IT Specialist

Pearson IT Specialist Certification

IT Specialist

The Information Technology Specialist program is a way for individuals to validate foundational IT skills sought after by employers. The IT Specialist program is geared toward candidates who are considering or just beginning a path to a career in information technology. Candidates can certify their knowledge in a broad range of IT topics, including software development, database administration, networking and security, device management, and web development.

Many companies such as CertNexus, SAS, Cisco Networking Academy, ISTE, and more have recognized IT Specialist exams. Click here for more information on industry recognition.

The American Council on Education’s College Credit Recommendation Service (ACE Learning Evaluations®) has evaluated and recommended college credit for the IT Specialist program. The recommended credit amount is three credits per IT Specialist exam passed.
The Information Technology Specialist program is a way for candidates to validate foundational IT skills sought after by employers. The IT Specialist program is aimed at individuals who are considering or just beginning a path to a career in information technology.

While meaningful to any job seekers and candidates interested in IT careers, these exams are best suited for ages 14 and up. No Bachelor's degree or other prerequisites are necessary, other than what is called out in the Objective Domains, which are linked below. These stackable exams are valid from the date they are passed and are a one-time issuance. The target candidate has approximately 150 hours of instruction and hands-on experience with the exam topic.

For additional pre-requisite information for IT Specialist certifications click here.

Candidates for this exam are AI enabled learners and are prepared for the professional use of AI by understanding how AI can be used to solve problems.

Candidates for this exam will be able to identify and describe end solutions that leverage cloud technologies, considerations that span across solutions and the "art of the possible" in utilizing cloud to develop solutions.

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Candidates for this exam decompose problems, collect and analyze data, recognize patterns in data, represent data through abstractions, and automate solutions by using algorithmic thinking.

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Candidates for this exam are starting their journey in the cybersecurity field. This exam assesses their understanding of key security paradigms, terminology, and mindset. Successful candidates will have a keen awareness of the importance of security and the threats to a business when security procedures are not followed. They are willing to teach others about security concerns. They are developing the investigative and implementation skills necessary to succeed in the field and have an aptitude and desire to learn more.

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Candidates for this exam are seeking to prove introductory knowledge of how to responsibly manipulate, analyze, and communicate findings of data analysis.

Candidates for this exam will demonstrate foundational knowledge of how to design and query relational databases, such as MySQL, Microsoft SQL Server, or Oracle.

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Candidates for this exam will demonstrate foundational skills in, and a basic knowledge of, Windows devices and mobility.

Candidates for this exam will demonstrate that they can structure a webpage using HTML elements and create and apply styles using CSS.

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Candidates for this exam will demonstrate their ability to use HTML5, CSS, and JavaScript to build responsive web applications that will run on a variety of touch-enabled devices, including PCs, tablets, and phones.

Candidates for this exam will demonstrate that they can recognize, write, and debug Java code that will logically solve a problem.

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Candidates for this exam will demonstrate that they can recognize, write, and debug JavaScript code that will logically solve a problem.

Candidates for this exam will demonstrate foundational networking knowledge and skills, including TCP/IP, networking services, networking topologies, and troubleshooting in wired and wireless environments.

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Candidates for this exam will demonstrate foundational security knowledge and skills, including an understanding of core security principles operating system security, network and device security, and secure computing practices.

Candidates for this exam will demonstrate that they can recognize, write, and debug Python code that will logically solve a problem.

A new version of the IT Specialist Python exam has been created, and it includes performance-based questions. These items will also give candidates an opportunity to demonstrate their skills writing Python code in VS Code, an integrated development environment. The objective domains, certificate and badge have not changed, this is simply a new feature.

Candidates for this exam will demonstrate core software development skills, including object-oriented programming, web applications, and databases. Candidates are expected to have some experience with C# and ANSI SQL.

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