How hard is each IT certification?

Entry — nothing required, or under a year suggested (33)

The vendor asks for no experience and publishes the credential in a foundational tier, or it suggests less than a year. Both signals have to agree before a credential lands here, because "no prerequisite" on its own only means registration is open — which is why hands-on exams like CKA and RHCSA are not in this group. The row below shows you the experience evidence; the tier check runs against the vendor's own published tier for that credential, which this table does not print. Where a credential states no prerequisite AND its vendor tier is not a foundational one, it is left out of this group rather than placed in it.

Core — about one to two years suggested (62)

The vendor points at roughly one to two years of hands-on work, either as a duration or as a description of who the exam is written for. This is where the familiar "entry-level" certifications actually sit: CompTIA suggests about 12 months of support experience for A+, and roughly two years for Security+.

Advanced — about three to five years suggested (9)

The vendor points at several years in the relevant role before sitting the exam.

Expert — experience required to certify, or five or more years expected (48)

The vendor either makes documented experience a condition of certifying, or expects five or more years. Where it is a requirement, passing the exam alone does not certify you — and the requirement is what puts the credential here, so a one-year requirement sits in this group while a five-year suggestion elsewhere may not.

Common questions

Is this a pass rate?

No. We have not found a published candidate pass rate for any vendor on this page, and RoleMath does not estimate one. This page groups certifications by the experience each vendor says it expects — a published fact you can check on the linked page, on the date we read it.

Does a later stage mean a better certification?

No. It means the vendor assumes more prior experience. A credential aimed at beginners is not worth less; it is aimed at a different point in a career.

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 RoleMath has verified and recorded.