Microsoft slashes reseller exam prices

Vendor offers up to half off dozens of Competency exams

Microsoft is chopping up to half the price off dozens of its exams to help partners achieve Silver and Gold competencies.

The offer – which runs until 31 December this year – will see 40 per cent knocked off exams when purchased in a group of five, and when bought in packs of 20, the vendor will slash the costs in half.

The software giant is offering the deal on about 120 of its exams across a range of its products, including Office, Windows 7 and Windows 8, Dynamics CRM and SharePoint 2010.

At its Worldwide Partner Conference event in Houston last month, Microsoft rejigged its Partner Network (MPN) to further incorporate cloud into its Competencies. It also added a new badge to come into effect from next year – the User Experience Design Competency – which allows partners to train their designers and get them recognised for their expertise.

Bechtle's software manager Richard Gibbons said he thinks the move is an attempt by the vendor to reduce the costs of getting skilled up in light of its recent rejig.

"There is quite a focus on getting partners to earn Competencies, especially when they add new ones," he said. "We find [the offers] very useful and they are worth the investment to obtain.

"They have rejigged some of the Competency requirements and added a few new [ones], so it will be to reduce the financial cost of meeting any new requirements that have arisen."

Microsoft said the exam discounts are "the best way to get started" on meeting new Competency requirements or just to highlight their existing skills.