A second look at the new MCSE test

Lots of readers told me that my recent comments about Microsoft's free upgrade test for Microsoft Certified Software Engineers (70-240: Microsoft Windows 2000 Accelerated Exam for MCPs Certified on Microsoft Windows NT 4.0) missed the point. So, in an effort to identify "the point," I sat down with certification guru Ed Tittel (the man behind the phenomenally successful "Exam Cram" series from Coriolis).

According to Ed, the major sticking points are the fact that 70-240 can only be taken once, and that - with the retirement of all the NT 4 tests by the end of 2001 - there's only a short time to do the upgrade to Win 2000 certification.

I previously addressed the issue of only taking 70-240 once, and nothing Ed said leads me to change my mind. It's free, so not passing it doesn't set you back any dollars. You're then free to take the four-course "core" exams (from which the 70-240 is drawn), leveraging whatever training you did for the 70-240. I just can't see a downside.

As to the timing of the end of the NT 4 certification, it is a bit tight. Because none of the tests are currently available, you'll have about 18 months to achieve Win 2000 certification before the NT 4 designation goes away. That's still plenty of time, provided you've already started working with Win 2000 in a test/laboratory environment. The fact that many companies will choose to wait until 2002 to upgrade to Win 2000 is no argument for delaying the demise of the NT 4 certification. Those companies doing the upgrade in 2002 will need Win 2000 MCSEs to help them migrate. The people who bite the bullet and get cracking on their upgrade tests are the people who will be in position to pick and choose the jobs they want in 2002.

While it's still possible for Microsoft to relent on ending NT 4 certification (and I suspect they'll eventually give in, to the extent of adding another six months to its lifespan), it's time to plan your certification path based on the current timelines.

Dave Kearns is a writer and consultant in Silicon Valley. His most recent book is "Peter Norton's Complete Guide to Networks" published by SAMS. Dave's company, Virtual Quill, provides content services to network vendors: books, manuals, white papers, lectures and seminars, marketing, technical marketing and support documents. Virtual Quill provides "words to sell by..." Find out more at Virtual Quill or by e-mail at info@vquill.com

Kearns' original newsletter on the subject

Well organized users can cut costs of Windows 2000 upgrades
Network World, 01/25/00.

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