Cisco and VUE get SERIOUS about Certification testing!

by Christopher Kusek (PKGuild) Baltimization, Certification, Informational

I received this email today… see below! It’s amazing!

Cisco and Pearson VUE Launch Global Test Delivery Exam Security Enhancements

Cisco and its global testing provider, Pearson VUE, a business of Pearson Inc. are pleased to announce a series of security enhancements that will reinforce the integrity and value of its Career certification program.

The advanced security enhancements include the use of digital photographs for candidate-identity verification and forensic analysis of testing data. The new measures, to be implemented beginning on Aug. 1, will include:

* Photo on Score Report and Web – On completion of a certification exam at the test center, candidates will receive preliminary score reports imprinted with their photos and unique authentication codes. The authentication code can be used to access a candidate’s official score online at Pearson VUE’s website usually within 72 hours of the examination. The online score report will also display the candidate’s photo. Candidates may share access to their online records with employers or other third parties.

* Forensic Analysis – Exam results and other testing data will be continuously analyzed by forensic software to detect aberrant testing behavior and to flag suspect exams for further investigation.

* Preliminary Score Report – All paper score reports will be preliminary, pending the results of forensic analysis, until official exam scores are posted to the Web usually within 72 hours of exam completion. Once the exam scores are official, candidates may use the authentication codes on their score reports to access the Pearson VUE website for score and photo verification.

These new exam security measures are part of Cisco’s overall strategy to protect the value and integrity of its certifications. Other measures include simulation-based testing, dynamically generated questions and emulations to help ensure that Cisco certified networking professionals continue to have the knowledge, skills, and credentials to perform well on the job.

So, you might be thinking “What does this mean to me?”

This means a new era is upon us! A new way of testing! A whole new paradigm shift…
Well, not exactly.

  • The picture – Okay idea, sounds kind of interesting and making content available online at your choosing great!
  • The forensic analysis – that’ll be interesting. Hopefully a lot of very skilled people, or learning folks do not get completely burned by this. Oh wait, I must forget who I’m talking about.

    • Am I confusing Cisco – the company who guarantees your certification will expire in 2 years (sometimes 3!) with another company? I must be confused.

    No, alot of people WILL get burned, that’s a fact. This is the positive out look on it.
    Walk in, expecting this to be painful, and I think we’ll be fine.

    I expect and imagine a lot of very good things from this, hopefully inclusive with this is a reform of the entire Cisco Certification track to make it more applicable, viable and useful – Too much memorization involved.

    Good Luck!