CRT MS: An Introduction to Microsoft Certification
By: Josh Evitt
Summary: In this article, I discuss Microsoft’s certification program, including the certifications available and the target audience for each certification.
Overview of Microsoft’s Certification Program
Microsoft’s certification program is one of the oldest and best known in the industry. Millions of people around the world have taken Microsoft certification exams. According to MCP Magazine, www.MCPMag.com, over 2.1 million people have achieved at least one Microsoft certification.
Microsoft offers certifications for several different areas of IT, including desktop support, systems administration, network administration, database administration and application development. I’ll discuss the certifications available for each of these areas in the following sections.
MCP – Microsoft Certified Professional
To become an MCP, you are only required to pass one Microsoft certification exam. For example, if you passed the 70-271 exam, Supporting Users and Troubleshooting a Microsoft Windows XP Operating System, you would become an MCP.
Note that most Microsoft certification exams require a passing score of around 700 and typically contain anywhere from 30 to 60 questions.
MCDST – Microsoft Certified Desktop Support Technician
The MCDST certification is one of Microsoft’s newest certification offerings. The MCDST is considered by Microsoft to be an entry-level certification geared towards users who want to begin a career in IT. To obtain the MCDST, you must pass two exams: 70-271: Supporting Users and Troubleshooting a Microsoft Windows XP Operating System and 70-272: Supporting Users and Troubleshooting Desktop Applications on a Microsoft Windows XP Operating System.
MCSA – Microsoft Certified Systems Administrator
The MCSA certification is Microsoft’s entry-level administrator certification. This certification is geared towards people who manage and troubleshoot Windows-based systems. You can pursue the MCSA on either Microsoft Windows 2000 or Microsoft Windows Server 2003.
To achieve the MCSA, you must pass a total of four exams: three core exams and one elective exam. The core exams include two networking system exams and one client operating system exam. There are quite a few elective exams to choose from, so I recommend choosing an elective exam that can be applied to another certification. For example, you can take the 70-228: Installing, Configuring, and Administering Microsoft SQL Server 2000 Enterprise Edition exam as an elective for the MCSA, and this exam will also apply to the MCDBA certification.
Furthermore, the MCSA certification track offers two specializations: Messaging and Security. The MCSA: Messaging specialization requires a total of four exams. The same core exams are required as the standard MCSA track, but instead of an elective, you must pass one of the Exchange Server administration exams. The MCSA: Security specialization requires that you pass a total of five exams. You must pass the same three core exams as the MCSA, as well as two security-related exams. Note that CompTIA’s Security+ certification can be used towards the MCSA: Security certification specialization, which enables you to obtain a couple of certifications instead of just the MCSA: Security certification.
MCSE – Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer
The MCSE certification is Microsoft’s premier administrator certification. This is probably the most sought-after certification that Microsoft delivers. It is geared towards network administrators who design, implement and administer Windows-based networks. The MCSE certification is currently available for Microsoft Windows 2000 and Microsoft Server 2003.
To achieve the MCSE, you must pass a total of seven exams. The requirements differ slightly between the Windows Server 2003 and the Windows 2000 tracks. The Windows Server 2003 track requires that you pass six core exams: four networking system exams, one client operating system exam and one design exam. The elective exam can be chosen from a variety of available exams. Again, I would recommend picking an elective that can be applied to a specialization or to another Microsoft certification to maximize your time and effort. The Windows 2000 track requires that you pass five core exams: four operating system exams and one design exam. You must also pass two elective exams.
The MCSE track also contains two specializations: Messaging and Security. The MCSE: Messaging specialization requirements differ between the Windows tracks. The Windows Server 2003 MCSE: Messaging specialization requires that you pass a total of eight exams: the six core exams required with the Windows Server 2003 MCSE track, as well as two Exchange Server 2003 exams. The Windows 2000 MSCE: Messaging specialization requires that you pass a total of seven exams: the five core exams required with the Windows 2000 MCSE track, as well as two Exchange Server exams. The MCSE: Security specialization for the Windows Server 2003 track requires that you pass a total of eight exams: four networking system exams, one client operating system exam, one security design exam and two security administration exams. Again, the CompTIA Security+ designation can be substituted for one of the administration exams. The MSCE: Security specialization on Windows 2000 track requires that you pass a total of seven exams: one operating system exam, three networking system exams, one security design exam and two security administration exams.
MCAD – Microsoft Certified Application Developer
The MCAD certification is Microsoft’s entry-level developer certification. This is the entry point for getting certified on Microsoft .NET and is geared towards developers who are currently developing applications using Microsoft .NET. Microsoft provides exams focused on either Visual Basic .NET or Visual C# .NET. Because Microsoft is primarily testing your knowledge of the Microsoft .NET Framework and not specific language features, it does not matter which language you choose for each exam; you can decide based on personal preference.
To achieve the MCAD designation, you must pass a total of three exams: two core exams and one elective exam. You must pass one XML development exam, one Web or Windows development exam, and one elective exam, which can be selected from a variety of exams.
MCSD – Microsoft Certified Solutions Developer
The MCSD certification is Microsoft’s premier developer certification. This certification is a continuation of the MCAD certification and is geared towards programmers who not only write and maintain code but also analyze and design applications. As with the MCAD, your language choice for each exam is a matter of personal preference.
To obtain the MCSD.NET credential, you must pass a total of five exams: four core exams and one elective exam. You must pass one Web development exam, one Windows development exam, one XML development exam, one solution architecture exam and one elective exam.
MCDBA – Microsoft Certified Database Administrator
The MCDBA certification is geared towards database administrators who specialize in Microsoft SQL Server. The MCDBA credential can be obtained by passing a total of four exams: three core exams and one elective exam. The core exams include a SQL Server administration exam, a SQL Server design exam and a networking system exam. The elective can be chosen from a selection of developer exams or networking system exams.
MCT – Microsoft Certified Trainer
The MCT certification is geared towards people who teach or want to teach Microsoft technologies. You must complete several steps to become an MCT. First, you must become an MCSE, an MCSD or an MCDBA. Then, you must attend a Microsoft Official Course or Microsoft Official Workshop in order to observe a Microsoft course being delivered. Next, if you are in North America, you must demonstrate your presentation skills, either by obtaining the Certified Technical Trainer (CTT) credential from CompTIA, by passing a presentation skills course, by proving that you are certified to teach by another vendor or by achieving the Microsoft Operations Framework (MOF) credential. Finally, you must apply to become an MCT.
Once you obtain the MCT credential, you must renew it each year. To maintain the MCT, you must maintain the premier Microsoft certification, teach 80 hours or Microsoft courses and earn 20 continuing education credits.
MOS – Microsoft Office Specialist
The MOS certification is targeted towards users who want to show expertise with Microsoft Office technologies. The MOS certification track contains several certifications levels: Specialist, Expert and Master. The Specialist Certification can be obtained by taking one specialist-level exam. The Expert Certification can be obtained by taking one expert-level exam. The Master Certification can be obtained by taking a total of four exams: three core exams and one elective.
Not only are there three MOS-specific certifications available, users can decide which version of Microsoft Office they want to specialize in. The MOS is available using Microsoft Office 2000, Microsoft Office XP and Microsoft Office 2003.
Why should I get Microsoft Certified?
Microsoft certifications are some of the most widely recognized in the world. Many companies who use Microsoft technologies are aware of these certifications and use them as criteria when finding potential employment candidates. Some companies may require that potential candidates be Microsoft certified in order to get an interview. Other companies may require that existing employees get Microsoft certified or maintain their certifications. Additionally, Microsoft requires their partner companies to maintain a certain level of certified staff in order to be considered a certified partner.
However, due to the popularity of Microsoft exams, they have also become a target for thieves and “braindumpers.” In this context, the term braindump refers to test takers that take a certification exam and “dump” the contents from the exam either onto the Internet or into some other format in order to sell the information or simply give others the answers to the exam questions.
I’ve also heard of some users in the past who have complained that Microsoft certifications are not geared towards “real life.” This is somewhat true as Microsoft exams tend to focus on specific Microsoft technologies. For example, in my experience, some exams have asked about specific, and sometimes obscure, features that Microsoft is trying to push. In some cases you will need to answer how Microsoft wants you accomplish a specific action, even if you might actually achieve the desired result using a different method in a production environment. However, the purpose of the exam is to demonstrate that you have obtained a specific level of skill with the technology being tested, so I don’t see it as much of an issue because knowing some of the obscure features helps demonstrate that you are fairly proficient with that technology.
Conclusion
Obtaining a Microsoft certification can help you enhance your career by indicating that you have reached a certain level of expertise with Microsoft products. If you do not have a specific career path in mind or if you are just entering the IT field and want to specialize in Microsoft products, and you are interested in pursuing Microsoft certification, I would recommend starting with one of the entry-level support or administrative certifications, such as the MCDST or MCSA. This will allow you to obtain a certification after passing only a few exams and will give you confidence as you attempt to obtain the higher-level certifications, such as the MCSE.
I believe that obtaining multiple Microsoft certifications can be very beneficial as many employees are required to perform many job functions, such as administering a network as well as maintaining databases and sometimes creating applications. I myself have taken this approach to indicate that I can perform many tasks within IT using Microsoft technologies, if needed. By taking this approach, it allows you to prove that you are knowledgeable in several different areas of IT and several different Microsoft technologies.