMware Certified Professional - VMware vSphere Foundation Support(VCP-VVF support) certification validates a candidate's skills in standard troubleshooting techniques and methodologies to issues encountered during the deployment and operation of VMware vSphere Foundation (VVF). It confirms a high-level understanding of VVF, including its features, functions, components, and architectural models. Key components covered include VCF Operations, vCenter, VMware ESX, VMware vSAN, and VMware Operations for logs. source | 2026-06-26 |
| VMware Telco Cloud NFV Skills | VMware (Broadcom) | The minimally qualified candidate has 3 to 6 months hands-on experience with VMware Telco Cloud Infrastructure Cloud Director Edition. source | 2026-06-26 |
| VMware Telco Cloud Platform Specialist Skills | VMware (Broadcom) | The minimally qualified candidate has 3 to 6 months hands-on experience with VMware Telco Cloud Automation. source | 2026-06-26 |
Experience or another prerequisite is required (30)
These are eligibility conditions, not difficulty ratings. Read the full row and any second route: waivers, Associate status, education, or official training can change the path without erasing the requirement.
| Certification | Vendor | What we found on the vendor’s page | Read on |
|---|---|---|---|
| AAIA - Advanced in AI Audit | ISACA | Candidates must hold CISA or another qualified designation with an IT audit or IT advisory role focus. source | 2026-06-26 |
| AAIR - Advanced in AI Risk | ISACA | Designed for risk professionals that hold: • An ISACA designation: CISA, CISM, CGEIT, CRISC, CDPSE • A non-ISACA designation: AACA, ACA, ANAN CNA, CA ANZ, Canadian CPA, CERP , CGMA, CGRC, CIA, CISSP , CPA HKICPA, CRCM, CRMA, CRMP , CRMP-FED, FCA, FCA ANZ, FCCA, FCPA HKICPA, Japanese CPA source | 2026-06-26 |
| AAISM - Advanced in AI Security Management | ISACA | Proven experience in security or advisory roles, with some expertise assessing, implementing, and maintaining AI systems. source | 2026-06-26 |
| CCSP - Certified Cloud Security Professional | ISC2 | Must satisfy ISC2 certification work-experience requirements to become fully certified. source Second route: Pass the exam to become an Associate of ISC2; CCSP Associate status can be held up to 6 years while you earn the 5 years of required experience before full certification. source | 2026-07-07 |
| CDPSE - Certified Data Privacy Solutions Engineer | ISACA | A minimum of 3 years of cumulative work experience performing the tasks of a CDPSE professional is required; the experience must be gained within the 10 years preceding the certification application. source Second route: Take the exam first; candidates have 5 years from the passing date to apply after meeting the experience requirement. | 2026-06-25 |
| Certified Application Security Engineer (CASE JAVA) | EC-Council | EC-Council's CASE .NET / Java eligibility table lists 2 years of information-security-related experience for the direct exam route; the eligibility process states applicants who do not attend training must have at least 2 years of work experience in the InfoSec domain. source Second route: Attend official EC-Council CASE training through an Accredited Training Center, iClass, or approved academic institution; EC-Council also lists official courseware bundle purchase as eligible to attempt the exam. | 2026-06-26 |
| Certified Application Security Engineer (CASE.NET) | EC-Council | EC-Council's CASE .NET / Java eligibility table lists 2 years of information-security-related experience for the direct exam route; the eligibility process states applicants who do not attend training must have at least 2 years of work experience in the InfoSec domain. source Second route: Attend official EC-Council CASE training through an Accredited Training Center, iClass, or approved academic institution; EC-Council also lists official courseware bundle purchase as eligible to attempt the exam. | 2026-06-26 |
| Certified Chief Information Security Officer (CCISO) | EC-Council | EC-Council lists 5 years of information-security experience across all domains for the no-training route: Governance, Risk, Compliance; Information Security Controls and Audit Management; Security Program Management and Operations; Information Security Core Competencies; and Strategic Planning, Finance, Procurement, and Third-Party Management. The page also states that candidates with official training must show experience in three of the five CCISO domains. source Second route: Attend official CCISO training; even with training, EC-Council still requires the candidate to show experience in three out of the five CCISO domains before taking the CCISO exam and earning the certification. | 2026-06-26 |
| Certified Cloud Security Engineer (CCSE) | EC-Council | EC-Council lists 2 years of information-security-related experience for the CCSE direct exam route and states applicants who do not attend training must have a minimum of 2 years work experience in the InfoSec domain. source Second route: Attend official EC-Council training through an Accredited Training Center, iClass, or approved academic institution; official training makes the candidate eligible to attempt the exam. | 2026-06-26 |
| Certified Encryption Specialist (ECES) | EC-Council | Direct exam candidates need eligibility approval and a non-refundable application fee. Official courseware purchase is also listed as a route that makes the candidate eligible to attempt the exam. source Second route: Attend official EC-Council training through an Accredited Training Center, iClass, or approved academic institution; EC-Council also lists official courseware bundle purchase as eligible to attempt the exam. | 2026-06-26 |
| Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) | EC-Council | EC-Council lists 2 years' experience across domains including information security and ethical hacking overview, reconnaissance, system hacking, network and perimeter hacking, web application hacking, wireless network hacking, mobile/IoT/OT hacking, cloud computing, and cryptography. Work experience is verified through references in the eligibility application. source Second route: Attend official EC-Council training through an Accredited Training Center, EC-Council official online learning, or an approved academic institution; official training makes the candidate eligible to attempt the exam. | 2026-06-26 |
| Certified Incident Handler (ECIH) | EC-Council | EC-Council states the ECIH program requires 1 year of Information Security work experience unless the candidate attends official training. The exam-domain list includes incident response and handling, process handling, forensic readiness and first response, email security incidents, application-level incidents, network and mobile incidents, insider threats, malware incidents, and cloud-environment incidents. source Second route: Attend official EC-Council training through an Accredited Training Center, iClass, or approved academic institution; official training makes the candidate eligible to attempt the exam. | 2026-06-26 |
| Certified Network Defender (CND) | EC-Council | EC-Council states the CND program requires 2 years of work experience in the Information Security domain unless the candidate attends official training; self-study applicants submit an eligibility application and verifier details. source Second route: Attend official EC-Council training through an Accredited Training Center, iClass, or approved academic institution; official training makes the candidate eligible to attempt the relevant exam. | 2026-06-26 |
| Certified SOC Analyst (CSA) | EC-Council | EC-Council states the CSA program requires 1 year of work experience in the Network Admin/Security domain unless the candidate attends official training. The direct-exam path requires eligibility approval. source Second route: Attend official EC-Council training through an Accredited Training Center, iClass, or approved academic institution; EC-Council also lists official courseware bundle purchase as eligible to attempt the exam. | 2026-06-26 |
| Certified Threat Intelligence Analyst (CTIA) | EC-Council | EC-Council states the CTIA program requires 2 years of work experience in the Information Security domain unless the candidate attends official training. The direct-exam path requires eligibility approval and verifier-backed experience proof. source Second route: Attend official EC-Council training through an Accredited Training Center, iClass, or approved academic institution; official training makes the candidate eligible to attempt the exam. | 2026-06-26 |
| CGEIT - Certified in the Governance of Enterprise IT | ISACA | A minimum of 5 years of experience managing, advising on, overseeing, or otherwise supporting governance of the IT-related contribution to an enterprise is required; it must span at least three of four CGEIT domains, include at least 1 year in Domain 1, and fall within the 10 years preceding application. source Second route: Take the exam first; candidates have 5 years from the passing date to apply after meeting the experience requirement. | 2026-06-25 |
| CGRC - Governance, Risk and Compliance Certification | ISC2 | Must satisfy ISC2 certification work-experience requirements to become fully certified. source Second route: Pass the exam to become an Associate of ISC2; CGRC Associate status can be held up to 3 years while you earn the 2 years of required experience before full certification. source | 2026-07-07 |
| CISA - Certified Information Systems Auditor | ISACA | 5 years of professional information-systems auditing, control, or security experience gained within the 10 years preceding application; up to 3 years are substitutable by education/other credentials, so at least ~2 years of real experience remain. source Second route: Pass the exam first — you then have 5 years from the passing date to apply once you have the experience. | 2026-08-08 |
| CISM - Certified Information Security Manager | ISACA | 5 years of information-security management experience across at least 3 of the 4 CISM domains are required for full CISM certification; you can take the exam before meeting the experience requirement. source Second route: Pass the exam first — you then have 5 years from the passing date to apply once you have the management experience. There is no separate CISM Associate designation. | 2026-08-08 |
| CISSP - Certified Information Systems Security Professional | ISC2 | 5 years of cumulative paid work experience in 2 or more of the 8 CISSP domains; qualifying part-time work and internships may count. ISC2 states that earning a post-secondary degree (bachelors or masters) in computer science, information technology (IT) or related fields may satisfy up to one year of the required experience, as may one additional credential from the ISC2 approved list, leaving a minimum of 4 years. source Second route: Pass the exam to become an Associate of ISC2; you then have up to 6 years to earn the 5 years of required experience before the full CISSP is awarded. source | 2026-07-26 |
| Computer Hacking Forensic Investigator (CHFI) | EC-Council | EC-Council states the CHFI program requires 2 years of work experience in the Information Security domain unless the candidate attends official training; self-study applicants submit an eligibility application and verifier details. source Second route: Attend official EC-Council training at an Accredited Training Center, via iClass, or through an approved academic institution; official training makes the candidate eligible to attempt the CHFI exam. | 2026-06-26 |
| CRISC - Certified in Risk and Information Systems Control | ISACA | A minimum of 3 years of professional information-systems auditing, control, or security work experience as described in the CRISC job-practice areas is required; the experience must be within the 10 years preceding the certification application. source Second route: Take the exam first; candidates have 5 years from the passing date to apply after meeting the experience requirement. | 2026-06-25 |
| CSSLP - Certified Secure Software Lifecycle Professional | ISC2 | Must satisfy ISC2 certification work-experience requirements to become fully certified. source Second route: Pass the exam to become an Associate of ISC2; CSSLP Associate status can be held up to 5 years while you earn the 4 years of required experience before full certification. source | 2026-07-07 |
| ISSAP - Information Systems Security Architecture Professional | ISC2 | ISC2 lists CISSP plus 2 years or 7 years cumulative experience for full ISSAP certification. source Second route: Pass the exam to become an Associate of ISC2; ISSAP Associate status can be held up to 8 years while you earn the required experience before full certification. source | 2026-07-07 |
| ISSEP - Information Systems Security Engineering Professional | ISC2 | ISC2 lists CISSP plus 2 years or 7 years cumulative experience for full ISSEP certification. source Second route: Pass the exam to become an Associate of ISC2; ISSEP Associate status can be held up to 8 years while you earn the required experience before full certification. source | 2026-07-07 |
| ISSMP - Information Systems Security Management Professional | ISC2 | ISC2 lists CISSP plus 2 years or 7 years cumulative experience for full ISSMP certification. source Second route: Pass the exam to become an Associate of ISC2; ISSMP Associate status can be held up to 8 years while you earn the required experience before full certification. source | 2026-07-07 |
| PMI-ACP - PMI Agile Certified Practitioner | Project Management Institute | High school or secondary diploma or higher; agile experience via one of several paths, including 2 years agile experience in the past 5 years, GAC degree plus 1 year, third-party agile certification plus 1 year, or PMP certification; 21 hours agile training. source | 2026-06-26 |
| PMI-RMP - PMI Risk Management Professional | Project Management Institute | One of PMI-RMP eligibility sets: 36 months/3 years risk management experience with secondary diploma, 24 months/2 years with bachelor degree or higher, or 12 months/1 year with GAC-accredited bachelor degree or higher; plus risk-management education hours. source | 2026-06-26 |
| Project Management Professional | Project Management Institute | PMI lists four paths: secondary diploma plus 60 months/5 years; associate degree or vocational trade school diploma plus 48 months/4 years; bachelor degree or higher plus 36 months/3 years; or a PMI GAC-accredited bachelor or postgraduate degree plus 24 months/2 years. Project-management experience must be non-overlapping and within the prior 10 years. Meet the applicable education and project-management experience path plus 35 hours of project-management training or an active CAPM before applying. source Second route: Active CAPM fulfills the PMP training requirement, not the project-management experience requirement. | 2026-10-01 |
| SSCP - Systems Security Certified Practitioner | ISC2 | 1 year of cumulative paid work experience in at least 1 of the 7 SSCP domains; qualifying part-time work and internships may count. A qualifying post-secondary degree can satisfy up to the full 1-year requirement. source Second route: Pass the exam to become an Associate of ISC2; you then have up to 2 years to earn the 1 year of required experience before full certification. source | 2026-07-26 |
Common questions
- Do these groups rank credentials or predict passing?
- No. They separate eligibility requirements from recommended preparation. Learnerside does not turn those facts into a quality ranking or a pass prediction.
- Does no formal prerequisite mean beginner-ready?
- No. Open registration says who may attempt an exam, not what preparation will make the attempt sensible. Learnerside only places a credential in the open-registration group when the vendor also positions it as foundational.
- Why are some certifications missing?
- Because we have not recorded a published statement from their vendor about required or recommended experience. Rather than guess from the product name, those certifications simply do not appear — which is why the length of this page is itself a statement about how much Learnerside has verified and recorded.
Where to go next
A certification’s own page carries this statement in context, along with whatever Learnerside has recorded about its exam format, its cost, and the roles it maps to. Browse the full index →