Police Seize Assets of TestKiller.com
7/10/2002 -- On June 6 San Antonio police seized assets of TestKiller Ltd., the company that runs the practice exam Web site TestKiller.com.
According to a police report filed with the Bexar County, Texas District Court on June 20, the raid was prompted by Microsoft, who alleged that the site was selling Microsoft certification exam questions.
In his affidavit, seizing police officer Daniel Flaharty, a detective in the Special Crimes Unit of the San Antonio Police Department, wrote that he was contacted by a representative from the anti-piracy office of Microsoft. The unnamed representative alleged to Flaharty that TestKiller Ltd. was selling Microsoft "trade secrets" in the form of questions and answers to Microsoft exams.
According to the report, Flaharty began an investigation based on Microsoft's complaint, which led to the June 6 seizure of $408,566.84 in cash as well as several phones, printers, computer equipment, software and other items from at least one location.
No charges have been filed in this investigation. Calls made to the Bexar County district attorney's office to determine whether the investigation was ongoing were not returned as of press time.
Garry L. Neale, one of Testkiller Ltd.'s owners, politely declined CertCities.com's request for an interview, referring all questions to his attorney, who is out of the country this week.
A spokesperson for Microsoft confirmed that the company was aware of the investigation but said he could not comment on it due to the legal nature of the story.
The Testkiller.com Web site has been offline since early June.
Neale is the former owner of Troy Technologies (TroyTec.com), which in December settled a civil copyright and trademark infringement lawsuit brought by certification vendor CompTIA (see "CompTIA v. TroyTec Settled; Company Pulls CompTIA-Related Products from Site, Denies Wrongdoing").
CertCities.com will continue to follow this story and bring you further updates as they develop.  -B.N.
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There are 254  user Comments for “Police Seize Assets of TestKiller.com”
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| 7/19/02: Anonymous says: |
Best way to test is a hand-on lab ala CCIE. Not too many paper CCIEs. The reason for the Microsoft certification salary decline is the decline in the quality of the Microsoft products. |
| 7/19/02: Used MORE than TestKiller to pass from Texas says: |
Some of you say we who used TestKiller should retake the test. Well...I paid $6,000 for a Microsoft certified test center to teach me, and they RECOMMENDED the TestKillers, whole-heartedly. I also paid for the MeasureUp exams. Microsoft can't prove that I passed ONLY due to TestKiller. And...no, I'm not saying I did pass only cuz I used TestKiller..I learned a LOT from the class and also MeasureUp. If Microsoft takes my certification away, I'm gonna sue the sh*t out of the school I just attended, and notify Microsoft that they should be decertified. I'm NOT going to be a victim here, when certified professionals are guiding their students in the wrong direction!! |
| 7/19/02: Anonymous says: |
Some of you say we who used TestKiller should retake the test. Well...I paid $6,000 for a Microsoft certified test center to teach me, and they RECOMMENDED the TestKillers, whole-heartedly. I also paid for the MeasureUp exams. Microsoft can't prove that I passed ONLY due to TestKiller. And...no, I'm not saying I did pass only cuz I used TestKiller..I learned a LOT from the class and also MeasureUp. If Microsoft takes my certification away, I'm gonna sue the sh*t out of the school I just attended, and notify Microsoft that they should be decertified. I'm NOT going to be a victim here, when certified professionals are guiding their students in the wrong direction!! |
| 7/19/02: Anonymous from here and there says: |
i have certs for a+ and n+ working on my ccna i admit i use study guides from time to time and even work with practice tests to get a feel for the test and become comfortable with it but i have no respect for anyone that uses braindumps..i study course books and work with the software or hardware when ever posibe...currently i work in a technical call center supporting cable internet customers and have listend to too many wannabe MCSE's and network admins that flaunt having this cert or that cert....they dont have a clue of the use of simple windows commands linke winipcfg or ipconfig nslookup ect.... it does prove for a good laugh though :) |
| 7/19/02: joegrane, M from Philly says: |
The brain dump sites must go if the certifications are to have any value. |
| 7/20/02: Anonymous says: |
When I study for certs, I'm finding I study twice. Once to learn what I need for the job, and once to learn what I need for the test. Look at any Microsoft book vs the test. The test questions cover obscure issues which years of experience may or may not expose you to. Until Microsoft creates an atmosphere where learning relates to usable skills, this issue will not resolve.I think Microsoft is as much to blame as anyone for organizations like testkiller. |
| 7/20/02: Anonymous says: |
This is what happens when the MCSE certification is devalued. "We are looking for candidates with A+ and NET+ certified (MCSE Certification a plus) Pay Rate: $15.00 / Hour" Thanks to all the cheaters! |
| 7/21/02: Anonymous says: |
YOU'RE WELCOME;-) |
| 7/21/02: Anonymous says: |
From:Microsoft To: Braindumpers and cheaters "In February 1998, the MCP program began requiring certification candidates to accept the terms of an NDA before taking certification exams. The NDA legally requires certification candidates to keep information related to MCP exam items confidential." Letter to Microsoft Certified Professionals and Candidates Posted: November 06, 2001 We know that maintaining the value of the Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP) credential is as important to you as it is to us. A while back, we let you know the steps we have been taking to protect the investment you are making through Microsoft certification. These steps include deployment of progressive testing technologies that discourage rote memorization of exam items, regular exam item replacement, tighter security at testing centers, and the revised exam retake policy. (For more information, please see Frequently Asked Questions About Exam Security.) As part of our ongoing effort to keep Microsoft certification strong, credible, and valued, we'd like to update you now on actions we've taken since our last letter to you. More severe penalty for cheating. In the past, a candidate caught cheating on an exam was prohibited from taking MCP certification exams for six months, and the candidate lost any current certifications. According to the current policy, which became effective in June 2000, a candidate caught cheating immediately loses any current certifications the candidate holds and is permanently ineligible for any MCP certification. Since November 1999, 57 candidates have been caught cheating while taking Microsoft certification exams. Those caught cheating since June 2000 have been decertified or will be decertified. All are prohibited from further testing. Since November 1999, Microsoft has closed 24 testing centers worldwide because of compromising testing practices. Enforcement of non-disclosure agreement. Since February 1998, Microsoft has required all certification candidates to accept the terms of a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) before taking certification exams. One way we enforce the NDA is to closely monitor Web sites suspected of publishing exam material and regularly perform searches for MCP exam content. We also follow up on leads provided by MCPs and candidates. As a result of these investigations, owners of seven Web sites were found to be in violation of the non-disclosure agreement by publishing questions from certification exams. The site owners—all certified individuals in Indiana, Kansas, Massachusetts, and Texas—were immediately decertified and are now permanently ineligible for any Microsoft certification. In addition, as of September 2000, Microsoft has decertified a dozen individuals who had posted information in violation of the NDA on various Web sites. Microsoft can take whatever legal action is justified by the facts of a case and reserves the right to revoke any certifications at its sole discretion. MCP Practice Test Provider Program. Candidates may want to assess their skills before taking an MCP exam. We recommend that candidates use practice test products developed only by MCP Practice Test Providers. These products cover the complete set of exam objectives, meet a number of other criteria established by Microsoft, and indicate that they are approved by Microsoft by displaying the MCP Practice Test Provider logo. Practice tests can supplement, but should not be a substitute for, the training and required hands-on work experience in the skills covered by the exam objectives. Keeping exams as secure as possible helps maintain the value of Microsoft certification and ensures that only qualified information technology professionals are identified as MCPs. You can help us protect your certification investment by discouraging fellow MCPs who may be sharing exam questions or answers. If you know of Web sites or individuals who may be disclosing Microsoft certification exam information, send e-mail to [email protected] or telephone (800) 636-7544. Provide as much detail as possible so that we will be able to take appropriate action. We will investigate all credible leads. We commend your accomplishments as an MCP and appreciate your continued support. Very truly yours, The Microsoft Certified Professional Program Team |
| 7/22/02: 10,000 questions says: |
I chose to be certified in Microsoft products that we employ in our department to show my employer that I am knowledgable and competent. Not that I think these test prove that, mind you, but it did force me to read and study the subject more than if I were just reading up on the subject. It also gave my employer something to "grasp on to" when evaluation time came around. I was oblivious to all of these "Test Killer sites" for my first two exams; having to take both twice to memorize "everything" whether it was an obscure item I would forget in a few weeks anyway. My company paid for the Microsoft classes that corresponded to the certifications I was seeking. I always reported back to my manager that these courses were a big waste of their money. I found them to be mostly a bunch of dudes enjoying the time away from their office and asking how early we could be done on Friday. The instructors were under the gun to cover an entire book for which it was impossible anyway. The amount in information that I recieved that was applicable to the Certification test was negligible. So, I worked out a deal to have some time at work to study for my third certification in lieu of the $2200 Microsoft course. Now, this always led me to wonder about all of these Microsoft certified Boot Camps that guaranteed an MCSE in two weeks. How could that be, I thought? There isn't enough time in the day to memorize the material for one or two tests in a two week period, let alone 6 or 7 tests. So, what is going on there? I'm still not sure, but I suspect the material is a "coached" version of Tesk Killer-type information. This leads me to the Test-Killer issue. I stumbled across a site like it searching for free practice tests one day. I already did my own self-study, bought the book, read it cover to cover, work with the Microsoft product in my office and had already bought the Transcender study products. I looked at the Test Killer-like information and realized that there were yet some more menial facts that I needed to cover. I'm getting ready to schedule my 3rd certification test and this time feel better prepared. Hopefully, I won't have to pay twice for the certification that I will get eventually anyway. I still have some uneasy feelings about the test questions being available on the web. I can't quite figure out how they actually get there, word for word. In my first two experiences, if I could remember 10 questions exactly, I was lucky, but they are all there. I have no doubt that the test question availability cheapens the Certification process. I also think the Boot Camp process weakens the process. I can't figure out why Microsoft can't write 10,000 question per exam and mix them up for every exam. This would enhance the program even if the questions were available. Even if you had them all, you'd have to learn a whole lot of stuff to pass the test!. |
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