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.
What's your take on this news item? Post your comments below!
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There are 26  user Comments for “Brainbench To Start Charging for Certs; Price Will Be Less Than $50”
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| 1/23/01: Robert says: |
Many of the job board postings that I've seen are now requiring brainbench certifications. I believe that any advantage that I can give myself to further my career is certainly worth investing a few dollars into. I'll stay with Brainbench. |
| 1/25/01: Nakul says: |
Brainbench is the Only Online Certifications which is ISO 9001. It's been providing free Certifications since the last two years. Even Certifications like MCSE, CCNA etc are not Certified by ISO. Don't you think there's something special about Brainbench ? What is US$ 8 for a paper Certificate ? As for the examination charges, let Brainbench Decide the price and we'll be here to comment again. Nakul Goyal Brainbench 'MVP' for Windows98 |
| 1/25/01: Anonymous says: |
Here in NYC we regard brainbench as a cheap man certification with zero weight.. I have gain all my experience through the job, college and industry certification.. No BS certification will help me get to my goals.. |
| 1/26/01: MCT MCSD says: |
Well I absolutely agree that Brainbench is such a waste of time that it is hard to find something similar to it. Better GET a real job and stop looking for paper (certs) - thanks God today's managers look more for EXPERIENCE and not for papers - you may have lots of them and still have no clue – so why bother. Get standard certs like Cisco, M$, Novell,Compaq, SUN and maybe Oracle. Because when you will spend your time for searching of something exotic you will just lost your time plus always the question – IS THIS ONE GOOD? |
| 1/27/01: Gary says: |
I find ALL certifications to be more hype than anything. I just moved to the Tampa Florida area after living on Utah. I was a Network Engineer there with about a year's experience. Before that I had 3 years experience with Network and Desktop Support (before I got my certifications)and before that I had 20 years computer industry experience (mostly hardware repair and mainframe). I have been here 2 months now, have an NT4 MCSE, a Netware 5 CNE, and a Cisco CCNA. I have sent out resumes and applied for approx. 25 jobs. I have not had a single offer or a single interview. I have received exactly 2 automated responses thanking me for applying. I am asking for a whopping 40K per year (that will be a 5K per year pay cut for me). The hype surrounding certifications is criminal. By the way, I have the Brainbench Master TCP/IP cert and the Cisco Network Administration cert. I passed the the TCP/IP exam and beat out 94% of those who took it before me. Big deal. If you want a job, learn programming. I did programming for about 5 years using DbaseIII and find it boring, but I shouild have stayed with it and learned C++ or ASP or Visual Basic or anything other than Network Engineering. Thanks for letting me vent. Email me if you know where I can get a job in the Tampa area. I'm about to go out and flip burgers at McDonalds. |
| 1/29/01: Chris says: |
I don't have any Brainbench certs and never will. They are worthless. I know people that sit on their butt all day long and do nothing. They don't know anything and I have would not offer them a job. BUT, guess what??? They have passed Brainbench Certs. All that means to me is that Brainbench certs are worthless!!! Chris MCSE, Marconi/Fore ATM Certified LAN Engineer |
| 1/29/01: James says: |
As a 100K+ Architect with certifications from Microsoft, Cisco and Sun, I found taking the brainbench certifications amusing. I took there technical writing and telephone etiquette just as a laugh... |
| 1/30/01: Jeff says: |
I actually take a brainbench before I take my Microsoft tests. If I can pass the brainbench then I pass the microsoft exams. Two co-workers and I are having a contest to see who can get 25 brainbench certs first I am leading with 19. I have actually been asked by recruiting firms if I have taken any brainbench tests. Overall, I find them amusing and it is ashame they are going to charge for them. |
| 5/13/01: Mister says: |
The Brainbench tests are amusing. I have taken several, and did very well on the WorldWar2 test, as well as Written English, Windows Admin and Network Support. Would I ever put these on a resume? No way, and If I ever saw them on a resume, that resume would hit the trashcan instantly. I will certainly list My MCSE, MCP+I and CCNA certs, since those actually show that you at least passed a controlled test. |
| 6/10/01: Bharat says: |
Being an ISO 9001 Doesn't make you the good ! It is just to certify that you are putting quality to your work. But it needs a lot of experience to strive in this cyber-market. Knowledge is not limited to a certificate ! What is it ! Just a paper. But actually what is required is the implementation of the knowledge ! And it can not be achieved by a paper ! |
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