CertQuests
CertQuests vs ExamTopics: a free, community-corrected alternative
Both are free. ExamTopics has dramatically wider catalog coverage — 300+ certifications across IT, project management, healthcare and finance. CertQuests covers a focused 37 IT exam packs across 13 vendors with an engineer-written explanation on every question, no signup, no ads, and a public issue tracker that fixes wrong answers in days.
If your cert is on our list (AWS, Azure, CompTIA, Cisco, Kubernetes, HashiCorp, Google Cloud, Fortinet, Palo Alto, Red Hat, ServiceNow, Splunk), the experience is faster, cleaner, and the explanations train your reasoning instead of your memory. If your cert isn’t on our list (PMP, ITIL, AWS Specialty Data Analytics, etc.), ExamTopics’ breadth is hard to beat.
At-a-glance comparison
| Feature | ExamTopics | CertQuests |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to access full bank | Free with Contributor Access on most discussion | Free, fully open |
| Explanation on every question | Community comments only (varies in quality) | Engineer-written, on every Q |
| Answer-correction process | Comment threads, “most voted” mechanic | Public issue tracker · fixed in days |
| Signup required | Contributor Access for full discussion | None |
| Last refresh cadence | Variable per pack | Weekly review · April 2026 |
| Mobile experience | Web only, ad-supported | PWA + native Android app |
| Offline study | Online only | Yes (PWA + native app) |
| Tracking & ads | Display ads, third-party trackers | Zero. Local-only progress |
| Coverage breadth | 300+ certifications across many fields | 37 IT exam packs across 13 vendors |
| Question source | User-submitted, community-voted | Hand-authored by certified engineers |
What ExamTopics genuinely does well
Before the gap analysis: it’s worth saying that ExamTopics has earned its position as the go-to free aggregator for community-shared exam questions. A few things they do well that we don’t pretend to match:
- Breadth. They cover hundreds of certifications, including obscure vendor-specific ones (PMP, ITIL 4, AWS Specialty Data Analytics, Salesforce Admin) that no boutique site ships.
- Comment archives. Years of community discussion attached to each question. On well-trafficked packs, the discussion under a tricky question is genuinely useful — multiple candidates reasoning through the same edge case.
- Discussion-driven correction. When the most-voted answer is right, it’s right. The voting mechanic isn’t bulletproof but it’s a real feedback loop.
- Free at the entry tier. You can read most questions and most-voted answers without paying.
Where ExamTopics frustrates the candidates we hear from
Across r/AWSCertifications, r/CompTIA, r/CCNA and similar communities, the same pain points come up consistently:
- Contributor Access wall on discussion. To see the full community thread on most packs, you need either to submit your own questions to qualify for Contributor Access, or pay. Many candidates hit this wall on the questions that need discussion the most.
- Stale questions on slower-moving packs. Items written for retired exam IDs sometimes surface for current ones. The community usually flags it in comments — but only if you can see the comments.
- “Most voted” isn’t “most correct.” The voting mechanic depends on candidates voting for what they remember from the real exam. On well-trafficked packs the consensus is solid; on niche packs, vote counts are low and the most-voted answer can be wrong with no enforcement layer.
- Ad density. Display ads, occasional pop-ups, slower load times on mobile. Disruptive when you’re drilling 50 questions in a sitting.
- No structured progress. No concept of “you’ve completed X of Y, your weak domain is Z” across sessions. You bookmark questions or take screenshots.
- No mobile app. Web-only, with a not-mobile-optimised experience. If you study on the train or in line for coffee, this matters.
Where CertQuests slots in
We don’t try to compete with ExamTopics on raw catalog size — that race is already over. We compete on the four things candidates ask for once they’ve been burned by a free dump site:
- Engineer-written explanations on every question. Not “see comments below” — an actual paragraph explaining why the right answer is right and why each distractor is wrong. Hand-authored or reviewed by an engineer holding the certification. See the methodology →
- Public issue tracker. Spot a wrong answer? Open an issue on the contact page. Every report is reviewed by a contributor with the cert; fixes ship in days, in public. No support-ticket black box.
- Updated April 2026. Banks reviewed weekly. Last refresh date is shown on every pack.
- No signup, no ads, no trackers. First quiz starts in under 30 seconds from this page. Your progress lives on your device only.
Side-by-side: a real SAA-C03 question
The clearest way to feel the difference is to look at the same kind of question through both lenses. Here’s a real AWS Solutions Architect Associate (SAA-C03) question from our pack, alongside a description of how the same item would surface on a typical free-dump-site discussion thread.
A company runs a web app on EC2 behind an ALB. Traffic spikes unpredictably during business hours. Which solution provides the MOST cost-effective way to handle variable load while maintaining high availability?
- (A) Provision a fixed large EC2 instance to handle peak traffic
- (B) Use an Auto Scaling Group with a target tracking policy based on CPU utilization
- (C) Use Reserved Instances sized for peak load
- (D) Deploy multiple regions with Route 53 failover routing
A company runs a web app on EC2 behind an ALB. Traffic spikes unpredictably during business hours. Which solution provides the MOST cost-effective way to handle variable load while maintaining high availability?
- (A) Provision a fixed large EC2 instance to handle peak traffic
- (B) Use an Auto Scaling Group with a target tracking policy based on CPU utilization
- (C) Use Reserved Instances sized for peak load
- (D) Deploy multiple regions with Route 53 failover routing
Same question, two failure modes for the candidate:
- On the dump-site path, the right answer is gated behind community discussion you may not be able to see in full, and the reasoning lives in comment threads of varying quality.
- On the CertQuests path, the explanation is the answer. You read the rationale, internalise the “why,” and the next question that tests the same concept feels easier.
Coverage matrix — the honest version
This is where ExamTopics’ breadth is real, and we won’t pretend otherwise. Per-vendor:
| Vendor | ExamTopics | CertQuests |
|---|---|---|
| Amazon AWS | ~30 exams (incl. all Specialty) | 7 exams (CLF/SAA/SOA/DVA/SCS/ANS/AIF) |
| Microsoft Azure | ~25 exams (Fundamentals, Associate, Expert) | 6 exams (AZ-900/104/305/500, MS-900, SC-900) |
| Cisco | CCNA, CCNP (multiple), CCIE | CCNA, CCNP Security |
| CompTIA | A+, Network+, Security+, CySA+, PenTest+, Linux+, etc. | 6 packs (A+, Network+, Security+, CySA+, PenTest+, Linux+) |
| Kubernetes (CKA / CKAD / CKS) | Yes | Yes |
| HashiCorp (Terraform / Vault) | Terraform Associate | Terraform Associate, Vault Associate |
| Google Cloud | ACE, PCA, PDE, Specialty | ACE, PCA, PDE |
| Project mgmt (PMP, PRINCE2) | Yes | Not covered |
| ITIL 4 | Yes | Not covered |
Honest takeaway. If you’re studying a CompTIA / AWS associate / Azure / Kubernetes / HashiCorp cert that’s on our list, our explanations are deeper and the experience is cleaner. If you’re studying PMP, ITIL, an AWS Specialty we don’t cover, or a Salesforce admin path, ExamTopics is still the practical default.
Should you switch? Three honest answers
You’re prepping AWS SAA-C03
Try CertQuests first. 60 questions, every one explained, real exam-style framing. If you finish and want more raw volume, ExamTopics is fine for additional reps — just cross-check against the official exam guide.
Start the SAA-C03 quizYou’re prepping CompTIA Security+ SY0-701
CertQuests is a strong primary — 90 explained questions covering the SY0-701 blueprint. Pair it with a hands-on lab tool (TryHackMe, CompTIA CertMaster Labs) for the PBQ portion, since multiple-choice alone won’t train the simulation questions.
Start the Security+ quizYou’re prepping CCNP Enterprise or CCIE
Honest call: ExamTopics is more practical here. We have one CCNP pack (CCNP Security, 60 questions); they have several across the CCNP and CCIE tracks. Use them for volume, lean on official Cisco docs for accuracy.
Start CCNP Security (what we do have)Try a 5-question quiz right now
No signup. No email. No ads. Click any button below and you’re in a quiz in under 30 seconds.
Frequently asked questions
Is CertQuests really free?
Yes. All 2,520 questions across 37 exam packs and 13 vendors are free, with no signup, no email gate, no paywall, and no tracking. Progress is stored locally in your browser.
Does ExamTopics have explanations on every question?
ExamTopics relies on community comments rather than authored explanations. Some questions have rich, well-reasoned discussion threads; others have one-line votes. To see the full discussion on most packs, ExamTopics requires Contributor Access — submitting your own questions or paying a fee. CertQuests ships an engineer-written explanation on every question by default.
Are ExamTopics’ “most voted” answers reliable?
The “most voted” mechanic depends on candidates voting for what they remember from the real exam, which is mostly correct but not always. On well-trafficked packs (AWS SAA, AZ-900, Security+) the consensus is usually solid. On less-popular packs, vote counts are low and the most-voted answer can be wrong. Always cross-check against the official exam objectives.
How often are CertQuests’ question banks updated?
Banks are reviewed weekly. The latest refresh was April 2026. Wrong answers reported via the public issue tracker are typically fixed within a week, with the change visible to all users immediately.
Do I need an account on either platform?
CertQuests requires no account, no email, and no signup. ExamTopics lets you read most questions and the most-voted answer for free, but full community discussion typically requires Contributor Access (submitting questions or a paid plan).
Which platform has more questions?
ExamTopics has dramatically broader coverage — 300+ certifications across IT, project management, healthcare, and finance. CertQuests covers 37 IT exam packs across 13 vendors, with depth concentrated on AWS, Azure, CompTIA, Cisco, Kubernetes, and HashiCorp. If your cert is on our list, you’ll find an engineer-written explanation on every question. If it isn’t, ExamTopics’ breadth is hard to beat.
Can I use both platforms together?
Yes — and many candidates do. A common pattern: use CertQuests as your daily-driver question bank for the cert you’re preparing (because the explanations train your reasoning), then use ExamTopics for raw question volume and to see how community discussion treats edge cases. Cross-checking against the official exam objectives is still essential.
Where can I report a wrong answer on CertQuests?
On the contact page. Every report is reviewed by a contributor holding the relevant certification, and the fix ships within days. The correction process is public — there’s no support-ticket black box.
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How we wrote this comparison
No affiliate revenue from any tool listed. We don’t take money from ExamTopics, MeasureUp, Boson, Tutorials Dojo or anyone else. Claims about ExamTopics features (Contributor Access, ad load, comment-driven discussion, breadth of catalog) are based on their public site as of April 2026; if anything has changed, tell us and we’ll update this page in days.
What we’ll change without being asked: if ExamTopics removes the Contributor Access wall, ships authored explanations, or adds a mobile app, we’ll update the table and credit the change with a dated note. Last reviewed: April 26, 2026.