Alternative Lab Quizzes in CertMaster: Overview and How to Enable Them

CompTIA strives to create accessible learning products, specifically adhering to Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 AA standard . While the CertMaster platform is WCAG 2.2 AA compliant, there are several content asset types that are not compliant due to issues related to keyboard navigation and ability to be used by a screen reader. For instance, most lab activities were not designed with accessibility in mind and cannot be easily retrofitted. Labs are a prevalent part of CompTIA courses with over 1800 lab activities available within the portfolio.

Why Most Labs/Sims Aren’t Accessible

As with most complex interactives, Virtual Machine labs (especially) are not accessible. There are significant technical hurdles with running assistive technologies like screen readers within virtual operating systems or their software applications.

• There’s no technical method for a locally installed screen reader to coordinate with or control a screen reader within a VM OS.
  • The screen readers talk over each other and can't identify user locations/actions, creating an unusable experience.
  • A few specialized solutions have been discovered but are too complex to implement at scale.
• Some applications within the VM OS aren’t designed to be accessible, despite us still needing to teach them, leading to an inaccessible experience even if we solved accessibility issues elsewhere.
• Highly complex interactions and elements in labs (like hardware labs) have significant cost, time, and operational hurdles to making them fully accessible. We will make incremental improvements, but achieving full accessibility is unlikely relative to creation of alternative content.

To get over this hurdle we:

• Improve accessibility where we can, on some elements and situations in labs
• Create comparable alternative content where we cannot easily update the activity to meet accessibility requirements

Summary

Alternative Labs provide an accessible way for learners to complete lab activities in CompTIA courseware when standard labs are not fully usable with assistive technologies. These labs are designed to:

• Measure the same learning outcomes as the original lab
• Offer a similar level of cognitive load and practice
• Go beyond simple multiple‑choice questions whenever possible

What Are Alternative Labs?

Alternative Labs are accessible versions of lab experiences within CertMaster that:

• Support learners who use screen readers, keyboard navigation, or other assistive technology
• Provide an equivalent demonstration of skills and knowledge, even when the original lab is not fully accessible
• Are built using a set of reusable “alternative lab patterns,” such as:
  • Updated, accessible hardware lab interface
  • Accessible command-line interface (PowerShell, Command Prompt, Bash)
  • AI-driven scenario activities
  • Accessible interactives
  • Local Labs for Microsoft Excel, Word, and PowerPoint
  • Scenario-based assessments (multiple choice)

Our long-term goal is to build labs with accessibility in mind from the start. In situations where that is not yet possible, Alternative Labs provide an equivalent path for learners who need them.

Alternative Labs are currently being piloted and rolled out in A+ CertMaster Learn and Tech+ CertMaster Learn with other courses to follow throughout 2026.

How Alternative Labs Work in CertMaster

Key Concepts

• Course-level availability: Once Alternative Labs are created for a course, they are available to any learner whose profile is enabled for Alternative Labs.
• Learner-level access: A learner gains access when an admin or instructor enables the Alternative Labs setting in the learner’s profile.
• Global entitlement: After a learner is enabled for Alternative Labs in one course, they will also see Alternative Labs in other supported courses as they become available.

Who Can Enable Alternative Labs?

Alternative Labs are not turned on automatically for individual learners. They must be enabled by:

• Organization Administrators, or
• Instructors/Teachers with permission to edit learner profiles

Learners cannot self-enable Alternative Labs.

How to Enable Alternative Labs for a Learner

Once your organization’s courses support Alternative Labs, follow these steps in CertMaster:

1. Sign in to CertMaster
   Log in with your CompTIA credentials that have admin or instructor access.
2. Open the Learner Management area
   • Navigate to your school/organization or class dashboard.
   • Open the Users, Students, or Learners list (terminology may differ slightly by platform version).
3. Search for the learner
   • Use the search field to locate the student by name, username, or email address.
   • Select the learner to open their profile.
4. Edit the learner’s profile settings
   In the User Settings, locate the section for Accessible Resource Alternatives:
   • Find the option labeled similar to “This user is eligible for accessible alternatives.”
5. Enable Alternative Labs
   • Check the box to allow the learner to access Alternative Labs.
   • Save your changes.

6. Confirm access
   • Ask the learner to log out and log back in, if needed.
   • When they open a course that supports Alternative Labs, qualifying labs will now include Alternative Lab options in their workflow.

Important: Once a learner’s profile is enabled for accessible alternatives, they will see Alternative Labs across all courses that support them now or in the future. You do not need to re-enable this setting for each new course.

Learner Experience with Alternative Labs

For learners who have Alternative Labs enabled:

• When they access a supported course and navigate to lab activities:
  • They will see:
    • The standard lab activity
    • A choice to show an accessible alternative to the default lab experience.

• Alternative Labs will:
  • Use patterns such as multiple-choice quizzes, accessible hardware interfaces, accessible command-line interfaces, AI scenarios, interactives, or Local Labs (e.g., Word, Excel, PowerPoint)
  • Track completion and performance, just like standard labs, to support grading and progress

The lab interface and instructions will guide the learner through each Alternative Lab activity. The learner does not need to manage any settings themselves, beyond using their assistive technology as normal.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do Alternative Labs affect course grading?

Alternative Labs are designed to:

• Map to the same objectives and scoring as the original labs, where possible
• Integrate with existing gradebooks and completion tracking in CertMaster or TestOut courseware

Can I turn Alternative Labs on for my entire class?

Today, Alternative Labs are enabled at the learner level, not class level. If multiple learners in your class require Alternative Labs, you will need to enable accessible alternatives individually in each learner’s profile.

Are Alternative Labs available for all labs in a course?

Not yet. Alternative Labs are being phased in:

• High-priority courses and lab types are addressed first.
• Over time, more lab types and more courses will gain Alternative Labs or fully accessible lab designs.

Additionally, some lab activities have accessible features such as keyboard and screen-reader navigation built into the original lab activity. These labs do not have an alternative as they can be used with assistive technology.

Currently, A+ CertMaster Learn and Tech+ CertMaster Learn support Alternative Labs.

Can learners switch between standard and Alternative Labs?

Where both are available:

• Learners with Alternative Labs enabled may be given:
  • A direct Alternative Lab experience, or
  • A choice of accessible alternative when they reach a lab.
• The exact behavior depends on the course design and lab pattern used for that module.

Support and Contact

If you:

• Need help enabling Alternative Labs for your learners
• Have a learner who continues to face accessibility barriers in a lab
• Have questions about specific courses or timeline updates

Please contact CompTIA Support via the Help Center:

• Submit a ticket with:
  • Organization name
  • Course name(s) and version
  • Learner username(s)
  • A brief description of the accessibility need or issue

We are committed to continually improving the accessibility of our learning products and appreciate your feedback.

This article is based on the Alternative Labs roadmap and platform behavior as of January 23, 2026. Features, UI labels, and availability are subject to change.