TestOut Corporation

TestOut Corporation is a privately-held corporation headquartered in Pleasant Grove, Utah, that develops IT certification training courses called LabSim. TestOut is led by Noel Vallejo, CEO; Doug Edwards, President; and Don Whitnah, Vice President.
TestOut's LabSim training courses are computer-based. The courses are developed to include written lessons, videos, demonstrations, simulated labs, quizzes, and exams. TestOut says LabSim courses prepare users to pass certification exams and give them practical experience for a job or at home.
Mission
TestOut's mission statement is "To make a difference in a person's life through education using breakthrough technology."
History
TestOut was founded in 1991 by Noel Vallejo and began as a marketing consulting company, offering consulting services to computer training companies. Starting in 1992, the company was named United Education Centers (UEC) and began sponsoring industry conferences, as well as selling marketing and advertising services to training companies.
In 1994 UEC released its first video training series called “So You Wanna Be a CNE?!” that provided training for the Certified Novell Engineer (CNE) exam. Training videos followed for other Novell certifications.
In 1996 UEC began developing computer-based versions of its training videos delivered on CD-ROM. The company began incorporating videos, written lessons, and practice exam questions in each training series. Then UEC began integrating simulation technology into its computer-based training to give users hands-on experience.
In 1998 UEC changed its name to TestOut Corporation. TestOut began breaking away from its focus on Novell training and developed its first Microsoft training for the Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE) certification.
In 1999 TestOut expanded its product line to include training for CompTIA’s and and Cisco’s CCNA certifications.
In 2007 TestOut changed from offering LabSim courses on CD to offering them on DVD.
In 2009 TestOut discontinued LabSim DVDs and offered the courses online only. Users downloaded and installed a Windows client to access LabSim courses.
In 2009 TestOut was awarded the gold medal Editor’s Best award from Penton Media’s Windows IT Pro Magazine in the category Best Training & Certification Product or Service. TestOut was also awarded the silver medal Community Choice award in the same category.
In 2010 TestOut began offering LabSim courses through Web browsers as an alternative to downloading and installing the Windows client for LabSim.
Market
TestOut sells LabSim training courses to individuals, companies, and academic institutions. Corporations use LabSim to offer training to their employees, and academic institutions use LabSim as the curriculum in IT courses.
Products
TestOut produces LabSim IT certification training courses. LabSim courses are online, computer-based trainings that include written lessons, instructional videos and demonstrations, simulated labs, and quizzes and exams. LabSim courses have tracking built in for users to keep track of their scores and progress. Students’ scores and time spent in LabSim can also be viewed by their instructors.
According to TestOut, LabSim courses include multiple learning methods so that each course reaches users with different learning styles.
TestOut offers the following LabSim training courses that are designed around the objectives of the corresponding industry certification:
A+. is a vendor-neutral, entry-level certification from CompTIA that evaluates an individual’s competency in the fundamentals of computer technology. involves two exams: and A+ Practical Application.
LabSim certification training includes 79 instructor-led videos, 54 demonstrations, 40 simulated labs, 94 written lessons, and 605 exam questions.
LabSim A+ Practical Application certification training includes 54 instructor-led videos, 74 demonstrations, 66 simulated labs, 80 written lessons, and 509 exam questions.
Network+. is a vendor-neutral certification from CompTIA that focuses on an individual’s skills in managing, maintaining, troubleshooting, installing, and configuring basic network infrastructure.
LabSim certification training involves 71 instructor-led training videos, 42 simulated labs, 31 demonstrations, 73 written lessons, 50 sections quizzes, and 544 exam questions.
Security+. Individuals certify in the vendor-neutral from CompTIA to demonstrate their competency in system security, network infrastructure, access control, and organizational security.
LabSim certification training includes 66 training videos, 29 simulated labs, 77 demonstrations, 81 written lessons, 56 section quizzes, and 533 exam questions. The course takes an estimated 40-50 hours to complete.
Linux+. CompTIA’s vendor-neutral Linux+ certification is the benchmark certification for professionals who work with open-source platforms. demonstrates a fundamental understanding of Linux systems, including command line, user administration, file permissions, software configuration, and management of Linux-based clients.
LabSim certification training involves 41 training videos, 91 simulated labs, 63 demonstrations, 107 written lessons, 54 sections quizzes, and 385 exam questions. The course takes an estimated 40-50 hours to complete.
Server+. Server+ is a vendor-neutral certification from CompTIA that certifies technical knowledge in areas such as RAID, SCSI and multiple CPUs, as well as capabilities with disaster recovery.
LabSim Server+ certification training includes 79 training videos, 50 simulated labs, 55 demonstrations, 89 written lessons, 53 section quizzes, and 388 exam questions. The course takes an estimated 40-50 hours to complete.
Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE). Individuals pass seven Microsoft exams to gain MCSE certification. The certification evaluates skills for designing, implementing, and administering infrastructures for business solutions based on Windows 2003 Server and other Windows server platforms. It also covers Active Directory.
LabSim MCSE certification training includes 610 training videos, 593 simulated labs, 537 demonstrations, 757 written lessons, 401 section quizzes, and 2,428 exam questions.
Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist (MCTS). Individuals become MCTS certified by passing a single exam on a key Microsoft technology, such as a Windows operating system, Microsoft Exchange Server, Microsoft SQL Server, Microsoft Visual Studio, or others.
LabSim MCTS certification training includes an average of 52 training videos, 47 simulated labs, 56 demonstrations, 91 written lessons, 47 section quizzes, and 257 exam questions, depending on the course.
Microsoft Certified Information Technology Professional (MCITP). The MCITP certification comes with an emphasis in one of many different job roles. Whatever job role an individual chooses, he or she should be capable of deploying, building, designing, optimizing, and operating Microsoft technologies for that role.
LabSim MCITP certification training courses are for either the Server Administrator job role or the Enterprise Administrator job role.
Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA). Cisco’s entry-level certification exam, with a focus on apprentice level networking, the CCNA exam tests an individual’s ability to install, configure, operate, and troubleshoot networks, including implementation and verification of connections to remote sites in a WAN.
LabSim CCNA certification training includes 73 instructor-led training videos, 63 simulated labs, 51 demonstrations, 146 written lessons, 74 section quizzes, and 592 exam questions. The course takes an estimated 40-50 hours to complete.
Systems Security Certified Practitioner (SSCP). SSCP is a vendor-neutral certification from that demonstrates an individual’s fundamental understanding of information security, including access control; cryptography; network and communication; malicious code and attacks; analysis and monitoring; risk, response, and recovery; and security operations administration.
LabSim SSCP certification training includes 62 training videos, 57 simulated labs, 55 demonstrations, 85 written lessons, 52 section quizzes, and 470 exam questions. The course takes an estimated 40-50 hours to complete.
Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP). CISSP is a vendor-neutral certification from that is meant for information security professionals with at least five years’ experience in the field.
LabSim CISSP certification training includes 74 training videos, 93 written lessons, 49 section quizzes, and 551 exam questions. The course takes an estimated 40-50 hours to complete.
Crime Scene Investigation (CSI). LabSim CSI training teaches skills for criminal justice careers and gives practice via simulated labs. The course includes 71 training videos, 22 simulated labs, 43 demonstrations, 44 written lessons, 48 section quizzes, and 193 exam questions.

Main Menu

See Also

Main Menu