News
Exam Score Reports Are Back!
Based on customer feedback, Microsoft will provide graphical reports to examinees.
Count score reports among the latest change of many that Microsoft has introduced—or,
in this case, reintroduced—into the MCP program. According to an FAQ posted
on its Web site, Microsoft will be reissuing score reports to examinees at the
end of tests. The score reports will be issued for the new Windows 2003 exams
that go live on Thursday, but Microsoft hopes to provide them for all exams
by the end of September.
According the FAQ, the score report will include "a numerical score and
a bar graph for each skill section of the exam." The skills that show up
on the report will correlate with the ones that Microsoft publishes on the exam
objectives guides.
The FAQ further explains that Microsoft has developed an exam scale with a
minimum passing score of 700; the maximum will continue to vary depending on
several factors, including exam duration, question complexity, and other psychometric
measurements.
Microsoft at one time issued simple score reports, which listed numerical scores
by section, for exams early on in the program. The company decided to omit numerical
scores in June 2000, when it was introducing its Windows 2000 exams (see "New
Score Reports Debut in June" in the News archive, or click
here to read it). The company says it is reissuing the improved
score reports based on customer feedback.
Score reports are just one of several changes to be implemented in the program;
Microsoft says that exam question types will be introduced in the new exams.
Also, in June Microsoft added a specialist designation to its MCSA and MCSE
titles.
To read the FAQ, click
here.
About the Author
Michael Domingo has held several positions at 1105 Media, and is currently the editor in chief of Visual Studio Magazine.