7/1/2009 -- Sun is rolling the Java Programmer Plus certification into beta beginning July 22, marking the first time a performance-based exam has been used with Java certification. The exam requires candidates to code solutions rather than guess at answers to multiple-choice questions.

The beta is limited to only 200, tests on the Java SE 6 platform and will be given for free through July 31.

Oracle Joins the Beta Train
The Oracle Database 11g: Program with PL/SQL certification exam is also now in beta and scheduled to run through Sept. 10. The exam (number 1Z1-144) is 3.5 hours long in beta format, costs $50 and consists of between 180 and 220 questions. While there are close to 100 objectives, all fall within two domains: PL/SQL Fundamentals, and Develop PL/SQL Program Units.

Updated WebSphere Exam Available
IBM has released the updated WebSphere Application Server Network Deployment V7.0 Core Administration exam (000-377) and it now tests on these sections, with the weighting -- in order from highest to lowest -- as follows:

• Application assembly/deployment and cell configuration/resource allocation: 21 percent
• WebSphere Application Server security: 16 percent
• Maintenance, performance monitoring and tuning: 14 percent
• Workload management, scalability, high-availability failover: 14 percent
• Architecture: 13 percent
• Problem determination: 13 percent
• Installation/configuration of WebSphere Application Server: 9 percent

There are 56 questions on the exam (all multiple-choice) and you must correctly answer 58 percent of it in 90 minutes to pass. The exams are administered through Prometric testing centers. You can get more info here.

Study Tool of the Week: 'VCP VMware 310 Cert Flashcards Online'
One of the marketing profession's obligations is seeking new ways to reach a target market with a product. In light of that, I applaud the marketing managers at Pearson who are behind the release of John Traenkenschuh's VCP VMware 310 Cert Flashcards Online.

By virtue of being packaged in a shrink-wrapped box to resemble a book/kit/combo, and having an ISBN (which of course stands for "International Standard book Number"), it's able to be marketed through bookstores everywhere and booksellers such as Amazon. However, when you open the product -- or read the text on the back carefully -- you'll realize that the only content within the box is a single sheet of paper that contains an access code. That access code is used on the Web site to access a test engine of 300 questions that you can use for the exam study.

The questions are well-written and the online test engine is as simple to use as any. The engine offers the ability to test on all questions in random order, or only on ones within a particular objective, and so on. One attractive feature is the ability to add a note to a question and then print it out (as a PDF) so you can see your notes with the questions and then study those that you had difficulty with.

The product is good, and the price is reasonable (I recommend partnering it with a traditional text such as Eric Siebert's VMware V13 Implementation and Administration. It will be interesting to see if the marketing approach pays off and this becomes standard in the future.