More VS 2010 Beta Seats Available
OK, you asked for it. We responded.
The absolute best that I can do is to open up 150 more seats for each exam.
Same beta codes.
Register now as this will be the only increase that will be authorized.
By the way, thanks for this awesome response in registering for these exams. Best of luck to all of you!
Gerry
Comments
Anonymous
March 19, 2010
You're the man! I was able to call Prometric and get my test scheduled.Anonymous
March 19, 2010
Excellent, great news Scott! GerryAnonymous
March 19, 2010
Gerry, Do you have any plans to provide beta upgrade exams to .NET 4 from .NET 3.5?Anonymous
March 19, 2010
Sergejus, We do not create beta versions of upgrade exams. The upgrade exams are comprised of content from the MCTS and MCPD exams that form a part of that upgrade track. As a result, the items will have already gone through the necessary beta form. GerryAnonymous
March 19, 2010
Huzzah! I was able to get in for the MCTS web and MCPD web. Looking forward to "upgrading" my MCPD Web 2.0 to 4.0 Thanks GerryAnonymous
March 21, 2010
Gerry, Unfortunately I missed the opportunity to register 71-515 even after you have increased the seat limit. It tells me seat limit on this promo code is reached. It seems like Prometric is allowing me to register for this if I pay. Would it be legal if I pay to take this Beta exam. Please let me know. Regards, YogeshAnonymous
March 21, 2010
Yogesh, Absolutely not. If a testing center is charging, I want to know about it. Once the cap is reached for an exam, there are no open seats at all, regardless of whether they charge or not. Beta exams are 100% free, always. GerryAnonymous
March 21, 2010
Hi Gerry, It may be a programming glitch t prometric site. Here's what happened: I selected the exam, selected the center and then on next page it asked me if I have promoc code. When I entered promo code it said limit reached and then prompted if I want to try another promo code, I said No and it took me to previous page and that page was letting me enter credit card info. But I wasn't sure, so I checked back with you. It seems web exam 71-515 is very popular. Any chance of adding few more seats to just this one? Pretty please :-) Regards, YogeshAnonymous
March 21, 2010
I managed to get a spot for the WCF 4.0 Beta exam. I was almost finished studying for the v3.5 version when i saw your blogpost about the Beta exams. So i basically need to learn what has changed in WCF 4.0. And everywhere i look, i come across AppFabric. Though in the Skills Measured section for the exam, it is never mentioned. Is AppFabric that separate from WCF that it is not needed for the exam, or is the skills measured section for the exam also still in Beta and therefor maybe not entirely thorough yet?Anonymous
March 21, 2010
Yogesh, Thanks for the follow up. It sounds like the system is working ok. I doubt you would have been able to get a seat for the exam even if you elected to pay. As for increasing the seat count, we already have once and I am not able to increase it anymore at this time. GerryAnonymous
March 21, 2010
Jeroen, What you see on the exam prep guide is what will be on the exam. Other than that, I can't divulge much more without going into particulars. AppFabric is a part of Azure so verify the text you are reading to ensure that it pertains to WCF 4.0 core features. GerryAnonymous
March 22, 2010
Hello Gerry, I'm seeing the "Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 Certification Paths" PDF and there is no MCPD in Enterprise Developer, like 3.5 or 2.0 carrers. Is there plans to create MCPD Enterprise Developer in 4.0 carrer?Anonymous
March 23, 2010
Hi Nick, There are no plans to create an MCPD Enterprise Developer 4 cert. GerryAnonymous
March 24, 2010
I have registerd for the 71-518 exam. Is there an additional list of objectives other than the "Skills Measured" for each of these exams? ThanksAnonymous
March 24, 2010
Hi Mark, The Skills Measured is the only list of objectives for the exams. GerryAnonymous
March 24, 2010
I'm really looking forward to taking the MCTS exams on .NET 4... But the only problem is the unavailabilty of the MCTS Self-Paced Training Kits right now... Can you tell me when exactly the MCTS Training Kits become avaliable, so that i can prepare for getting myself certified? And, are there any plans for MCPD Self-Paced Training Kits on .NET 4 this time? (Just like the .NET 2.0 ones and unlike the .NET 3.5 MCPD)Anonymous
March 25, 2010
I plan on getting certified on .NET 4... The exams go live in July, but there is still no news about the release date for the MCTS Self-Paced Training Kits for the MCTS .NET 4 exams... Can you tell me when the Training Kits will become available? And, will this time there will be MCPD Self-Paced Training Kits like they released for the MCPD .NET 2.0 exams? (and unlike the MCPD .NET 3.5!)Anonymous
March 25, 2010
Ashish, At the moment, I am not able to get dates for availability for the Training Kits for these products. From discussions earlier on, there will not be training kits for MCPD certifications. GerryAnonymous
March 25, 2010
Can you let me know what technology does the MCTS Exam 70-511 cover exactly? WinForms or WPF? As far as i can see in the objectives, almost all the skills required pertain to WPF. Is it worth the time and efforts to study some WinForm topics too? And, can i use the official .net 3.5 training guides as prep guides for .net 4 exams in the meantime until the .net 4 guides become available? What other prep materials can you suggest?Anonymous
March 25, 2010
It is really disappointing to know that there wont be any MCPD Self-Paced Training Kits for .NET 4 certs... Why doesnt Microsoft recognise the fact that the MCPD exams require more preparation and guidance than the MCTS ones! C'mon Microsoft, plz release training materials for .net 4 MCPD!Anonymous
March 25, 2010
Hi Pallavi, The prep guide lists the topics covered on the exam. That is the most detail that I can offer without divulging actual exam content. Use the prep guide's Skills Measured section to identify the areas of focus. As you can see, the majority of the focus is on WPF so I would recommend you focus on those areas listed. I would not recommend the TK for 70-505 for this exam but you could use the 70-502 TK for some prep on exam 70-511 but I strongly suggest you ensure you understand the new concepts and additions that have been added in .NET 4. GerryAnonymous
March 25, 2010
Ashish, If you have read my posts before on this topic, you might realize what my position is on this. As for Microsoft Learning's position, it comes down to a business decision. Training Kits for MCPD certifications at this point do not make good business sense based on historical use. I am not the Product Planner that makes these decisions so I am not the best to offer more rationale. As for my opinion, I don't think we should create Training Kits for MCPD certifications. If you have the requisite experience, you will be able to pass the exam. I have spoken to numerous folks at PDC and TechEd over the years, as well as those who help us create these exams. The consensus is the same. If you meet the audience profile, you won't need study materials. Again, this is my opinion only and I fully understand that there are lots of candidates who prefer to have some form of exam prep to help ensure success on the exams. My recommendation is always to use the prep guide to ensure you understand the concepts that will be tested and use practice tests where available. GerryAnonymous
March 25, 2010
Hello Gerry, I am a student from Brazil and I have the following doubts. There is a chance for a new 70-356 for VS 2010? I am studying like to know if I should wait for the new 70-356. Thank you very much!Anonymous
March 25, 2010
Hi Ygor, I believe you intended to write 70-536. :-) The 70-536 exam will not be a requirement for .NET 4. It will remain for .NET 3.5 and 2.0, but does not move forward and as a result, there will not be a new version. GerryAnonymous
March 25, 2010
The comment has been removedAnonymous
March 25, 2010
Hi Latika, That is the intention because there is no foundational exam for .NET 4. As for the prep materials, there are no early prep materials at this time. GerryAnonymous
March 25, 2010
Upon ugrading from Windows Developer 3.5 to Windows Developer 4, candidates also get MCTS certifications on WCF and ADO.NET... Now, MCTS on ADO.NET and WCF are not requirements for Windows Developer 3.5; so, dont you think its unfair for the candidates who should be taking the Windows Developer 4 path that they must pass MCTS ADO.NET and WCF exam?Anonymous
March 25, 2010
Ravi, thanks for your comments, Our rationale is simple. For MCTS, you can focus on the technologies you want. However, for the MCPD, which indicates a professional developer, it's imperative that you are able to utilize the technologies found in data access and services using WCF. When a candidate who is certified on .NET 3.5 upgrades to .NET 4, they will be tested on WCF and ADO.NET technologies along with the Windows Forms and WPF technologies as well. .NET 3.5 and .NET 4 are two seperate and different versions of the framework. Also keep in mind that the way software development is moving, you must have an understanding of these technologies. Windows Azure and other cloud technolgies are being utilized more and more in applications. Keep in mind as well that we do not have an Enterprise certification for .NET 4. We did have for 3.5 and that certification required WCF and ADO.NET. In the latest certifications for .NET 4, candidate choose a platform they want to contentrate on, either Windows or Web. Both MCPD certifications require the data access and WCF exams along with their own MCTS exam. There is no enterprise developer in this round. You may be developing applications right now that don't access data or don't make use of services using WCF, but I doubt there are many. We have already vetted these decisions with subject matter experts from the industry and they all agree that these certifications make sense for the greatest number of applications being developed today and in the future. GerryAnonymous
March 25, 2010
The comment has been removedAnonymous
March 25, 2010
Hi Eva, I apologize but I cannot discuss topics such as difficulty of questions about the exams. The preparation guides list the topics that will be covered and if you understand those topics and can apply that knowledge, you should have no problem answering the questions. We validate the question difficulty with subject matter experts that help us determine if someone with the knowledge and qualifications listed in the audience profile would be able to answer the questions or not. GerryAnonymous
March 27, 2010
Hi Gerry, Can you tell me if its worth the time and efforts to study some WinForms topics for MCTS 70-511 exam? And i remember reading one of your blogs a few months ago when you mentioned that four new exams for beginner developer/ college students are under planning... Can you tell me what those exams are and when they go live?Anonymous
March 27, 2010
Hi Tom, You're going to hate me for my answers, sorry. I can only tell you to focus on what you see on the prep guide for the exam. I cannot divulge anymore about the exam content than that. As for the other exams I mentioned, again, I am not able to say anymore than I did in the other post because we have not officialy launched those exams and the program yet. I don't own the new program or certifications so I can't comment further on it. GerryAnonymous
March 27, 2010
Its okay Gerry, i understand your and appreciate your commitment towards the standard, privacy and quality of Microsoft Certifications... And, i'll surely focus on the exam prep guide from now... Thanks for your guidance Sir! :)Anonymous
March 28, 2010
Hello Gerry, i'm interested in (beta) certification about implementing and administering Microsoft Visual Studio 2010 Team Foundation Server - like exam 70-510 (MOC6215A) for VS2008. Any hints are welcome. Thank you. Best regards JörgAnonymous
March 29, 2010
How about a few more seats? I put this on my calander for next month, thinking I could register untill the exam period meantioned in a previous post. I just checked today to see that people have already been registering but the extra seats are already gone!Anonymous
March 29, 2010
Jörg, What kind of hints are you looking for? GerryAnonymous
March 29, 2010
Hello Gerry, general information, timeline and (if available) beta code for the TFS 2010 admin exam would be nice. Thank you. Best Regards JörgAnonymous
March 30, 2010
Hi Jörg, There will not be a beta for this exam. It is expected to launch around the end of June, 2010. GerryAnonymous
March 31, 2010
Gerry, timeline and (if available) beta code for the SharePoint 2010 exam would be nice. MichaelAnonymous
March 31, 2010
Now that the 70-536 exam has been discontinued for the .NET 4 certification track, i have doubts regarding future employers giving less importance to the .NET 4 certified MCTS individuals... I mean, we'll have no proof of the "basic .NET skill set"... Will that make a difference Sir?Anonymous
March 31, 2010
Michael, I agree, it would be nice. :-) Once I have it, it will be posted. No wine before its time. GerryAnonymous
March 31, 2010
Jake, Not in my opnion it won't. The new exams imply .NET experience. I've said it before and I will reiterate here; The .NET Framework is HUGE with thousands of classes and pieces of functionality. One exam cannot prove core competency in all the framework. One that only proves partial competency is no better than one that proves none. GerryAnonymous
April 02, 2010
Timeout expired when trying to use the promo code... (tried for a while now)Anonymous
April 02, 2010
Hi Andi, That is an issue with the Prometric site. Please call the 800 number listed on that site for your location to register by phone. GerryAnonymous
April 03, 2010
Gerry O'Brien said: > One exam cannot prove core competency in all > the framework. One that only proves partial > competency is no better than one that proves none. When I studied for 70-536 exam I got a good overview of parts of the framework I wouldn't have known about otherwise. I don't see passing the 70-356 as proof that one can design and write good .NET code. I think its role was as a good overview of things most developers are likely to use at some point, not to to prove in dept knowlege of, say, System.Net.Mail.Anonymous
April 03, 2010
Hi Nick, I agree. My comments are to those who think we should have one exam that covers the .NET core concepts. 536 does not do that currently, not to mention the fact that it covers some things developers may never use. Even the core concepts of the framework are still too large for one exam. GerryAnonymous
April 04, 2010
Sir, The .NET Framework 4 exams are still 'in development'... So, when they go live, is there a chance that there will be some changes in the current objectives? Or the 'in development' means the examination questions(testing) are under development?? I want to take the MCTS .NET 4 exams when they go live[I'm from India, and so we cannot take the betas :-(]... I will start with the 70-511 exam... So, must i study the 70-536 training kit to become "fundamentally strong"? Plz suggest...Anonymous
April 04, 2010
Hi Shubhirka, 'In development' means that the exams are not at a stage where they can be released live. It encompasses the design, item creation, review, beta, and score setting. The prep guide that you see online will not change. The final version of the exam will still map to those skills listed. As for studying the 70-536 training kit, the choice is yours but you must use the skills measured section of the prep guide to know which areas are covered on the exam. 70-536 only covers core .NET fundamentals and is not complete coverage of what exists in .NET 4 or exam 70-511. GerryAnonymous
April 06, 2010
6303950 In regards to the test centers charging, there should be no charge at all and I am having this looked into at the moment. Please be patient as this takes time. Also, I cannot publish the information you placed in your post, to a public forum such as this so your comments have to be moderated to protect the testing center IDs. GerryAnonymous
April 07, 2010
Saurav, Discussion of exam content is not permitted and goes against the NDA you agreed to. Your posting will be removed for this reason. GerryAnonymous
April 07, 2010
Gerry, Exam 71-519 crashes the prometric app. I got as far as answering all the questions, but was unable to continue and leave any comments. I assume the app gets confused because question 1 is not really a question but an instruction for the following questions. I am saying this because others will be taking this exam and prometric might take a while to fix the issue, judging by the fact that the test center admin was on hold for 30 minutes when trying to reach the prometric helpdesk.Anonymous
April 07, 2010
Nick, Thanks for the heads-up. Can you please send your feedback, if you can remember what specifics you wanted to leave, directly to me at gerrydotobrienatmicrosoft.com? I'll also pass on the information to our Prometric liason for action. GerryAnonymous
April 08, 2010
If I am an MCPD 3.5 Windows applications, then what do I need to take to upgrade to 4.0 MCPD?Anonymous
April 08, 2010
Mike, There will be two upgrade exams released around the time the MCTS and MCPD exams go live. Take the upgrade exam and earn your MCPD and multiple MCTS exams at once for .NET 4. GerryAnonymous
April 10, 2010
So, I will only have to take the Exam 70-521? If so, what certifications does that give me?Anonymous
April 10, 2010
Mike, http://www.microsoft.com/learning/en/us/certification/cert-vstudio.aspx#tab2 MCPD: Windows Developer 4 MCTS: .NET Framework 4, Windows Applications MCTS: .NET Framework 4, Service Communication Applications MCTS: .NET Framework 4, Data Access GerryAnonymous
April 11, 2010
Is there any chance these exams will be available at TechEd? There looks to be a lot of work going on to provide testing and training at TechEd. -JoshAnonymous
April 12, 2010
Hi Josh, Unfortunately no. The timelines don't match up. The beta period ends April 30 and the live versions won't be in market until approx. June 28th. GerryAnonymous
April 16, 2010
Gerry, this is a very important query - As per the Microsoft Certification Retirement Policy, the certs get retired when the product mainstream support ends. So, i just checked the Mainstream Support End-date for VS2005 and it says 4/12/2011... However, there is an extended support date 4/12/2016! So starting from which of the above two dates, the VS2005 certs are retiring? I'm confused, plz let me know...Anonymous
April 19, 2010
Hi Jacob, The current retirement date is set at 4/12/2011 for the exam. It may change in the future but will be announced at least one year prior to the actual retirement. GerryAnonymous
April 19, 2010
Hi, there are seat for MOSS 2010 exam? Thanks!Anonymous
April 19, 2010
JQ, The SharePoint Server exams are not in beta yet. May 5 is when the beta starts. I will post the invitations to my blog when they are ready. GerryAnonymous
April 22, 2010
The comment has been removedAnonymous
April 22, 2010
Hi Geoff, Sorry to say the dates will not be extended. We have almost 1000 registrations for each exam and we will reach the minimum numbers we require for our psychometric analysis of the betas. GerryAnonymous
April 26, 2010
Hi Gerry! I tried to take the beta exam today (TS:Windows Apps Dev w/Microsoft .NET Framework 4) but I encountered some problems. The testing center wanted to charge me for some kind of administrative fee. I thought that beta exams should be completely free? The testing center is in Sweden (Stockholm) and is named AddSkills. They are a Prometric test site. I have read in previous posts that this is not allowed. Can you take a look at this?Anonymous
April 26, 2010
Hi Kastman, I have forwarded this on to our account manager for Prometric for investigation. Test centers are not supposed to charge any fees for a beta exam however this issue needs to be resolved by Prometric and the local test center. Microsoft doesn't own the relationship between local test centers directly, we must work through Prometric to resolve these issues. Thanks for providing the notification so we can get this resolved. GerryAnonymous
May 11, 2010
Gerry, Now the exam period has passed, and I've taken all six of the exams, I'm keen to find out my results :) Do you have a date for when the results will be online? Will we get a copy of the score sheets? I got copies of the 3.5 beta exams posted out, but have yet to receive the score sheet for the wm6.5 dev exam I took. Thanks, DuncanAnonymous
May 11, 2010
Hi Duncan, During the opening screens of the exam I think the text usually indicates that you will receive a result for the exam in approximately 8 weeks. We will be doing the final item selection and standard setting for these exams starting next week. This means the results are not far off but we have to set the passing score etc. and pass that information back to Prometric, who then handle the scoring portion and sending out the notifications. It's been awhile since I looked at a beta score report so I don't know if you get an actual score report now or just a pass/fail notification. GerryAnonymous
June 29, 2010
Its been well over 8 weeks since i took the exam and i still haven't seen any results. Should i be calling Prometric to see whats wrong? Or was there a delay on Microsofts end?Anonymous
June 30, 2010
Hello Brien I cleared the 71-515 exam. Thanks for keeping us all updated. I was wondering how many people took the exam? Thanks and regards Vineet