Hey everybody! Welcome to the very first episode of Study With Steph. In case you haven’t heard, I am on a mission to become a Certified Technology Specialist. Word on the street is — it’s no easy feat. But that’s what I’m here for! I am taking a look at a test subject per episode with some help from others in the industry — so I can knock this exam out of the park and help you to do the same.

Last month, Gary Kayye was kind enough to invite me on Rants & rAVes to discuss this new endeavor — so I figured I’d return the favor by making him my first victim/guest. In this episode, we’re talking about why the heck I decided to do this to myself and why you should too. So, if you’re on the fence about taking the plunge with me at InfoComm 2021, I hope this episode will convince you otherwise!

We are loosely following Chapter 1 of the “CTS Certified Technology Specialist Exam Guide, Third Edition.” Follow along if you’d like!

*A note: In this podcast, Gary mentions that when you take the CTS exam, you only have to pay if you pass. The actual rule is that you pay the fee the first time when you schedule your test. If you fail the first time, you are allowed up to two retests. You do have to pay a retesting fee each time. However, the retesting fee is smaller than the initial testing fee. After two retest attempts — you have to wait 90 days and completely start the application process over. I've attached a copy of the fee schedule below for your reference and will be mentioning this in my next episode. The rest of the test rules can be found in the AVIXA CTS Candidate Handbook.