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“
