MICROSOFT WINDOWS 7 EXAM BEGINS BETA

In case you missed it, registration for exam 71-680 (TS: Windows 7, Configuring) began on April 27, with the beta period running from May 5 to May 18.

Those who pass the beta exam (after the cut-off score is determined) won't need to take the exam when it goes live. It also counts as credit toward the MCTS certification in Windows 7. Testing is available through Prometric centers, and the exam -- which is free in beta -- is four hours long. You can go here for more information: http://blogs.technet.com/betaexams/archive/2009/04/15/register-for-beta-exam-71-680-ts-windows-7-configuring.aspx

Technorati Tags: Windows 7,MCTS,MCITP,Certification

What is involved in upgrading your certification?

You have your MCSA on Windows Server 2003 and you want to upgrade to Windows Server 2008. Or you are not certified at all and want to earn the MCTS on Windows Server 2008. The first thing to remember is that this is a series of new certifications and while there is an upgrade path, you are not earning an MCSE on Windows Server 2008 rather an MCTS or MCITP on windows Server 2008. Also remember that the era of the MCSA/MCSE certifications has ended – it is now MCTS and MCITP (and others beyond the scope intended here) and have an entirely different focus.

As I stated in an earlier blog – the Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist (MCTS) has a different focus then the Microsoft Certified Information Technology Professional (MCITP) and the former is not a prerequisite for the latter either (and nor is it a “lesser” certification!). The MCTS certification is aimed at IT Professionals who work with a specific Microsoft product or platform. An IT Pro who has earned their MCTS is expected to possess depth and breadth of knowledge and skills on a particular product or platform. They are expected to manage and maintain the product or platform on a daily basis. They are also more concerned with the day-to-day operations and short term planning rather than long term planning and design and design.

There are three MCTS tracks available: MCTS: Windows Server 2008 Active Directory Configuration; MCTS: Windows Server 2008 Network Infrastructure Configuration and MCTS: Windows Server 2008 Applications Infrastructure Configuration. You can take each of the tests individually, or you can take the upgrade path by taking only one test.

The easiest route to upgrade your certification, if you are already an MCSA on Windows Server 2003, is take (and pass, of course) the 70-648 TS: Upgrading your MCSA on Windows Server 2003 to Windows Server 2008, Technology Specialist exam. Passing this exam will earn you the: MCTS: Windows Server 2008 Active Directory, Configuration (equivalent to the 70-640 exam) and the MCTS: Windows Server 2008 Network Infrastructure Configuration (equivalent to the 70-642 exam). The last of the three MCTS certifications - MCTS: Window Server 2008 Application Infrastructure Configuration is earned by passing the 70-643 exam. The other part to earning your MCTS on any one of the three paths is to pass the 70-646exam (Windows Server 2008, Server Administrator.

As you can see, the upgrade path from MCSA Windows Server 2003 to MCTS on Windows Server 2008 is straight forward – a far cry from the old 70-240 exam!

Windows 2008 Exams On Last Leg of Development

Microsoft's Learning Group closes beta testing on several new Windows Server 2008 exams, with release soon after the software launches next month.

Windows Server 2008 rounds the corner toward release at the end of next month. And the Microsoft Learning Group, for its part, has been keeping pace with new exams that are slated to be generally available at Prometric testing centers soon after the software hits shelves. According to blog posts from Trika Harms zum Spreckel, a member of the marketing team in the Microsoft Learning Group, MCPs will see a healthy mix of MCTS and MCITP exams in the weeks to come.

The MCITP: Enterprise Administrator title, on the other hand, requires a bit more network design-based expertise and an understanding of network infrastructure in the context of the enterprise. So, Microsoft makes the bar for obtaining this title a bit higher, with candidates having to pass at least four of the following MCTS level exams: 70-640, 70-642, 70-643 and 70-620 TS: Windows Vista, Configuring or 70-624 TS: Deploying Vista and Office Desktops (70-620 and 70-624 have been available since soon after the release of Vista last year). Over on the Professional level, candidates finally have need to pass one more exam, 70-647, to obtain MCITP nirvana.

Windows 2008 Exams On Last Leg of Development