Adobe Exam Changes – Some Are Here, Some Are On The Way!

Hi everyone and Happy Thanksgiving and safe travels if you are traveling (I am not, thankfully). If you are studying for any Adobe CC 2015 exam, you will want to pull up a chair and read this carefully because the Adobe CC 2015 exams have changed and changed a lot!

When I first took an Adobe exam (Photoshop CS3 and you can figure out how long ago that was if you have an abacus), about half of the questions were multiple choice and the other half were simulations. The simulations were tasks I had to complete, in the program, such as doing a Gaussian Blur or using one of the many tools available in Photoshop to transplant one piece of a picture to another, such as replacing bad grass with healthy grass.

Now, Adobe is rolling out a new exam format. In this exam format, the exams are much more scenario-based, to where instead of having one task to perform in a situation, you have several tasks to perform, all tied to the simulation.

While this makes for a much more realistic knowledge test for the exam (which, having taken a lot of exams in a lot of disciplines, I happen to like), it is a big adjustment, especially for those who have taken a few Adobe exams and/or are studying for an Adobe CC 2015 exam.

We at LearnKey are always trying to stay on top of these changes. One way in which we are going to start doing this (and continue doing for many areas, not just Adobe) is to add practice labs, tailored to the new exam format. We will be adding some Adobe Photoshop CC 2015 practice labs to our website in the coming weeks. And, as other exams are updated, we will add labs for those. This will help bridge the gap between our current courses and a new Adobe series, which we have in our plans for 2016. But we are not going to make you wait for good exam practice material just because a test format changes.

In addition to the labs, we will, as needed, update our current workbooks to match up with any objective changes and test format changes in these new exams.

These tools will give you, the student, the latest and greatest preparatory materials needed to become successful in your certification quest for Adobe or, for that matter, any certification you are pursuing.

PMP Exam Changes Coming Early Next Year

Tis the season of certification updates. Earlier this year, we released a brand new Network+ course to follow the new Network+ exam. And, we are working on new courses for CISSP and A+, as we have detailed in recent blogs.

Soon, we will be adding to our course updates the new Project Management Professional (PMP)® course. PMP® is the most widely recognized project management certification in the industry. And, to keep up with the ever-changing theories and practices of project management, the Project Management Institute will be updating their PMP® exam early next year. For those of you who are familiar with the PMP® certification, the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK)® is not changing, but the tasks on the exam are changing.

What is also not changing is our expert extraordinaire for this course. We are very pleased to bring back Michael Solomon, the LearnKey expert who delivered the previous PMP® course, to bring you all up to speed on what the new exam will look like.

The new PMP® course will, in addition to Michael’s expertise, contain hundreds of practice test questions in the form of pre-assessment and post-assessment test questions, all with the goal of preparing you for what many have described is a very “wide” exam in that the topics can be very wide-ranging.

The PMP® certification is not built for new project managers. In fact, PMI requires, depending upon your college education, the equivalent of about two to five years of project management experience. The benefits of obtaining a PMP® are many. First, with the requirements of project management experience just to sit for the exam, having a PMP® proves that you are an experienced project manager. Secondly, the average starting salary of a PMP®, according to several web-based sources, is 15-20% higher than that of a project manager without a PMP® certification.

Finally, the methods and structure used to manage projects using what you learn in the PMP® exam will prove much value and clarity in any project you manage. So, if you have project management experience and have been deciding when you should pursue your PMP® certification, let 2016 be the year!

Project 2013 Exam Prep (74-343) Released!

We recently released our first Exam Prep course. Our Project 2013 Exam Prep Course is complementary with our Project 2013 course with a purpose to provide students with the last bit of preparation and confidence they need to pass their certification exam.

Recently our Senior Instructor Jason Manibog wrote a blog about the great features of this course. We are excited to add more Exam Prep courses to our library. So keep an eye out for additional courses.

Advanced Security Practitioner (CASP) Course Released – CAS-002

Today I am excited to announce that our Advanced Security Practitioner course has been released 3 WEEKS EARLY! I really appreciate all of the hard work and dedication by all of our teams to make this happen. This course is perfect for IT professionals who are looking to elevate their skills and status within their career. Those who take this course will be prepared to take exam CAS-002.

For more information on the Advanced Security Practitioner certification review the resources below.

Advanced Security Practitioner (CASP) – Coming This Fall (Blog)
CompTIA’s CASP – A Fast Track to an IA Career? (Blog)
LearnKey Delivers Comprehensive CASP Test Prep (White Paper)

Our hope is that through our courseware we may provide learners with the guidance, preparation, and skills they need to succeed. For more information and to learn about additional LearnKey products visit our website.

IC3 GS5: Living Online Course, Test Prep, and Assessments Released!

Last week, we released our IC3 GS5: Living Online Course and workbook. Joining our IC3 GS5: Computing Fundamentals and IC3 GS5: Key Applications courses, our IC3 GS5: Living Online course completes our IC3 GS5 series. Those who take this course will be prepared for their certification exam with assessments, projects and interactive labs.

LearnKey author Wyett Ihler has blogged about each course. So if you are new to the IC3 GS5 certification or are just looking for additional information, check out these blogs:

IC3 GS5: Key Applications

IC3 GS5: Computing Fundamentals

IC3 GS5: Living Online Course

IC3 GS5: Living Online Training and Assessment

The third and final course in LearnKey’s new IC3 GS5 training series, IC3 GS5: Living Online, will soon be…online!

The Living Online course covers Internet and browser basics, rights and digital citizenship, email, calendars, and other communication technologies—all based on the concepts outlined in the IC3 GS5 objectives.

The course is split into eight sections that group areas of the exam objectives together to help you better focus and plan your studies.
You may have different email, browser, or messaging apps than those demonstrated in the course—that’s okay, the concepts will be very similar across multiple apps be sure to practice using whatever apps you have.
This course covers a lot of conceptual material. Be sure to use the search and other browser techniques to discover more—you’ll be practicing for the exam and learning something new!
The project workbook, which accompanies the course, offers further practice with the concepts discussed in the course. Be sure to use this resource to refine your skills.

Here are a few tips for getting the most out of the course:

Pace yourself—if something isn’t clear or you didn’t quite follow the demonstration, pause, rewind and review the section. Don’t rush the training, it’ll be there for you when you’re ready.
Take a break—as with pacing, taking a break can help you keep your focus and help you better retain the information you’re learning.
Be sure to take notes—there may be topics that you’re less sure about. That’s okay. Use your notes to help you focus on areas to review or to guide your use of the project workbook.
Set a reasonable deadline for completion—be honest with the time you have available and how well you’re progressing through the training and plan a date to take your exam.

Living Online is part of the day-to-day of modern living, so preparing for the IC3 exam gives you more than just the benefit of exam prep, it gives you skills for life! Good luck on your exam!

IC3 GS5 Computing Fundamentals Course, Test Prep, and Assessments Released!

Last week we released our IC3 GS5 Computing Fundamentals course. Joining our IC3 GS5 Key Applications course, this video-based training course covers all of the Computing Fundamentals exam objectives and will prepare you for your exam with assessments, projects, and interactive labs.

Course author Wyett Ihler recently shared some key information about some of benefits and features of this course. Click Here to learn more and find some great exam tips.

If you have been reading our previous blogs you know that we still have one more IC3 course in line. Keep an eye out for our Living Online course.

IC3 GS5 Training: Learn About IC3 GS5 Computing Fundamentals

Joining our recently released IC3 GS5: Key Applications Course, I am excited to introduce our soon to be released IC3 GS5: Computing Fundamentals course.

The Computing Fundamentals course covers hardware and Internet basics, mobile devices, troubleshooting, cloud computing, security, and more!—all tied to the concepts outlined in the IC3 GS5 objectives.

The course is split into eight sections that focus on specific areas of the exam objectives to help you focus your studies.
Actual devices are shown during the course in simple scenarios that demonstrate basic connections and settings.
The project workbook, which accompanies the course, offers further practice with the concepts discussed in the course. Be sure to use this resource to refine your skills.

Here are a few tips for getting the most out of the course:

Pace yourself—if something isn’t clear or you didn’t quite follow the demonstration, pause, rewind, and review the section. Don’t rush the training; it’ll be there for you when you’re ready.
Take a break—as with pacing, taking a break can help you keep your focus and help you better retain the information you’re learning.
Where possible, practice with your own hardware to solidify the concepts demonstrated in the course.
Be sure to take notes—there may be topics that you’re less sure about. That’s okay. Use your notes to help you focus on areas to review or to guide your use of the project workbook.
Set a reasonable deadline for completion—be honest with the time you have available and how well you’re progressing through the training and plan a date to take your exam.

The Computing Fundamentals course covers topics that will benefit you beyond your exam preparation. Have fun and good luck!

IC3 Training: Introducing IC3 GS5 Key Applications

The first of LearnKey’s new IC3 GS5 training, IC3 GS5 Key Applications, has been released. Read below to learn more about this awesome course.

The Key Applications course focuses on common application features, word processing, spreadsheets, presentation apps, and even a bit on databases—all in-line with the IC3 GS5 objectives.

The course is split into five sections that focus on each primary area of the exam objectives, enabling you to target your studies.
The files used as examples in the course are supplied, which allows you to easily follow along in the course.
The project workbook, which accompanies the course, offers further practice with the concepts discussed in the course. Be sure to use this resource to refine your skills.

Here are a few tips for getting the most out of the course:

Pace yourself – if something isn’t clear or you didn’t quite follow the demonstration, pause, rewind, and review the section. Don’t rush the training, it’ll be there for you when you’re ready.
Take a break – as with pacing, taking a break can help you keep your focus and help you better retain the information you’re learning.
Take notes – there may be topics that you’re less sure about. That’s okay. Use your notes to help you focus on areas to review or to guide your use of the project workbook.
Give yourself a deadline – Be honest with the time you have available and how well you’re progressing through the training and plan a date to take your exam.

Don’t forget to have fun! The skills taught in the Key Applications training aren’t just for the exam, they’re skills for life.