Certification Watch Volume 5 #16

Certification News regarding Microsoft certification scoring, Linux desktop certification, Sun Business Component Developer Exam, IBM WebSphere certification, and college credit for certification.

Published August 15, 2003
By Anne Martinez

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Microsoft Returns to Detailed Score Reports (Three Cheers!), Sets Uniform Scoring System

Microsoft Corporation has announced that the detailed score reports that were discontinued early last year (see Certification Watch V5 #3) will return. These reports indicate the areas in which the exam taker has technical strengths and weaknesses, using a bar graph as illustration. A numerical score will also be given.

In addition, there will be a uniform scoring system and scale across all exams. The new scale sets a minimum passing score of 700 on all exams. The maximum score will vary by exam. Only exams 70-292 and 70-296 will not provide a numerical score because they are each a composite of two other exams.

The new score reports will first appear on the Microsoft Windows Server 2003-related exams, and by the end of 2003 most exams will have the new format.

LPI Working On Linux Desktop Certification

The Linux Professional Institute (LPI) recently announced plans to spearhead development of a certification program covering the Linux Desktop. Currently available Linux certification programs, including the one operated by LPI, cover the operating system itself -installation, administration, and tuning. According to LPI's president Evan Leibovitch, the goal of the desktop initiative is to create an end-user certification program, akin to the Microsoft MOUS (Microsoft Office User Specialist), or European Computer Drivers License level of certification. Still very much in its early stages, the program under consideration would certify end user skills on open source applications such as KDE, GNOME, the Mozilla Web browser, and the Open Office Suite. The preliminary name of the program is Open Source Desktop Applications Certification (OSAC).

All CompTIA Certifications Now Good for College Credit at Excelsior

Excelsior College, a distance learning institution, and CompTIA, the Computing Technology Industry Association, have announced that all 11 CompTIA certifications will now be counted for credit in Excelsior's Bachelor of Science in Computer Information Systems degree program. The CompTIA certifications will equate to between two to four credits toward elective requirements, depending on which certification(s) you have. Excelsior also grants credits for many Microsoft and Novell certification exams. You can view the full list at: http://www1.excelsior.edu/itweb/certsite.htm

Sun Business Component Developer Exam Nears Release

The newest certification from Sun Microsystems, Sun Certified Business Component Developer for the Java 2 Platform, Enterprise Edition (J2EE), will go live next month. This designation is for individuals who use J2EE technology to develop server-side components to encapsulate business logic of an application. Candidates for this title must first hold Sun Java Programmer certification.

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