The beta exam for its new CompTIA RFID+™ certification, a vendor-neutral professional credential to validate knowledge and skill in working with radio frequency identification technology (RFID) isnow available.

The new beta exam (RF1-001) is intended for individuals with a foundational knowledge of RFID technology and between six and twenty-four months of experience in the RFID industry. Individuals who pass the beta exam will be certified as a CompTIA RFID+ professional.

The exam will cover topics related to the installation, configuration and maintenance of RFID hardware and device software, including interrogation zone basics, testing and troubleshooting, standards and regulations, tag knowledge, design selection, installation, site analysis, RF physics, and RFID peripherals. Complete beta exam objectives are available at: http://www.comptia.org/certification/rfid/objectives.aspx.

The CompTIA RFID+ certification is being developed with the assistance of leading organizations in the RFID market, including American RFID Solutions; the Association for Automatic Identification and Mobility (AIM Global); Briljent, LLC; DHL Express (USA), Inc.; FC Business Systems; Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis; Intermec Technologies Corporation; International Paper’s Smart Packaging Business; ODIN technologies; OTA Training; Printronix, Inc.; RFID4U (a division of eSmart Source, Inc.); RFID Focus; RFID Global Solutions; RFID Journal; ScanSource, Inc.;  Sparkice; Symbol Technologies, Inc., The Enterprise Mobility Company™; Texas Instruments Incorporated; Zebra Technologies Corp.; and others.

The beta test is used to ensure that the final certification exam is fair and reliable. Candidates who take the beta exam are helping CompTIA to establish the appropriate requirements for the RFID certification. After a targeted number of candidates have taken the exam, the results are analyzed, the best questions are identified and a passing exam score is established. The permanent CompTIA RFID+ certification exam will be available in early 2006.

There is a $75 fee for the beta exam to cover delivery and publication costs. The fee is a 66-percent discount off the regular non-member exam price of $225 for CompTIA RFID+ certification. Registration for the CompTIA RFID+ beta exam is available through Thomson Prometric and Pearson VUE at www.comptia.org/registerforexam.