CompTIA certification testing moving to a single vendor (VUE)

To simplify the overall testing experience for certification candidates, CompTIA exams will be delivered exclusively with Pearson VUE via their network of more than 5,000 testing centers in 165 countries, effective July 9. CompTIA certification exams will no longer be available at Prometric testing centers at that time. Moving exclusively to Pearson VUE will provide certifications candidates with one point of contact to serve all of their testing needs.

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Will IT certs get you jobs and raises? Survey says yes

60% of IT professionals surveyed say a certification led to a new job, and half say it gave a salary boost. But some certs are more valuable than others.

By Julie Bort, Network World – November 14, 2011

Debate rages among IT professionals over the value of certifications, but a survey of 700 network professionals jointly conducted by Network World and SolarWinds may help put that argument to rest. Among those who earned certifications, most saw a significant boost in their careers as a result.

Some 60% said a certification led to a new job; 50% said they earned more pay, with 40% saying their pay increased by more than 10% directly because of a certification; and 29% said a cert led to a promotion.

Respondents also offered advice on when to get certifications and which ones to get. Interestingly, they named Cisco certifications as both the most, and the least, valuable.

FULL SURVEY RESULTS: Survey: IT certifications lead to jobs, higher pay 

"I have certifications, and yes they’ve been a big help to me," says Jeff Schoonmaker, a junior network administrator in Portland, Ore., who has a Cisco CCNA, a Microsoft MCITP (Enterprise Desktop Administrator) and the CompTIA A+. Schoonmaker has been an IT professional for a little over a year and says his CCNA helped land him his job and the MCITP has already led to a promotion. He’s working on his CCNP, and when he achieves that, he’ll get another promotion.

"As far as my career is concerned, certifications are huge. I will continue to chase certs from Microsoft and Cisco throughout my career," he says.

Half of respondents said they pursued certifications to get a promotion or to be eligible for a new job. "My company wanted a Microsoft-certified IT manager, so the MCSA helped me get the job I am currently in," said one respondent. "I was able to stay working for a defense contractor when one contract expired by moving to a different contract due to the certifications I held," another said.

Since three-quarters of respondents had certifications, that means one-quarter (26%) saw no value in them. "I have no certs to my name at all. I do have an MBA. I have been in IT hardware and network admin/engineer roles for over a decade now without a single piece of paper related to the field. You learn as you go, better than you learn in some stupid classroom," commented James7360 on a Spiceworks forum.

But James7360 is in the minority. Even network professionals earning the highest wages — more than $110,000 — had as many, or more, certs as those in lower salary brackets.

That’s not to say that the certs themselves are solely responsible for these high salaries. Those earning the most money also had more years of experience (75% had more than 10 years) and more traditional education (25% had a master’s degree, compared to 11% in the lower salary brackets).

But even so, among the highest-paid IT professionals who had certs, 58% said a cert led to a salary boost or bonus, 63% said it led to a promotion, and 30% to a new job. These numbers are similar to those in the lower salary brackets, who also overwhelmingly said that certs lead to a salary boost or bonus (55%), new job (62%), or promotion (27%).

Those earning the highest wages, $110,000 or more a year, were also more likely to have particularly difficult (and expensive) certifications, like the CCIE, RHCE or CISSP.

"I have had a certification lead to a new job or promotion, the CISSP, which isn’t even a technical certification. It really teaches how to control and translate security into business objectives. But it is required for a lot of security jobs and has requirements like ongoing education in order to maintain it," says Lee Eddy II, a senior security analyst in Redwood City, Calif., with more than 10 years of experience as an IT professional. The CISSP helped Eddy land a job with a big salary increase, and is mandated for most of the higher-paid jobs in his field, he says.

The value of a certification clearly depends on a lot of factors. Some hiring managers want them more than others, and timing is an issue, too.

"I’d have to say certs tend to be more valuable when they are coupled with the building of experience," says Craig Norborg, a network engineer for Trowbridge & Trowbridge, Albuquerque, N.M., with more than 15 years of experience and a variety of certs, including the CCNP, CCDA, MCSE, SCP (Solarwinds Certified Professional) and others.

"If you get them too early, people think they’re book certs. If you get them too late, you’re just proving what you already know, which may not be required," Norborg points out. "Employers are pretty suspicious of many high-end certs from a young person, or someone just entering the field."

The difficulty of the certs and the type of technology they cover can also add value – or not. "My MCSE hasn’t really done anything for me. My last two employers actually would rather I not touch servers, but instead specialize in networking," Norborg says. Note that for Windows Server 8 and beyond, Microsoft has discontinued its umbrella MCSE certification in favor of a range of technology-specific, MCITP certs.

In a survey of network professionals, it’s not surprising that certifications on network technology were the most popular and deemed the most valuable. Some 67% of respondents had earned one, with Cisco certifications far and away the most popular. Forty-four percent of those making more than $110,000 had the ultra-hard (and expensive) CCIE. Among those with lower salaries, only 4% had earned it. Microsoft certs were held by 39% overall, and the CompTIA Network+ by almost one quarter.

Cisco certifications were named the most valuable – leading to more promotions, new jobs or pay raises than any other. But, oddly, Cisco certifications were also named among the least valuable.

"I do think networking certifications are the most valuable when coupled with some real-world experience. I wouldn’t have gotten my last two positions without them," Norborg says. "It also depends on the cert itself. CCNA is OK. CCNP, CCDA and CCDP are better. I’m sure CCIE is even better, but once again, they’d be suspicious of a very young person with one."

Eddy adds: "The reason Cisco certs are seen as most valuable and least valuable is that it depends on the certification. The CCNA is entry-level and easy to get, but the CCIE is still hard and a lot of employers want it."

Security certifications also came in strong. Over one-third of respondents had one, with the CompTIA Security+ the most common. Among respondents making more than $110,000 annually, security certifications were held by 38%, particularly the CCSP, earned by 36% of this group. In comparison, only 9% of those making less than $110,000 had the CCSP but 32% had the CompTIA Security+.

The least popular certifications were for network management technology – only 17% of our 700 respondents had one. While network management is often categorized as a mid-level job, surprisingly, those that earned the biggest salaries, over $110,000, were far more likely to have one (40%) than those under $110,000 (22%).

Linux certifications and sysadmin/virtualization certifications came in as middle of the pack in both popularity and value.

Least popular of all were certs involving virtualization technology from Citrix or Red Hat.

Beyond jobs and promotions, some certification holders felt that certs had other value. One said, "As I’m the only member of IT staff here, people have become aware of the more complicated jobs I perform here, having seen the certifications I’ve passed."

Twenty-seven percent of survey respondents said they chose to get a certification simply to learn about the technology, not to pocket more dough. While no one argues that a cert is more valuable than hands-on experience, "they can be helpful when implementing a new technology," Eddy says. "One of the things I like to negotiate with a new purchase order is that the vendor throws in the certification on their product."

He also says he gets the most value out of live classroom training. In a group setting, people will experience and troubleshoot a wider variety of problems as they learn. It will also help you build a network of other users to call on when you need it.

For more details on which certifications impact jobs and pay, see the full survey results.

Suggestions for Taking a High-Stakes IT Exam #Certification #Exam #Preparation

Part I: Exam Prep By Janet Pinkerton

1) Know your exam. Carefully read the exam description details to build your exam prep strategy. What are exam objectives or subjects covered? What question formats will be used: multiple-choice, simulated scenarios, essays or fill in the blank? How many questions will be in each exam section? How much time is given to complete the exam? How will the exam be graded?

2) Ask yourself: What kind of learner am I? How much do I know? Answering these questions can help you decide what tools to use to prepare for the exam. Test prep options include assessment software, instructor-led training, eLearning, books for classroom use and self-study, and computer-based materials.

3) Dedicate Time to Prepare. Give yourself a matter of weeks, not days, for preparation. Create and commit to a realistic schedule of study time blocks that are less likely to be disrupted by work or life events. Aim for balance with time management. If you neglect your personal or work life, you may add unwanted stress that will make it more difficult to study effectively.

4) Study in short blocks of time. Experts say the maximum human attention span is about 45 minutes and the average is about 20 to 30 minutes. Be good to yourself and take long breaks between study times.

5) Use multiple study/preparation resources, especially if you are a beginner. No single exam preparation resource is the best at covering every exam subject. Each has its strengths and weaknesses—both in approach and subject coverage. Using multiple preparation resources will help ensure that you cover all the subjects contained in a high-stakes exam.

6) Use high-quality preparation resources. For CompTIA certification exams, study with books and study guides reviewed by industry experts and approved by CompTIA through the CompTIA Approved Quality Content (CAQC) program. These materials are considered the best resource for self-study for an exam. Use the Search form here to find CAQC Study Materials. Be careful when purchasing study guides from second-hand sellers (on eBay or Craigslist, for example); make sure the materials directly apply to the exam you plan to take.

7) Drill, Baby, Drill! Drill with sample questions and exams to identify problem areas where more study is needed and reinforce the information you already understand. Sample questions for CompTIA exams can be obtained here. You can also purchase and practice questions online with authorized providers of certification practice tests. Beware of websites offering “exact copies” of real exam questions; experts say these typically provide no educational value and are often incorrect.

8) Time yourself. Timed exam practice help you get used to taking exams under time pressure.

9) Get Hands-on! Give yourself plenty of hands-on IT experience to reinforce study prep and also to prepare for long-term career success. Hands-on experience can range from working on projects in a home or school lab to shadowing experienced computer or network IT “gurus.”

10) Be Proactive and Think Positive. Exam anxiety is common, but careful preparation through study, drills and hands-on experience can dissolve the fears involved with high-stakes testing. If you are anxious about the exam environment itself, get information from your testing center about what to expect, what’s allowed, what’s prohibited in the testing room. Some testing centers even offer a “test drive” —a chance to experience the test center and go through all the testing procedures before the actual exam.

Source: CompTIA Blog

Complimentary Exam Coaching Sessions from Microsoft

Recently, Microsoft has added several new recorded Live Meetings to their Learning website, including exam coaching sessions. Presented by Microsoft Certified Trainers (MCTs), these sessions include an overview of the technologies you can expect to find on exams, along with the skills that are measured.

Browse exam coaching sessions for:

• Exchanger Server
• SharePoint Server
• SQL Server
• .NET Framework
• Windows Server
• Windows Client

Enjoy!

Microsoft Certification Packs Extends Deadline

Microsoft Learning has decided to extend the deadline on the Microsoft Certification Packs. Now customers who buy a pack and take their first exam before June 30, 2011 will have until December 31, 2011 to take the rest of the exams in the pack. This will provide a longer window for customers to prepare and take their exams to achieve their certification. Microsoft Certification Packs provide aggressive discounts when customer buy more than one exam. Plus, Microsoft Certification Packs provide FREE retake exams if you fail on your first attempts. 

Customers have several choices that map nicely to Certification Paths, or just help validate knowledge:

 

Pack Size	Savings	Retakes
2 Exams	15%	Included with each exam
3 Exams	15%	Included with each exam
4 Exams	20%	Included with each exam
5 Exams	20%	Included with each exam
1 Exam	Regular Price	15% Additional Cost

 

Visit: http://www.microsoft.com/learning/career/en/us/career-offer.aspx#certification

Microsoft is calling all Windows Phone 7 experts! Update your SME profile now!

Do you have work experience with developing applications for Windows Phone 7? Want to help Microsoft create the first Windows Phone 7 exam? Here’s your chance! Microsoft is looking for Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) for the following exam:

• 70-599   Pro: Designing and Developing Windows Phone 7 Applications

Microsoft will be using the MSL SME database to find participants for blueprinting as well as other phases of development for this exam. For your best chance of participating, create a SME profile by filling out the survey on the MSL SME site on Microsoft Connect. (See this post for complete instructions.)

Please note that if you already filled out your SME profile, you’ll need to go back and update it. Microsoft has changed the answer options for “Which technologies do you have work experience with?” to include Window Phone 7. Microsoft will be looking for folks who select Windows Phone 7 on this question to help develop these exams. If you filled out your SME profile awhile ago, this option was not available for you to select.

New CCNP Certification Tracks Announced!

Today, October 19th, Cisco announced major updates to the Voice and Security certification tracks.  Each professional level certification track has been re-branded, CCNP Voice and CCNP Security, and includes major course updates as well as new course introductions.  These new revisions/introductions reflect a focus on “job role” objectives rather than “product features” as earlier tracks incorporated.

CCNA Voice –   There is only one required exam for this Certification.  This is a key certification for the emerging Voice Professional.

Required Exam:

• Exam # 640-461 Introducing Cisco Voice and Unified Communications Administration v8.0 (ICOMM)

 

CCNP Voice – The new Professional Voice certification is now called CCNP Voice and introduces two new courses and updates on existing courses to reflect Unified Communications v8.0.  There are 5 Required Exams:

Required Exams:

• Exam # 642-437 CVOICE 8 Implementing Cisco Voice Communications and QoS
• Exam # 642-447 CIPT1 8 Implementing Cisco Unified Communications Manager, Part 1
• Exam # 642-457 CIPT2 8 Implementing Cisco Unified Communications Manager, Part 2
• Exam # 642-427 TVOICE 8 Troubleshooting Cisco Unified Communications
• Exam # 642-467 CAPPS 8 Integrating Cisco Unified Communications Applications

 

CCNP Security – The new Professional Security certification is now called CCNP Security and will be replacing the CCSP as the primary Professional level goal for network security engineers looking at validating expertise in Cisco’s key network security skills and technologies.

The following 4 exams are required to achieve this certification:

Required Exams:

• Exam # 642-637 Securing Networks with Cisco Routers and Switches (SECURE)
• Exam # 642-627 Implementing Cisco Intrusion Prevention System 7.0 (IPS 7.0)
• Exam # 642-647 Deploying Cisco ASA Firewall Features (FIREWALL)
• Exam # 642-617 Deploying Cisco ASA VPN Solutions (VPN)

Good luck if you are planning to take any of these certifications!

CompTIA A+ exams will be updated with Windows 7 content

CompTIA Press Releases: Sep 28, 2010

CompTIA A+ Certification Exam Update Planned with New Content on Windows 7 Operating System

New content will be added to existing exams in January 2011

Oakbrook Terrace, Ill., September 28, 2010 – CompTIA, the leading provider of vendor neutral skills certifications for information technology (IT) professionals, announced today it will update its flagship CompTIA A+ certification exams with new content related to the Windows 7 operating system.
The Windows 7 content will be integrated into existing CompTIA A+ exams beginning in January 2011.
"The ever accelerating technology adoption curve places increasing importance on the need to continually update the skills of the high-tech workforce," said Terry Erdle, senior vice president, skills certification, CompTIA. "CompTIA is committed to helping IT professionals keep their skills current and fresh through regular updates of the content of our certification exams."
The changes were recommended by the CompTIA A+ Certification Advisory Committee, which includes representatives from ASI Electronics, HP, Lenovo, Ricoh, Sharp and other organizations that support the certification.
Introduced in 2009, Windows 7 is the latest release in a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft for use on personal computers, including home and business desktops, laptops, netbooks, tablet PCs and media center PCs.
Windows 7 content will be added to both tests required to achieve CompTIA A+ certification: CompTIA A+ Essentials (220-701) and CompTIA A+ Practical Application (220-702).
The new content will appear in the following objective domains:

• CompTIA A+ Essentials (220-701) – Objective Domains 3.0 (Operating Systems) and 4.0 (Software and Networking)
• CompTIA A+ Practical Application (220-702) – Objective Domains 2.0 (Operating Systems) and 4.0 (Security).

The new content will be added as a rolling change to the existing exams beginning in January 2011. Training providers and courseware publishers have been notified of the upcoming changes and are making any necessary adjustments to their existing programs.

"CompTIA A+ delivers a comprehensive measurement of the core skills and knowledge that are universal for any IT technician, regardless of job role or responsibility," Erdle said. "It’s recognized throughout the industry as the best credential an individual can obtain to launch a career in IT."
CompTIA A+ certification is an ISO/ANSI accredited exam that validates competence in areas such as installation, preventative maintenance, networking, security, troubleshooting, customer service and communications. More than 750,000 people worldwide have become CompTIA A+ certified since the program’s inception in 1993.

CompTIA certifications are globally recognized in the private and public sectors and are required or recommended by many employers, certifying and educational bodies. Because all CompTIA certifications are vendor-neutral, they’re relevant across multiple networks, operating systems and product lines; and they equip IT workers with greater versatility and a broader set of business and technical skills. More than 1.85 million CompTIA certifications have been awarded to IT professionals around the world.

What to expect when taking an exam (Microsoft)

Thinking about taking a Microsoft Certification Exam?

Or perhaps one of your friends / colleagues / students is thinking of taking an exam?

What tools are available when you take an exam, how do you maneuver? 

When you take an exam you should not need to worry about any of that.

Prepare!

Here’s a ‘snack’ that you can use to get an idea of what to expect.