Took the CompTIA XK0-005 Linux+ beta

2021-12-05 09:09:00

Less than 48h ago, the new beta version of CompTIA's Linux+ exam, XK0-005, was opened to the general public. Or is it XK1-005?! I've asked them what's up with that XK0/XK1. Since taking CompTIA's beta exams is a big hobby of mine, I jumped onboard immediately!

Three years ago I was not very impressed by the XK0-004 beta. I felt it was too easy and too heavily focused on git and legacy software like init. Since there's an embargo on the objectives (which you can download from the official page I linked above) I can't discuss the objectives nor what's on the test. But I can tell you this much:

• XK0-005 is much harder than XK0-004. 
• The objectives have been thoroughly modernized.
• I feel that some of the questions were actually too hard for an entry-level exam. 
• The Pearson OnVue software still runs badly on MacOS. Just like two months ago, it actually crashed on my Macbook Air.
• Just like with 004, the simulated terminal PBQ was very limited and this time actually seemed unsolvable. I informed CompTIA, for quality control issues. 

Some of the questions were really, really long. Like, "print this on A4 and it fills a whole page" long. I felt that might scare off the intended entry-level audience, so I put that in the comments. 

My conclusion: this exam is looking good! I would say that, content-wise, it's now on par with what I'd expect from RHCSA. I don't have recent experiences with LPIC or LFCS, I should give those a look sometime soon. 

I expect that my next group of students at IT Vitae will still be testing against version 004, but I will start updating my training materials for the next groups. The objectives have changed thoroughly. 

kilala.nl tags: work, studies,

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