Editorial Policy

Trust is the only product CertSherpa really sells. This page explains exactly how our guides get made, so you can judge for yourself whether we've earned it.

How we research

• Exam costs and requirements are checked against the official certification body's website (CompTIA, PMI, AWS, OSHA, and so on) at the time of writing. We list the source when we cite a price.
• Salary data comes first from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Where BLS doesn't track a role, we use industry salary surveys — and we always say when a number is self-reported rather than measured, because self-reported numbers skew high.
• Study-time estimates are based on documented learner experiences and official training-hour recommendations, not best-case marketing claims.

How guides are written and reviewed

Our research process uses modern tools, and every guide is edited, fact-checked, and approved by Ammar Tahir, who takes personal responsibility for every verdict published. If a guide says "skip this certification," that's an editorial judgment a real person is willing to defend — not autogenerated filler.

Independence

• No certification body or training provider pays for coverage, placement, or verdicts.
• Advertising on this site (including Google AdSense) is clearly separated from editorial content and has no influence on what we recommend.
• If we ever add affiliate links, they will be disclosed on the page where they appear — clearly, at the top, before you click anything.

Updates and corrections

Certification prices and requirements change constantly. We review high-traffic guides on a regular cycle and show a "last updated" date on every article. Found something out of date or plain wrong? Tell us — corrections are published as soon as they're verified, and we appreciate every reader who sends one.

What we won't do

• Publish "reviews" of products we haven't researched.
• Promise salary outcomes. Averages are averages; your result depends on you and your market.
• Recommend a certification just because it's popular — or profitable to promote.