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notification for beta ms exams - how to get them? RRS feed

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    I've earned my first MCP in 2006 (and passed 6 exams since - I am MCP, MCAD, MCSD, 2 MCTS, MCSA).

    But I had  NEVER received any invitation or announcement for any of beta MS certification exams whatsoever.

    How to get Email notifications about (announcements of) beta exams?

    What is the official place/link to get actualized list of all available current beta ms exams?
    Guennadi Vanine -- Gennady Vanin -- Геннадий Ванин
    Wednesday, June 2, 2010 2:48 AM

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    All your questions are answered in this blogpost:

    http://borntolearn.mslearn.net/btl/b/weblog/archive/2009/09/25/understanding_2D00_the_2D00_beta_2D00_invite_2D00_process.aspx

    Rob.

    Wednesday, June 2, 2010 5:29 AM
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    Well, this does not answer my questions (I know how to google myself):

    1)
    how can I register for notifications/invitations?
    What should I do in order to get invitations

    2)
    where is the official/centralized site with the list of open MS beta-exams?

    PS
    One of the main motivation to get certified was that I read, at that time,
    that MCP gets invited and in first place.

    And now it happens it was wrong.
    Invitations are  on some voluntaristic amateur decentralized basis
    (someone browses forums? which? who? to send invitations) 
    and to everyone (except MCPs)

    Again I am MCP, MCAD, MCSA, MCSD, MCTS (I wrote wrong, I passed 8 exams) 

    Guennadi Vanine -- Gennady Vanin -- Геннадий Ванин
    Sunday, June 6, 2010 5:34 AM
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    All your questions are answered in this blogpost:

    http://borntolearn.mslearn.net/btl/b/weblog/archive/2009/09/25/understanding_2D00_the_2D00_beta_2D00_invite_2D00_process.aspx

    Rob.

  • Proposed As Answer byMarc Ambrosius Wednesday, June 02, 2010 8:53 AM
  • Marked As Answer byRubel Khan<abbr class="affil">Moderator</abbr>Tuesday, June 22, 2010 8:12 PM
  • Unmarked As Answer byGuennadiy Vanine 6 hours 33 minutes ago

    • Let me tell that this article answers neither all questions nor very simple and strighforward questions:
     Which site, forum or blog should I monitor in order to  know (better notified, even better - invited to) in time about beta exams?
    How to be invited?
    How to enroll me into SME database?
    What is SME database and where is it?

    Even more, cited blog article is misleading.
    It has broken link, vague references and terms (who are "we"?),
    it gives the wrong impression that invitations are based on activity in forums or newsgroups. 
    Just yesterday I found Visual Studio 2010 Beta exams Announced

    In     January-March, 2010, I was Top Answerer (and submitter) in Visual Studio 2010 forum. I was not invited. I was not notified. I did not even know that beta exams on VS2010 were announced or being tested or prepared!
     
    And last but not least.
    Can I mark what is answer to my own questions?
    Why are the wrong posts are  marked as answered by moderators?
    I

     

     

    Guennadi Vanine -- Gennady Vanin -- Геннадий Ванин
    Sunday, June 27, 2010 4:24 AM
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    How to get into SME database (MS beta exams candidate pool)

    History (changed later):
    Corrected the link
    Guennadi Vanine -- Gennady Vanin -- Геннадий Ванин
    Sunday, June 27, 2010 8:42 AM
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    First of all, The links to the SME database  worked when I posted the answer,
    I don't now what happened in the mean time, I'm not in charge of that website.

    I still hold that everything is explained on that page, but I will give a summary here
    (Remember that I'm just sharing the info, I have nothing to do with running
    the program or the blog)

    First of all, all betas have a limited number of places, full=full

    There are two types of Beta's, the ones that you get Invited to and the ones that are open to everyone

    1. Invite only beta's

    To have a chance to be invited you need to create a profile on this Site: https://connect.microsoft.com/site862
    you do this by logging in with your liveID and answer the questions in the survey
    Whether or not you get a invite depends on the answers you give and if there are more
    candidates that places for the beta, the luck of the draw
    The invites are send to the email adress that is associated to your LiveID, so make sure this adress is current/correct

    2. Public beta's

    These are announced on the same blog the article I pointed to before was posted:
    http://borntolearn.mslearn.net/btl/b/weblog/default.aspx
    typically Public betas happen only if there aren't enough candidates that registered from the invite process
    and there places unused.

    General observations:

    The beta process is intended to test out the exam questions, not to give people a free shot at a exam
    that you can take the exam for free is just a side effect of the process
    so:
    Only take a beta exam If you have experience with the technology the exam is about
    If you spot a problem with a question, fill out a comment.

    Rob.

     

     

     

     

    Sunday, June 27, 2010 8:54 AM
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    See https://connect.microsoft.com/site862

    Aditional remarks:

    Note that you will need to sign in with a Windows Live ID and register on Connect before you can access the survey.

    and make sure you tick:
    I authorize MSL to share the information that I have provided in this survey and the information I provided when I registered on the Connect site with content development and SME recruitment vendors, and understand that vendors may contact me about development opportunities.

    Because otherwise you won't get invited

    Rob.

    Sunday, June 27, 2010 9:12 AM
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    Rob, thanks for your information and answers.

    I hope you understand that I am irritated with the stealthy nature of beta exams program (and their announcements) but not by those who tried to help me!

    And of course I spotted through your link the necessary info.

    Your answers were helpful but they are not the, in my p.o.v., the answer to the fact that I clearly remember that when I started to spend money on MS certifications there was a clear promise of MCP's involvement in beta exams (through MCP flash newsletters).
    And! this was a lie!

    When I first answered to you on 06/06, the link was already broken.
    well, if to browse http://borntolearn.mslearn.net there are quite a lot of broken links on key topics of beta exam process leading to nowhere

    And googling was not straightforward without knowing SME and SML acronyms.  

    Guennadi Vanine -- Gennady Vanin -- Геннадий Ванин
    Sunday, June 27, 2010 1:22 PM
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    I still could not get the point why beta exams are made available to general public but certified specialists are not being notified or invited through MCP channels?

    http://borntolearn.mslearn.net/btl/b/weblog/archive/2009/12/01/there_2D00_once_2D00_was_2D00_a_2D00_beta.aspx
    "the seats filled up within a couple of hours from when registration opened"

    "A couple people who received notifications posted the beta code on their blogs. I guess it’s possible that these people didn’t consider that posting the beta code would be unfair to others who had submitted SME profiles. Going forward, folks who publicly post a beta code before it is available on Born to Learn may be removed from the SME database"

    Well, it is not couple and it is not once.
    Funny that people give out them in their blogs without even hiding their identity. 

    Even more, I could not identify the central place of announcements. They are scattered between blog articles, forum posts (in different forums).

    Is the purpose of registration of SME profile 
    - for inviting without any previous notice, advance? to amke it unpredictable?
    - to make it stealthy and hidden?

    It is unreasonable to expect that real specialists interested in beta exams are going to burn their time hunting or reserving their time (adjusting their palns) for short-notice openings.

    What's the sense in this separation from MCP channels/communities?

    Guennadi Vanine -- Gennady Vanin -- Геннадий Ванин
    Wednesday, June 30, 2010 4:58 AM