MCP - Microsoft Certified Professional Total Exams - 1 Back

Technology Focus
Any Microsoft product.

What does it prove?
The MCP certifies that you have mastered the intricacies of one Microsoft product.

Who is it designed for?
The MCP is designed for technical professionals or aspiring technical professionals who have been exposed to and will work intimately with a Microsoft product.

What is required?
Candidates may choose to pass any one Microsoft exam focused on a Microsoft product rather than a generic technology. Upgrade exams do not count toward an MCP certification.

What are the prequisite skills?
For networking and operating system exams, Microsoft assumes that you already have expertise in hardware and software troubleshooting in addition to basic networking practices. It is recommended that you complete A+ and Network+ certification, or have equivalent experience, before attempting a networking or operating system oriented exam. If attempting a development exam, Microsoft assumes that you have experience with basic programming and database theory. The best preparation is several months of hands-on programming experience in just about any programming language. Also, mastery of a database tool such as Microsoft Access would be helpful.

How should I prepare?
Most certification candidates prepare through instructor-led courses in an IT-SOL classroom, , or self-study using thick books from reputable publishers (IT-SOL can get a discount on many of these books for you). Often, a blend of these 2 learning methods may be the best solution. In all cases, it is best to choose the training method you are most comfortable with and to supplement our training with practice exams. All of these methods (courses, books, practice exams) are available through IT-SOL.

What else should I know?
Microsoft certifications do not expire and are platform-specific. Consequently, if you earn an MCP on Windows 2000 Professional, it will be considered a different certification from an MCP on Windows XP.

MCSA - Microsoft Certified Systems Administrator
Total Exams - 4 Back
Technology Focus
Microsoft Windows 2000 Server or Windows .NET Server.

What does it prove?
The MCSA certifies that you have the skills to successfully implement, manage, and troubleshoot the ongoing needs of a Windows 2000 or Windows .NET Server based network.

Who is it designed for?
The MCSA is designed for network administrators and technical support professionals who have to support and maintain complex networks based on the Windows 2000 or Windows .NET Server operating systems.

What is required?
Passing a total of four exams drawn from three core requirements and one elective requirement.

What are the prequisite skills?
Microsoft assumes that you already have expertise in hardware and software troubleshooting in addition to basic networking practices. It is recommended that you complete A+ and Network+ certification, or have equivalent experience, before attempting the MCSA.

How should I prepare?
Most certification candidates prepare through instructor-led courses in an IT-SOL classroom, , or self-study using thick books from reputable publishers (IT-SOL can get a discount on many of these books for you). Often, a blend of these 2 learning methods may be the best solution. In all cases, it is best to choose the training method you are most comfortable with and to supplement our training with practice exams. All of these methods (courses, books, practice exams) are available through IT-SOL.

What else should I know?
Microsoft certifications do not expire and are platform-specific. Consequently, if you earn an MCSA on Windows 2000 you will retain this certification indefinitely. However, when Microsoft releases another milestone operating system, it will generate new MCSA requirements specific to that operating system. Since Windows .NET is based on Windows 2000 technology, the MCSA on Windows 2000 or Windows .NET will be the same.

MCSE - Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer
Total Exams - 7 Back
Technology Focus
Microsoft Windows 2000 Server or Windows .NET Server.

What does it prove?
Like the MCSA, the MCSE certifies that you have the skills to successfully implement, manage, and troubleshoot the ongoing needs of a Windows 2000 or Windows .NET Server based network. Additionally, though, the MCSE certifies that you are qualified to analyze business requirements and design a network infrastructure and implement an enterprise-wide solution based on Windows 2000 and Windows .NET servers.

Who is it designed for?
The MCSE is designed for moderately experienced IT professionals who are already familiar with the practice and basic concepts of network administration and operating system management.

What is required?
Passing a total of seven exams drawn from five core requirements and two elective requirements.

What are the prequisite skills?
Microsoft assumes that you already have expertise in hardware and software troubleshooting in addition to basic networking practices. It is recommended that you complete A+ and Network+ certification, or have equivalent experience, before attempting the MCSE.

How should I prepare?
Most certification candidates prepare through instructor-led courses in an IT-SOL classroom, , or self-study using thick books from reputable publishers (IT-SOL can get a discount on many of these books for you). Often, a blend of these 2 learning methods may be the best solution. In all cases, it is best to choose the training method you are most comfortable with and to supplement our training with practice exams. All of these methods (courses, books, practice exams) are available through IT-SOL.

What else should I know?
Microsoft certifications do not expire and are platform-specific. For instance, many experienced MCSEs hold an MCSE on Windows NT 4.0. Today, the prevailing MCSE is the MCSE on Windows 2000. Since the .NET Server platform is based on Windows 2000 technology, focusing on .NET exams instead of Windows 2000 exams will still yield the MCSE on Windows 2000.

MCDBA - Microsoft Certified Database Administrator
Total Exams - 4 Back
Technology Focus
Microsoft SQL Server 2000

What does it prove?
The MCDBA certifies that you have the skills to successfully design, implement, and administer a Microsoft SQL 2000 database.

Who is it designed for?
The MCSE is designed for moderately experienced IT professionals who already have at least a year's experience with Microsoft SQL or another sophisticated database language.

What is required?
Passing a total of four exams drawn from three core requirements and one elective requirement.

What are the prequisite skills?
Microsoft assumes that you already have expertise in core database theory including relational database design and normalization. It is recommended that you master a simpler database tool such as Microsoft Access before attempting the MCDBA certification.

How should I prepare?
Most certification candidates prepare through instructor-led courses in an IT-SOL classroom, , or self-study using thick books from reputable publishers (IT-SOL can get a discount on many of these books for you). Often, a blend of these 2 learning methods may be the best solution. In all cases, it is best to choose the training method you are most comfortable with and to supplement our training with practice exams. All of these methods (courses, books, practice exams) are available through IT-SOL.

What else should I know?
Microsoft certifications do not expire and are platform-specific. Consequently, if you earn an MCDBA on SQL 2000 you will retain this certification indefinitely. However, when Microsoft releases another version of SQL Server, it will generate new MCDBA requirements specific to that operating version.

MCSD - Microsoft Certified Solution Developer
Total Exams - 4 Back
Technology Focus
Microsoft development tools such as Visual Studio and others.

What does it prove?
The MCSD certifies that you are an expert in developing complex applications using Microsoft's development tools (such as Visual Studio) and Microsoft's preferred development languages (such as Visual Basic, Visual C++, and Visual FoxPro).

Who is it designed for?
The MCSD is designed for moderately experienced programmers who are planning to build large-scale, distributed and Web-enabled applications using Microsoft technologies.

What is required?
Passing a total of four exams drawn from three core requirements and one elective requirement.

What are the prequisite skills?
Microsoft assumes that you are already experienced with the functionality of the Microsoft Office and Backoffice suites of applications. Microsoft also expects you are experienced in developer practices such as needs analysis, data modeling, and user-interface design. If you are not an experienced programmer, it is recommended that you at least learn Visual Basic for Applications and use it in a sophisticated manner with such tools as Microsoft Excel and Microsoft Access before attempting the MCSD.

How should I prepare?
Most certification candidates prepare through instructor-led courses in an IT-SOL classroom, , or self-study using thick books from reputable publishers (IT-SOL can get a discount on many of these books for you). Often, a blend of these 2 learning methods may be the best solution. In all cases, it is best to choose the training method you are most comfortable with and to supplement our training with practice exams. All of these methods (courses, books, practice exams) are available through IT-SOL.