microsoft certified professional - wikipedia

7/27/2019 Microsoft Certified Professional - Wikipedia

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Microsoft Certified Professional

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP) refers to both an individualMicrosoft certification and a

broaderprofessional certification program.

To be an MCP, candidates must complete any one exam within the program.

The MCP program offers multiple certifications, based on different areas of technical expertise. Toattain these certifications, a candidate must pass a series of exams within the program. Popularcertifications are MCP, Microsoft Certified System Engineer (MCSE) and Microsoft CertifiedDatabase Administrator (MCDBA) [1] .For detailed information about the requirements for eachrefer to Microsoft's Official Learning site.

Some employers require or prefer certain MCP certifications for specific jobs. MCP curriculum

revolves around Microsoft's operating systems. Other vendors have their own certification programssuch as the Sun Certified Professional program, the Red Hat Certification Program, theOracleCertification Program and the Cisco Career Certificationsprogram.

Each exam costs approximately US$125. Exams usually take between 2 and 3 hours to completeand consist of between 50-90 multiple choice, drag and drop and solution building questions.Microsoft has recently announced a return to simulated content within exams and students are alsorequired to perform certain common administrative tasks appropriate for the topic at hand.

Microsoft in Oct 2005, [2] announced the restructuring of its certification by launching a three-tiered certification program. See more detail below.

Certification Programs

Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer

Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (orMCSE) is the best-known Microsoft certification. Itqualifies an individual of being able to analyze the business requirements forinformation systemssolutions, and design and implement the infrastructure required.As of 2006, the MCSE is availablefor two different product lines; Windows 2000 and Windows Server 2003, each of which requires adifferent set of exams.

For the MCSE 2003, candidates must pass six core design exams (Four networking exams, oneclient operating system and one design exam) and one elective exam, for a total of seven exams. Forthe MCSE 2000, a candidate needs to pass five Core Exams (Four operating system exams, onedesign exam) and two electives.

The topic of these exams include network security,computer networkinginfrastructure, ActiveDirectory, Microsoft Exchange Server, Microsoft SQL Server, and other topics of both generalnetworking interest as well as specific Microsoft products.

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Microsoft Certified Application Developer

The Microsoft Certified Application Developer (MCAD) certification is the entry-levelprogramming certification. The curriculum covers many topics related to theMicrosoft .NETdevelopment platform. The requirements for this certification lead directly into the MCSDcertification.

Microsoft Certified Solution Developer

The Microsoft Certified Solution Developer (MCSD) certification is the highest levelprogramming certification offered by Microsoft. To fulfill the requirements of the certification, atotal of five exams (four core exams, one elective exam) must be passed. Some of the core examsare also requirements for the MCAD. Microsoft has declared that this certification will be focussedtowards the needs of developers using .NET Framework 1.0 and 1.1 versions. Developers using

.NET Framework 2.0 and Microsoft Visual Studio 2005 are expected to consider undergoingMicrosoft Certified Technology Specialist (MCTS) and Microsoft Certified Professional Developer(MCPD) certifications.

Microsoft Certified Systems Administrator

The Microsoft Certified Systems Administrator (MCSA) certification certifies a user'sknowledge in system administration ofMicrosoft Windowsoperating systems and is generallysimpler than, but not a subset of, the MCSE. The Windows Server 2003 MCSA is achieved upon

passing 2 networking system exams, a client operating system exam (generallyMicrosoft WindowsXP), and an elective exam. The Windows Server 2000 MCSA title is granted after taking 3 coreexams and one elective. Although the MCSA isn't a subset of the MCSE, it is possible to gain anMCSA on the way to an MCSE without doing any exams that are extraneous to the MCSE onWindows 2000.

Whereas the MCSE is supposed to certify a person's ability to "plan, design, and implementMicrosoft Windows server solutions and architectures in medium- to large-sized companies", theMCSA certifies a holder's ability to "implement, manage, and maintain the typically complexcomputing environment of medium- to large-sized companies".

Like the MCSE, the MCSA is available as "MCSA on Windows 2000" and "MCSA on Windows2003" as of 2005. There exist two specializations for both tracks: Messaging and Security.

Microsoft Certified Database Administrator

The Microsoft Certified Database Administrator (MCDBA) credential is fordatabaseadministrators, who implement and administerMicrosoft SQL Serverdatabases. The certification isappropriate for individuals who derive physical database designs, develop logical data models,

create physical databases, create data services by using Transact-SQL, manage and maintaindatabases, configure and manage security, monitor and optimize databases, and install andconfigure SQL Server. This certification requires passing three core exams, and one elective exam.

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According to Microsoft, people who operate MSSQL 2005 should apply for other certificationssuch as the MCITP (Microsoft Certified IT Professional) or MCTS (Microsoft CertifiedTechnology Specialist), rather than the MCDBA. Complete course lasts 250 hours.

Microsoft Certified Desktop Support Technician

The Microsoft Certified Desktop Support Technician (MCDST) is a lower-level credential thatdemonstrates a technician can competently support end users and troubleshoot desktopenvironments running on Microsoft Windows. MCDST candidates are required to pass two coreexams. Elective exams are not required. Complete course lasts 50 hours.

Microsoft Office Specialist

The Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS), previously named Microsoft Office User Specialist(MOUS) is a certification for using the Microsoft Office suite of business applications. While listedunder the MCP Certification Programs, it is not officially an MCP Certification. The MOS examsare managed by a third party company, Certiport.

Microsoft Certified Trainer

The Microsoft Certified Trainer (MCT) certification is for individuals who intend to train users

wanting to obtain any of the other certifications.

Microsoft Certification Resources

There are several courses, Bootcamps, andpractice tests from different vendors offering preparationmaterial for Microsoft certification exams. Bootcamps normally provide residential program thatincludes food and lodging. These courses are meant for busy professionals who do not have enoughtime for self preparation or wish to get trained by professional trainers.Microsoft Pressprovidesseveral books towards Microsoft certification exams preparation. Books are normally the first placeto explore Microsoft certification options, and preparation. Apart from Microsoft Press books, thereare other reputed publishers like Sybex, and others. In addition to books, Microsoft Learning alsooffers courses for each of the exams.

Apart from books, there are severalpractice tests vendors that offer pre-certification exams. Thesemock exams almost mimic actual exams, and normally priced much less than the actual exam.Several user forums are available for certification preparation.

Experts and past candidates recommend not only reading more than one book, but spending a good

amount of time practicing the concepts on computers on a test environment. After practicing andreading, it's also recommended to take sample exams before taking the Microsoft exam.

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Microsoft New Generation of Certifications

Microsoft has released a new three-tiered certification hierarchy. It consist of three series and fourcredentials that introduce an entry-level Technology Series, a Professional Series comprised of anIT Professional and Professional Developer credentials and a new top-level Microsoft CertifiedArchitect. For more information on the new certifications refer toMicrosoft's New Generation ofCertification Overview.

There exist three series:

Technology Series

Professional Series

Architect Series

The seven Microsoft Certified Professional Developer Technology Specialist certifications are:

Technology Specialist: .NET Framework 2.0 Web Applications Technology Specialist: .NET Framework 2.0 Windows Applications

Technology Specialist: .NET Framework 2.0 Distributed Applications

Technology Specialist: SQL Server 2005

Technology Specialist: BizTalk Server 2006

Technology Specialist: Live Communications Server 2005

Technology Specialist: Microsoft Windows Mobile 5.0 Applications

The 'Technology Specialist: .NET Framework 2.0 Web Applications' certification requires that onepass the following examinations:

Exam 70-536: TS: Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 - Application Development Foundation Exam 70-528: TS: Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 - Web-Based Client Development

The 'Technology Specialist: .NET Framework 2.0 Windows Applications' certification requires thatone pass the following examinations:

Exam 70-536: TS: Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 - Application Development Foundation

Exam 70-526: TS: Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 - Windows-Based Client Development

The 'Technology Specialist: .NET Framework 2.0 Distributed Applications' certification requiresthat one pass the following examinations:

Exam 70-536: TS: Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 - Application Development Foundation

Exam 70-529: TS: Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 - Distributed Application Development

The 'Technology Specialist: SQL Server 2005' certification requires that one pass the followingexamination:

Exam 70-431: TS: Microsoft SQL Server 2005 - Implementation and Maintenance

The 'Technology Specialist: BizTalk Server 2006' certification requires that one pass the followingexamination:

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Exam 70-235: TS: Developing Business Process and Integration Solutions Using BizTalk

Server 2006 (available early 2006)

The 'Technology Specialist: Live Communications Server 2005' certification requires that one passthe following examination:

Exam 70-262 TS: Office Live Communications Server 2005-Implementing, Managing, andTroubleshooting (available early 2006)

There exist study groups dedicated to studying for various certifications.

If there is not a study group in your area and there is good chance that there exist at least two otherpeople that would be interested, then one could form one.

Criticism

Microsoft received a lot of criticism at the beginning of its MCSE Certification program because ofits lack of hands-on experience. The MCSE for NT 4.0 was widely considered a "papercertification" that focused too much on theory. Microsoft corrected the problem in later MCSE

programs for Server 2000 and Server 2003 by increasing the difficulty of tests and focusing onpractical skills.[citation needed]

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