Certification Watch Volume 13 #14

Published September 15, 2010

By Anne Martinez

Certification news regarding Java EE6 beta exams, updates to Cisco's CCDA and CCDP ARCH exams, Microsoft's phase-out of the MCDST, and CompTIA A+ certification news.

Java Enterprise Edition 6 Exam Betas Open Through Sept 30th

There are currently 5 beta exams available for Java Enterprise Edition 6 (Java EE6) at $50 each. That's a big savings over the traditional Oracle exam price of $125. Although Java certifications were originally part of the Sun certification program, they were recently re-branded under the Oracle name and lead to Oracle Certified Professional Developer credentials. The betas will close on September 30, 2010.

Cisco CCDA, CCDP Exams Refreshed

New versions of Cisco's Cisco Certified Design Associate (CCDA) exam and CCDP Designing Cisco Network Service Architecture (ARCH) exam will hit testing centers on November 8, 2010. Apparently the changes are not significant enough to renumber the exams, but the objectives for them have been modified. Cisco has posted the updated CCDA objectives and updated CCDP ARCH exam objectives on its website.

CompTIA A+ Role-based Exams Formally Retired

As planned, CompTIA recently removed its 600-series A+ certification exams from test centers. These exams corresponded to the 2006 A+ certification structure, which required passing a core exam plus a second exam reflecting a role-based specialty such as IT Technician. Those exams are no longer available, and the 2009 structure is now the only certification option.

With the 2009 objectives, CompTIA A+ returned to its original format of a single two-exam track. For an overview of the latest requirements and information on an upgrade exam available to qualified individuals, see GoCertify's A+ certification page.

End Nears for Microsoft MCDST

Microsoft plans to retire both exams on the Microsoft Certified Desktop Support Professional (MCDST) track on March 31, 2011. Currently certified MCDST individuals are encouraged to upgrade to Microsoft MCTS or MCITP certification.

That's all for this edition of Certification Watch. Please keep your certification news and tips coming to the This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .