I've seen numerous conversations that address the cheating problem and what certification programs are doing to combat the issues. What I'd like to bring to this venue is the idea behind what they are trying to accomplish, how they are accomplishing it, and what could be done in conjunction to further increase the value of any certification program.
Many certification programs have recently begun employing the services of forensic scientists to determine who has cheated on their certification exams. Forensic data (we'll learn much more about in the near future) can determine whether a person has cheated on exam and the results will be correct to within something like 0.0000000000000000000001%. This is something I'm really just learning about myself, so please don't take that number seriously...just understand that the results of the forensic data are VERY, VERY, EXTREMELY accurate.
For those of you that aren't quite aware of what I'm alluding to, the forensic information is used after the crime has been committed, whereas the goals of my organization are to reach exam candidates before they become cheaters. Basically, what these certification programs are saying is "If you cheat, you will be caught and you will lose your certifications!!" What we've been trying to get out to exam candidates is that "you should know which sites are ok to study from and which sites are not". Knowing this information before you jump into a study plan will not only save your certifications, it will help the credibility of the certification program.
I commend each and every certification program for doing what they are to the cheaters; keeping cheaters from devaluing certifications is certainly a priority that must be addressed for numerous reasons. It seems, however, that some of the methods currently being used are scaring off honest candidates looking to get certified, which is ultimately taking away from the value and credibility of the certification programs. By helping exam candidates avoid braindump sites before the candidate starts a study plan, may just be a key ingredient to maintaining the value and credibility of the program itself.
Should the certification vendors just tell you not to cheat, but then not give you information on what is considered cheating? Well, technically they are giving you the information you need; you just have to decipher it. Again, the goals of my organization are to help you by providing you with a means of knowing what you should not be using for "study guides" before you inadvertently get wrapped up in "The Cheating Industry that is Devaluing IT Certifications"
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Robert Williams is co-founder and CEO of CertGuard. Robert founded CertGuard after an 8-year stint in the U.S Navy, three years of college and five years in IT. While on a quest for more knowledge, Robert decided to work on earning a certification when he noticed the abundance of braindumps and illegal services that plagued the industry. Putting his certifications and further education on hold, Robert decided that it was time for someone to dedicate their time to preventing the spread of these illegal products and services. And CertGuard was born.
The opinions expressed in this Weblog are those of the writer and may not represent the opinions of Network World.
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A Holistic Approach is Needed...
I think the current approaches all fail to take into account the different types of cheaters. There are those who unwittingly cheat and then there are those who will cheat no matter what you tell them until and unless they see that there will be serious consequences to doing so.
For those who unwittingly cheat, there needs to be a more orchestrated effort to educate them about braindumps and what constitutes cheating and what does not. This needs to start with the exam vendors, but it also needs to include training providers and educational institutions. I have heard of candidates who were directed to briandump sites or even given braindump material AS CLASS material at a training center. Exam vendors need to crack down on these training centers whenever possible, withdrawing any certifications they have given the center and removing them from any list of approved training centers if not going after the instructors who likely have certs themselves that could be in jeopardy for violating the NDA.
For those who know the rules and still choose to break them, there needs to be consequences. I know a lot of people in IT, but none of us has ever heard of someone losing their certs. There need to be some highly publicized instances of cheaters getting cracked down on or else people are going to keep thinking that the vendors will simply turn a blind eye to it and the industry will remain cynical about certifications.
Lastly, quit making the exams so darned easy to cheat on! The technology exists to add more and more simulations, both making the exams more realistic to job-related tasks AND making it harder to use a braindump to pass them. Red Hat and Cisco are good examples. Microsoft has begun to do this, but they still seem to be in love with long-winded multiple choice questions that more test a candidates patience and reading comprehension than their actual skills.
Re: A Holistic Approach is Needed...
Great Points, all of them. I agree 100%. One of the reasons I started CertGuard was because there wasn't enough education about braindumps. And yeah, although there are people that will cheat no matter what, a good majority of the candidates out there are just not aware that what they're using is illegal.
The classrooms and bootcamps are a bit more difficult to deal with. At least from what I can see. Since there are no sanctions, anyone can open one, and once they have, all they have to do is claim they can train people. Unfortunately, there is nothing illegal about training someone. Unlike the braindump sites, what is illegal can't be seen without registering for and taking a class. Even then, the courses may or may not include illegal materials.
What we're doing to help the vendors is provide them with any allegations we receive from students that have taken courses at a bootcamp that provides illegal materials. This at least gives them a starting point that they didn't have before.
Best Regards,
Bah!
When I was in grade school, every year we had to take the California Acheivement tests. We would be given test material that was appropriate, in a format that was easy to learn and comparable to the actual test. Come test day each person got their own test that had different questions (drawn from the same pool) that were only used on that test day. Afterwards, the questions were discarded and not used again. Come High school and College, the pSAT and SAT tests followed the same format.
Microsoft and Cisco (and many others) have a warped idea of how to run a certification.
First off, lets make a test pool of only 250 questions. Lets make them multiple choice, and lets reuse them again and again for millions of tests over the span of several years. Next, lets put the test candidate in a room by themselves and not supervise them. Put them on old busted up computers and have the test routinely crash and otherwise not perform. Last but not least, lets charge ALOT of money for test materials and not really make them appropriate or in a format similar to the test. Then, lets punish the people who just passed their seventh certification test to earn a nice title like MCSE by putting out 30 new certs a month later and putting the upgrade path from MCSE to MCTS which is in my humble opinion just a hair tougher than getting a MCP.
If the task of preventing cheating should fall on anyone it should go to the test centers(who are profiting from registrations) and to the sponsor(who will ultimately benefit from having trained monkeys selling and supporting their products). They should stop making it so easy to cheat. They should actively seek out the companys who make braindumps (just like they claim to do with software piracy). Oh yeah, I forgot... they don't really care. They will still make their money if we pass, fail, cheat or don't cheat.
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