February 21, 2011 at 1:08 am
I was on a Firebrand MCITP SQL Server 2008 BI course a couple of weeks ago. There were 14 candidates and only 1 passed both exams. The 70-448 Pass rate was 7% at first attempt and this rose to 21% after the second attempt.
The exam seems to have become more difficult and there is a rumour that MS have raised the standard to make it more difficult for Gold Partners to meet their requirements.
February 21, 2011 at 1:50 am
I can understand the reason why MS are doing this, it adds on a degree of elitism to the Gold Standard, as it was very very easy to get a Gold Partnership prior to the changes, especially when you also qualify for 200K+ of free software.
What I dont get is why the BI exams arnt split into three seperate exams which would make it similar to the .Net equivalent. That would allow a more focused and detailed understanding of the technologies.
On a Sidenote, I'm due on the same course at the end of March, so we'll see how that goes.
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SSC Guide to Posting and Best Practices
February 22, 2011 at 11:59 am
I've done the MCTS BI exam in November 2010 and the MCITP BI exam this January, and I didn't notice anything abnormaly difficult. Maybe different region equals different questions?
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February 23, 2011 at 1:09 am
Koen Verbeeck (2/22/2011)
I've done the MCTS BI exam in November 2010 and the MCITP BI exam this January, and I didn't notice anything abnormaly difficult. Maybe different region equals different questions?
I doubt that, as its going to be a pretty standard test around the globe otherwise you wouldnt be able to transport the qualification.
It would be interesting to know how much experience of the toolset that the origianal poster had, as I understand it this is a great help and the Firebrand course is more a case of revision and filling in the gaps of your understanding, than a 'training' course.
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SSC Guide to Posting and Best Practices
February 24, 2011 at 6:51 am
I only did the MS instructor-led courses once and realized they were a waste of time/money and covered in class maybe 10% of what's on the test. Since then, for the exams I wanted to take and the certifications I wanted to attain, I studied for on my own and had much more success.
March 2, 2011 at 3:48 am
As Jason said, Firebrand courses are very intensive revision courses. If attendees have little or no prior knowledge of the technologies involved in the course, then they are unlikey to pass first time round. If you already have experience of the technologies, then they are great for revision and plugging gaps in your knowledge.
BI is certainly not an area where you can turn up, do the course and get the certification if you don't already know the subject.
March 2, 2011 at 12:35 pm
The previous pass rate for that trainer at that venue has been around 80%, to suddenly drop to 7% was shocking for the trainer, he thinks the exams must have been more difficult, the question is whether this is a one off or a trend?
March 7, 2011 at 10:41 am
I did my SQL 2005 BI with Firebrand and the pass rate was pretty good for that. In fact everyone passed the course (10 people) with 8 on their 1st attempt and 2 on their 2nd. If the pass rate is now 7%...that is either a big difficulty spike, or people with less experience are now attempting it!
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