- Microsoft Certification Levels
- The SharePoint 2010 Core Exams
- MCM and MCA
- Preparing for Exams
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The SharePoint 2010 Core Exams
The four core exams are broken down into two primary categories: SharePoint administrator (for IT Professionals) and SharePoint developers. They are also categorizes by the first two stages of Microsoft Certification (TS vs PRO). Table 1 summarizes the four exams.
Table 1. The four core SharePoint 2010 Certification Exams.
|
|
Admin/IT Pro |
Developer |
|
TS (hands-on focused) |
70-667 TS: Microsoft SharePoint 2010, Configuring |
70-573 TS: Microsoft SharePoint 2010, Application Development |
|
PRO (design-focused) |
70-668 PRO: SharePoint 2010 Administrator |
70-576 PRO: Designing and Developing SharePoint 2010 Applications |
The TS Certifications and Exams
Let’s start with the first level exams (the TS exams). There are two TS exams for SharePoint 2010, one for admins and one for developers. When completing either of these exams, you obtain a Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist (MCTS) for SharePoint 2010 certification (or simply TS: Microsoft SharePoint 2010) in that respective skill:
- The TS: Microsoft SharePoint 2010, Configuring for admins
- The TS: Microsoft SharePoint 2010, Application Development certification for developers
70-667 TS: Microsoft SharePoint 2010, Configuring
This exam focuses on the administrative aspects of SharePoint 2010 including deployment, upgrade, management, and operation on a server farm. For this exam, the candidate will want to be familiar with the configuration skills needed to administer a SharePoint 2010 installation. This includes being an IT administrator involved with SharePoint installation and configuration, experience with deployment and management of SharePoint architectures and solutions, proficiency in IIS 7.0, DNS, Active Directory, Windows Server 2008, and Microsoft SQL Server, and experience with Windows PowerShell 2.0 and command-line administration.
70-573 TS: Microsoft SharePoint 2010, Application Development
This exam focuses on the development aspects of SharePoint 2010, including hands-on experience with ASP.NET and C# (or VB.NET). This candidate should be a developer who works with Microsoft SharePoint 2010 to build web portals and integrate business applications. This includes writing code that extends SharePoint 2010, writing code for and test custom features in a SharePoint solution such as a Visual Web Part or Event Receiver, knowledge of Visual Studio 2010, and the ability to implement a solution designed by lead SharePoint Developer.
The PRO Certifications and Exams
Next, let’s move onto the second-level exams (the PRO exams). There are two PRO exams for SharePoint 2010, one for admins and one for developers. When completing either of these exams, along with its prerequisite exam, you obtain either the Microsoft Certified Professional Developer (MCPD): SharePoint Developer 2010 or the Microsoft Certified IT Professional (MCITP): SharePoint Administrator 2010. For these certifications, you’ll have to pass the TS exam, then take one of the following, depending on which certification you select. Let’s discuss each of those exams here.
70-668 PRO: SharePoint 2010, Administrator
This exam focuses on the design aspects of an overall SharePoint deployment. Candidates for this exam design and deploy Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010 infrastructures. These candidates are likely senior administrators who act as the technical lead responsible for the planning and deployment of SharePoint 2010 environments. This exam is case-study based and focuses on evaluating business requirements and then selecting the best solution elements.
70-576 PRO: Designing and Developing SharePoint 2010 Applications
This exam focuses on the design aspects of a SharePoint solution. Specifically, the candidate should have experience designing custom code for projects that are deployed to SharePoint servers. This includes technology selection, team development, and code deployment strategy. The candidate should have development team leadership experience and extensive ASP.NET and web development experience.