Getting Autodesk Certified

To earn Autodesk Certification, you’ll need to pass an Autodesk certification exam, or a series of exams, and follow some simple steps.

Step 1. Choose the certification that’s right for you.

There can be more than one certification level offered for specific Autodesk products. Review the certifications available by product, pick the level that is right for you, and learn what skills you need to pass the certification you would like to earn by reading the exam guide for your test.

• AutoCAD
• AutoCAD Architecture
• AutoCAD Civil 3D
• Autodesk 3ds Max Design
• Autodesk Inventor
• Autodesk Revit Architecture

Step 2. Assess your readiness.

After you’ve chosen the certification and learned what to expect on your exam, validate your readiness by taking an Autodesk proficiency or assessment exam. These examinations are online tests consisting of 40 to 50 questions that assess your knowledge of the tools, features, and common tasks in the specific Autodesk application. Available 24/7 through the web from Autodesk Testing OnLine

Step 3. Get the training you need.

Autodesk offers a variety of training products to complement your learning style, including Autodesk Official Training Courseware developed to help users of Autodesk software improve their productivity. These courseware guides are used by Authorized Training Centers and are 100 percent aligned to the certification exams.

You can also take advantage of other training resources available from Autodesk, including online tutorials and courses from Authorized Training Centers (ATC).

Step 4. Apply your training and practice your skills.

Actual hands-on experience is a critical component in preparing for the exam. The exam is looking to measure how well you know how to perform tasks, not how well you memorize features and functions.

Direct application of the skills learned cannot be substituted by training resources alone. You must spend time using the product and applying the skills learned.

Step 5. Take the required exam.

Now that you have chosen your certification, read the examination overview, assessed your readiness, used training, and practiced applying your skills, you are ready to take the exam. Exams can be purchased and scheduled online.

Autodesk Certification Options

Autodesk offers a range of certifications to help you achieve your goals. There can be more than one certification level offered for many Autodesk products. For students, the Academic Certification program offers the same professional strength exams at an academic price.

Autodesk Application Certification

Certification is available for the following Autodesk products:

• AutoCAD
• AutoCAD Architecture
• AutoCAD Civil 3D
• Autodesk Inventor
• Autodesk Revit Architecture
• Autodesk 3ds Max Design

It’s important to choose the application and the level that is right for you.

Academic Certification
The Autodesk Certification program gives students the opportunity to validate their knowledge and skills, helping accelerate their entry into the design industry. Secondary and Post-secondary students can earn the same certifications as professionals delivered at their schools.

About Cisco Certification Exams

About Career Certification Exams

The main requirement for obtaining Cisco Career Certifications such as CCENT, CCNA, CCDP and CCIE is to take and pass one or more certification exams and sign the Cisco Career Certifications and Confidentiality Agreement. Passing exams give network professionals the chance to prove their networking knowledge and expertise. 

What Are the Exams Like?

Exams are proctored, timed, and delivered in a secure environment. Most exams last approximately one to two hours. Lab exams typically last eight hours.

Candidates must acknowledge the Cisco Career Certifications and Confidentiality Agreement online at the authorized testing center prior to taking any Cisco Career Certification exam. Candidates will not be able to proceed with the exam and a refund will not be provided. Signing this legal agreement is required to be officially certified.

Exams can be very challenging, going beyond simple recall and requiring candidates to engage in on the job types of problem solving. Questions include multiple-choice single answer, multiple-choice multiple answers, drag and drop, fill in the blank and simulations.

Exams other than CCIE lab exams are delivered online, with questions in sequence, and do not allow a candidate to “mark” and return to an exam question.

Candidates will be provided with an erasable note board and marker for notes and calculations to assist them as they answer the questions.

Exams may contain non-scored items to collect performance data on new items. Non-scored items are not used in determining the passing score nor are reported in a subsection of the score report. All non-scored items are randomly placed in the exam with sufficient time calculated and given to complete the entire exam.

At the completion of computer-based exams, candidates receive a score report along with a score breakout by exam section and the passing score for the given exam. Lab exams are Pass/Fail and results are available online (using login) within 48 hours.

Cisco does not publish exam passing scores because exam questions and passing scores are subject to change without notice.

What Do They Cost?

Computer-based certification exam prices range from $80 to $325 US dollars or equivalent worldwide. The ICND1 and ICND2 exams are $125 USD, the CCNA exam is $250 USD and the professional level CCNP and CCDP Composite exam is $300.00 USD, and CCIE written exams are $350 USD. Payment is made directly to the authorized test delivery partner Pearson Vue.

CCIE lab exams are $1,400 USD. Payment is made online via credit card or wire transfer

Refund policies vary by testing delivery partner.

How Do I Schedule Exams?

Visit the CCIE website for more information on how to schedule CCIE lab exams.

For all other exams, contact an authorized test delivery partner in your area to register for an exam.

In the U.S. and Canada, exams usually can be scheduled up to six weeks in advance, and as late as the same day. Scheduling policies vary at international locations.

Candidates who fail an exam must wait a period of five (5) calendar days, beginning the day after the failed attempt, before they may retest for the same exam.

What Do I Get When I Pass My Exams?

After a candidate passes all exams required for a certification and signs the required agreements, Cisco will send a Cisco Career Certifications certificate identifying the candidate’s Cisco Career Certification ID and valid certification dates. Allow 3-5 business days for electronic certificates and 6-8 weeks from the date the certificate was mailed for printed certificates.

Certified candidates are authorized to use the appropriate Cisco Career Certifications logos indicating certification status. Prior to use, they must read and acknowledge the Cisco Career Certifications Logo Agreement. Logos can be ordered through the Cisco Career Certifications Tracking System.

The Cisco Career Certifications Tracking System provides a record of both exam and certification status. Candidates and certification holders are expected to keep contact information up to date for receiving notifications from Cisco.

Do certification exams expire?

CCENT, Associate and Professional level 642 exams are valid for three years from the date the exam was passed. Specialist focused certification exams are valid for two years from the date the exam was passed.

Placing expiration dates on exams ensures that candidates starting a multi-exam certification such as CCENT, CCNP, CCDP, CCVP, CCSP and CCIP, complete the program within a specified time-frame. By passing all of the required exams within the specified time period as noted above, candidates demonstrate that they are tested on current content. In situations where the period exceeds three years, candidates will need to re-take those exams that expire.

For CCIE written exam expiration information, visit the CCIE Exam Information page.

Cisco Certification Exam Tutorial

Cisco Career Certification exams include the following test formats:

• Multiple-choice single answer
• Multiple-choice multiple answer
• Drag-and-drop
• Fill-in-the-blank
• Testlet
• Simlet
• Simulations

Before taking the exam, candidates should become familiar with how all exam types function-especially the testlet, simlet, and the simulation tool. Such practice will allow candidates to focus their exam-taking efforts on the exam questions rather than on how to correctly use the tools. The tutorial below familiarizes users with the software tools used in Cisco Career Certification exams.

View Certification Exam Tutorial 

Source: http://www.cisco.com/web/learning/le3/learning_certification_exam_tutorial.html

Live Meetings for IT Managers (The Truth About Certification Exams)

Please join us for a special Live Meeting series created specifically for managers of IT professionals and developers. Click below to register for: *** Whatever Happened to the MCSE? (and What’s This MCITP?) Thursday, January 28 at 8:00 A.M. Pacific Time (What time is this in my region?) *** The Truth About Certification Exams Thursday, February 25 at 8:00 A.M. Pacific Time (What time is this in my region?)

The MCSE was once the most popular certification for IT Pros and a guaranteed foot- in-the-door for a job interview. Although MCSE stepped out of the limelight following the release of Windows Server 2008, IT managers are still asking staff and candidates for this credential. So, what certification should you be looking for on resumes and training plans?  MCITP: Enterprise Administrator is the direct successor to the MCSE credential – with almost the exact same requirements and tested skills.

As an IT Manager, you look to Microsoft certification to help ensure candidates and team members have the qualifications to deploy, use, and manage the latest Microsoft technologies. Making sure that certification exams are a valid measure of technical skills is both an art and a science, and there is more to it than meets the eye!

Join psychometrician Liberty Munson to hear how Microsoft determines what questions to ask on a certification exam, how we set the passing score, how Microsoft maintains the quality of exams over time, and about new innovations such as Performance Based Testing.

Microsoft Exams released in October 2009

Exams released in October 2009	Preparation guide
Windows Server 2003, MCSA Security Specialization Skills Update (English)	Exam 70-699
TS: Microsoft Exchange Server 2010, Configuring (English)	Exam 70-662

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ORACLE APPLICATIONS CERTIFICATION (NEW): JD EDWARDS ENTERPRISEONE FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT IMPLEMENTATION SPECIALIST

Beta testing has begun for the new “JD Edwards EnterpriseOne Financial Management Essentials” certification exam (1Z1-522). This exam is required to earn the new JD Edwards EnterpriseOne Financial Management Implementation Specialist certification and can be taken at Pearson VUE Testing Centers worldwide.

The JD Edwards EnterpriseOne Financial Management Implementation Specialist certification endorses those technical specialists who focus on selling and implementing JD Edwards EnterpriseOne Financial Management modules.

Individuals who provide their OPN Company ID number when registering will also be awarded the Oracle Partner Network Certified Specialist designation, which helps their company qualify for Oracle Database Specialization status.

The beta test contains 100-120 questions, and up to 120 minutes are allowed to complete the exam. Candidates will receive their final score and pass/fail status after the completion of the beta period.

NEW: ORACLE SERVICE ORIENTED ARCHITECTURE SPECIALIST

Beta testing has begun for the new “Oracle SOA Foundation Practitioner” certification exam (1Z1-451). This exam is required to earn the new Oracle Service Oriented Architecture Specialist certification and can be taken at Pearson VUE Testing Centers worldwide.

The Oracle Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) Specialist has a conceptual and practical understanding of the primary components of the Fusion Middleware SOA Suite, including BPEL process engine and Oracle Service Bus; and is familiar with basic Service Oriented Architecture concepts.

This candidate is able to install, configure, maintain and manage the SOA Suite, construct basic Service Bus and Process driven integration patterns, deploy code/meta data, and maintain and manage the Oracle instances

Individuals who provide their OPN Company ID number when registering will also be awarded the Oracle Partner Network Certified Specialist designation, which helps their company qualify for Oracle Database Specialization status.

The beta test contains 100-120 questions, and up to 120 minutes are allowed to complete the exam. Candidates will receive their final score and pass/fail status after the completion of the beta period.

NOW LIVE: “PROGRAM WITH PL/SQL” CERTIFICATION EXAM (1Z0-144)

The new “Oracle Database 11g: Program with PL/SQL” certification exam (1Z0-144 ) is now live, which is offered as an alternative option to taking existing exam 1Z0-147 (Program with PL/SQL) for both the Oracle PL/SQL Developer Certified Associate (OCA) and Oracle Advanced PL/SQL Developer Certified Professional (OCP) certification tracks.

Candidates taking this exam at test centers will now receive their exam scores and pass/fail status immediately at the completion of their exam. Score reports have just been shipped to those candidates who participated in the beta period. (Note: if you participated in beta testing and did not yet receive your score report, please contact ocpexam_ww@oracle.com.)

NOW LIVE: “ORACLE CERTIFICATION DATABASE 11G OCM (UPGRADE)” EXAM

The Oracle Certification Program is pleased to announce that the new Oracle Database 11g Certified Master Upgrade Exam (one-day practicum) is now available for scheduling.

On December 7, 2009, Oracle Certification released the [one-day] upgrade exam, which provides a path for those already certified as OCM on Oracle9i or Oracle Database 10g to upgrade their certification to Oracle Database 11g Oracle Certified Master.

Special Note:
Candidates upgrading their OCM certification to 11g via this 1-day upgrade exam do not need to first upgrade their OCP certification. You will instead be granted the 11g OCP certification along with the 11g OCM certification once you have passed the necessary OCM upgrade exam (and any additional required exams), and completed the Course Submission Form.

To see the new paths as well as FAQs, visit our Oracle Database 11g OCM Upgrade Exam announcement page.