Cisco has never been one to speak publicly at length about the big cheating industry that revolves around its certifications (it is the second most braindumped certification vendor on Read more
certification integrity company Certguard's list), with officials suggesting in December that it was an "isolated problem", but the company is now openly sharing its thoughts on and initiatives to combat Cisco test cheating.
CertGuard
The Real Dirt on BrainDumps and the CCNA
Submitted by Robert Williams on Sun, 04/12/09 - 8:44pm.By SemSim CCNA Learning Center Read more
Top 20 Most Braindumped Certification Vendors of 2008
Submitted by Robert Williams on Mon, 01/05/09 - 7:54am.Well, it’s that time of year. In our first blog post about the “Top 20 Most Braindumped Certification Vendors” we promised that we would keep you abreast of the progress each vendor is making. Unfortunately, the numbers being presented here don’t show there is any progress being made, but I assure you that progress is being made. Although the numbers have risen since we published the first blog post, the numbers here are a combination of newer websites opening up and some of the other websites being shut down. Read more
CertGuard Official Braindump Quiz
Submitted by Robert Williams on Mon, 01/05/09 - 7:49am.We at CertGuard are always looking for ways to expand education on the Internet when it comes to preventing braindumps. Today, we are pleased to announce the CertGuard Official Braindump Quiz. Read more
3 safe resources to help you prepare for your MCTS/MCITP certification exams.
Submitted by Robert Williams on Tue, 06/17/08 - 11:43pm. Regardless of the certification, your best bet is to visit the certification vendor first. They will almost always have the resources you need to at least get started on your certification. In this case, the first resource I suggest is the Windows Vista – Learning Portal. Read more
Certification Integrity: Could it REALLY be this simple?
Submitted by Robert Williams on Fri, 06/13/08 - 9:45pm.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. Read more
Braindumps vs. Study Guides: Where do cracked Practice Exams fit into the mix?
Submitted by Robert Williams on Sun, 06/08/08 - 9:34pm.We're all well aware there are cracked versions of just about any software you can think of somewhere on the internet. Most of the torrent or filesharing sites rank among some of the most visited sites I've seen. Being in the line of work that I am, I review site ranks and compare website popularity almost on a daily basis and I don't think I've ever seen a torrent site with a rank greater than ~3,000 (Alexa.com) and a monthly visitor count of less than ~50,000 (Compete.com). So the popularity of "free" has definitely increased over the past few years. Read more
Braindumps vs. Study Guides: Visual CertExam Manager
Submitted by Robert Williams on Sun, 06/01/08 - 11:57pm.
What is Visual CertExam?
The Visual Cert Exam Suite consists of two programs; a Manager and a Designer. According to VisualCertExam.com, the designer was developed "for authors involved in practice exam development" and the manager was "designed for taking exams created with Visual CertExam Designer". Unfortunately, one of the popular features of the designer is the ability to import and convert TXT, RTF, and PDF formats to the VCE format which is read by the program and displays the questions and answers in a format that is more like the actual exam. Read more
Certification Integrity: When should you be worried about losing your certifications?
Submitted by Robert Williams on Mon, 05/26/08 - 8:13pm. I was recently approached by a couple of individuals that were genuinely concerned about being decertified because they had purchased a braindump and used it to study with. As I'm sure they're not the only two people that have bought into the braindump scam, I'm sure many candidates will come across this situation at least once in their career and as professionals in the industry many of us will run across someone that needs help in a similar situation. Read more
Certification Vendors: Are they handling cheaters properly?
Submitted by Robert Williams on Fri, 05/23/08 - 10:38pm.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. Read more
Securing Test Centers: Test Center & Exam Security Measures
Submitted by Robert Williams on Sun, 05/18/08 - 11:40pm. With all the recent security measures being put in place by Cisco to help increase the value of your certifications, it's got to be taking some toll on you. Read more
Braindumps vs. Study Guides: Who keeps the checkers in check?
Submitted by Robert Williams on Thu, 05/15/08 - 11:45pm.For years, CertGuard has been "checking" the certification industry, but who's checking CertGuard? This, along with questions such as "How does CertGuard determine which websites are providing braindumps and which are actually helping your earn your certifications?" and "What checks and balances are in place if CertGuard is blacklisting websites?", have been seen in various forums and newsgroups and should probably be answered by us in public.
What checks and balances are in place when checking certification websites? Read more
Braindumps vs. Study Guides: How do you know which is which?
Submitted by Robert Williams on Sun, 05/11/08 - 6:17pm.For those of you looking to increase your worth by way of certification, it may be a difficult road to travel if you don't know someone that has already been down it (or at least done some research on the subject). I've spent, and continue to spend, 1000's of hours researching certification websites; collecting and comparing data related to those sites. Read more
Certification Integrity: Getting back on track
Submitted by Robert Williams on Sun, 05/11/08 - 11:35am.My apologies for the intermittent posting frequency. Not to make excuses, but developing technologies that can do exactly what we need to do is a full time job in itself; and my time management skills haven't been up to par lately.
To get back on track I've got some interesting blogs slated for the near and distant future. Amongst other issues in the certification industry, I'm going to start with a short series that outlines the differences between Braindumps and Study Guides, I'll finish up my series on "Securing Test Centers", and I've solicited the help of someone much more qualified to discuss what is going on in the certification industry. Read more
Cisco (finally) moves to stop exam cheating
Submitted by Jim Duffy on Mon, 04/21/08 - 1:30pm.Cisco certification cheaters come in three basic varieties, writes Robert Williams in his Certification Integrity blog. These are proxy-test takers (aka Hired Gunmen), item harvesters (aka test thieves), and cheaters (aka people that patronize harvesters). Now Williams reports that Cisco and Pearson VUE have announced a partnership to stop all three. Read more
New security initiatives being taken by Cisco and VUE
Submitted by Robert Williams on Sat, 04/19/08 - 1:50am.In an article recently published by Rick Gregory, Cisco and Pearson VUE announced a strengthening of their partnership that will be taking the certification industry by the ears. After identifying and profiling the three categories of miscreants that continue to devalue your hard earned certifications, Cisco and VUE listed the measures used to deter cheating, detailed the ramifications of cheating, and provided information on what Cisco certified professionals can expect to happen in the near future. Read more
Cisco speaks out against exam cheating
Submitted by Anonymous on Wed, 04/09/2008 - 6:33pm
Securing Test Centers. What can be done?
Submitted by Robert Williams on Mon, 03/31/08 - 11:39pm.In the past 12-18 months, certification vendors have begun to implement security measures in their testing environments. These measures are in place to prevent proxy test takers and other individuals from taking advantage of the end-user certification exam process. Many test centers in the United States are required to follow the requirements of the highest level of security possible. As an example, Cisco has taken a step in the right direction by implementing photo identification of all exam candidates before they are allowed to take an exam. Read more
Stopping the Inadvertent Cheater
Submitted by Robert Williams on Mon, 03/31/08 - 12:11am.In the certification industry there are exam candidates that know they're cheating and exam candidates that DON'T know they're cheating. Both types of cheaters are equally damaging to the industry, but one type of cheater, the "inadvertent cheater", would opt to avoid braindumps if they only knew what those braindumps consisted of and the consequences of using them. We're hoping that you will help us spread the word so that the unsuspecting exam candidates out there will understand the ins and outs of the study materials they use. Read more
Microsoft v. Testking Part II - Has Testking complied?
Submitted by Robert Williams on Sun, 03/23/08 - 1:05am.In Microsoft's April 2007 Stipulated Permanent Injunction against Certification Trendz, the owners of Testking agreed to certain conditions proposed by Microsoft. In June 2007, a Stipulated Motion to Dismiss was agreed upon by both parties and filed with a U.S. Judicial Court. Yes, if you're hearing this news for the first time, Microsoft and Testking "settled out of court". Read more
Which vendors' certifications are the most popular for exam cheaters?
Submitted by Jim Duffy on Mon, 03/17/08 - 7:38pm.My fellow Network World bloggers Certguard's Robert Williams and Taylor Ripley, authors of the Certification Integrity blog has posted up a list of the top 20 most braindumped certification vendors. Not surprisingly Microsoft and Cisco take up the Nos. 1 and 2 positions. "It is apparent there is a direct correlation between the popularity of an exam or certification track and the number of braindumps available for each certification vendor," write Robert and Taylor. Read more
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