News
It's Official! NT 4.0 Exams Retirement Delayed Two Months
Microsoft also announces new Windows NT 4.0 "transitional" exam.
As we reported last week (see "Microsoft May Extend Deadline on NT 4.0 Exams",
http://www.mcpmag.com/2000news.asp?url=001208), Microsoft announced today the delayed retirement of the Windows NT 4.0 exams to Feb. 28, 2001. Microsoft hasn't budged on the upgrade deadline, which will remain December 31, 2001.
Microsoft accompanied the announcement with surprise news of a new exam targeted at assessing NT 4.0 skills. Details and release of the new, as-yet unnamed exam, haven't been released, but the exam, according to the Microsoft press release, will be based on "a new objective domain and entirely new exam questions." Microsoft says these questions will test skills in the ongoing maintenance and troubleshooting of NT servers, and the ability to perform incremental upgrades of NT clients to Windows 2000 Professional.
Microsoft makes a distinction between this exam and the upcoming exam, 70-222 Migrating NT to Win2K, which specifically tests migration from one domain structure to another, wholly different one.
The newly announced exam will be an MCSE elective only, with beta testing to take place during the second quarter.
Since announcing the retirement of the NT 4.0 exams and Windows 2000 recertification requirement for the MCSE track early last year, Microsoft has been under fire by NT-based MCSEs and MCSE candidates to offer an exam that can be used to validate experience with Windows NT 4.0.
For details and an FAQ on the NT 4.0 retirement extension the new NT 4.0 exam, go to http://www.microsoft.com/trainingandservices/default.asp and click on the link, "New Exam to Ease Transition to Windows 2000."