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Developer Exams Waiting in the Wings
Wave of new developer and IT exams in beta testing during December.
There's no rest for technology and certification early adopters in the month of December, as Microsoft releases a slew of exams that are aimed at those who want to upgrade certifications to the new-generation certifications.
Two of the exams for Microsoft Certified Professional Developer candidates have been available in beta form as of Dec. 2:
- 70-443 PRO: Designing a Database Server Infrastructure by Using SQL Server 2005
- 70-444 PRO: Optimizing and Maintaining a Database Administration Solution by Using SQL Server 2005
Beta testing for both exams ends Dec. 16. At around that time, Microsoft will beta test two more exams:
- 70-447 UPGRADE: MCDBA Skills to MCITP Database Administrator by Using SQL Server 2005
- 70-536 TS: .NET Framework 2.0-Application Development Foundation
Exam 70-536 is a Technology Specialist exam for .NET developers; it'll be beta tested between Dec. 15-30. Exam 70-447 is an upgrade exam for MCDBAs who plan on upgrading to the new Microsoft Certified IT Professional title. That exam will be available Dec. 16-29.
Microsoft plans to release two more .NET Tech Specialist exams in January: 70-526 TS: .NET Framework 2.0-Windows-Based Client Development and 70-529 TS: .NET Framework 2.0-Distributed Application Development.
All beta exams are available through Pearson Vue and Prometric testing centers for free, but only to those who are invited to take the exams by Microsoft. To find out more, go to http://www.microsoft.com/learning/mcpexams/status/beta.asp. Microsoft did not indicate when the live versions of these exams would be available.
About the Author
Michael Domingo has held several positions at 1105 Media, and is currently the editor in chief of Visual Studio Magazine.