Getting Started with Certification – FAQ

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Benefits of certification include:

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Earning a Microsoft Certification can help you stand out from other job candidates by validating that you have the skills required to perform the job. Certification also shows potential employers your commitment to continued learning and career growth.

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During a recent poll of IT hiring managers, 55 percent said that they consider employee certification as a criterion for hiring, and 63 percent of hiring managers said that they believe certified employees are more productive than noncertified employees.

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Students, faculty, IT support staff of academic institutions, and Microsoft IT Academies are eligible to receive academic pricing on select Microsoft Certification exams. In some geographic regions, the academic pricing can be up to 50 percent off the retail price.

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Choosing a certification path is all about defining your career goals. Are you more interested in developing software or in deploying it? If you are more interested in developing software, would you rather develop applications for the Web or for Windows? Visit the following pages to learn about your options.

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Where you start depends on where you want to go. If you want to pursue a career as an IT professional, you might want to consider getting certified on the Windows Vista client operating system.

If you are interested in software development, a good place to start is to get certified on the Microsoft .NET Framework.

If you already have some experience in IT, choose the Microsoft Certified Technical Specialist (MCTS) exam that best matches your experience as a place to start.

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With the exception of the Microsoft Certified Master program, no Microsoft Certified Professional exams require training prior to taking an exam. However, hands-on experience working with the product is highly recommended. You should be able to demonstrate all the skills described in the exam preparation guide before you take an exam.

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The preparation guide for each exam describes all the skills that will be tested on that exam. You can use the Learning Catalog to find the preparation guide for your exam.

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Microsoft Certification exams are designed to measure your ability to perform skills related to a specific Microsoft technology. Without hands-on experience with the product, it is highly unlikely that you will be able to pass the exam.

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You can gain hands-on experience in a variety of ways. On-the-job experience is just one of them. The key is to spend time working with the technology. You can download trial versions of many products from the Microsoft site by clicking the Downloads & Trials tab at the top of the Microsoft home page. Or click on the All Products tab, also at the top of the page, and look for trials and downloads within the product-specific pages.

If you are a student, you might qualify for free access to certain software through Microsoft DreamSpark. You can download online labs from MSDN or TechNet for many technologies, which allows you to work with the technology without loading it onto your computer. Microsoft Learning training, such as Microsoft Press Training Kits, E-Learning, and Instructor-Led Training, also provides opportunities to gain hands-on experience with the technology.

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Hands-on experience focusing on the skills listed in the exam preparation guide is the most cost-effective way to prepare for a certification exam. Blogs and online articles are available on many of the skills. Many public libraries carry Microsoft Press training kits. Microsoft Learning and MSDN sponsor Live Meetings, webcasts, podcasts, and videos that may be relevant to your certification path.

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The exam preparation guide is a great tool to help you determine whether you are ready to take the exam. Read the preparation guide and ask yourself whether you can perform the skills described. For a more exam-like assessment of your skills, you can get a practice test from one of our practice test providers. Practice questions are also available in some of our Microsoft Learning training products, such as the Microsoft Press training kits.

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The exam preparation guide includes the recommended amount of hands-on experience that candidates should have prior to taking the exam. Beyond that, it depends on how much time you spend studying. If you already have experience, you may only need a few weeks of studying to prepare for the exam. If you don’t have hands-on experience or have very little time to study, you may need a few months of preparation before you are ready.

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For our newest credentials, such as Microsoft Certified Technical Specialist (MCTS), Microsoft Certified IT Professional (MCITP), and Microsoft Certified Professional Developer (MCPD), the credential retires along with the product support for the technology being tested. The credential will still appear on your transcript but will be listed as retired. In most cases, an upgrade path (usually one exam) will be available for individuals who have that credential so that they can demonstrate their skills on the newest version of the technology without completing all exams associated with the new credential.

The legacy Microsoft credentials, such as Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE) and Microsoft Certified Systems Administrator (MCSA) do not expire, but as Microsoft releases new versions of the associated technology, these credentials are likely to be valued less by the industry.