Microsoft Certified Professional Exam Development
At Microsoft, we strive to ensure that our certifications are relevant,
respected, and highly valued within the IT community and that they objectively prove the expertise of technology practitioners. Earning a Microsoft Certification demonstrates an individual’s comprehension of the latest IT developments and mastery of skills in a specific technology. Microsoft Certifications command great respect in the industry, thanks in part to the thorough and meticulous process used to develop the exams. Start your journey to a more successful IT career today. Get certified!
Development Process
Microsoft Certification exams are carefully developed with input from industry professionals to reflect how Microsoft products are used in organizations throughout the world. The exams are the life-blood of the Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP) program—computer administered to accurately measure one’s ability to perform specific, market-relevant job tasks. This objective system of measurement is one reason the exams are so respected among employers.
Microsoft Certification exams test the precise skills required to use Microsoft mcse 2003 training technologies or perform the necessary job functions in areas such as systems engineering, database administration, and solutions development. These rigorous exams go well beyond testing routine knowledge or terminology. After all, on the job, you need to know more than facts. You need to apply your knowledge by analyzing technical
solutions, solving problems, and making decisions.
Development phases
To ensure the validity, reliability, and relevance of Microsoft MCITP Certification exams, developers create exams in eight phases:
1. Job analysis: Exam developers break down the tasks performed within a
specific job function, and identify the relevant knowledge, skills, and abilities needed when using a specific technology.
2. Objective domain definition: Tasks are translated into a comprehensive set of more specific and measurable skills and abilities. The resulting list of
objectives, or the objective domain, forms the basis for the development of
certification.
3. Blueprint survey: The objective domain is transformed into a blueprint
survey, in which technical and job function experts rate the importance of each objective. This helps to determine the appropriate number and types of items to include on the exam. Contributors may be Microsoft Certified Professionals (MCPs) or MCP candidates recruited from within Microsoft or through online forums. Based on contributor input, exam developers prioritize and weigh the objectives.
4. Item development: Exam developers write the exam items according to the prioritized objectives. Developers review and revise items to ensure that they are:
* Technically accurate
* Clear, unambiguous, and relevant
* Not biased toward any population, subgroup, or culture
* Not misleading or tricky
* Testing for useful knowledge rather than obscure or trivial facts
Items that meet these criteria are included in the alpha item pool.
5. Alpha review and item revision: A panel of experts reviews each item for
technical accuracy. After the items are approved, they undergo a legal review.
6. Beta exam: The reviewed items are beta-tested. During the beta exam,
candidates comment on items. The beta exam allows Microsoft to evaluate the quality of the item in an actual exam situation, and helps ensure that only the best content is included in the live exam.
* Learn more about beta exams and how to participate
7. Item selection and cut-score setting: The results of the beta exam are
analyzed to determine which items should be included in the live exam. This
analysis focuses on many factors, including item difficulty and reliability.
Microsoft works with a panel of experts to review the technical accuracy of
questions and to determine the final item pool for the live exam. The panel
determines the cut score (minimum passing score) for the exam. This score
differs from exam to exam, because it is based on the difficulty of the item
pool and the expected performance of the minimally qualified candidate.
8. Live exam: Prometric, an independent testing company, administers the final certification exam. The exam is available at testing centers worldwide.