Acquiring MCSE Certifications

Some certifications require that you pass several exams. A good example is Microsoft's MCSE Certification. According to MCP Magazine, the MCSE Certification "requires [passing] six exams, four covering networking basics and operating systems such as Windows NT, Windows 95, and Windows 3.1, and two elective exams on Microsoft products and technologies such as Exchange, SQL Server, SMS, SNA, and Internet products and technologies such as ILS, Proxy Server, and TCP/IP." For the names of specific exams, log onto Microsoft's site.

Acquiring a CCIE certification is similar to the MCSE process, with a few nuances of its own. According to the CISCO Web site (http://www.cisco.com): "A candidate for the CCIE certification must have a solid background in internetworking. The candidate must first pass a two-hour, written qualification exam administered by Sylvan Prometric. Then the candidate must pass a two-day, hands-on lab exam that pits the candidate against difficult build, break, and restore scenarios. Finally, to maintain an active CCIE status and to ensure that CCIEs are always equipped with the latest technical expertise, CCIEs must complete a recertification requirement every two years.

And finally, about a year ago, Microsoft began offering an MCP + Internet certification. That certification, according to MCP Magazine, "requires [passing] a single operating system exam. Windows NT Server 4.0, and two Internet-related exams: TCP/IP on Windows NT 4.0, and either Internet Information Server 3.0 or Internet Information Server 4.0."

Do not sign up with the first trainer you encounter! If you're interested in MCSE certification, you have plenty of options to choose from. And finding them is simple. Log onto AltaVista, Yahoo!, or any of the other major Internet search engines, and run the following search: "MCSE certification." Take a look at several training providers.

Of course you're going to call the ones with the best fit for you. For starters, make sure they're accredited by the vendor/product or industry standard for which they're training. For example, if a site or service provides training and certification for Microsoft products, it will have a small, widely recognized logo that says "Microsoft Certified Solution Provider."

If you acquire a computer-based training (CBT) CD-ROM product with a manual, find out what it covers. For example, does it include actual, automated tests similar to what you can expect from the certification exams?

"We sell bundled products," says Gary Tippner, owner of BadDog's Training Planet (http://www.trainingplanet.com). "These bundles can include coursework (on CDs or videos, or a combination), plus books and training materials." Tippner says most of the good packages also include "a CD, which is an exam simulator, as if you're sitting down at a Sylvan terminal--and it will grade you. You just keep taking the tests until you feel ready for the exams."

Also, it's important to know the pass rate for a provider's training curricula. Khizer, of PC Age Network Engineering Institute, boasts a 94-percent pass rate for its Microsoft certification. Other MCSE CBT training materials tout similar rates. If the training--self-directed or otherwise--doesn't reference or track a pass rate, then maybe you should look elsewhere. Remember, you have plenty of options.

Above all, job experience is most important, and will always take you farther than any piece of paper. But obtaining a certificate is a clear demonstration of technical expertise in a given area, and may bridge the difference between an average salary and the really big bucks.

MCSE Certification