9/19/2007 -- For the life of me, I can't understand why open-book exams aren't allowed by any of the major vendors for introductory-level certification tests. Vendors go to great lengths to make sure that their testing environments are absolutely nothing like the real world.

A significant factor in problem-solving is knowing how to approach the problem. In the real world, would you want an administrator who tackled every problem with minutiae memorized from texts that were written when the operating system first came out? Or, would you want one who yanked down a reference tome, turned to knowledge bases, posted on forums and -- yes, every now and again -- resorted to Google?

Well over a dozen years ago, the NetWare track included an exam on service and support that required test takers to find solutions to certain problems using the online tools that came with a Novell subscription. Yes, it did require you to subscribe to expensive Novell services in order to know how to approach the exam (thank you, marketing department), but it also created an environment in which you were able to look up what you didn't know (thank you, technology department).

As long as the exams are timed and candidates aren't spending hours finding the solution to a simple problem, why shouldn't the exam environment be more like the workplace? Allow candidates to bring in their reference books, pop open a browser and access the resources they would normally turn to on a regular basis.

CompTIA Seeking Advisory Committee Members
CompTIA is seeking individuals who are interested in joining Certification Advisory Committees (CACs) to help with the direction of several certifications.

Committee members are currently being sought for Linux+, Project+ and Server+ certifications. Those interested are required to have at least three years of experience in their area of interest and be employed at companies in good standing as CompTIA corporate members.

Committee members generally participate in a quarterly conference call and attend an annual meeting.