MCTS for 2.0 & 3.5 Question

chouputra

Hi guys,

I am working my way to get MCTS for ASP.Net but I am confused if I should get both cert on 2.0 and 3.5 or just 3.5? I am a web developer working with both 2.0 and 3.5. Please advice.

chouputra

Just in case nobody understand my question, what I am trying to ask here is if getting a cert for .Net framework 3.5 shows that you understand both 2.0 and 3.5 or do we have to take both?

tjcasser

I think they're somewhat different - bear in mind that the 3.5 exams are more specific (six 3.5 exams instead of three 2.0 exams) and cover slightly different ground. That said, I'd start with 536, which shows - to me - sufficient competency with the language in general, and then worry about the other exams in their turn.

JDMurray

The MCPD 2.0 certs (for VS.NET 2005) can be upgraded to MCPD 3.5 (for VS.NET 200 by taking an additional exam. Also, the 2.0 and 3.5 cert tracks will both be available together for some time.

If you have already partially completed the 2.0 track, you might as well finish it and upgrade to 3.5 when it is released. The 3.5 track was originally scheduled to be released in March 2008, but "Coming soon" is all I still see on microsoft.com.

Microsoft Visual Studio 2008 Certification

Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist (MCTS)

Microsoft Certified Professional Developer (MCPD)

tjcasser

JDMurray wrote:

If you have already partially completed the 2.0 track, you might as well finish it and upgrade to 3.5 when it is released. The 3.5 track was originally scheduled to be released in March 2008, but "Coming soon" is all I still see on microsoft.com.

Latest from the blogs of the folks in the know at Microsoft is that the MCPD exams for .Net 3.5 will be out in November, so I'd expect that the upgrades will be out around then too.