How to Verify a Training Company’s Claims (ISC2, EC-Council, CompTIA)

Before you spend a dollar on a CISSP, CEH, or CompTIA boot camp, verify the company’s claims directly with the certifying body — ISC2, EC-Council, or CompTIA — and do a quick reputation check. It takes about ten minutes, and it’s the single best way to avoid the kind of experience so many people (myself included) had with Infosec Institute. Here’s exactly how to do it.

Why verify a training provider’s claims?

Training companies advertise pass rates, “official partner” status, hands-on labs, and exam-pass guarantees. Those claims are often inflated and rarely verifiable from the marketing page alone. The certifying bodies — not the training company — are the source of truth. When I finally checked ISC2’s official training list during my boot camp, the company I’d already paid wasn’t on it. Ten minutes up front would have saved me thousands.

How to confirm an official ISC2 (CISSP) training partner

ISC2 is the certifying body for the CISSP, CCSP, and SSCP. It delivers official training itself and through authorized training providers.

1. Go to the official ISC2 site: isc2.org.
2. Find their official / authorized training information and see whether the company you’re considering is actually listed.
3. If you can’t confirm it there, contact ISC2 directly (member services) and ask, “Is [company] an authorized ISC2 training provider?”
4. If the “partnership” can’t be confirmed on ISC2’s own site or by ISC2 staff, walk away.

Shortcut: I keep a current copy of ISC2’s official North America training partners here, pulled straight from ISC2’s directory.

How to verify EC-Council (CEH) claims

EC-Council authorizes training through Accredited Training Centers (ATCs) and its official iClass program. Check eccouncil.org and contact EC-Council to confirm a provider is an authorized ATC. Ask whether the CEH voucher and exam are delivered through official channels — and steer clear of any provider that pushes third-party “brain dumps,” which violate EC-Council policy and can get your certification revoked.

How to verify CompTIA claims

CompTIA runs an Authorized Partner Program. Check comptia.org, ask the provider for their partner status, and confirm it with CompTIA directly. Also confirm you’ll sit the real exam through Pearson VUE or an approved delivery method — not some in-house workaround.

Do a 10-minute reputation check

Claims aside, look at how the company treats customers. Search each of these for patterns (not one-off gripes):

• Trustpilot, BBB, and PissedConsumer — customer complaints, refund/voucher problems
• Reddit (r/cissp, r/CompTIA, r/CEH) — unfiltered firsthand student experiences
• Glassdoor — low employee morale and heavy turnover often show up in the product

Questions to ask before you pay

• “Where does your pass-rate figure come from, and how is it calculated?” (a real number has a methodology)
• “Are you an authorized partner of ISC2 / EC-Council / CompTIA — and can I confirm that with them directly?”
• “Exactly what’s included — exam voucher, retake, and what conditions unlock them?” (get it in writing)
• “What’s your refund policy if the training doesn’t match what’s advertised?” (also in writing)
• “Do I take the real exam at a Pearson VUE test center or approved proctor?”
• “Are the practice questions your own, or third-party?” (third-party dumps are a red flag and a policy violation)

None of this is hard, and all of it is free. The certifying bodies want you to verify — it protects their credential. Do the ten-minute check before you pay, and you’ll never end up writing a review like the ones on this site.

See it in action: my full Infosec Institute review roundup shows what happens when these checks get skipped — and my better choices page covers what actually worked for me instead.