"So, a booth babe and a geek walk in to a bar..."

For both MCSA and MCSE 2000 and 2003, 70-620 ("Big Vista" exam) can be used to satisfy: core exam for client requirement OR general elective just not BOTH in the same track. In this post , I said that 620 can be used as a CLIENT ELECTIVE...

Hello. Apparently, even with YT out of the office, people were still able to accomplish things at MIcrosoft. Though this damages my sense of self-worth and hurts my feelings a little, I won't stop you from hearing the new bits, as follows: Lifecycle policies...

As of now, you can get going on your next exam knowing that if you don't pass it, you can take it again for free. A reminder of how it works, a complicated two-step process. Register for the offer FIRST via Microsoft.com Then register for your exam via...

Starting to find more and more MCPs in the Membership Directory , which is nice. Like Pedro in Colombia . Prompt as, that guy.

If you are waiting for your exam results from 71-620, you're not the only one... unfortunately. Usually beta testers will get their results in advance of the exam going live , but in this case something funky happened and beta results are delayed. I'll...

Definitely one of the most common questions I get from MCPs (particularly in India, I think) is on the status of your MCP or credential welcome kits. So, first let me say SORRY for those of you who are not sure what to do or waiting on your kit - I know...

Absolutely breaking news! Unless you already heard this from someone else, in which case, this is a breaking reminder! Second shot (the offer that gives you a second chance to pass your exam--free--if you fail it the first time) is available until June...

We have gotten requests from many of you in the community to provide some kind of support for Microsoft Certification communities in networking and community portals. Put a little Web 2.0 in your pipe and smoke it, for once , you've said. Per George...

Here's a dope new offer where you get free WS software if you take a certain WS2008 classroom course from our Certified Partner for Learning Solutions (CPLS). Here is where you can find participating CPLS and classes in your country or region. <URL...

http://www.microsoft.com/learning/mcp/certified.mspx

As of last week, the Windows Server 2008 technology specialist exams are live. If you weren't on the "first to know" list to get the announcement when they came out, and are just hearing this now, from me, you are the "second to know."...

Hello, this just in. new things in MCP benefits are now available online. Great! In addition to the Community Profiles I talked about already , MCPs now have access to the partner-level Knowledge Base . If you don't know what that means, it is a password...

FEBRUARY 2: ADDED NEW DATES AND BETA INFO, BELOW. For those of you who were asking about the 623 beta, thanks for your patience. Here's what's up: basically, we need to take more time on the MCITP-level Vista exams to make sure they’re right on, so...

This is the subject line of an e-mail I got from my manager last week. He somehow came across the numbers of certified professionals page , which happens to list a new certification, MCITP: US History Major , which happens to not exist. You do one little...

Exam 70-351: TS: Microsoft Internet Security and Acceleration (ISA) Server 2006, Configuring is now available at VUE and Prometric. When you pass 70-351, you earn a stand-alone certification: MCTS: ISA Server 2006, Configuration . Here's a sentence on...

Hi. I have this note to post from my friend Sarah, she's new to our team and is working on all things MCP. This is good news for you; she is smart and you'll like her. If you have 5 minutes or so, she'd love to hear from the certification community in...

Exam 70-401: Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager 2007, Configuring is available as of a few days ago, making it possible for you to earn your MCTS: System Center Configuration Manager certification in addition to the MCTS for Operations Manager...

Additional info on the exam insurance promotion we announced at TechEd. See earlier post . The marketing team here at Microsoft Learning and the TechNet team put together a deal whereby people who buy exam insurance and take their first exam by January...

Sounds like there are now two more months to get in on the TechNet Plus Direct offer of Exam Insurance fame. When you purchase Exam Insurance , register and take an exam by April 30, 2007 , you will receive a one-year subscription to Microsoft TechNet...

I know a lot of you are out there flashing your MCP wallet cards to get Much Respect...up in the Clubs, out in the Streetz. I also know that many of you have been wondering why the 'new generation' cards no longer list all of your certifications, resulting...

For those of you waiting on a welcome kit, thanks for hanging in there. I know that the team here is working with our shipper to get these out to you. As a reminder, this is re: the known issue of welcome kits not shipping as planned to those of you who...

Prometric posted an update on their partnership with us--touching on many of the points you have asked about; you should check it out . Your comments are welcome here, but send a copy of whatever you say to msledp@microsoft.com while you're at it. Here...

In addition to Bill Wall and George from MCP, we had Per Farny on the line in this morning's MCP program update. Per talked a little about the Ranger program. If you're interested in the advanced certifications from Microsoft, call in and hear what Per...

Hello? If you're so inclined, you may now certify on OCS. It takes one exam to earn Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist (MCTS): Office Communications Server 2007. This is one of the cool things of our "new generation" certifications - we want people...

Hello, it's me, on Prometric and the exam delivery decision. I have had a lot of conversations and e-mail exchanges with a lot of you--and it is clear that not everyone thinks this is the right decision. I respect that. But, here we are, still. We still...