Yesterday, I became CRT Certified (CREST Registered Penetration Tester).
Back in June, I passed the CREST Practitioner Security Analyst (CPSA) exam. Since I already hold OSCP, I was able to apply through the CREST Equivalency program and obtain CRT without taking another exam.
To be clear: I didn’t pursue this because I wanted another certification. I did it because some of our clients REQUIRE a CREST-certified penetration tester.
When they told us that, I scheduled the CPSA exam almost immediately and passed it two weeks later, without studying.
Here’s the real takeaway for the “certs don’t matter” crowd:
Business value - Holding CRT means my company can retain clients. In many parts of Europe, CREST is mandatory.
Preparation compounds - Because I’ve studied for 9+ multiple-choice certs over the years, I could walk into the exam with zero prep and pass confidently. Without that foundation, this would have taken months of study.
Stacking certifications over time gave me the ability to get this done quickly without stepping away from billable penetration testing work. That translates directly into revenue and client trust.
Certifications matter more than people want to admit. Not because they define skill, but because clients and customers often expect them.
Kyser Clark - Cybersecurity
Yesterday, I became CRT Certified (CREST Registered Penetration Tester).
Back in June, I passed the CREST Practitioner Security Analyst (CPSA) exam. Since I already hold OSCP, I was able to apply through the CREST Equivalency program and obtain CRT without taking another exam.
To be clear: I didn’t pursue this because I wanted another certification. I did it because some of our clients REQUIRE a CREST-certified penetration tester.
When they told us that, I scheduled the CPSA exam almost immediately and passed it two weeks later, without studying.
Here’s the real takeaway for the “certs don’t matter” crowd:
Business value - Holding CRT means my company can retain clients. In many parts of Europe, CREST is mandatory.
Preparation compounds - Because I’ve studied for 9+ multiple-choice certs over the years, I could walk into the exam with zero prep and pass confidently. Without that foundation, this would have taken months of study.
Stacking certifications over time gave me the ability to get this done quickly without stepping away from billable penetration testing work. That translates directly into revenue and client trust.
Certifications matter more than people want to admit. Not because they define skill, but because clients and customers often expect them.
1 week ago | [YT] | 54