Microsoft is reorganizing its certification program, so readers who are just interested in the certification game may have questions (and it might also be useful for those who come back after a trial break). Here are some facts you should know before you get lost in the chaos of Microsoft certification.
1. Microsoft Learning brings back the MCSA and the MCSE.
Okay, it's not like you remember, but those initials are back. Indeed, MCSA is now Microsoft Certified Solutions Associate and MCSE is now Microsoft Certified Solutions Expert. For more information on the refurbished certification program, read our article about changes and read it directly from Microsoft Learning.
2. You must recertify your MCSA and MCSE in the next few years.
There was a time when, once you got your MCP, your MCDST or your old school MCSE, you kept it and you knew it was now part of your permanent record (and apologize to Violent Femmes) .
When the program was reorganized to integrate the next generation (MCTS, MCITP, MCPD, etc.), Microsoft Learning assured older title holders that they would retain these credentials. Microsoft has also introduced a modified recertification policy, which means that you retain the oldest certifications in your file, but that they are "versioned" on your statement.
With the reworked program, this is always the case - if you have an older MCSE, this will always be reflected on your transcript. The novelty this time is that Microsoft Learning makes the recertification of the MCP mandatory. At each stage of the certification and recertification process, each version of the exams appears on the transcript. We do not know how it will be different, but we may be able to see it in action once the transcripts are updated in the coming year.
Anyway, you can tell employers that you are an MCSE, but your transcript will show the date of your last certification. At some point, your old MCSE will matter little and you may want to show that you already know a newer technology by recertifying anyway.
3. If you currently have an MCITP, Microsoft Learning will make it easier to upgrade to MCSE titles.
Microsoft Learning has posted a FAQ on upgrading MCITP to new MCSE: Data Platform or MCSE: Business Intelligence titles. For those who go from MCITP to MCSE: Private Cloud, click here.
4. The E in MCSE was at one time quite controversial. It's not now.
Now that Microsoft Learning is reviving the MCSE, it is no longer reliving the old name, Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer. There was a time when engineers, licensed and certified, were unhappy that Microsoft uses this term in its program. Indeed, in some states and even in others, the term engineer was regulated. As early as 2001, MCPmag.com was questioning the readers interviewed at the time to vote on replacing the controversial E. Expert: this was the overriding choice, meaning our readers were prescient and half-right a decade ago. You're welcome, Microsoft Learning!
5. You can take your exams at a single supplier: Prometric.
Prometric Exam Centers are available worldwide. To find your local Prometric test center for Microsoft exams, click here.
6. The exams are a bargain at $ 150 in the United States.
Better yet, if you can take exams during the beta period, the beta exams are free and as valid as the live exams you have to pay.
In addition, Microsoft often offers a second chance to failed exams. It's a bit like getting half an exam, especially if you have to iron it.
Always be on the lookout for ads published on this site and on the Special Offers page of the Microsoft Learning site to find offers that can reduce the cost of exams. (Currently, it is offering free exam 70-659 until May 31st for some learning partners, so be quick! This exam is part of MCSE's new requirements: Private Cloud.)
7. Good luck if you are trying to get your business paid for by your certification efforts.
According to the salary survey conducted last year on this site, 41% of respondents said that their employers had funded technical training and only 32% had asked employers to pay for their exams.
On the basis of direct feedback from readers, employers are reluctant to pay for training or certification for their employees if they can use these newly acquired and documented skills to find better paid work elsewhere.
1. Microsoft Learning brings back the MCSA and the MCSE.
Okay, it's not like you remember, but those initials are back. Indeed, MCSA is now Microsoft Certified Solutions Associate and MCSE is now Microsoft Certified Solutions Expert. For more information on the refurbished certification program, read our article about changes and read it directly from Microsoft Learning.
2. You must recertify your MCSA and MCSE in the next few years.
There was a time when, once you got your MCP, your MCDST or your old school MCSE, you kept it and you knew it was now part of your permanent record (and apologize to Violent Femmes) .
When the program was reorganized to integrate the next generation (MCTS, MCITP, MCPD, etc.), Microsoft Learning assured older title holders that they would retain these credentials. Microsoft has also introduced a modified recertification policy, which means that you retain the oldest certifications in your file, but that they are "versioned" on your statement.
With the reworked program, this is always the case - if you have an older MCSE, this will always be reflected on your transcript. The novelty this time is that Microsoft Learning makes the recertification of the MCP mandatory. At each stage of the certification and recertification process, each version of the exams appears on the transcript. We do not know how it will be different, but we may be able to see it in action once the transcripts are updated in the coming year.
Anyway, you can tell employers that you are an MCSE, but your transcript will show the date of your last certification. At some point, your old MCSE will matter little and you may want to show that you already know a newer technology by recertifying anyway.
3. If you currently have an MCITP, Microsoft Learning will make it easier to upgrade to MCSE titles.
Microsoft Learning has posted a FAQ on upgrading MCITP to new MCSE: Data Platform or MCSE: Business Intelligence titles. For those who go from MCITP to MCSE: Private Cloud, click here.
4. The E in MCSE was at one time quite controversial. It's not now.
Now that Microsoft Learning is reviving the MCSE, it is no longer reliving the old name, Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer. There was a time when engineers, licensed and certified, were unhappy that Microsoft uses this term in its program. Indeed, in some states and even in others, the term engineer was regulated. As early as 2001, MCPmag.com was questioning the readers interviewed at the time to vote on replacing the controversial E. Expert: this was the overriding choice, meaning our readers were prescient and half-right a decade ago. You're welcome, Microsoft Learning!
5. You can take your exams at a single supplier: Prometric.
Prometric Exam Centers are available worldwide. To find your local Prometric test center for Microsoft exams, click here.
6. The exams are a bargain at $ 150 in the United States.
Better yet, if you can take exams during the beta period, the beta exams are free and as valid as the live exams you have to pay.
In addition, Microsoft often offers a second chance to failed exams. It's a bit like getting half an exam, especially if you have to iron it.
Always be on the lookout for ads published on this site and on the Special Offers page of the Microsoft Learning site to find offers that can reduce the cost of exams. (Currently, it is offering free exam 70-659 until May 31st for some learning partners, so be quick! This exam is part of MCSE's new requirements: Private Cloud.)
7. Good luck if you are trying to get your business paid for by your certification efforts.
According to the salary survey conducted last year on this site, 41% of respondents said that their employers had funded technical training and only 32% had asked employers to pay for their exams.
On the basis of direct feedback from readers, employers are reluctant to pay for training or certification for their employees if they can use these newly acquired and documented skills to find better paid work elsewhere.
