Hi guys,

Here are a few certs that I can find with their respective training institutions. They all look sexy and self proclaimed as being the best cert.

CPTC - Certified Penetration Testing Consultant     25421
CPTE - Certified Penetration Testing Engineer     34894
CSTA - Certified Security Testing Associate             3614
GPEN - GIAC Certified Penetration Tester             33170
OSCP - Offensive Security Certified Professional     36097
CEH - Certified Ethical Hacker                             90494
ECSA - EC-Council Certified Security Analyst     29890
CEPT - Certified Expert Penetration Tester            26267

However, the question I have been wrestling with is which one of these ethical hacking or pentesting certifications and trainings truly and genuinely offer the best material in the world? Categorizing them in the best being 1, how would you rank them in term of quality, depth, practicality and maturity?
I have only taken SANS training but have read a lot about the other ones' testimonies, reviews and talk to a few friends who have taken for example OSCP and CEH.

Could any one of you guys attempt to answer this question if you have taken a few of these courses and certs. Please provide some comparisons if you wish on tools covered, instructors' experience, labs setup and etc.

I am excited to hear from you and would like to thank you in advanced.

From the ones you have listed, I'd say OSCP and CEPT. GPEN is popular as well, but based on your signature, it seems you already have it. If you want something for HR, you can also add CEH.

offsec

If you're in India and you need a job, CEH. Keep in mind they require a clean criminal record and I think they also require 2 years of IT-security experience or related at least.

If this is not your situation, and you really want to learn what pentesting is about, well, at least the basics that is, it's definitely OSCP you have to do. CEH won't teach you pentesting. It's a mile wide but only a foot deep, while OSCP is a foot wide (pentesting) but a mile deep.

Keep in mind that a "foot wide" in OSCP, doesn't mean it covers only a few things, as OSCP (i.e. PWB) covers almost or perhaps just everything within penetration testing pretty much. Except hardcore exploit development, they have other courses for that 

I'd go with OSCP and CEPT.


Although Mati and crew did - without a doubt - a great job, saying or thinking that PWB (or any other course) teaches (almost) everything about penetration testing, is just wrong and also naive.

I assume you didn't mean it that way, but that's how someone (especially someone new to the field) might interpret your statement.