News
Microsoft Certification Price Jumps
U.S. pricing for Microsoft exams through Prometric and VUE testing centers has increased 25 percent, to $125.
Microsoft Certification just got a lot more expensive. U.S. pricing for
Microsoft exams through Prometric and VUE testing centers has increased
25 percent, to $125.
The increase comes at a time of global recession, and speculation is
that the increase will help to offset the added cost of maintaining the
certification program’s quality. Andy Barkl, MCT and owner of WeTrainIT
in Glendale, Arizona, noticed that Microsoft is following suit with other
certification programs.
"Cisco exams were just raised to $125 also," Barkl notes, "and
CompTIA exams always have been more expensive than most."
The increase is likely to affect international pricing. Georges Thibault,
an MCT in Quebec, Canada, called the increase "ridiculous." He noted that
the exchange rate can translate to about $200 Canadian. "Why does Microsoft
have to make the certification process so expensive?"
To be fair to Redmond, though, it’s also true that Microsoft’s exam pricing
hasn’t changed in about seven years.
About the Author
Michael Domingo has held several positions at 1105 Media, and is currently the editor in chief of Visual Studio Magazine.