Clarke Moyer CompTIA Project+ Certification Passing Guide
🎓 WGU Degree Program Context
Clarke obtained this certification as part of completing his BS-IT (Bachelor of Science in Information Technology) at Western Governors University (WGU). WGU's IT degree program integrates industry certification preparation directly into the curriculum — students can earn both the degree and the certifications simultaneously. This is why Clarke holds multiple foundational certifications from the same 2008–2009 period. If you're considering WGU, the built-in cert prep is a significant part of the value.
⚠️ A Note From Clarke: I no longer recommend pursuing the CompTIA Project+ as a project management certification. Skip this and go directly to the SAFe SPC certification instead — it carries significantly more weight in enterprise and DoD environments and reflects how modern software delivery actually works. See the SAFe SPC Passing Guide to start there instead. This guide remains here for those already committed to the Project+ path.
📋 Active CE Renewal
Clarke actively maintains this certification through CompTIA's Continuing Education (CE) program — which is why you'll see the "ce" suffix (e.g., Project+ce) in his credentials. While Clarke no longer recommends this as a starting path, he keeps it current as part of his professional maintenance discipline. An active CE certification requires ongoing education and renewal — it's not a one-time achievement left to expire.
BLUF: To pass the Project+, do 4 things
- Create a public contest with another person — compete to finish before they do. The accountability accelerates everything.
- Go audio-first: get the audiobook version and study while walking, driving, or doing household tasks. Passive absorption adds up.
- Practice tests are the core. Buy the book primarily for access to the digital test bank — that’s the real product.
- Don’t over-study. Run all questions once, rerun wrong ones until zero, then restart with a real-test mix until you hit 90%+. Test at 80% — the re-take voucher is your safety net.
I passed the CompTIA Project+ in January 2009, near the end of my early CompTIA certification run. At the time it was a useful entry-level project management credential — lighter weight than the PMP but still a recognizable signal. I went on to earn the PMP in 2012 and the SAFe SPC in 2020, which are the credentials that have actually mattered in my career.
Obtained: January 14, 2009 | License: COMP001007606759
Study Method
1. Create Competition
Find someone — a colleague, study buddy, anyone — and make it a race. Announce it publicly if possible. The social pressure of a competition is more powerful than any study schedule.
2. Audio First
Project+ is heavily vocabulary-driven — project lifecycle phases, terminology, roles, risk concepts. This is ideal material for audio study during commutes and downtime. The concepts aren’t technically complex, but there are a lot of them, and audio repetition builds the recognition you need for test day.
3. Practice Tests Are the Core
Buy the study guide primarily for the digital test prep access. The online test bank is the real product. Spend your study hours in the test portal, not reading the book cover to cover.
4. Don’t Over-Study
Run all questions once. Rerun the ones you got wrong until you score zero wrong. Then switch to a real-test mix (random, timed) until you hit 90%+. Test at 80%. You have a re-take.
Books / Materials
CompTIA Project+ Study Guide ← Must Buy
The standard study guide for CompTIA Project+. Buy it for the online practice test access that comes with it — that’s where your prep time should go.
CompTIA Project+ Study Guide ↗
Test Strategy
The Project+ PK0-005 exam is 95 questions, 90 minutes, with a passing score of 710 (on a 100–900 scale). It covers project management concepts, constraints, communication, change management, and project tools. The questions are scenario-based — read carefully and think about what a competent project manager would actually do, not just what the textbook says.
Project+ is vendor-neutral and doesn’t require documented project management experience (unlike the PMP). If you’re early in your career and need a project management credential quickly, it’s achievable. But if you have the experience hours, go straight to the PMP — and then consider SAFe SPC if you’re working in Agile or DoD software environments.
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