The World According to Mitch

I maintain a spreadsheet in which I record every single certification exam I have taken – pass or fail. One of the bits of data that I record are the number of exams I’ve taken by calendar year. I opened it this week not to add anything, but to look up something that someone asked about. In looking I noticed that 2025 was the fourth year in which I sat more than ten exams – after 2008, 2010, and 2012.

Ten exams or more in a year… that’s a lot of work!

At present, two weeks into the second half of 2026, I have sat four exams so far. Thinking on it, I was wondering if I could reach double-digits this year. I thought about it and realized that while it was possible, it is highly unlikely.

There are some certification exams that I do not need to prepare for. Were I to sit the newest version of the Security+ exam I highly doubt I would study. Other exams I would not be nearly so comfortable. In the box of exams that I need to take (or rather which I have been asked to take at my earliest convenience by a company I teach for) there are currently five exams… and each of those are exams that I will need to prepare for. If I do not try for any others then I still have five (5) exams that will each require studying… but only one of those has a deadline attached to it (I need to pass the exam in order to deliver a class which has already been scheduled).

If I sit all of those before December 31, that will bring my total to nine exams this year. I sat nine exams in 2006 and then again in 2014. It would not be a record, but it will certainly be respectable. In truth, even if I only sit one more exam (as I mentioned, there’s a deadline) then I will be in good stead for the year.

I want to be careful… and I do not want to jinx myself. I am currently on the longest streak of successful exams in my life; I have passed the last thirteen that I have taken, dating back to May of last year. (The last exam I failed was May 22, and I rewrote it on May 24 and passed) Of those, five of them are what I would count as foundational or fundamental exams – that is to say they were pretty simple. Five others were very difficult, and the rest were in the middle. My next exam is right there – in the middle – so I will take my preparations seriously so that I can hopefully extend my passing streak. The rest? The other four are all very difficult, and I do not expect to pass all of them the first try… but I will do my best!

Will I sit ten exams or more this year? As the title of the article says maybe… but unlikely. If I do, will my passing streak continue? Once again… maybe, but unlikely. I will try to extend the streak. I do not feel the need to try to sit six more exams though. We shall see.

For those of you who were wondering, 2025 may be the fourth year that I have tried more than ten exams… but it is the only year that I passed ten exams (and failed one). I am proud to say that I have grown over the years, and whether or not I am paying for the exam I am now treating every single one as if I was.