Actually, Microsoft has been using the adaptive tests for quite some time.
when, but they had the adaptive tests at the time.
problem. It just means that you can finish the test quicker if you do well
answering the questions. So, the number of questions on the exam is not
fixed. Not much else is different.
Post by CertGuardYou're right, and I absolutely agree that braindumps will not be resolved
until the tests themselves become more comprehensive. If you're not
already aware, Microsoft has been using adaptive exams for a couple years
now. I haven't taken one myself, but there are many people here that have.
Maybe one of them can throw in their 2c about the adaptive exams.
Educating people about the dangers of using braindumps is only one aspect
that CertGuard is exploring. It's the whole "Arrest the 'Johns', to
prevent the prostitutes from working" theory. We know it isn't 100%
effective, but while we work on other methods of preventing cheating,
we're trying to get the word out to as many people as possible that using
braindumps is wrong.
You've got a great idea about the exams being 'open book'. Although it
would need a lot of refining, that is one possibility that, I too feel,
should be looked into. I remember taking college exams, and the toughest
exams were always the open book exams, because if you had to search for
the information on even 25% of the questions, you were going to fail the
exam. Knowing the answers was always the best method of passing the exams,
but you're never going to remember everything, and therefore, having the
resources by your side is equally as important.
Thanks for your comments Jim, why don't you (and your high horse) come on
over to the CertGuard Forums?! We can always use a little opposition and
fresh ideas.
Again, thanks
--
CertGuard
Get the new 'No Braindump' CertGear
http://www.cafepress.com/certguard
Post by Scooby"CertGuard" <CertGuard - The Stronghold for Excellence in IT
Post by CertGuardWell, here it is...Part deux!
The cheating industry that is devaluing IT certification - part two
http://www.networkworld.com/community/?q=node/13646
These are the other links I posted from the Part 1 post, in case ya
missed 'em. ;-)
http://www.networkworld.com/subnets/cisco/
http://www.networkworld.com/community/?q=node/13341
While I agree with you on concept about cheating hurting the
certification industry, I don't believe that is the real problem. You
could almost consider some of the ciscopress material as braindumps,
since it is meant to help you pass an exam. In the end, you aren't that
much closer to understanding the material, you just have learned enough
to pass the test.
Back in the early 90's, I started my networking career by going to
classes to get my Novell CNE. When I got all done, I was certified, but
I would have been scared to death to take over someone's Novell network,
even though I knew enough to pass the tests. This was long before the
days of readily available braindumps. Also, I've hired contractors with
certifications that didn't understand what they were doing - again before
the days of braindumps.
I think the real focus should be towards the tests themselves. I say
make these tests really hard, and open book/open resource. Then,
braindumps become useless. You would need to really understand what you
are doing to pass the test. Also, real life is open book. I use
resources all the time to complete my work. All good engineers know how
to be resourceful, not just apply what is in the memory banks. That is
really what needs to be tested.
Now, I understand that this would make testing more expensive, but I am
all for that. Personally, I despise paying $125 for a certification test
that really isn't testing my ability to do the job. I'd be much more
happy paying $500 for a more comprehensive open book test. And, I firmly
believe that a certification received from that type of testing would be
much more valued than today's paper certs.
I think Cisco has it right with their CCIE lab tests, although I do think
it should be a litte more open resource. Extremely comprehensive,
proctored and no way are you getting out of there with brain dumps. I'm
not saying every test should be quite this comprehensive, as the CCIE
tests are really expensive and long (a full day). But, I think this is a
good model that should be built on for the other tests.
So, in summary, I think the focus here is in the wrong place. You aren't
going to stop the brain dumps from happening. Try changing the testing
industry to give us tests worth a certification.
<Jim now gets down off his high horse>
Just MHO,
Jim