Autodesk Exam Testing Process

Autodesk Certification offers a variety of exam types including simple item type exams and performance-based exams. Performance-based testing is defined as testing by doing. Rather than answer questions about how you might accomplish a task, you actually perform the task. Performance-based testing is widely accepted as a better way of ensuring you have the skills needed for the application, rather than just recalling information. You can find specific format information for each test in the Exam Overview document or Exam Guide for each certification exam.

Exam Registration, Purchase, and Scheduling

In order to take an Autodesk Certification exam you will need to follow these steps:

Step 1: Purchase & Schedule Your Exam

You may purchase your exam directly from the Autodesk Online Testing Service or from an Autodesk Authorized Certification Center depending on the country in which you will test. You may schedule your exam at the time of purchase, or choose to schedule at another time by logging into the Autodesk Online Testing Service with your user name and password or by contacting an Authorized Certification Center directly, using the center search feature.

Step 2: Go to the Testing Center

On the day you have scheduled your exam you will need to arrive at the testing center to have your test administered. Each Certification Center is staffed with an exam proctor who will get you seated for your exam and answer any questions you may have.

Step 3: Create a Profile

Before starting their exam, all candidates will need to create a profile in the Autodesk Online Testing Service. Before you start your test you will need to enter your name and contact information and create a user name and password.  This information is kept strictly confidential. You can read more about our privacy policy.

Terms & Conditions

For more detailed information, read the Autodesk Terms and Conditions for Certification.

 

 

 

 Autodesk Certification Program Agreement (pdf – 28Kb)

Autodesk Exam Preparation

Autodesk highly recommends that you structure your examination preparation for success. This means scheduling regular time to prepare, reviewing the Exam Guide, using Autodesk Official Certification Courseware, taking an Application Proficiency or Assessment Exam, and using a variety of resources to prepare for your certification. Equally as important, actual hands-on experience is recommended.

Autodesk provides an end-to-end solution for your certification preparation needs. The following certification products are available to support your certification goals: (Note: Not all products are available for all examinations.)

Comprehensive Exam Guides

These documents, new for 2009, are the perfect resource for preparing for the 2009 Certification exam and will help you develop a personal strategy to succeed.  Exam Guides include detailed exam preparation information, exam sections and objectives, sample items, and test taking strategies.   Exam Guides can be found on each Certification product page:

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

Autodesk Official Training Courseware (AOTC)
Courseware Guides are used at Authorized Training Centers and are aligned to the 2009 Certification exams. These guides cover all of the exam objectives, and together with the comprehensive 2009 exam guides, give you the knowledge and skills you need to succeed. 2008 certification exams are supported by Autodesk Authorized Certification Courseware which is aligned 100% to the 2008 certification exams. Sample chapters for both AOTC and AOCC are available at the Autodesk Store, under training tools, courseware.

Autodesk Proficiency and Assessment Exams
Find out if you’re ready to be certified by taking these online exams. They consist of 40 to 50 questions that assess your knowledge of the tools, features, and common tasks in a specific Autodesk application.

ATC Instructor-Led Courses
Every day, thousands of our customers are taught how to realize their ideas, faster, with Autodesk software. You can perform smarter and better with Autodesk software products when you turn to an Authorized Training Center. An ATC® is your best source for Autodesk-authorized classes, tailored to meet the needs and challenges facing today’s design professionals.

Other Training Resources
Other training resources available from Autodesk include online tutorials, how-to articles, and tips on using features in Autodesk applications.

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 Exam Development Process

Microsoft Certification exams are carefully developed with input from industry professionals to reflect how Microsoft products are used in organizations throughout the world. The exams are the life-blood of the Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP) program—computer administered to accurately measure one’s ability to perform specific, market-relevant job tasks. This objective system of measurement is one reason the exams are so respected among employers.

Microsoft Certification exams test the precise skills required to use Microsoft technologies or perform the necessary job functions in areas such as systems engineering, database administration, and solutions development. These rigorous exams go well beyond testing routine knowledge or terminology. After all, on the job, you need to know more than facts. You need to apply your knowledge by analyzing technical solutions, solving problems, and making decisions.

Development phases

To ensure the validity, reliability, and relevance of Microsoft Certification exams, developers create exams in eight phases:

1. Job analysis: Exam developers break down the tasks performed within a specific job function, and identify the relevant knowledge, skills, and abilities needed when using a specific technology.
2. Objective domain definition: Tasks are translated into a comprehensive set of more specific and measurable skills and abilities. The resulting list of objectives, or the objective domain, forms the basis for the development of certification.
3. Blueprint survey: The objective domain is transformed into a blueprint survey, in which technical and job function experts rate the importance of each objective. This helps to determine the appropriate number and types of items to include on the exam. Contributors may be Microsoft Certified Professionals (MCPs) or MCP candidates recruited from within Microsoft or through online forums. Based on contributor input, exam developers prioritize and weigh the objectives.
4. Item development: Exam developers write the exam items according to the prioritized objectives. Developers review and revise items to ensure that they are:
   • Technically accurate
   • Clear, unambiguous, and relevant
   • Not biased toward any population, subgroup, or culture
   • Not misleading or tricky
   • Testing for useful knowledge rather than obscure or trivial facts

   Items that meet these criteria are included in the alpha item pool.

5. Alpha review and item revision: A panel of experts reviews each item for technical accuracy. After the items are approved, they undergo a legal review.
6. Beta exam: The reviewed items are beta-tested. During the beta exam, candidates comment on items. The beta exam allows Microsoft to evaluate the quality of the item in an actual exam situation, and helps ensure that only the best content is included in the live exam.
   • Learn more about beta exams and how to participate
7. Item selection and cut-score setting: The results of the beta exam are analyzed to determine which items should be included in the live exam. This analysis focuses on many factors, including item difficulty and reliability. Microsoft works with a panel of experts to review the technical accuracy of questions and to determine the final item pool for the live exam. The panel determines the cut score (minimum passing score) for the exam. This score differs from exam to exam, because it is based on the difficulty of the item pool and the expected performance of the minimally qualified candidate.
8. Live exam: Prometric, an independent testing company, administers the final certification exam. The exam is available at testing centers worldwide.
   • Learn more about Microsoft Certification exams
   • Learn more about Prometric

Microsoft Beta exam scoring process

When you complete a beta exam, you do not receive a score immediately because the scoring model for the exam is not yet finalized. The scoring model is determined by the cumulative results of the beta, as illustrated in this overview of the scoring process.

Your score is added to your Microsoft transcript. In general, results for beta exams are available on or near the date when the final version of the exam releases.

Note Participation in beta exams is voluntary, and Microsoft makes no promises or guarantees regarding the beta exam process, availability of your scores, or the timing of your results.

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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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.

NEW: ORACLE DATABASE 11G IMPLEMENTATION SPECIALIST

Beta testing has begun for the new “Oracle Database 11g Essentials for Implementors” certification exam (1Z1-514). This exam is required to earn the new Oracle Database 11g Implementation Specialist certification and can be taken at Pearson VUE Testing Centers worldwide.

The Oracle Database 11g Implementation Specialist certification endorses intermediate-level implementation team members who focus on implementing the Oracle Database. Because of the technical level of this exam, up-to-date training and field experience are highly recommended.

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: “ORACLE DATABASE 11g: PERFORMANCE TUNING” EXAM (1Z0-054)

The new “Oracle Database 11g: Performance Tuning” certification exam (1Z0-054) is now live, which is a single exam requirement for Oracle 11g DBA OCPs to earn the Oracle Database 11g Performance Tuning Certified Expert (OCE) certification.

This certification endorses those database administrators, support engineers, and technical consultants who have demonstrated their knowledge and skills using Oracle Database 11g automatic tuning features, including SQL Tuning Advisor, SQL Access Advisor, Automatic Workload Repository and Automatic Database Diagnostic Monitor.

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. If you participated in beta testing and did not yet receive your score report, please contact ocpexam_ww@oracle.com.