Category Certification

I know you’re tired of all of these MCTS SQL Beta Exams

Which means now it is time for the PRO SQL 2008 Beta Exams!

SQL Server 2008 Exam Beta: 71-450: PRO: Microsoft SQL Server 2008, Designing, Optimizing, and Maintaining a Database Administrative Solution

Registration begins: August 15, 2008
Beta exam period runs: August 18, 2008– September 16, 2008
Promo Code: 239F4

SQL Server 2008 Beta Exam: 71-452: Designing a Business Intelligence Infrastructure Using Microsoft SQL Server 2008

Registration begins: August 8, 2008
Beta exam period runs: August 13, 2008– September 10, 2008
Promo Code: 3568C

Registration Information
To register in North America, please call:
· Prometric: (800) 755-EXAM (800-755-3926)
Outside the U.S./Canada, please contact:
· Prometric: http://www.register.prometric.com/ClientInformation.asp

So, get down with your fairly straight-forward self, get out there:

sign up, register and test! test! test!

Special thanks to our good friends at the Certification Beta Blog for these postings.

First the Good News!

Take a Risk-Free Exam with Cisco’s Come Back Program!

Cisco and Pearson VUE have partnered to give networking professionals the opportunity to re-invest in their careers with the Cisco “Come Back” program, but this offer expires soon. You may have let your Cisco certification lapse, but now’s a great time to come back.

Register now to take any Cisco certification exam at the regular price, and—if you need it—you’ll get a retake exam for FREE!*. Both exams must be taken before this offer expires on October 15, 2008, so it’s important that you schedule your exam soon, in order to allow adequate time for you to take advantage of the free retake.

Visit www.pearsonvue.com/cisco/comeback for more details or to schedule your Cisco exam.

Wishing you the best on your career investment,
Cisco Career Certifications

*Both the full price and free “Come Back” exams must be taken between April 15, 2008, and October 15, 2008.  The free exam must be the same exam number as the exam you failed.

And for the Bad News….!

You’re going to need it.

It’s one thing that in September of 2007, Cisco raised prices on the exams above what they were at the time – Account for the 09/2007 changes of:

• CCNA Composite – $150
• CCNP/CCDP Composite – $225
• ICND 1/2 – $125
• CCIE Written – $315
• CCIE Lab – $1400

But now this they drop this bomb shell on us, in June 2008 of this year!

• CCNA Exam – $250 —– 67% increase
• CCNP/CCDP – $300 —– 34% increase
• CCIE Written – $350 —- 12% increase

This leads me to wonder if this is the price of security in their certification process.

It’s nice to see they’ve introduced this "Our exams are expensive so you have a chance to retake if you fail for a few months"  It’s a shame they didn’t take a page from Microsoft’s book and give you a TAD more time for this Second Shot at an exam.

This is an absolutely amazing test, which is simple, easy, very understandable and straight-forward.

Did I pass? Eh, possibly – but I’m not going to bet my life on it.

If it’s so easy, why am I unsure? – so begins my Post Mortem :)

If you’ve ever looked at the internals of Windows before, and that means drilling down deep into User.dmp‘s, Memory.dmp‘s and looking at threads, processes, heaps and a number of things – Especially getting your hands dirty debugging windows – This test is right on par for you, almost a sub-100 level test on what is involved.

However, to the untrained ear (or eye) you’ll perceive this as a 900 level test, making you work your hardest while reviewing everything arcane, different and strange to you.

This all boils down to the unwritten rules of Power Curves such as to say, not everyone is suited to be an administrator, architect, collaborator, consultant, debugger, developer, engineer, evangelist, professional, technician or Technologist.

But that doesn’t stop us from trying.   And it is tests like this one which further stretches that line, while blurring it at the same time – exposing and opening up those possibilities without expert knowledge to embrace it and grow our technological community as a whole.

Good luck out there, keep growing.

And if you want to grow your Windows Internals knowledge – Here is a good place to start. 

Welcome the return of the Microsoft Second Shot Program!

So – how exactly does this work? Hi-jacked from their site!

You have until June 30, 2009, to register, obtain an exam voucher, complete your first exam and retake your exam (if you did not pass on your first attempt).

Which exams qualify for this Second Shot offer?
Any Microsoft Learning IT professional, developer, or Microsoft Dynamics exam qualifies for this offer.

So, what does this mean for you?
If you plan to take an exam and PAY for an exam – It doesn’t pay to not register your exam and get a voucher number first. Don’t think about doing it – Do it.

Good luck out there!

Special thanks to Trika! for pointing out the brand new Microsoft Beta Exam Blog!

I’ve linked this over in my “Microsoft Links” on the side as well, as I’ll reference and check this blog on a regular basis, in addition to checking other blogs, Trika and GerryO’s blog, as well as manual scouring of the Prometric site for new entries which meet “Beta” criteria!

And for those of you SBS folks in the world, there is whisper of a coming SBS 2008 exam!

In other news, I expect to have additional post-mortems, completely obfuscated on all the other beta exams which happen out there!

Keep Posted!