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...Home ... Editorial ... Columns ..Column Story Saturday: April 5, 2014


 Dulaney on Certs  
Emmett Dulaney
Emmett Dulaney


 Why Not Tie Exams to Employment?
Emmett thinks some hiring choices are best made at testing centers. Plus, Microsoft's System Center Operations Manager exam is now live, and Book of the Week digs deep into the ICND1.
by Emmett Dulaney  
3/5/2008 -- Here's an idea worth considering: Currently in the IT world, multiple-choice and practicum-based exams are used to authenticate your skills, give you something to put on your resume and allow your employer to advertise that they have a certain number of certified administrators/technicians/etc.

It seems to me that here's an opportunity for employers to incorporate practicum-based exams into the actual hiring process, and for testing centers to fulfill a purpose beyond what they currently do.

Imagine that the hiring choices at Acme have been narrowed down to three equally qualified applicants. All three have the same certifications, the same skills, and the same number of years working with Linux. To make the hiring decision easier -- to really determine which of the three is the standout -- why not send all of them to a neutral testing center where they take a hands-on, one-hour lab that asks them to perform some configuration/administration tasks?

In order for this to work, however, testing centers would need to refocus and incorporate exams from other parties that grade more than just basic questions. Centers would also need to make real equipment available -- not just those old machines they took out of the classroom a few years ago and now use to deliver Vue/Prometric exams.

This may seem like a lot to ask. But anything that can help keep employers from making bad hiring decisions is well worth the cost of pursuing -- and that's likely a cost the Acmes of the world are more than willing to bear.

Configuring Microsoft System Center Operations Manager 2007
The Configuring Microsoft System Center Operations Manager 2007 exam is now live. This exam (70-400) counts as credit toward the MCSA and the MCSE (both version 2003) and tests on the following domains:

  • Deploying and configuring management packs (28%)
  • Maintaining System Center Operations Manager (23%)
  • Building and deploying custom management packs (21%)
  • Configuring System Center Operations Manager 2007 (15%)
  • Configuring client monitoring (13%)

More information on this exam can be found here.

Book of the Week: 'Interconnecting Cisco Network Devices, Part 1'
The second edition of the Cisco Press book Interconnecting Cisco Network Devices, Part 1 by Steve McQuerry is one of those titles you want nearby even if you're not currently studying for the ICND1 exam. Too many books serve as either a study guide or a reference, but this is both.

Written to the CCNA exam objectives, it divides the material into six chapters: Building a Simple Network, Ethernet LANs, Wireless LANs, LAN Connections, WAN Connections and Network Environment Management.

Each chapter ends with review questions (I counted 258) that add more value to the book than you might at first think. The questions are written to be far more challenging than the usual multiple-choice and are also good for testing your knowledge outside of the exam arena.


Emmett Dulaney is the author of several books on Linux, Unix and certification. He can be reached at .

 


More articles by Emmett Dulaney:

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There are 8 CertCities.com user Comments for “Why Not Tie Exams to Employment?”
Page 1 of 1
3/7/08: Cyberpyr8 from FL says: It's hard enough to get an interview these days and you want to make it come down to a standardized test? Even a hands on lab doesn't prove worth. My niche is that I can improvise and find solutions. I would never be able to convey my strongest assets in a rigid hands on lab. Having been a trainer for a few years, I know that too much emphasis is put on certifications and not enough on personality, ability to think "outside the box" and finding new and innovative ways to solve problems. Where are those test?
3/12/08: Jim B from MA says: This is ridiculous. The problem isn't knowing who has skill X. The problem is finding quality people. I'm more than happy to pay for whatever training and/or exams for quality employees. Your supposition assumes that all I care about are experience, skillset and certifications. In general I care about experience, and skillset. Certification is the last thing on my mind. Far more important is attitude and references
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