MCSA Certification Track Off to Strong Start -- Redmondmag.com

MCSA Certification Track Off to Strong Start

In little more than a month, more than 4,000 people had already attained Microsoft’s newest certification, the Microsoft Certified System Administrator (MCSA).

By Keith Ward
04/18/2002

In little more than a month, more than 4,000 people had already attained Microsoft’s newest certification, the Microsoft Certified System Administrator (MCSA).

The MCSA went live Jan. 22; by March 1 (the date of the latest available figures), 4,225 MCSAs had been awarded. The MCSA is a credential that sits between the Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP) and Microsoft Certified System Engineer (MCSE). The MCSA requires passing four tests, whereas the MCP and MCSE require one and seven tests, respectively. Microsoft has said the MCSA is aimed at those who support, maintain and troubleshoot Windows networks on a daily basis.

Title	Certificates Issued
MCP	766,488
MCSE	450,596
MCSD	31,414
MCT	14,415
MCDBA	56,582
MCSA	4,225
MCP+Internet	229,124
MCP+Site Building	1,968
MCSE+Internet	12,347
Total Issued	1,567,159
Note: Numbers indicate total certification per title as of March 1, 2002. The total number of individuals who have obtained MCP status is 1,255,713.

The new exam required for the MCSA is 70-218, Managing a Microsoft Windows 2000 Network Environment, and so far it has gotten positive reviews. In April’s issue, reviewer Michael Chacon wrote “What struck me about the test was that the questions were clearly written, and the options for the questions weren’t esoteric or confusing. It’s a good test.”

MCSE+I Ron Beacom took the test cold, without any preparation. “The exam was fairly challenging, but if you’ve worked with the product, it wasn’t too bad,” he said. “I think it took me about an hour [to get through 60 questions]. I had trouble with about three questions.” Beacom said he passed.

MCSE Dwight Watt said he found 70-218, “very similar to the Server test.”

About the Author

Keith Ward is the editor in chief of Virtualization & Cloud Review. Follow him on Twitter @VirtReviewKeith.

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