FAQ on Exams

2.1. How much do LPI exams cost?

Our intention has always been to provide testing at the lowest possible cost. As of January 1, 2009 our exams will cost $160 US in most locales with the exception of our LPI-301 exam which is usually priced at $260 US. Prices may vary in some jurisdictions due to currency conversions and exchange rates.

2.2 Why do I have to pay in US$ when taking the test elsewhere?

Our exams are delivered through VUE and Prometric. They may charge their fee per exam in US$ wherever it is taken.

2.3 How many tests does it take to be certified?

The answer depends on how many levels of LPI certification you intend to pursue. There are currently 2 exams for the first level (LPIC-1) and 2 exams for the second (LPIC-2). LPIC-3 only requires one exam--however, it does have one specialty designation: "Mixed Environment" (LPI-302). A second Level 3 "specialty" on "Security" (LPI-303) will be released in February 2009.

2.4 Where can I take the exams?

Our exams are offered through the testing centers of both Pearson VUE (www.pearsonvue.com) and Prometric (www.prometric.com). Visit their web pages to find a testing center near you. Pearson VUE has over 3700 locations in 145 counties and Prometric has over 3500 locations in 120 countries, so it should be easy to find a center near you.

2.5 How can I offer the exams to my students/clients?

You will need to become either a VUE or a Prometric testing center. You may also work with a Pearson VUE or Prometric testing center near you. Local testing centers may offer tests at your facility under certain conditions. However, if there is an LPI exam proctor in your area, the LPI proctor may be able to provide exam labs with paper based tests. Please contact our operations office for more information.

2.7 Why aren't you offering exams across the web?

Unfortunately, for web based exams in unproctored situations, you cannot get around the fact that someone else could take the exam for you - or be right with you as you take the exam. At this time, there's really no way to securely offer exams online without a proctor present.

2.8 Do all LPI exams use computer-based testing?

In order to deploy our exams globally and to include the largest number of people, LPI delivers its exams using computer-based testing through Pearson VUE and Prometric. Occasionally, we do hold exam labs where paper-and-pencil exams are given (see 2.5 above). We have not ruled out the possibility that future examinations might include some different type of examination method, but that is something that will have to be evaluated at some later date.

2.11 What about the testing obstacles presented to individuals for whom English is not their native tongue?

LPI recognizes this as a demand issue. Some time ago we created Japanese and German translations of our exams and we now have Chinese, French, Portuguese and Spanish versions available for some of our exams. As you might imagine, there are many costs associated with translation and publication of additional exam forms, but if you believe there is sufficient demand for a translation to a specific language please help us to identify this need and we will consider it.

2.13 Why do the number of items vary on an exam?

Under our pilot item testing process, English-language exams administered at Prometric and VUE testing centers are extended to 120 minutes in order to allow a limited number of new pilot questions to be seeded into each exam. While scores on these new items are not included as part of candidate scores, they are used to determine item validity and quality before the items become part of the pool of official, scored exam questions. In order for the evaluation of new questions to be valid and useful, LPI cannot indicate which items on each exam are new items. In addition to this change, the exam forms for LPI exams are changed with greater frequency.

By frequently rotating exams and growing our item pool this way, we enhance the security of our exams (by impeding the abilities of cheaters and brain dumps) and thus help protect the value of LPI's certification for everyone who completes our program.

2.14 There are many questions about obscure options for commands. Why are we supposed to know them? I am an experienced Linux professional, and I still consult the man pages!

The goal of LPI's tests is to identify competent, experienced people from among unqualified people. Experienced people tend to know more of these options than inexperienced people. For example, an experienced IT professional might answer 70% of these questions correctly versus only 30% by novices. To ensure the validity of these questions during our item pilot testing process we investigate the quality of new pilot (unscored) test items. If nobody answers the item correctly (or if everybody does), the item is useless and is removed. All scored test items on our exams have characteristics that are useful in making the distinction between qualified and unqualified persons.

2.15 How are the test scores computed? How many questions do I need to answer correctly to pass? What is the maximum score? How good is my score of ...?

As of April 1, 2009, all exam weights for LPI exams have been standardized to 60 weights. The 301 exam is a current exception with 50 weights.

Regardless of weight totals each exam score is between 200 and 800. A passing score is 500. However, the number of correct questions required to achieve a score of 500 varies with the overall difficulty of the specific exam that is taken.

The number of questions on the exam is also tied to the total of the weights of the objectives on the exam. With a total weight count of 60, the exam will have 60 questions. For each weighting, there will be one question. For example, if an objective has a weight of 4, there will be 4 questions on the exam related to the objective.

2.16 So how good are your tests?

We feel that our exams are very good, since we apply psychometric principles throughout the exam development and scoring process and have experienced, dedicated Linux community members to assist us as subject matter experts for our projects.

In terms of statistics in item analysis we ran in late 2005 on LPIC-1 and LPIC-2 data, the overall exam reliabilities from all the forms ranged from .88 to .92, which indicates that our exams measure the Linux professional abilities of examinees consistently well. Reliability coefficients range from 0 to 1, and a reliability of .8 or higher is generally expected for high-stakes exams.

Other statistics that we scrutinize for individual items are the point-biserial statistic and a Rasch fit statistic. These statistics indicate if there is some unusual or unexpected response pattern for an item, such as when the failing examinees get an item correct more often than do the passing examinees. We use these statistics to aid our subject matter experts when revising items or in the process of selecting items for a new form. In analysis, all forms generally had no more than 5% of the items with unusual statistics, indicating that the exams and the measurement scaling are behaving as we would expect it should.

Because of these statistics and the excellent psychometric properties of our exams, we feel our exams are tough, but fair.

2.17 Aren't hands-on certification tests (like Red Hat's) better than multiple choice tests like LPI is using?

The short answer is: No. For a detailed answer, please see this article noted below:

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2.18 How long will it take for LPI to send out my certificate once I've passed?

The total time to receive your certificate once you've been notified that you have passed an exam is between 2 to 5 weeks. It will take approximately 1-2 weeks for processing and up to an additional 3 weeks for international mail delivery. Please note, however, that it is critical that you notify LPI if you change mailing addresses during this time.

2.19 Do LPI certifications expire?

LPI's recertification policy is outlined in our policies section (see item #6).

2.20 Do I have the option of choosing between RPM and DPKG package management on the LPI exams?

No. At one time LPI permitted candidates to choose between answering questions on either RPM or DPKG package management, however this practice was discontinued in 2005. Consultations with both industry and IT professionals at the time indicated that it was necessary for Linux professionals to know both types of package management. Nevertheless we still receive inquiries on this issue--if you find a publication that states that LPI still offers this choice please let us know.

2.21 LPI is introducing new exams on April 1, 2009. Are my previous exams still valid towards my certification?
Yes. You do not need to rewrite your exams. For example if you have passed 101 in the past you may take the new 102 exam and still obtain your LPIC-1 certification. However, please know that our Board of Directors has recently passed a policy that you must take both exams of either the LPIC-1 or LPIC-2 certification within 5 years of each other in order for the certificate to be valid. The full details of this new policy will be available in April 2009.