70-417 Upgrade Exam

nerdinhiding

From what I have heard is the 70-417 exam a limited time offering? Is it really set to expire July of 2014? I just passed the 640 and have the 646 left to complete, enrolling in WGU soon, so I am trying to get my long term plan together.Thanks.

Asif Dasl

You still have plenty of time to finish MCSA 2008, it won't be retired until July 2014. And they may even extend that date - you never know. 70-417 isn't a limited time offered exam, it's the upgrade exam from MCSA 2008 to MCSA 2012.

Check out the MCITP page for information on the exam retirements associated with MCSA 2008.

nerdinhiding

Maybe I am crazy but I swear I read somewhere that the upgrade exams were only offered for a limited period of time. I hope to complete the 646 within the next 2 months or so.

Slowhand

No, the 70-417 will not expire on July 31st of 2014, nor will the exams you're in the process of taking. The MCITP certification series is going away, MCITP: Server Administrator will be called MCSA Windows Server 2008 from here on in, and there is no retirement date set at this time for that certification.

Also, if you pass the 70-646 exam before July 31st of this year, you'll be receiving both the MCITP and MCSA credentials on your transcript.

nerdinhiding

Thank you guys, that's good to hear.

Slowhand

You may be thinking of the upgrade from the 2003 certs to the 2008 ones, which are in fact going to be retired. The reason for this is that the Windows Server 2003 certifications are going to be retired very soon. Once you can no longer take the existing certs, they won't let you take the upgrade exam either.