Are You Certified?

Getting more qualifications is one way to impress employers and improve your job prospects. So how do Microsoft’s certifications work, what are the exams like, and what do you have to do to pass them?

Nearly 15 years ago Microsoft launched the Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP) programme to recognise the skills of IT professionals and developers in the area of Microsoft technology. I was among the first in the world to get my MCSE credential, something I am still very proud of. In this article, I’ll outline the road to certification, give you an insider’s view based on my experience as both a trainer and someone who’s passed the exams, and examine the value of certification.

In the early days, there were really just three certifications: MCSE (Microsoft Certified System Engineer) for IT pros, MCSD (Microsoft Certified Systems Developer) for developers, and MCT (Microsoft Certified Trainer) for trainers. The exams were hard, and there seemed to be lots of them.

Then in June 2005, Microsoft announced its intention to revamp its certification programme. As I reported in a blog article at the time (see http://tinyurl.com/424qf6), Microsoft in effect dumped all the old certifications in favour of a totally new set (complete with another new set of acronyms). Microsoft Learning (MSL) had loads of reasons for the change, but dumping the MCSE seemed crazy at the time. MSL has struggled since then to create the same brand loyalty for the new certifications that the MCSE et al had. The comments from http://tinyurl.com/4nv7f9 will give you a taste for the reaction at the time.

Getting Certified
If you’re keen to get certified, Microsoft has provided a six-step approach to gaining your certifications:

• Decide what certification is right for you.
• Gain hands-on experience – the exams you need to pass require you know the product(s) you are getting certified in.
• Improve on your experience with training. As I work for Global Knowledge, a large international training firm, you might expect I’d agree with that (and I do). The opportunity to work with the product in the safe confines of a training room with a skilled instructor there to help is invaluable. Whether or not you pursue certification, some hands-on, instructor-led training can jumpstart your abilities with the product.
• Know what to expect in the exams. Exams test your knowledge of Microsoft products – how to use them and how they work. You should understand what’s covered in the exams as well as how the exams work.
• Take a practice exam or an assessment. Microsoft has published some assessment exams to help you test your knowledge. In addition, there are several practice exam providers who can provide you with exams that are similar to the final exam.
• Take (and pass) the exams.

These six steps are pretty straightforward. Obviously you need to know the product behind the exam(s) being taken. But sometimes the exam developers create questions on some of the more obscure and perhaps less used parts of the product. Microsoft provides a syllabus for each exam that sets out broadly what is to be covered in each exam. You can go to http://www.microsoft.com/learning/default.mspx to find out more details.

Taking a training course is a great way both to learn more about a product and to prepare for the exam. I try to avoid teaching to the exam; my view has always been that if you really know the product the exam should be a breeze. Training does, however, allow you to play with the product, and a good instructor can certainly help you master the key subject matter.

If you hold older certs you don’t have to go back to square one: just follow the upgrade path at http://tinyurl.com/2blebx.

Brain Dumps and NDA
It’s useful to prepare for an exam by testing yourself against questions similar to those you’re likely to find in the exam itself. Two main vendors of practice tests are recommended by Microsoft: Self Test Software (www.selftestsoftware.com) and Measure Up (www.measureup.com).

Other reputable practice test providers exist (one is Transcender), but sadly there are plenty more not-so-reputable vendors out for your money (you didn’t really expect me to call out any of these did you?). By less reputable I mean organisations that provide brain dumps, which simply replicate what is actually in the exam – in some cases word for word. Brain dumps, at least for me, are a cheat – if you know word for word what’s in the exam and what the right answer is, of course you should pass well. But that rather defeats the purpose.



Route to the Top: Microsoft's certification structure
 
After seeing the brain dumpers at work, Microsoft Learning introduced a strict non-disclosure agreement (NDA) on each exam which forbids you, the test taker, from revealing much about what’s in it. This makes it more tricky for trainers to teach to the exam since doing so could be considered an NDA violation, which could result in serious penalties.

Taking the Exam
The MCP exams are all pretty straightforward (not so the MCM [Microsoft Certified Master] and MCA [Microsoft Certified Architect] exams!). You have around 50 multiple choice questions to answer in around 75 minutes. There are several
question styles, but essentially, each question starts with an introduction (“You are an administrator at XXX corp and you want to...”) and then presents a set of possible answers. Some of the proposed answers are distractors – answers that with a bit of skill you can quickly tell are wrong. Sometimes there’s only one right answer. In other cases, you need to pick two or three right answers. There are also simulation questions that test your knowledge of the UI. In general, if you really know the product you are being tested on, these should be fairly straightforward.

The passing grade for each exam varies, but tends to be around 70 per cent (much lower than Cisco CCNA exams). But it means you can get a few questions totally wrong and still have a good chance of passing. Once you complete the exam, you get the good news (or bad news depending!).

You have to take your exams at an exam centre – at one time you had the choice of using either a VUE or Prometric testing centre, but last year Microsoft went single source with Prometric. You can book your exams online  at www.prometric.com/default.htm.

Why Bother?
Before going to Prometric’s web site and booking your exams, you really need to determine whether the cost of the test (pass or fail) is worth it for you. At one time, MCP exams were a good way to improve your career prospects. Then the brain dumpers helped create a legion of “paper MCSEs” that really hurt the value proposition. Today, some of you are required to have Microsoft certifications (as an MCT I can’t teach official courses without certification, for example).

Employers, especially in the current economic climate, need employees who are well trained and capable of fulfilling their job objectives. By itself, certification is but one of many indicators of future job success – but, especially given the continuing problem of brain dumps, it’s not a guarantee. A set of certifications may help you get through the door and onto a shortlist, but after that it’s you that makes the difference.

If you are new to certification or are embarking on updating your certifications, another aspect to consider is which certifications are right for you. The Cisco certifications are an alternative to consider (I’ve just started down that road myself). If your organisation is a heavy user of Cisco hardware and software, it could be worth taking the exams. The same holds true for VMware and other vendors.

Summary
Microsoft has made some big changes to the MCP programme. Although the company is still struggling to evangelise the new set of certifications to employers and to MCP exam candidates, it has a solid certification story. If you are an IT pro focusing on Microsoft technologies, you should consider taking your MCTS and MCITP exams to demonstrate your knowledge to your current or future employer. But don’t assume that your new-found qualifications will make you rich.