New Microsoft online-exam rules spark cheating fears
Some resellers worry online exams may devalue accreditations
Microsoft's plans to allow resellers to sit some competency exams online have divided the channel, with some claiming the move could easily allow candidates to cheat.
Last month, Microsoft fired the gun on a US pilot scheme which meant reseller staff could sit Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP) and Microsoft Technology Associate (MTA) exams online for the first time. Before this, the tests had to be completed in designated centres, which is still the case outside the US until the new year, when the scheme is expected to be rolled out more widely.
Microsoft claimed the initiative – which is in association with its new certification partner Pearson VUE – makes the qualifications "more accessible than ever" and "harnesses the cloud".
But as UK partners prepare for the changes to come in, some have raised concerns about how rigorous online test conditions are.
"The exams won't really be under test conditions anymore," said Andy Parkes, technical director for IBIT solutions. "There's nothing from stopping anyone looking online and this may devalue the worth of them."
Paul Dadge, managing director of Microsoft partner PC Paramedics, agreed.
"Any exam that is carried out remotely has the potential for cheating and this is one of the benefits of test centres," he said. "I wouldn't want to see a situation where exams were devalued because of techies pooling around a PC while a colleague carried out their exam."
Microsoft insisted it is taking measures to ensure maximum security during exams – it said that candidates will have to complete a range of identification checks before they sit the exam and that an examiner must be present via webcam at all times.
NCI Technologies' managing director Andy Trish agreed that security was an issue, but broadly welcomed the news.
The nearest exam centre for his Cornwall-based reseller is about an hour away, Trish said, meaning the chance for staff to take the test from home or in the office will be great.
"It is certainly more flexible for partners as they can do it at their desk," he said. "There is no increase in cost either, which is good. Looking at the long term, not having to drive for an hour, sit the exam for four hours and then drive back for another hour will be good. It can take several exams to be qualified."
PC Paramedics' Dadge agreed that it will save his firm time. "I would say that any initiative like this will help small businesses as time is precious for staff to be out of the office," he said.
Kelvin Kirby, treasurer of the International Association of Microsoft Channel Partners, said security issues were "clearly a concern" but that the changes were necessary.
"It had to come in simply because so many other certifications awarded by other bodies can be taken online," he said. "There is pressure from Microsoft's peer group which are doing something similar too."
He added that during the summer, Microsoft changed its examination partner from Prometric to Pearson VUE, meaning the number of the former's testing centres has more than halved since, making in-person exams difficult.
"January and February is a key time for taking exams to meet the requirements of [accreditation] renewals, but you can't take the exams then because the centres are all booked up," he said. "Going online will be a big advantage."