ASP.NET and ADO.NET Beta Exams Extended
So, after giving Bryant a hard time on his blog about posting the beta codes for these two exams, we now find ourselves in a position where uptake from the normal channels is low. Bryant didn’t steal or expose any proprietary information BTW. Just used his smarts and capitalized on a mistake we made with the codes.
As a result of the low numbers of attendees, we are extending the beta period until May 4th for these exams. See my previous post for ASP.NET and ADO.NET with links to the prep guides. We require more people to take these two exams so we can evaluate the performance of the items and determine any problematic areas.
So, if you are well versed in ADO.NET and ASP.NET, even if you don’t want the certification, consider taking one of these exams and giving us your feedback. They are free!
And, in case you didn’t get the beta codes previously, you can register for these exams using;
70-561 – beta code = 561B1
70-562 – beta code = 562B1
Gerry
Comments
Anonymous
April 02, 2008
Thanks! I actually missed my appointment for the ADO.Net exam this morning for work related reasons so I was trying to figure out when I could take it in the next couple of days. Now I have a month!Anonymous
April 02, 2008
Ahh, so you were one of the no shows. :-) I used to do that myself before I started working here at MS. Now, I have no excuses. Glad the extension allows you to take it. GerryAnonymous
April 02, 2008
Actually I just tried to change it and got: "You have previously taken or scheduled this exam. Microsoft requires that beta exams are only taken or scheduled once." Arg. Any way to get around this?Anonymous
April 02, 2008
Taking this offline with Bryant. GerryAnonymous
April 02, 2008
Hello Gerry, Do you know when WCF and WF Beta Exams results will be avaliable?Anonymous
April 02, 2008
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April 02, 2008
How can we subscribe to beta exams ?Anonymous
April 03, 2008
Oh good an extension. I am thankful for the beta exam code and I am registered for the exam in two weeks. I have a quick question though, is there an upgrade prep guide as I already have the 70-528?Anonymous
April 03, 2008
Any idea when we can expect to see the results of the other 3.5 exams? It's a long time from November till now.Anonymous
April 03, 2008
Ohhh.. Just spent close to a full day to make it for this one :) Took the two in succession skipping lunch :D If only I was able to read Gerry's mind ahead and see this coming :) That would have been a few more days worth of knowledge. I definitely agree that the population should be sufficient to gauge the questions but seeing that this makes all the .NET 3.5 (including previous WCF, WF, WPF beta) extended, there might be the possibility that either not enough time is given for people to adopt to these OR just the beta period is too short. I gain a lot from preparing a bit and taking these exams and somehow the thought of contributing in my own little way is very much worth the effort. But for a few of us (or could just be me) to find it hard to fit this into schedule (just to end up being extended) might be a hint that something could be wrong. Tryin my best to advertise and talk people into this but I should ask Trika for say a "Skipped Lunch to take Beta Exam" cap :D Hope the turn is better the second time around! :)Anonymous
April 03, 2008
ASP.NET and ADO.NET Beta Exams ExtendedAnonymous
April 03, 2008
I initially had some issues getting prometric to recognize the code, today, but persistence paid off and after submitting the exact same code three times (I really just did copy and paste) it let me in. Thanks for posting here as yours is one of the few MicroSoft blogs I subscribe to!Anonymous
April 03, 2008
For Anthony and Martin. Because the betas were extended, the results would obviously be affected. We cannot determine passing scores until the beta sessions are complete and we have had opportunity to evaluate the questions. The exams are scheduled to go live on April 14 and you should start to see results around that time. GerryAnonymous
April 03, 2008
Paul, there is no "special arrangement". The beta exams require a certain number of deliveries before we can ensure psychometrically valid data. Opening it to the public does not mean that the content will be compromised fast enough for people to take advantage of it by the end of May. Unless you know something I don't. :-) GerryAnonymous
April 03, 2008
Forrest, There isn't an upgrade prep guide in place yet. Just the prep guide that is present on the web page for the exams that are included in the links above. GerryAnonymous
April 03, 2008
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April 03, 2008
Michael, glad you got registered. Must be a ghost in the machine. :-) Thanks for the kind words as well. It is greatly appreciated. GerryAnonymous
April 03, 2008
Hi Gerry: I'm trying to register for these beta exams through the Prometric webpage, but I can find them in the list. Please, would you be so kind to telll me how to proceed? Thank you. Joe.Anonymous
April 03, 2008
Hi Joe, All of our beta exams start with 71 instead of 70. The numbers change when we switch to live. Search for 71-561 and 71-562. GerryAnonymous
April 03, 2008
Thanks a lot! Now I've found them :-)Anonymous
April 03, 2008
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April 03, 2008
This reminds me of airlines offering tickets that cost 0 Euro. To take the free exams, you still have to pay a $25 fee to the exam centre.Anonymous
April 03, 2008
Paul, The 30 questions you are referring to would be from 70-536 and yes they would be the same across all three upgrades as it forms part of the core requirement. If someone can remember the questions after sitting 3 exams, they would have no trouble passing the exams from memorization anyway. Each of the three sections are scored based on the actual exams they are taken from. No one is scored higher than the others. The simple fact is, you MUST pass each session to pass the entire upgrade exam. The questions you see in a beta exam do not all make it to the live exam, nor will you see them all on one version of a live exam. It depends completely on the performance of the questions on the beta and the item selection process after the beta exam ends. GerryAnonymous
April 03, 2008
Andre, Are you saying that your testing center is charging you $25 to take a beta exam? If so, please use the contact form on this blog to send an email directly to me with the center's name and location so I can investigate this. Beta exams are completely free and no test center should be charging any amount for taking one. GerryAnonymous
April 03, 2008
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April 04, 2008
Hi Daniel, I have heard of scheduling difficulties with the beta exams before and it is something that is directly related to how busy your local test centers get. You would actually be surprised at how many people will either procrastinate on completing a certification, or will seize the opportunity to get or complete the older cert before it retires. The main reason I have found is because they want to take advantage of the upgrade exams. I know I did that with NT 4 and I also did it with Windows 2000 to Windows 2003. I didn't go that route for my developer certs though. GerryAnonymous
April 04, 2008
Exames Beta de .Net 3.5 para MCTS/MCPDAnonymous
April 04, 2008
When I read the comments I thought Anthony and Martin were referring to these "other 3.5 exams": 71-502 TS: Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 - Windows Presentation Foundation 71-503 TS: Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 - Windows Communication Foundation 71-504 TS: Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5 – Windows Workflow FoundationAnonymous
April 04, 2008
Gary, that was my interpretation as well. GerryAnonymous
April 04, 2008
Oh ok. That April 14 date confused me. But, yeah, now that I think about it these would not go live by that date if they don't close until may. Forgive me.Anonymous
April 04, 2008
Gary, not a problem. I was confused by the November refernce at first myself and had to read the post a couple of times to make sure I was on track. :-) GerryAnonymous
April 05, 2008
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April 05, 2008
Laurent, I am sorry to hear that experience wasn't very good at the testing center. Unfortunately we can't dictate to the testing centers what they must use for hardware. CRTs are very bad for that when the refresh are set too low or they can't handle higher rates. It is a shame that you didn't get a chance to comment on the questions. If there are specifics that you can remember, you can use the contact form on this blog to send the comments directly to me. The data that we collect, in terms of your answers to the questions, will still provide us with something to analyze along with the other candidates. GerryAnonymous
April 06, 2008
Hi, Thanks, but I do not see any contact form ?Anonymous
April 06, 2008
Gerry O'Brien said: > Andre, > Are you saying that your testing center is charging > you $25 to take a beta exam? I have told them about this. Apparently it can be completely free, but you get the lowest priority, they will book you only if there is no scheduling conflict with someone paying for their exam. If you pay the fee I was talking about, you have the same priority as everyone and thus it's easier for you to find a convenient date/time.Anonymous
April 07, 2008
Andre, Please use the contact form for this blog to contact me directly. This is NOT appropriate behavior for the testing centers and I want to know which center it is so it can be investigated further. Please do not post names etc. publicly on the blog, only mail directly to me using the contact form. GerryAnonymous
April 07, 2008
Gerry, I forgot to mention in my previous post that aside from coming to the exam center less prepared only to know it would be extended for 1 more month (and can't take it again), one disadvantage for this is that those who are willing to devote their time to actually make comments on the exams would not be able to spend more time for it as compared to if they knew they could spread their schedule well over the longer period. Some of us are not SMEs (I for one am not) but I think coming to the exam more prepared would be to the advantage of the exams too. Hope this comment makes sense. :DAnonymous
April 08, 2008
I just got a call from my testing center and apparently it has Saturday times listed on Prometric's site but they aren't open on any Saturday. Unfortunately I can't make any weekday test times right now so I am going to have to miss out on the Beta experience. Sorry to threadcrap but this just seems to be par for the course from Prometric.Anonymous
April 08, 2008
As you probably already saw from Gerry, we extended the dates of two beta exams and you are invited toAnonymous
April 08, 2008
Luckily we managed 2 of us to get in on the 30th of April. Cram sessions now...Anonymous
April 08, 2008
Hi Gerry, it turns out that I've taken the exams in a situation similar to S. Y. Paul Lai. It was a "exam marathon". Due to lack of available seats in my city, I've booked 5 exams (the 2 betas included) for 2 days only to another city. Couldn't provide (due to test center's closing time) comments to any questions (finished the exams with the test center lady almost jumping in to the exam room). I can remember some issues, and I'll send them through the contact form. But, as ryangaraygay said, it's a fantastic experience taking part of these betas, and being able to provide any kind of help in creating the live exam. Keep the good work. Regards, RenatoAnonymous
April 09, 2008
If these exams' beta periods have been extended till May 14, what are the new launch dates expected to be? The previously-expected launch dates were May 12 for 70-561, and May 21 for 70-562.Anonymous
April 10, 2008
Hi Alice, As a result of the extensions, the new live dates are forecast to be June 30, 2008 for both exams. GerryAnonymous
April 14, 2008
Three of our .NET 3.5 exams went live today.  70-502: Windows Presentation Foundation 70-503: WindowsAnonymous
April 18, 2008
If there is one thing you should know about Visual Studio 2008 certifications... it is that there areAnonymous
April 20, 2008
As Gerry mentioned in his blog, WPF , WCF and WF exams went live on Monday last week. As you may alreadyAnonymous
April 24, 2008
Hey Gerry Can the exam centres charge for work setting up the exam?Anonymous
April 25, 2008
Hi Niall, Prometric exam centers cannot charge candidates any fee for any reason to take a Microsoft beta exam. If this is taking place, please notify me about it immediately. Thanks GerryAnonymous
April 25, 2008
Well if I could find the email link I would send you an email.. You can get mine from Trika..Anonymous
April 26, 2008
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April 26, 2008
Are you plan to extend the beta period again? There is too little information about ADO.NET EF, Sync.Anonymous
April 26, 2008
Hi Niall, You can send me the particulars in a post. I moderate all posts so the information will not be displayed on the blog. I disabled the email link because I was being bombarded with email everyday from people asking me questions that were already on the blog. It was too much to read while still trying to get work done. GerryAnonymous
April 26, 2008
Hi Michael, The beta will not be extended beyond May 4th. The content on the exam is based on information that is currently available for EF and Sync so you will be able to find sufficient information publicly for this. Also, May 4 is a Sunday and you testing center may not be open on that day which is why you cannot schedule it for May 4th. GerryAnonymous
April 26, 2008
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May 01, 2008
Gerry When is 71-505 beta scheduled to be available? Also, when will the PRO level exams for .NET 3.5 available in beta? ThanksAnonymous
May 01, 2008
Hi Titus, All of these exams won't be in beta form until the fall of 2008. I don't have exact dates at this time, sorry. GerryAnonymous
May 01, 2008
Hi Gerry, I really wanted to take both beta exams, but couldn't get a sit in my citi in any test center for since the last week. I'm already MCPD for .NET 2.0, so I don't need to take these exams as I would wait for the PRO upgrade, but anyway, I would really like to have a preview of what is coming, and this beta would really help. Is there, by any chance it will be extended once more? Thanks MarcioAnonymous
May 01, 2008
Hi Marcio, I'm sorry but the beta will not be extended beyond May 4th. GerryAnonymous
May 01, 2008
Gerry, I was scheduled to take 71-562 this Saturday, but wanted to reschedule to another state. However, Prometric does not give you that option, so I tried to cancel and re-sign up. However, Prometric doesn't give you that option either for beta exams. What should I do?Anonymous
May 01, 2008
Hi Larry, You are correct that Prometric does not allow reschedule of beta exams. Once you have registered for a beta exam, you cannot register again. At this point in time, where the exam ends on May 4, there isn't much you can do about it as the time lines are too close. Can you still take it in the same location you originally scheduled it? GerryAnonymous
May 03, 2008
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May 03, 2008
Do I have to take the exam by the 4 or register by the 4? Thanks! by the way, I wish I saw this earlier.Anonymous
May 04, 2008
Hi Luke, You need to take the exam by the 4th. That is the last day it is available for a candidate to sit. GerryAnonymous
May 04, 2008
Martin, Sorry, I thought you meant that you cancelled and then tried to schedule again. Yes, rescheduling is allowed although I wasn't aware there was an issue with changing it to another state. GerryAnonymous
May 06, 2008
Fine that Nialls issue has been resolved. But the answers leaves a question open: Can a test centre charge people, who booked (and paid - even with a voucher or coupon) their appointment through the Prometric Web Page, an additional fee? I always thought they could not - the price from Prometric includes any test centre costs. And for me it worked that way. It would be very unpleasant to arrive at a centre just to be presented with another bill. Gerry, could you please comment on this?Anonymous
May 06, 2008
Hi Niall, I'm glad you translated that because I had no idea what it said. :-) That is perfectly understandable for a test center to misunderstand procedures when they are new and are just starting to deliver tests. I'm glad they got the correct message and it has been resolved. Communication is or has gone out to all Prometric test centers, from Prometric, reminding the centers that there is to be no fee whatsoever charged to any candidate for a beta exam on Microsoft technologies. GerryAnonymous
May 06, 2008
HI Martin, No Prometric center is to charge any fee for a Microsoft beta exam, at any time or for any reason. Prometric is making that understood at all of their test centers worldwide. As far as voucher go, that would depend on the conditions of the voucher but my understanding is that the fee you pay on the website is all that is required. If you are asked to pay another fee upon arrival at a test center, ask that the fee be justified and you be shown the Prometric rationale for the extra fee. Ask for a receipt and the Prometric contact details for that test center. Ask for the justification in writing with a signature. If the fee is legitimate, they will provide all of this. If it is not, they will waive the fee. If you are charge for any reason, let me know by posting here, I moderate all posts so it won't be public, and I will look into it on an individual basis to ensure there isn't something that I am unaware of. GerryAnonymous
May 16, 2008
Hi Gerry, When are the results for these beta exams, 70-561 & 70-562 going to be out ? When they are out, where can i check to see the results? Thanks.Anonymous
May 17, 2008
Hi Tarique, I don't have definite dates for the results on these. They will be available when the exams go live and appear on your transcript, if you passed, or on the Prometric site for your history, plus, you will also receive an email indicating your results if you pass. Sorry I can't offer any definite dates. The fact is, we need to review and evaluate the exam items and sometimes there may be issues that make results take longer, such as item rewrites etc. I can only tell you that when you see the exam go live, the results will follow. GerryAnonymous
June 03, 2008
Gerry Any updates on when these exams will go live (and the beta exam results be available)?Anonymous
June 06, 2008
I second what TitusT asked. That website claims it is "expected in June 2008". Well here it is, June 2008. Don't make me tap my foot like Larry Craig :^) Personally I'm one who likes to learn from textbooks. How are we doing for the 70-56* Training Kits? The TK for 70-536 worked for me, despite its typoes. The 70-561 is also "expected in June 2008" but I haven't seen anything in Amazon or B&N. And I can't find any O'Reilly books dedicated to certification (although they do have an intriguing "ADO.NET 3.5 cookbook").Anonymous
June 07, 2008
Hi David, I hope your foot is tapping because the wait is not over. :-) Although our schedules are typically decided well in advance and we stick to them as closely as possible, there are time when we take detours from the schedules for various reasons and this causes delays. The reasons can be simple or complex, but non are wasteful. They are all designed to help ensure a better exam to market and with your help by taking the beta test, we are able to do that. Now, as for the Training Kits, I'm not able to answer the release date question at this time, but I can check with the planners for these and see when they expect them to be released. Remember that the books people deal with more issues than we do for exams. They have to work with authors, editors, publishers and retailers and that is a process that requires a lot of moving parts. Authors don't start work on the titles until we give them a completed exam design so they ensure mapping to objectives. Product release cycles hamper the ability to get access to RTM bits of software or delay refreshes of the content. Edit passes and code rewrites are often necessary and cause delays. I could go on but I won't, it will only bore you. At any rate, hand type, tap the foot, and you'll have your results soon. :-) GerryAnonymous
June 16, 2008
I just found on your site a comment from <a href="http://blogs.msdn.com/gerryo/archive/2008/05/21/visual-studio-2008-certification-live-meeting-reminder.aspx#8543979">Tarique</a>: the 70-561 & -562 exams are delayed "until August". That much at least helps me prepare my study schedule. Hopefully <a href="http://www.microsoft.com/learning/en/us/exams/70-562.mspx">the prep guide website</a> will get in sync with this news, so the bookstores won't have to deal with angry nerds.Anonymous
June 25, 2008
Hi Gerry, I took 70-562 Beta exam late May. Still waiting on the results, any news on when we might get the results?Anonymous
June 25, 2008
Hi Chris, I expect the results to be available in the August time frame. We are holding the item selection and scoring tomorrow and Friday for 561 an 562. This could facilitate the results being available in July but I'm just being a little pessimistic and not setting expectations too soon. :-) GerryAnonymous
July 15, 2008
Exam result for 70-562 ASP.NET has been updated in Prometric site! No results for 70-561 ADO.NET yet!Anonymous
July 15, 2008
But wait, 561 comes before 562 numerically. :-) GerryAnonymous
July 17, 2008
Gerry Any idea when the results for 70-561 will be available? Thanks TitusAnonymous
July 17, 2008
Hi Titus, All I can tell you at this point in time is that the results are in the hands of Prometric so it is out of my hands and influence at this time. I suspect shortly but I don't have a specific date for you, sorry. GerryAnonymous
July 18, 2008
Yes, the results are there. I also received a email indicating the status. I passed and order the welcome kit.Anonymous
July 18, 2008
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July 21, 2008
Anybody got results for 70-561 ADO.NET?Anonymous
July 23, 2008
both 561 and 562 shown as "passed" in Prometric. Only 562 on MCP transcript now. I expect it will be updated in a few days. Too good both passed. I was not well prepared for these 2 exams, as I no longer have the time I had to play with new toys.Anonymous
July 23, 2008
The prometric website indicates that I have "passed" (must have been updated from "tested" during the past few hours) and it appears that while I was writing this my MCP transcript has been updated, too. I'm still waiting for an email and I'm not yet able to build my new logo or order a welcome kit... As this kind of information seems to be propagated through batch updates, I guess we'll be receiving emails some time later today. Based on last week's experience (when we received ASP.NET 3.5 results) I'd expect the partner website to be updated within a few hours after that, too.Anonymous
July 23, 2008
Today results for ADO.NET appeared (at least for me) - passed (same as 4 previous exams on .Net 3.5), thank you for betas, already saved me a lot of money :).Anonymous
August 04, 2008
The status for my beta exam ASP.NET is still tested. Why?Anonymous
August 05, 2008
Michael, It could be simply that your record hasn't been updated yet. You can call Prometric to see if they have any information for you. If not, repost and I will dig a little deeper for you. GerryAnonymous
August 05, 2008
I posted question about any information about my ASP.NET exam via online form (prometic.com). But not receive answer.Anonymous
August 05, 2008
Hi Michael, I doubt that posting to a forum will provide you with a resolution. My suggestion was to call them on the phone or send them an email with the pertinent information. Talking to them directly is the best option. GerryAnonymous
August 05, 2008
Garry, my english is not very well. I think that I will don't understand by phone. What is prometric support email?Anonymous
August 06, 2008
Hi Michael, There are regional centers that allow you to contact someone in your native language. http://prometric.com/ContactUs/default.htm This site has a link at the bottom where you can choose the regional center for your location. It also has email information for contacting Prometric. I cannot help you with this until you get in touch with Prometric first. They can resolve the issue unless there is a problem on Microsoft's end. At that time, I can step in and seek a resolution but you must contact them first to resolve this. ps Gerry is spelled with an e not an a. :-) GerryAnonymous
August 28, 2008
Just checking to see if anyone has heard any news regarding the release of the TS training kits as I'm another one who like to train from the books, and this seems to be the only place I can find anything being said other than 'Expected June 2008' or 'Coming Soon' Thanks in advance for any info MarkAnonymous
September 02, 2008
Hi delradie, The best I can offer at this time is this post, http://blogs.msdn.com/gerryo/archive/2008/08/08/visual-studio-2008-certification-training-kits.aspx GerryAnonymous
November 02, 2008
71-505 is on prometric. any idea what the promo code is?Anonymous
November 02, 2008
Hi Amit, This exam is not available yet. The invitation and promo code will be posted when the exam is ready for beta. GerryAnonymous
December 26, 2008
Hi, I have just got this "http://blogs.msdn.com/gerryo/archive/2008/04/02/asp-net-and-ado-net-beta-exams-extended.aspx". Is it still available to Exam 70-561 – beta code = 561B1 70-562 – beta code = 562B1 Let me know I want to Exam. thanx. naveedAnonymous
December 27, 2008
Hi Naveed, These exams are no longer in beta and are released live so these codes are not valid any longer. GerryAnonymous
January 20, 2010
hi gerry, i have abt 1+yr of experience in developing windows web applications and webservices and windows services as well. i wanna know that 1.when the beta exams are scheduled? 2.what are the prerequisites to pass the exams with gud score? 3.where to register for these beta exams and wht will be the fee structure if any? waiting for quick reply. thank you.Anonymous
January 21, 2010
Hi Srikant, There are no set schedules for beta exams. When we are in the process of creating them, the schedule is determined at that time and is impacted by development or other potential factors. I will post beta information to this blog when appropriate. All prerequisites for an exam are found in the prep guide pages located on http://www.microsoft.com/learning. You register for exams online or over the phone at Prometric testing centers. http://www.prometric.com Fee structure is based on exam type and worldwide location. The Prometric site will provide that information. All beta exams are free. There are no charges for beta exams. Let me say that again. There are NO charges for beta exams. If a testing center attempts to charge you for an exam, I want to know about it, where you took it etc. That's as quick as I could reply. :-) Gerry