New MCP policy?

I passed my 70-290 exam today and just happened to read the second page of my post-test printout, where is explains MCP. Under the section about Welcome Kits, it says, "Welcome Kits are made available upon completion of each Microsoft Certification (i.e. MCDST, MCSA, MCSE, MCTS, MCITP, MCPD, etc.) rather than upon completion of individual exams." So new MCPs don't get their Welcome Kit until they complete the whole certification? This doesn't apply to me of course, but I would be pretty PO'd if I was a new MCP candidate. Anyone know why they changed this?

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Comments

Slowhand

Mine said the same thing. What this means is, you won't get a new Welcome Kit for each test you do, but rather for each new cert you attain. You'll get one for MCP, having passed this test, but you won't get one for passing another exam. The next Welcome Kit with a certificate card and a paper certificate won't come until you're MCSA, MCSE, etc. . .

kujayhawk93

OK, good! The fact that MCP wasn't in the list, and the new certifications are, made me think they might have changed it.

Slowhand

They're a little unclear as to what they mean. A lot of people think they've earned multiple MCP's when they've taken two or three tests, but Microsoft only recognizes MCP as an individual that's passed any Microsoft professional certification. I'm guessing it's a way of saving some paper, saving some money, and driving it into people's heads that they haven't earned a new cert just because they passed a second exam.

plettner

I thought when I did my MCDST I wouldn't get an MCP kit - just the MCDST. To my surpise I got both!

Plantwiz

plettner wrote:

I thought when I did my MCDST I wouldn't get an MCP kit - just the MCDST. To my surpise I got both!

Well, you did complete two cert paths. 1 MS exam = MCP (doesn't matter which exam).
MCDST is 2 exams. MSCA = depends on path 70-210;215;218 plus A+;Net+ or A+;Server+ or the 2003 track. etc...

Slowhand

In case anyone is wondering on the specifics of the new certs. . . the MCSA/MCSE 2003 and MCDST generation of certifications are known internally by Microsoft as "MCP 2.0". The MCTS, MCITP/MCDP, and MCA certs will be known as "MCP 3.0".