View Full Version : WMUserscom Certification Exam
This is a new thread and is in response to MKR who asked:
I saw a message in webmethods certification page.
* What's on the webMethods 6 Exam? coming soon
When is it going to be alive?
Also, Dan, is there a "tutorial" for your certification exam?
Is there a "COST" factor associated with it?
Thanks
MKR
On Topic #1, webMethods is expecting to launch a webMethods 6 certification in Q2 2003. The exam's scope is not finalized but I am sure that the good folks of webMethods Educational Services will keep us posted about that.
On Topic #2, let's delve a bit deeper.
Yes, I expect there to be a cost to sit for the wMUsers.com Expert Certification. The cost is not known, but will be in the $200-$250 range. It will be a one-time fee for most -- each developer will have up to 3 chances to pass the exam before being required to re-register.
That is, pay once and get 3 chances to pass.
I will also publish guidelines/suggested study topics as well as create a new support section on the Web site for the exam. There will not be a tutorial, but I plan to draw most of the questions from the wMUsers.com forums. I believe that there is no better indication of "real problems that experts must be able to solve" than the ones found right here on our Web site.
The exam will be difficult and those who pass should truly be considered webMethods experts. The exam will not be for the weak.
One question that I have written invoves identifying the server.bat file and associating it with a Windows-based OS. It may seem esoteric, but experienced webMethods developers should be able to identify server.bat versus \i[server.sh}. That is just one example.
I am planning for a late-July/early-August release for the exam and, as always, I welcome your feedback. You can post to this thread, or email me personally at dan@wmusers.com.
nath2000
05-06-2003, 15:38
Hi Dan,
I do not have any idea about webmethods. I am planning to take the certification exam. I know that you have said that it is not for the weak. But what I want to know is, where do I start the first step. Where can download the software required. How could one get perfect in this. I have good back ground in programming skills and technical skills since I have done two Masters related to Computer science.
I have no resources except a computer at home. So is it possible to get experience in webmethods just sitting at home reading some material and downloading software(if possible for free).
Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
Nath
Hi, nath R.
Your first step should be to get a hold of the software. If you work for a webMethods customer or partner, this should be fairly simple. Talk to somebody in your organization who can provide you with the proper license keys and passwords, and you should be ready to go.
With your background, you should be well-equipped to tackle the technical side of Business Integration. I would recommend that you spend time reading magazines such as EAI Journal (http://www.eaijournal.com) and Optimize (http://www.optimizemag.com/) for more business-focused articles on the field. There are plenty more, but these are two that I read.
The webMethods Certification Exam does not require you to understand Business concepts behind Business Integration, but it certainly helps in the bigger picture. The wMUsers Expert Certification will cover a few high-level topics, but mostly from an architectural standpoint. For example, what is the role of a data target in a Hub-and-Spoke architecture?
You should first concentrate on the official webMethods Certification Exam. webMethods is currently working on the webMethods 6 exam and will release it in the coming weeks. The webMethods certification exams focus on basic webMethods Platform knowledge and are a prerequisite for the wMUsers Expert webMethods Certification Exam.
You can find more information about webMethods Certification here (http://www.webmethods.com/certification_program/1%2C1347%2C%2C00.html).
Best of luck with everything!
(Message edited by admin on May 07, 2003)
nath2000
05-07-2003, 15:48
Hi Dan,
Thank you for taking time to reply. That was very helpful. I have one more question. I was going through the webmethods website. In there it says there is no fee for taking the exam (for the first three attempts). And when I was going through the discussion form you said it costs around $ 250 . Can you give me some more details about this. And Do we take the exam sitting at home or or there are any particular centers that give this exam
Thanks again.
nath R
Hi, Nath.
About the webMethods-sponsored exam... The official webMethods-sponsored exam serves two functions to webMethods developers. First, it validates a webMethods developer's command of basic webMethods Platform concepts. Second, a "passing grade" differentiates one developer's expertise from another's expertise.
The wMUsers exam will raise the bar. By requiring each person sitting for the wMUsers Expert Certification exam to already have passed the official webMethods Certification exam, we can be sure that a baseline level of knowledge has been amassed. The wMUsers-sponsored exam, however, will be much more difficult than the official webMethods-sponsored exam.
A person who successfully completes the wMUsers Expert Certification exam can be considered a true expert. The answers to exam questions will be based in project experience and real-life development work. Unlike the webMethods-sponsored exam, you will not be able to read the product documentation as your sole exam preparation.
Did you know that some consulting firms have members of their sales force that are webMethods-certified developers? That gives the sales team an advantage in dealing with new clients, but of those certified salespersons, you will be hard-pressed to find more than a few who have actually installed, developed, or deployed a webMethods-based product.
As I mentioned earlier, the webMethods-sponsored exam establishes a baseline of product knowledge and everyone who is either a consultant or a manager/partner in a consulting practice should be certified if for no other reason than competitive advantage.
But, when everyone is certified or when a certification does not distinguish between an senior architect and a junior developer, how does a webMethods professional distinguish him or herself.
Think of the wMUsers Expert Certification exam like a Ph.D to the standard B.S. degree offered by webMethods.
wMUsers will charge $250 for the exam to ensure that only qualified applicants sit for the certification. We want to give developers and others a chance to further differentiate themselves with our "Ph.d" and an exam that costs nothing encourages people to take the test again and again until they achieve a passing grade. This defeats our purpose.
When the exam is ready, it will be completely Web-based and will be available from the wMUsers Web site. You may have noticed the "Get Certified (http://www.wmusers.com/getcertified/)" link on the upper-most navigation bar. That will include all of the materials and information that you will need to sit for and pass the exam. It will also include some sample questions for you.
I will be sure to keep everyone posted about the launch date of the wMUsers Expert Certification exam.
paulhasse
01-24-2006, 05:39
Hi
Is this certification still available? Has anyone taken it?
http://www.wmusers.com/getcertified/
mcarlson
01-24-2006, 07:57
paulhasse,
I don't believe the certification test was ever completed. If it was, I'm pretty sure it was not updated for the last couple of years.
See this thread (http://wmusers.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1440&highlight=certification) for more discussion on the value of certification.
Mark
paulhasse
01-24-2006, 08:01
Thanks Mark
paulhasse,
I don't believe the certification test was ever completed. If it was, I'm pretty sure it was not updated for the last couple of years.
See this thread (http://wmusers.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1440&highlight=certification) for more discussion on the value of certification.
Mark
Mark,
I have done my webMethods 6.1 certification recently. Do you suggest any other professional certification which can be complimentory with this?
Thanks
mcarlson
01-25-2006, 07:21
Dihimate,
I would focus less on a certification and more on education (online, classroom, self-study) that helped you gain real skills.
The skills I would focus on these days are XML schema,SQL and RDBMS design, web services (anything listed in the WS-I Basic Profile or WS-I Basic Security Profile), Java Messaging Service (JMS) and perhaps SOA Design.
Being able to discuss with confidence the core elements of these skill areas will go a lot further toward getting you a good integration developer position than listing a certification or two on your cv / resume.
Why didn't I list java? Well, I do think a basic understanding of java is necessary and sometimes absolutely critical. However, if you have java but lack the other things I listed you will be unprepared for most current integration assignments, IMHO.
Mark
Mark, that is quite useful.
Thanks a lot.