I was forwarded an email this morning which shows how an ounce of research will turn into a pound of prevention. For those of you that haven't taken the time to verify for your self that TESTKING IS ILLEGAL. Take a brief moment, email any of the certification vendors out there (here is a list of Vendors), and wait for the response. You'll get a similar response from most, if not all of the vendors.
From: Manuel [mailto:mdav420@***************.com]
Sent: Thursday, June 12, 2008 11:50 PM
To: ccie-nda-enforcement(mailer list)
Subject: Testking Study GuidesHi,
I am preparing for my CCNA and have been studying with Testking Study Guides from www.testking.com. I recently heard from CertGuard that testking may be illegal and would like to confirm that. I don't want to risk my certifications or devalue the certifications of others.
Are Testking Study Guides illegal, as CertGuard claims?
Thank you for your time.
Manuel
From the time stamps on the email it took this individual less than 8 hours to get a response from Cisco clearly stating that TESTKING IS CONSIDERED CHEATING.
Yes, TestKing is a well known cheating resource. Thus candidates are not allowed to use their materials. If a candidate is caught using TestKing materials, he could face invalidation of his certification and a lifetime ban from Cisco. Thank you for checking with us about this. We appreciate your honesty and your help in upholding the standards and policies of Cisco Certifications. Sincerely,
From: notificationletter (mailer list)
Sent: Friday, June 13, 2008 7:22 AMTo: Manuel
Subject: RE: Testking Study Guides
Cisco Career Certifications
Cisco Systems, Inc.
So now I ask you: How hard is it to figure out that "Testking is a well known cheating resource"?
The answer: It's not. People just get lazy, complacent, call it what you will, but they neglect to think about the study materials they are using to build the basis of their careers off of. STOP BEING LAZY! RESEARCH!!
All it takes is a 2 minute email and a few hours later you will have your answer. So please...before you trust us, take the responsibility upon yourself to check that the study guides you're using are from a legitimate source. All we're doing is documenting this information for you so that you don't have to email the vendors everytime you have a question.
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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Robert - You owe Ethan Banks
Robert - You owe Ethan Banks an apology.
I agree
Notice how Cisco's response to someone who made a mistake, but who was obviously trying to do things right, was one of understanding. They didn't say, "You may as well stop studying now, because you cheated (albeit unknowingly). But that doesn't matter. You're banned for life from the certification program.".
Maybe others should take the same stance of understanding towards those who make honest mistakes.
How long does it take to say "I'm Sorry"?
How long Robert?
We do not condone the use of Testking. No problem with that at all.
However, how many people never even heard of such items now know because of Certguard?
Did you ever prove that Ethan actually made that post on someone else's blog?
Actually, Robert, it's not that simple
Not everyone is as knowledgeable as you are concerning good test prep tools vs. bad ones. I'm not arguing that Test King is legitimate. But you assume (incorrectly, I think) that every certification candidate is able to make that judgment. A first-time visitor to the Test King website could easily be convinced that it is a legitimate test prep company. Nowhere does Test King claim to provide actual test questions. In fact, they claim the opposite at the bottom of each page: "Test King Materials do not contain actual questions and answers."
Furthermore, certification sponsors do not broadly advertise which sites are infringing their intellectual property. They do not want to draw attention to the purveyors of stolen goods. Would law enforcement want to provide a service where you could look up your local drug dealer to see if they're providing the pure stuff? (The correct answer is "no".) So unless somebody is well informed on the whole braindump/cheating thing, they wouldn't necessarily know that some websites are crooked or which ones to avoid.
Unfortunately, continually drawing attention to these websites probably just drives more people to them.
Ethan Banks deserves an apology, this blog should be removed.
I am one of the people that CertGuard should have on their side. I support the idea of working against exam cheating, but I would only support ethical and moral methods of achieving it.
Their actions here have alienated the community on which they should depend for support and advice.
Its probable that Robert Williams (and by extension, Certguard) is immature, inexperienced and lacking in good judgement, given the responses that he has posted here in his blog.
How can I possibly support their work, when they act like children in a playground.
I call on Certguard to make a public apology to Ethan Banks, and to us, the Cisco community.
I call on Network World to remove this blog and all its content immediately.
http://etherealmind.com
Say goodbye with respect
Mr. Robert Williams
Myself and several other (over 200) networking professional are putting together a petition for your removal as a contributor to this and any other publication that you work on.
We would prefer if you simply resign with a personal apology and move on to other pastures.
If we do not see this in the next few weeks we will be forced to begin to campaign in a broader scale.
Network World you have done good by our industry so far. Please ask Mr Williams to resign or remove his column for something that has a more positive approach to certifications.
Thank you
Roger
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