Multiple options beyond multiple choice: an overview of Microsoft’s new exam item types

May 29, 2012 at 9:41 am | Posted in Microsoft, Study hints, Technical Tips, Vendor news | 4 Comments
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As technologies evolve, so do the means of testing your technical knowledge. While the multiple choice standard still has its place, Microsoft and other major vendors are rapidly evolving beyond such mechanical (and easily braindumped) question formats. Microsoft has even released a catchy YouTube video on the subject:

An awful lot of research goes into the most effective question format. In the past few years we’ve seen an explosion of new item types and testing techniques. Some have been rolled out, some have been rolled back, and some are newly announced but haven’t yet been sighted in the wild.  Here are the ones encountered by the Transcender Team, with our notes on each.

Extended Matching

This item type was announced in early 2011 (Something New, Something Borrowed, Something Blue: Introducing a New Item Type on Certification Exams), but we didn’t encounter it in an exam until recently. George, our Microsoft Windows Server and SQL Server expert, first tackled extended matching on the beta exams for SQL Server 2012. Here’s what he had to say:

I encountered Build-list and reorder questions that required you to know the exact sequence in which tasks should be performed. There were also Active Screen items that required you to answer questions based on a scenario. I also saw the new “Extended Matching” questions. The Extended Matching questions looked kind of like case studies, because they were a set of multiple choice questions answered in one time frame. However, these did not have the usual four or five answer choices. No, each question had the same 14 choices.  The questions were slightly different, but the choices were the same. These question types caught me off guard and I found them completely confusing until I realized you could actually have the same correct answer for more than one question in the set.

The Extended Matching questions were like someone put a long multiple choice question, a matching question, and a pint of buttermilk in a blender, pulsed it,  left the horrible concoction on the kitchen table overnight, and then tricked you into drinking it in the morning. 

We’re hoping that you go into your exams a little more prepared than George, so we’re in the process of revising our 70-667 practice exam  and our 70-432 practice exam to include this new item type. This will give you the chance to get comfortable with how Extended Matching items are put together, and not be caught off guard on exam day.

Case studies and code case studies

Case studies (mini-tests that are timed separately from the SAMC/MAMC questions) are nothing new in the Microsoft world, but they did vanish from the testing scene for a few years, until recently (see George’s post, The Case Study Gets Its Groove Back). Because each case study has its own clock, the trick is not to let them eat into your overall exam time. However, the Code case study was a new twist on the concept. It was touted in Born To Learn last year (Code case studies: test drive our new item type for developer exams). Josh reported on this item type extensively here a few months back (They’re back: the return of the developer exam case study). They’ve been incorporated into all of our practice tests for these technologies.

As of this writing, you can still access Microsoft’s mockup code case study here: http://mcppoc.rangers.ms/

Short Answer Code

This item type will incorporate live coding into the exam, and as far back as our SMEs can remember, this item type is a first for Microsoft. Short answer code items were announced in October 2011  (Check Out the Short Answer Code Item Type). While we haven’t encountered this item type on a certification exam yet, here’s what we know about it so far: the item will have a field in which the candidate writes a short code segment to accomplish the task in the scenario. All the standard tools that would be available to a developer in real life (such as syntax checking) will be reproduced on the test, so in theory, you can’t trip yourself up with a simple mis-key or typo.

Have you encountered this item type yet? If so, we’d love to hear about it.

MAMC: Choose All that Apply

“Wait,” you say. “That’s not a new item type. That’s the same old multiple choice question that Microsoft (and Transcender) has been doing all along.”

Well, yes. But in the course of reviewing the most test-worthy item types, psychometricians made a surprising discovery: this classic structure is actually one of the hardest to answer without a thorough knowledge of the subject being tested.  You can read about the methods used by psychometrician Liberty Munson here, Investigating the Psychometric Performance of Our Item Types.

How many times have you encountered a multiple choice question where you weren’t sure of all the answers, but the fact that the question said “choose two” or “choose four” let you safely guess the parts that you weren’t sure about? If Microsoft has anything to say about it – and, let’s face it, they do – then this guessing technique will be ruled out. Fortunately, Transcender has used this MAMC structure in all of our practice tests, so users should be prepared to answer them on exam day.

What about simulations?

A few years ago, simulation exams were the item type of the future; almost impossible to braindump, and representing a real-world test of the user’s skills. Microsoft introduced the simulation format with the 83-640 Windows Server Configuring exam. Problems with exam delivery, though, sidelined this particular format, which reverted to the conventional 70-640.

While there may have been some setbacks, this was an excellent testing format, and it certainly shouldn’t be ruled out of future Microsoft exams. We think the live coding exams for developers represent one new direction in which to take simulations – the goal of which, after all, is to have the user perform real-life tasks.

For one last obsessive look at this subject, check out Liberty Munson’s Born To Learn post on Microsoft’s changing attitudes towards the building of certification exams (Exams Grow Up)

Happy testing!

–the Transcender Team

CompTIA Educator’s Conference, Las Vegas 2012: We’ll be there, will you?

May 23, 2012 at 1:54 pm | Posted in CompTIA | Leave a comment
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It’s finally official – CompTIA will hosting the CompTIA Educator’s Conference from Friday, July 27th, through Sunday, July 29th in Las Vegas, NV. If you are an educator who provides training for CompTIA certifications, this conference is for you!

I attended this conference last year, when it was part of the Breakaway conference. This year the Educator’s Conference precedes Breakaway and is actually considered  a separate event. (Breakaway itself will run from July 30 to August 2.) This year’s focus will be emerging technologies, including the new A+, CompTIA Advanced Security Practitioner (CASP), Healthcare IT, and Cloud Computing exams.

Here are three reasons why I think every technology educator should attend this conference:

1) You get information from CompTIA that will help you with your classroom plans for the coming academic year.

2) You get access to authors and presenters in an intimate, classroom-like environment. These authors and presenters can provide you with ideas for your classroom as well as insight into how you prepare yourself and your students.

3) You get to network with other education professionals who have years of experience in teaching, technology, and curriculum design. If you are new to the field, the information from the other educators can help you be well on your way. If you have lots of experience, you will often get some fresh insight and cutting edge ideas that you can incorporate into your classroom.

At last year’s conference I was able to reconnect with Mike Meyers, a McGraw-Hill author and president of Total Seminars, LLC. I also met authors Mark Ciampa and Jean Andrews, both of whom are rumored to be in attendance this year. Although this year’s agenda is not yet complete, I am sure that CompTIA will include presentations on a range of topics. Not the least of which will be yours truly making my CompTIA conference presentation debut. I will share with attendees the basics of the CASP certification.

Here is the text from the e-mail that I got from CompTIA:

Dear Educator,

You are cordially invited to join classroom educators from all around the country at this year’s CompTIA Academy Educator’s Conference held in Las Vegas from July 27 – July 29, 2012.

This year the event will focus on a theme of “Emerging Technologies” and include educational forums and training sessions that spotlight the newest revision to CompTIA’s A+ certification as well as the new technologies that form the basis of several of the newest CompTIA certifications.

The conference will feature sessions on the new 2012 A+ that will be released later this year, our Security+ and CompTIA Advanced Security Practitioner certifications and our new Health IT certification.

 There will also be a Publishers Expo that you can visit to learn about the latest learning materials for CompTIA certifications.  Each publisher will deliver separate presentations on their products.

We’re still organizing the speaker sessions and training sessions on Saturday and Sunday-  so the actual running order is not ready for publication.

Watch for the full conference agenda – Coming Soon!

The CompTIA Academy Educators Conference will be held at the Aria Hotel in Las Vegas. This year the Academy sessions will precede CompTIA’s annual Breakaway event.

Here’s the essential information you need to know.

 What: CompTIA Academy Educators Conference – 2012

 Where:  Las Vegas, NV

Conference Hotel -  Aria at City Center

Attendee hotel rate – $139 /night

When:

Friday, July 27 -  7:00 am – 3:00 pm   -  Travel time

Friday, July 27 -  3:00 – 7:00 pm -  Sessions

Saturday, July 28 -  9:00 – 5:00  -  Sessions and Training

Sunday July 28 -  9:00 am – 5:00  – Publishers Expo and Training

(session times subject to change)

CompTIA Academy Educator Conference Registration Cost

$199

Registration Website :

http://www.comptia.org/breakaway/register.aspx      Please register for the $199 option with the following wording:

CAPP Academy/E2C Program only
Please note: this fee only covers the CompTIA Educators Conference 2012 scheduled Friday, July 27 – Sunday, July 29. This fee does not include Breakaway registration.

CompTIA Academy membership (free) is required to attend: www.comptia.com/academy

 PLEASE BE ADVISED THAT WE ARE SHARING A REGISTRATION SITE WITH THE COMPTIA BREAKAWAY CONFERENCE.  The Academy Educator Conference fee does not include admission to the Breakaway conference sessions or events.

 EARLY BIRD REGISTRATION DRAWING

The first 50 paid registrations will be entered into a drawing for your choice of a

Apple iPad ($500 value) OR a $500 American Express Gift Card

 The drawing will be conducted on Saturday at the event.  You must be in attendance at the event to win.

I hope to see you there! I’m the presenter with the heavy southern drawl (check out my video if you don’t believe me). Sorry, but translators/subtitles will NOT be provided..LOL!

-Robin

Everything old is new again: the MCSE and MCSA are dead (long live the MCSE and MCSA)

May 14, 2012 at 8:15 am | Posted in Certification Paths, Microsoft, Vendor news | 31 Comments
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(ETA 10/01/12: Microsoft is still rolling out changes to these tracks. Be sure to check Microsoft Learning, Born To Learn, and our blog for the most current information on MCSA and MCSE.)

Yesterday a vendor called me on the phone and said that he had a great price on the latest MCSE classes. He went on to explain that these classes taught all the latest, hottest technologies. They were so virtualized, a team of physicists argued over their very existence. They were so far up in the cloud, you needed a telescope to find your exam. Once he’d wound down the hyperbole, I asked him what operating system that the classes covered. He told me, “Windows Server 2003.”

I have news for you, buddy: Windows Server 2003 is nine years old. The problem is that MCSE, as a certification, became both the gold standard for HR staff and a synonym for the “brand” of Microsoft certification. When Microsoft retired those certifications in favor of the MCITP and MCPD and MCTS in 2005, they had problems selling the switch to die-hard certification holders. More importantly, it faced uneven adoption in the business realm. No one really jumped on the bandwagon. Human Resource managers and hiring managers still referred to MCSA and MCSE in job listings.  Vendors who called me on the phone only knew “MCSE” and “MCSA.” (Sales people in my own office still do not understand the differences between MCTS and MCTIP, but at least they realized the MCSE was gone.) I’ve had students tell me they’ve applied for recent jobs that cited a MCSE as a requirement. I guess Microsoft felt the time was right to reanimate the dead MCSA and MCSE certifications.

As I’m sure you’ve heard by now–that clueless vendor had it half-right. The MCSE and MCSA are back!

The new MCSE is not your Dad’s MCSE. First of all, MCSE now stands for Microsoft Certified SOLUTIONS EXPERT, not Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer.  If you attain the new and re-released MCSE, you are an expert in Microsoft solutions, not an engineer. (You are an engineer if you passed a lot of physics and calculus classes.) The new MCSA is now called Microsoft Certified SOLUTIONS ASSOCIATE, instead of  Microsoft Certified Systems Administrator. That also makes more sense. If you attain the MCSA you are certified in various Microsoft solutions, but not necessarily a sysadmin.

The old MCSE made you pass several tests based on the Windows operating system plus an elective subject, like Exchange Server or SQL Server. The new MCSE currently offers certifications in MCSE – Private Cloud and MCSE SQL Server 2012. Going forward, Microsoft will offer more MCSE certifications as new versions of products are released. Look for the MCSE Data Platform certification to roll out tests in June 2012.

The new MCSA is similar the old MCSA. Microsoft currently offers certifications in MCSA Windows Server 2008 and MCSA SQL Server 2012, but will offer more MCSA certifications as new versions of products are released.

To get the MCSA: Windows Server 2008, you would have to pass the following:

  • Exam 70-640 – windows Server 2008 Active Directory, Configuring
  • Exam 70-642 – Windows Server 2008 Network Infrastructure, Configuring
  • Exam 70-646 – Windows Server 2008, Server Administrator

Hey, wait a minute. Wasn’t there already a certification for someone who passed the above tests? Yeah, it was called the MCITP: Server Administrator on Windows Server 2008. The good news is that if you’ve been studying toward these exams, you haven’t wasted your precious certification time. The Private Cloud certification requires that you pass the following:

  • Exam 70-640 – windows Server 2008 Active Directory, Configuring
  • Exam 70-642 – Windows Server 2008 Network Infrastructure, Configuring
  • Exam 70-646 – Windows Server 2008, Server Administrator
  • Exam 70-247 – Configuring & Deploying a Private Cloud with System Center 2012  OR  Exam 70-659 Windows Server 2008 R2 Virtualization
  • Exam 70-246 – Configuring Monitoring and Operating a Private Cloud with System Center 2012

The 70-246 and 70-247 exams should be released this summer.

The SQL Server 2012 MCSE Server certification has two different platforms:  Data Platform or Business Intelligence. To get the MCSE: Data Platform, you have to pass the following:

  • Exam 70-461 – Querying Microsoft SQL Server 2012
  • Exam 70-462 – Administering a Microsoft SQL Server 2012 Database
  • Exam 70-463 – Implementing Data Warehouses with Microsoft SQL Server 2012
  • Exam 70-464 – Developing Microsoft SQL Server 2012 Databases
  • Exam 70-465 – Designing Database Solutions for SQL Server 2012

If you have a MCTIP: Database Developer 2008 certification or MCTIP: Database Administrator 2008 certification on SQL Server 2008, you can upgrade to the MCSE: Data Platform by passing the following:

  • Exam 70-457 – Transition your MCTS on SQL Server 2008 to MCSA: SQL Server 2012 Part 1
  • Exam 70-458 – Transition your MCTS on SQL Server 2008 to MCSA: SQL Server 2012 Part 2
  • Exam 70-459 – Transition your MCTIP to MCSE: Data Platform

To get the MCSE: Business Intelligence, you have to pass the following:

  • Exam 70-461 – Querying Microsoft SQL Server 2012
  • Exam 70-462 – Administering a Microsoft SQL Server 2012 Database
  • Exam 70-463 – Implementing Data Warehouses with Microsoft SQL Server 2012
  • Exam 70-466 – Implementing Data Models and Reports with Microsoft SQL Server 2012
  • Exam 70-467 – Designing Business Intelligence Solutions with Microsoft SQL Server 2012

If you have a MCTIP: Business Intelligence 2008 certification on SQL Server 2008, you can upgrade to the MCSE: Business Intelligence by passing the following:

  • Exam 70-457 – Transition your MCTS on SQL Server 2008 to MCSA: SQL Server 2012 Part 1
  • Exam 70-458 – Transition your MCTS on SQL Server 2008 to MCSA: SQL Server 2012 Part 2
  • Exam 70-460 – Transition your MCTIP: Business Intelligence 2008 to MCSE: Business Intelligence.

These exams should be released later this year.

This would be an excellent time to answer some questions I’m sure you have.

What about your MCTS and MCTIP certifications?

Well, you will still have those, but as time goes by they will retire.

If I get a new MCSA or new MCSE certification, will I have to recertify?

You betcha, brothers and sisters. The MCSA and MCSE certification will probably last only about 3 years before you have to recertify.  What constitutes recertifying?  You will have to pass a test or series of tests. The MCTS and MCTIP will become  like a Cisco CCNA certification, the CompTIA A+, and other certifications where you will have to recertify every three years. Microsoft wants to keep the MCSE and MCSA certifications relevant.  You can read more about this policy on Microsoft’s site.

If you’re still confused, I recommend these informative videos from the Born To Learn blog:

Microsoft Certified Trainers Explain MCSE

In my next blog post, I’ll go over the new “extended matching” item types being rolled out in Microsoft’s exams. Until then, keep you nose clean and your acronyms straight.

–George Monsalvatge

Cloud computing: coming to a certification test near you (part 2)

May 8, 2012 at 8:15 am | Posted in CompTIA | Leave a comment
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Way back in 2010, I started looking into all things cloud when I attended TechEd 2010 in New Orleans. Back then, I was trying to use my crystal ball to predict just what the cloud meant to us in the certification world. Fast forward to 2012, and we are starting to see the beginnings of the cloud certification offerings, as well as cloud-centric content added to existing certifications.

CompTIA announced its new Cloud Essentials specialty certification on December 13, 2011:

“As use of the cloud expands, the demand for IT workers with cloud computing knowledge grows as well,” Terry Erdle, executive vice president, skills certification, CompTIA, said. “CompTIA Cloud Essentials is designed to bolster the cloud computing credentials of the IT workforce.”

According to the CompTIA Cloud Essentials page, a test candidate will see 50 questions and have 60 minutes to complete the exam. Here is the objective breakdown for the Cloud Essentials exam:

  • 1.0 Characteristics of Cloud Services From a Business Perspective - 15%
  • 2.0 Cloud Computing and Business Value – 20%
  • 3.0 Technical Perspective/Cloud Types – 20%
  • 4.0 Steps to Successful Adoption of Cloud Computing - 15%
  • 5.0 Impact and Changes of Cloud Computing on IT Service Management  - 15%
  • 6.0 Risks and Consequences of Cloud Computing - 15%

While there are no books currently on the market for this certification, there are general books available on cloud computing. McGraw-Hill will release CompTIA Cloud Essentials Certification Study Guide (Exam CL0-001) in November 2012, and I anticipate other study guides will follow.

While this is the only cloud-specific test currently in the CompTIA arena, many of their other, more popular offerings, including the Security+  and CompTIA Advanced Security Practitioner (CASP) exams,  now require low-level understanding of cloud computing types and terminologies.

But don’t expect Cloud Essentials to be the last you will hear about the cloud from CompTIA. Word has it that there is more to come from CompTIA in cloud computing and mobile computing as these two areas become more vital in the global marketplace.

Are any of you considering this certification? If so, are you worried about the lack of resources available that are specifically written to this certification?

Drop us a line here at Transcender, and tell us what you think. We would love to hear from you!

Until next time….

-Robin

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