This Video looks at current/old Certification paths of Microsoft Certifications like MCSA and the new MCSE certifications.

Microsoft has arranged their certification into a pyramid. The positions of the pyramid indicate the difficulty of obtaining that certification. If you are new to certification you should start at the associate level. In order to obtain a higher level you will need to obtain the level below. For example, to obtain the expert level you will also need to obtain the associate level. Refer to http://www.microsoft.com/learning/en/us/certification/cert-overview.aspx

MCTS (Associate) Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist certification is being retired. Current MCTS exams will be expired when mainstream support ends. In order to obtain an MCTS you will need to complete 1 to 3 exams depending on which MCTS you go for. Currently there are 20 different technologies that you can get MCTS. Microsoft has stated that no new MCTS certifications will be created. http://www.microsoft.com/learning/en/us/certification/mcts.aspx

MCSA 2008 (Associate) Microsoft Certified Solutions Associate looks at configuring and supporting an Active Directory environment using Windows Server 2008. In order to obtain this certification you need to pass the following 3 exams. 70-640 Active Directory 70-642 Network Infrastructure 70-646 Server Administrator If you want to update an MCSA 2008 to an MCSA in 2012, you can sit the 417 exam which is available to 31th July 2014. For these reasons, if you have already passed exams for MCSA 2008, it may be worth your time completing the MCSA 2008 and upgrading rather than starting again on the MCSA 2012 certification. http://www.microsoft.com/learning/en/us/certification/cert-windows-server-2008MCSA.aspx

MCSA 2012 (Associate) Microsoft Certified Solutions Associate 2012 is aimed at supporting Windows Server 2012. In order to obtain this certification you need to complete 3 exams listed below. 410 Installing and Configuring Windows Server 2012 411 Administering Windows Server 2012 412 Configuring Advanced Windows Server 2012 Services http://www.microsoft.com/learning/en/us/certification/cert-windows-server-MCSA.aspx

MCITP (Expert) Microsoft Certified IT Professional is being retired. As new technology is released, the relevant MCITP certification is being retired. Currently almost all MCITP certification except Exchange, Sharepoint and Lync have expiry dates of July 31 2013. Some MCITP certification based on technology earlier than 2008 will be retired on September 30 2012. When new technology to replace Exchange 2010, SharePoint 2010, and Lync 2010 has been released, these certifications will also be retired. If you have obtained any of the 5 MCITP certifications listed below you can sit the 417 exam to upgrade your certification to MCSA 2012. MCITP: Virtualization Administrator MCITP: Enterprise Messaging Administrator MCITP: Lync Server Administrator MCITP: SharePoint Administrator MCITP: Enterprise Desktop Administrator MCSA: Windows Server 2008 http://www.microsoft.com/learning/en/us/certification/mcitp.aspx

MCSE (Expert) Microsoft Certified Solutions Expert was previously known as Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer. It was retired and replace with other certifications like MCITP and MCSA. This confused a lot of people as MCSE was seen as a brand name. The problem with the old MCSE was that some people objected to the term Engineer. To get the brand name back and to remove the Engineer from the name, certification was renamed to Microsoft Certified Solutions Expert. Unlike the previous Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer, Microsoft Certified Solutions Expert looks at solutions based on the current technology at the time. In order for someone to keep an MCSE certification, they will need to recertify as new technology is released. This is different from the old MCSE which was based on one technology.

In order to obtain an MCSE you first need to obtain an MCSE 2008. Once you obtain this certification you have a choice of 3 different MCSE certifications listed below. Each MCSE certification requires 2 more exams. Desktop Infrastructure 415 Implementing a Desktop Infrastructure 416 Implementing Desktop Application Environments Server Infrastructure 413 Designing and Implementing a Server Infrastructure 414 Implementing an Advanced Server Infrastructure Private Cloud 217 Configuring and Deploying a Private Cloud with System Center 2012 246 Monitoring and Operating a Private Cloud with System Center 2012 http://www.microsoft.com/learning/en/us/certification/mcse.aspx

MCSM (Expert) Microsoft Certified Solutions Master, formally Microsoft Certified Master, is the highest level of certification that you can obtain. In order to obtain this certification, you first must obtain the certification in the area you want to master certification. Once you obtain this certification, you can apply to Microsoft for the master certification. Microsoft reviews your experience in order to determine if you can achieve this certification. This is the hardest certification to get as it not a matter of sitting a test. Microsoft has to believe that you deserve this level of certification. http://www.microsoft.com/learning/en/us/certification/mcsm.aspx

MCSA Windows 8 An MCSA in Windows 8 is achieved by passing the 687 and 688 exams. This certification does not give credit towards any other certifications and is standalone certification.

Booking the exam To book the exam and get more information about testing locations, visit http://www.prometric.com

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