Date:         Mon, 26 Apr 1999 11:49:27 -0500
Reply-To:     Jaclyn Whitehorn <jaclyn@BAMA.UA.EDU>
Sender:       "SAS(r) Discussion" <SAS-L@UGA.CC.UGA.EDU>
From:         Jaclyn Whitehorn <jaclyn@BAMA.UA.EDU>
Subject:      certification tests (long)
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii

Since we all seem to be in such a WONDERFUL argumentative mood today
("Sir Flamebait" is definitely my favorite so far!) I thought I would
bring in more controversy.  :)
 
I am still trying to figure out from the general tone of conversation
whether the SAS-Lers who have spoke out against certification are
against (a) the entire idea of certification or (b) the particular way
SAS Institute is going about it.  I am also curious as to how this is
going to affect new SAS programmers -- while certification is no
replacement for experience, can it help new people get their feet in the
door?  Does it answer the question "How can I get experience if you
won't give me the job without it?"  OR will the established SAS gurus
(as nice and pleasant as you all are, of course) look down upon those
who do get certified?
 
Also, I wanted to point out that a company called Tekmetrics (
http://www.tekmetrics.com/ ) also offers SAS programmers certification.
AND for a limited time, the on-line tests are FREE, which gives an
excellent opportunity to see how a third-party test is set up. (They'll
hit you up for money next year when your certification expires!)  Some
interesting differences are:
1 - The Tekmetrics test is on-line and not proctored.  They encourage
prospective employers to retest in secure settings.
2 - The tests are open book.  However, you only have three minutes per
question.  I thought that was a nice compromise -- you need to know what
you are doing, but it isn't completely memorization.
I haven't taken the SAS test yet, but I did take the HTML one and
thought it was fairly well set up.
 
I am very interested in hearing some other thoughts on the subject.
Have a nice day!
 
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   Jaclyn Whitehorn  *  User Service Consultant
Seebeck Computer Center  *  University of Alabama