CertMaster Access Key API (CMAK)

The CertMaster Access Key API (CMAK) is a limited, customer-facing REST API that enables customer-side automation around generating, cancelling, and checking the status of learner access keys for products on the CertMaster learning platform (formerly TestOut), as well as CompTIA certification exam vouchers. Generated access keys and vouchers are tallied by CompTIA and paid for on a monthly basis by the requesting institution via Usage-based Billing (UBB).

Please note that this API does not handle any reporting past access key status, or any learner-facing content integration features, such as Single Sign-on.

Is this right for my organization?

Our other integration, which utilizes LTI 1.3, is our flagship integration, and is recommended if your organization meets the requirements. See our article here if you want to learn more about this path.

However, the CertMaster Access Key API may be right for you if you meet the following criteria:

• Our LTI 1.3 integration does not meet your requirements
• Your organization has a point of sale or fullfillment system that can utilize custom API calls
• Your organization has a strong engineering team capable of reading/interpreting technical documentation on REST API calls and implementing those calls into your own system

Capabilities

What the CertMaster Access Key API can do

• Instantly supply your organization with an arbitrary number of certification exam vouchers, or access keys to any product on the CertMaster platform
• Optionally, redeem those access keys to existing CertMaster accounts, or create new CertMaster accounts to redeem them to
• Check the status of access keys that were previously generated through the API
• Deactivate access keys acquired through the API and revoke any associated access

What the CertMaster Access Key API cannot do

• Single sign-on (SSO)
• Grade syncing (or other type of reporting aside from access key redemption status)
• Handle student payment or any other part of the fulfillment process
• Integrate content with a customer system

Example Use Case: Bookstore

APIs are inherently flexible and can be used any number of ways, but here is an example of how an online bookstore that wants to sell our products to multiple colleges might use it:

1. Problem: The bookstore does not enjoy choosing between either maintaining a large stock of access codes that expire over time if left unused, or having to constantly make many smaller manual orders. They want to be able to get each access code when they need it, and not before: a zero-inventory solution. LTI 1.3 does not work for them, because they don't use an LMS to deliver their content.
2. Discovery and Prerequisites: The bookstore's decision-makers meet with Sales Engineering to determine if it’s an appropriate fit. If so, the bookstore's legal team receives and signs the requisite Usage-based Billing (UBB) agreement.
3. Parameter Exchange: Within two business days of the agreement being executed, CompTIA Technical Implementation creates and sends the necessary credentials and documentation to the bookstore's technical team. The bookstore sends a list of any resale customers of their own (such as schools) and their corresponding internal IDs, which are needed for the API to connect properly.
4. Implementation and Go-Live: The customer decides where and how they want to implement the API calls. In this case, the bookstore decides to build functionality into their system such that any time a student purchases an access code, their fulfillment system will send a request to the “Create Access Key” endpoint of the CertMaster Access Key API. When the key is received, the bookstore builds a way to present it to the purchaser through their user account portal on the bookstore's website. Note that the customer’s tech team codes/builds the API call into the appropriate place in their fulfillment flow. There’s a limited amount of support the CompTIA team can provide in this effort, aside from a full understanding of how each call works and explanation of any CompTIA-side errors.

5. Ongoing Maintenance:

   • API calls must be added/modified when a new CompTIA product or version releases.
   • If the customer is reselling CompTIA access keys to other organizations (such as the bookstore), then they must provide the names of any new secondary customer orgs and their IDs to CompTIA whenever a new one is onboarded.
6. Billing: CompTIA invoices the bookstore monthly for all access codes acquired through the API. Any access keys that need to be canceled (for example, returns or drops), must be deactivated by the bookstore through the API by the 15th of the month after their purchase.