Program Benefits and Member Sites – FAQ

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By becoming a Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP) and earning Microsoft Certifications, you keep your skills relevant, applicable, and competitive.

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You will find:

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New members of the community are welcomed with a Microsoft Certification ID (or MCP ID)—the key to all of the benefits on the MCP member site. The Certificate Manager tool on the MCP member site allows you to create, download, print, and store your customized Certificate of Achievement as soon as your new certification appears on your transcript. The most up-to-date versions of the program agreement and contact sheet are also available online. To accommodate customer preferences and an environmentally conscious world, we no longer mail out welcome kits.

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Charter Members are the pioneering group of individuals who achieve a certification shortly after the certification becomes available. When a Charter Member certification is offered, it is available to candidates who achieve the new certification within six months after the certification exam is released. Charter Members are recognized by receiving the Charter version of the certificate.

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You can order your Charter Member kit up to six months after the exam availability date.

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United States veterans who take MCP exams can use their Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) education benefits to cover examination fees. If you are eligible for Montgomery G.I. Bill (Chapter 30), VEAP (Chapter 32), and Dependents Educational Assistance (Chapter 35) benefits, you can receive reimbursement for exam fees of up to US$2,000 per exam.

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The Microsoft Certification member site is open only to skilled IT professionals who hold a Microsoft Certification.

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After you pass your first Microsoft Certification exam, you can access all of your benefits from the Microsoft Certification member site. You first need to be registered on the member site. After registering, you must wait 24 hours before accessing the services. If you are already registered with the site or if 24 hours have passed since you completed registration, sign in to your member site by using your Windows Live ID. Then navigate to Program Benefits in the left column.

You can use one name and password to sign in to all Windows Live ID sites. Before you can use your Windows Live ID to enter the site, you must associate your Windows Live ID with your Microsoft Certification credentials (your MCP ID or Microsoft Certification ID).

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If you do not know your Microsoft Certification ID, contact your Microsoft Regional Service Center for assistance.

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An access code is a unique code that allows first-time access to the Microsoft Certification site. After you use the access code to log on to the member site for the first time, the code can no longer be used.

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Microsoft takes the security of your information very seriously. Therefore, the access code is only active for 14 days from the date you receive the e-mail message that includes your code. If you misplace your code or it has retired, you can request a new code online.

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If you do not know your access code for the Microsoft Certification member site, contact your Microsoft Regional Service Center for assistance.

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If you are an MCP, call the Microsoft Regional Service Center in your area.

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The Microsoft Certification member site can be accessed only by Microsoft Certified Professionals (MCPs). If you are an MCP, visit the following page.

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After you register, you must wait 24 hours before accessing your program benefits.

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If you cannot remember the Windows Live ID associated with your account, or you have other difficulty accessing the MCP site, contact the Microsoft Regional Service Center in your area.

Note If you have a Hotmail account, MSN e-mail account, or Microsoft Passport, it is your Windows Live ID.

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Because online benefits are available only to eligible Microsoft Certified Professionals, you must enter your Windows Live ID credentials to access your online benefits. After your account is authenticated, you will be redirected to the page you are trying to access.

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For the MCP and MCT sites, you are required to use your legal name. The Microsoft Personal Profile does not require that you use your legal name.

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To update your legal name, contact your Microsoft Regional Service Center.

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You can update your Microsoft Personal Profile in the Profile Center.

To change the name that is associated with your Microsoft Certification ID (formerly, MCP ID), contact your Microsoft Regional Service Center.

To update your information with your exam delivery provider, contact Prometric.

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Microsoft Certification IDs are not displayed in your Microsoft Personal Profile. You can find your Microsoft Certification ID on your transcript on the Microsoft Certification member site.

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It can take up to 48 hours for changes in your profile to appear on your Microsoft Certification transcript. Check your transcript later to verify that your e-mail address has been updated.

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After you update your Personal Profile, a message is sent to the e-mail address noted in your profile. For the changes to be saved, you must follow the instructions in the e-mail message to confirm the update. Otherwise, the e-mail address in your profile will be removed because it has not been confirmed.

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For security purposes, you are required to verify your credentials again before using the tool.

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Access your transcript on the Microsoft Certification member site.

You can print a copy of your current transcript and confirm your certification status.

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For security purposes, you are required to verify your credentials again before using the tool.

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It can take up to two weeks for Microsoft to receive and process your exam records. If it has been more than two weeks since you took your exam, and the results still do not appear on your transcript, or if you notice any other problems, contact the Regional Service Center nearest you.

External certifications (such as CompTIA) appear under "Microsoft Certification Exams Completed Successfully"on your transcript, but third-party exam credits do not appear on your transcript. Your transcript does not show any exam waivers you may have received for certifications from other companies. You are still credited for these external certifications within the certification system.

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Candidates who successfully complete the Microsoft Certification requirements and sign the MCP Program and Logo Agreement can use the MCP logo as a graphic symbol to demonstrate to clients their expertise with Microsoft products. Follow the MCP logo guidelines to correctly promote your relationship with Microsoft and to protect the integrity of the logo. You must sign in to the Microsoft Certification member site in order to access these guidelines.

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MCP logos are available for download from the Microsoft Certification member site.

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For security purposes, you are required to verify your credentials again before accessing the tool.

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The test that you passed might not qualify you to print that specific logo. If you believe this is an error, contact the Microsoft Regional Service Center.

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Contact the Microsoft Regional Service Center.

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No. Because most of our customers prefer digital logos (available for download from the Microsoft Certification member site), we no longer provide hard copies of the logo.

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If you are an MCP, you can purchase merchandise with the MCP logo at the online MCPeStore. (Note that this benefit is not available to those solely holding a Microsoft Business Certification or a Microsoft Dynamics certification.) The MCPeStore will validate your certifications based on the Windows Live ID that you use to sign in to the site.

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Windows Live ID (formerly Passport Network) enables you to simply use your e-mail address and password to sign in. After you create your Windows Live ID, you can access all Windows Live ID sites and services. If you already have an MSN Hotmail, MSN Messenger, or Passport account, it is your Windows Live ID.

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When you create a Windows Live ID, you enter an e-mail address and password; this provides you with easy, convenient access to all Windows Live ID sites and services.

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Yes. You can sign up for a Windows Live ID now. You will not be able to enter the private Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP) or Microsoft Certified Trainer (MCT) member sites without one.

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Yes.

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If you cannot remember the Windows Live ID that you used to access the MCP or MCT member site, contact your Microsoft Regional Service Center for assistance.

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Microsoft recognizes that your privacy and the protection of your personal information are important to you. Windows Live does not sell or rent your personal information to third parties, except as is described in the Microsoft Online Privacy Statement. Windows Live uses your personal information for the operation and maintenance of your Windows Live ID and to help you share information with the Windows Live ID sites and services that you sign in to, according to your stated sharing preferences.

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If your Windows Live ID is unused for 30 to 90 days, your Windows Live ID may expire, and you may need to reestablish a Windows Live ID.

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If you have an MSN Hotmail, MSN Messenger, or Passport account, it is your Windows Live ID. You can use your e-mail address and password from any of these services to access any Windows Live ID site or service.

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The Microsoft Profile Center is a central location for managing your personal information, subscribing to e-newsletters, and choosing your marketing contact preferences for Microsoft and our trusted partners.

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The Manage Your Profile link at the bottom of most Microsoft.com Web pages takes you to the Microsoft Profile Center. Here are two ways the Manage Your Profile links are displayed on Microsoft Web pages:

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To receive e-newsletters that contain Microsoft product announcements, upcoming events, mandatory service communications, and other correspondence about Microsoft technologies, you must keep your contact information and preferences up-to-date.

Update the following information to ensure that you receive communications from Microsoft:

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You are under no obligation to receive e-mail messages from Microsoft. However, if you indicate that you do not want to receive communications from Microsoft through e-mail, you cannot receive e-newsletters, such as the MCP Flash and MCT Flash. These communications provide up-to-date information on changes in training and certification resources, such as discontinued exams, Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP) benefits, and special offers.

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Visit the Microsoft Profile Center to indicate that you want to receive e-mail messages from Microsoft.