Decrypting the Different Exam and Certification Models
{LANG_NAVORIGIN} Certifications
By: Derek Melber, 04/21/2005
Your Return on Investment Based on Exam Type and Model
Where should you go from here? You have been presented with a lot of information about the
questions, exams, certifications, and environment that you might be walking into. There are a lot
of considerations to think about and many certifications to choose from. Even within one
certification, you might have multiple exams that you can take to meet the requirements of the
certification.
To ensure that you maximize your investment of time, effort, and money, you should consider
why you are trying to acquire the certification in the first place. Doing so will help reduce the
number of certifications that you have to choose from. In most cases, IT professionals want to
get certified to document and benchmark their knowledge on an OS or product. There are other
factors that you need to consider as you select a certification:
- Personal quest—There are some certifications that are held on a higher platform than
others. The IT professionals that complete these certifications are highly sought after and
in demand. You might want to be one of the few that get a certification like this. You will
need to consider whether this career path and the job tasks it involves are what you want.
A bit of research on the specific certification would benefit the process of answering
these questions.
- Targeting specific job—There are some jobs and positions that require certain
certifications. Whether you will be getting into network security, program development
security, e-commerce, or forensics, there are certain certifications that are required by
most companies. You will want to research the job and position that you want to obtain
so that you can make sure you get the required certifications.
- Cushion resume—It is not new information that jobs are tight and IT professionals must
take aggressive action to keep their positions. A certification that broadens or deepens a
resume can add value to you as an employee, which can ensure that you are not replaced.
Keep communications open with your employer and direct boss to ensure that you are
doing all that they want you to do. If they do require you to obtain a new certification,
look at it as an opportunity to advance, not as a duty.
Summary
There are almost too many details to consider when you break down a certification into the
exams and question format. However, it is important to consider what you will be presented on
each exam. It takes more time to prepare for some exams as a result of the exam format, but such
exams usually bring higher rewards due to their complexity.
The evaluation of what is required for a certification is essential. The number of exams, time to
prepare for the exams, and overall cost should be considered. If you can get into a tiered track,
which allows exams to count for different certifications, you can streamline the certifications that
you want to acquire. If you have the experience needed to pass an exam, don’t forget the
grandfather option, which can allow you to use your knowledge and other certifications to obtain
more certifications.
Finally, have a clear goal and direction in mind before jumping into any certification or track.
Having clear direction will allow you to focus on preparing for the exams and obtaining the
knowledge required to pass an exam the first time.
[Editor’s Note: This content was excerpted from the free eBook
The ExamPrep Guide to
Security Certifications (Realtimepublishers.com) written by Derek Melber and available from a
link at
http://cc.realtimepublishers.com/portal.aspx?pubid=325.]
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