Brainbench To Start Charging for Certs; Price Will Be Less Than $50
1/10/2001 -- Chantilly, Virginia-based Brainbench.com, an online certification provider, announced last week that it will start charging end-users for some of its certifications beginning March 1, and will transition most of the rest to a paid model by the end of 2001.
Brainbench's online certifications have been free since the site's inception in 1998. Currently, it offers almost 300 internally created exams, a majority of which relate to IT skills.
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'We always knew we would charge for our certifications...
We feel it's time now.'
--Mike Littman, Co-Founder, Brainbench.com
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Co-Founder Mike Littman told CertCities.com that the decision has been in the works for a while. "We always knew we would charge for our certifications. We've always been upfront with our members about this," he explained. "At first, it was [free in order to capture] market share. We feel it's time now...We've got the credibility."
According to Littman, the company is not worried that the move will significantly alienate its 2 million members. He cited an internal survey of approximately 250,000 Brainbench participants in which 73 percent said they would be willing to pay for the site's certifications. "Our members know their certifications are valued," he said.
Even so, Brainbench is moving cautiously with the paid model. This month, it will begin charging $8 for the Brainbench paper certificates that candidates receive once they pass a test (the certificates are optional). On March 1, the site will transition the first group of exams to the paid model. Although the exact number has yet to be released, Littman did say that it will be "well over...15 percent," and that those chosen will be spread evenly over various topic areas. By the end of 2001, candidates will be charged for most exams, although some will always remain free. "There will always be new users who want to try our exams," Littman explained.
Littman said that he could not yet reveal what the price point would be, but did say that members who have been speculating on a price of $50 "will be pleasantly surprised." He also said that the company is considering bundled discounts for members interested in achieving several certifications.
CertCities.com will post further details as they become available. In the meantime, for more information visit http://www.brainbench.com. -B.N.
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