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Numbers Game

"MCP By The Numbers," a monthly update of Microsoft certification that we published in the magazine, now appears on Microsoft's MCP Web site. The numbers show up with a few interesting discrepancies.

"MCP By The Numbers," a monthly update of Microsoft certification counts by title, has been a small but popular feature of MCP Magazine and MCPmag.com (a feature that will continue). The numbers, which came from our sources within Microsoft, will now come directly from the MCP Web site at www.microsoft.com/traincert/mcp/certified.asp.

Microsoft Certifications Issued Last Three Months
(Source: Microsoft. Corp)
Title Aug. 13 Sept. 16 MCP Site (As of Oct. 14)
MCP 826,017 831,673 832,259
MCSE 487,695 489,495 146,373(a)
MCSD 36,894 37,823 37,357(b)
MCT 13,604 13,851 (c)
MCDBA 72,810 77,605 75,726(b)
MCSA 26,977 31,936 30,006(b)
MCP+Internet 229,172 229,124 (c)
MCP+Site Building 2,022 2,024 (c)
MCSE+Internet 12,395 12,394 (c)
MCAD 102 346 (d)
Certs Issued 1,707,686 1,726,271 (c)

We compared the numbers we published in the last two months of the magazine to the numbers posted on the MCP site (see chart) and a few discrepancies became immediately apparent:

  • (a) On the MCP site, MCSE only specifies those issued for Windows 2000.
  • (b) The MCSD, MCDBA and MCSA title counts have dropped since Sept. 16.
  • (c) The MCT, MCP+Internet, MCP+Site Building and MCSE+Internet titles have been excluded, as has the cumulative total of certifications issued.
  • (d) The MCAD is also missing; the MCP Web site says it'll be posted in November.

Now that Microsoft has posted the numbers on its Web site, will it offer more compelling numbers in the future? (We've always wanted to know how many developer certifications are issued in India, for example.) Microsoft hadn't responded to that question or the aforementioned discrepancies as we went to press.

About the Author

Michael Domingo has held several positions at 1105 Media, and is currently the editor in chief of Visual Studio Magazine.

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