Howdy.
There has been a lot of discussion recently about the huge changes to the 70-282 exam, especially following people helping us with the 71-282 beta exam work. Having worked many hours as an investagtive reporter (at least 2) and searched many a rubbish bin, I now have a pretty good answer to what happened. I managed to get this statement from the "right people" inside Microsoft.
In short - 71-282 was a beta which had some things in it that did not make it into the final revised 70-282 exam.
"70-282 Clarification around the introduction of a new version of the exam
In Early 2006 Microsoft felt that exam "70-282 Designing, Deploying and Managing Network Solutions for Small and Medium-Sized Businesses" had not been performing at the Microsoft standard. Microsoft constantly reviews customer feedback and exam statistics, and determines if exam item changes or additions are required.
To keep this exam current and valued by our customers and partners, Microsoft revised the questions and carried out testing of the new exam with a cross-section of Microsoft Partners and internal staff. This group was made up of people who had sat the previous 70-282 exam and of people who had not yet sat the exam all coming from the Small Business Specialist Community or SBS MVPs. The beta exam was coded 71-282. Candidates who sat and passed 71-282 will be given credit for the 70-282 exam.
In March 2006, once testing was complete, the revised 70-282 exam was launched.
The exam format has changed slightly, but the content continues to reflect the required knowledge for designing, deploying and managing network solutions for the small and mid-sized business. To be successful, you will need adequate knowledge of Microsoft Small Business Server, Microsoft Windows Server and Active Directory. All existing training and prep materials contain information to prepare candidates for the current exam questions. There are several preparation options available depending on your experience and current knowledge levels. Details of training courses and materials are available at http://www.microsoft.com/learning.
Microsoft continually monitors the effectiveness of its training in preparing candidates for exams and your feedback is welcome. Equally, Microsoft monitors the effectiveness of its exams to ensure that candidates who pass are equipped to deliver solutions in live customer situations. In the event where exam integrity, customer feedback, or exam statistics are not normal, Microsoft will always act to restore integrity and reserves the right to alter specific exam questions at any time to achieve this. Such changes should not prevent individuals with the required skills and knowledge from passing the revised examinations."
If you want to add more feedback on this, please feel free to add comments to this if you want it to be public, or mail me privately at [email protected].
ttfn
David
Posted
Wed, Jul 5 2006 5:32 AM
by
David Overton