Earn a Microsoft Specialist certification in Windows 7

MCP2000

Looks like you can get another certification before Win 7 rolls off. Has anyone that recently passed received the Microsoft Specialist cert from passing one of the 3 below?

https://www.microsoft.com/learning/en-us/specialist-certification.aspx

[h=3]Earn a Microsoft Specialist certification in Windows 7[/h]

[TH="class: col1 column"]Certification title
[/TH]
[TH="class: col2 column"]Optional training
[/TH]
[TH="class: col3 column"]Required exam
[/TH]

Windows 7, Configuring

6292

680

or

[TH="class: col1 column"]Certification title
[/TH]
[TH="class: col2 column"]Optional training
[/TH]
[TH="class: col3 column"]Required exam
[/TH]

Windows 7, Enterprise Desktop Support Technician

6293

685

or

[TH="class: col1 column"]Certification title
[/TH]
[TH="class: col2 column"]Optional training
[/TH]
[TH="class: col3 column"]Required exam
[/TH]

Windows 7, Enterprise Desktop Administrator

6294

686

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Comments

greg9891

Good info, very helpful as i am studying for my 70-680 as we speak.

majestic_pecan

I passed the 70-685 a few weeks ago and "Microsoft Specialist" does not appear on my transcript. I have "Microsoft Certified Professional."

MCP2000

Microsoft Learning added a note on the MCTS page stating that the MCTS: Windows 7, Configuring certification is retiring in the fall of 2015.

https://www.microsoft.com/learning/en-us/mcts-certification.aspx

No date was provided and I don't see the exam listed on the retired exams page yet.

https://www.microsoft.com/learning/en-us/retired-certification-exams.aspx

majestic_pecan

Just from looking at the updated Microsoft Learning page it looks like Microsoft is moving away from the multi-exam model for Windows 10, unless there are more exams to be announced. There is only one exam listed for Windows 10 certification, the passing of which bestows the "Microsoft Specialist" certification.
The 70-697 goes live on Sept. 1 so the 70-680 could be retiring as soon as that day, though I sure hope that isn't the case. There are going to be a few college and university students enrolled to train for an exam won't exist by the end of the semester.
Thanks for the heads up Microsoft. I thought they normally gave six months' notice before retiring an exam.

maelstrom3530

Ugh, I have my 70-680 scheduled for August 18th. I was planning to take the 70-685 shortly thereafter. I hope they don't kill the exam so soon.

Don't they realize that Windows 7 is still widely used in Enterprise? The vast majority of our client OSes are Windows 7. We probably won't ever adopt Win8 and go straight to Win10. I need the MCSA: Win7 for my job here.

*flails*

Oh well.

maelstrom3530

This is from: https://www.microsoft.com/learning/en-nz/retired-certification-exams.aspx

[TH="class: col1 column"][/TH]
[TH="class: col2 column"]Exam[/TH]

Retiring on November 30, 2015
70-687: Configuring Windows 8.1
70-688: Supporting Windows 8.1
70-689: Upgrading Your Skills to MCSA Windows 8
70-692: Upgrading Your Windows XP Skills to MCSA Windows 8.1

missjanaya

glad I read these forums. I think this might be a sign to do CCNA instead.

duttyfoot

I'm also studying to retake the mcts 70-680 and saw your post. I logged on to the microsoft link you provided and started chatting with someone from microsoft about the test. here is what he said when i asked about the test being retried

the MCTS certification title for 70-680 will retire Yes but again if you will pass 70-680 you will get Microsoft Specialist certification.

MCTS is no longer in development so most of the MCTS will retire soon. Now, the exam 70-680 will not retire only the MCTS certification so still you will get Microsoft Specialist certification if you will pass 70-680.

majestic i mentioned your question to the rep and here is what his reply was

Okay. Even if Windows 10 exam becomes available Windows 7 (70-680) will not retire yet based on what we got Windows 7 is in demand I heard that they will retire Windows 8 instead due to low demand. Windows 7 will remain in the market.

The guy from the web chat also sent me these links

https://www.microsoft.com/learning/en-us/specialist-certification.aspx

https://www.microsoft.com/learning/en-us/retired-certification-exams.aspx

majestic_pecan

I'm glad they backtracked and decided not to retire the 70-680, but this link makes it seem as if Microsoft considers Windows client exams to be below even MTA exams now. I don't know if they're trying to encourage more people to take MTAs or get people to jump straight to server exams, but unless the job market demands "Windows Specialist" certified employees there's no reason to pursue that cert.

MCP2000

Guess you can get it to help at your company's Microsoft Partnership status.

By passing a Microsoft Specialist exam, you validate your knowledge and skills in a specialized area of technology. Some Microsoft Specialist exams are included as requirements for Microsoft Partner Network competencies, which help distinguish your company from the rest in a particular technical discipline.

Fayz

Any news as to whether or not they will keep the MCSA title for Windows 10 or offer an upgrade path?

bacchus

from what i was reading, even though the qualification is retiring for the windows 7, the individual exams will still be available to do after november. is that right, or did i read it wrong?

TacoRocket

So what is the difference between this "Specialist" certification and the regular MCTS?

Fayz

I think you read right. That's what I read. The exams will still be available, but I think they are doing away with the MCSA for Windows 7.

TacoRocket

Fayz wrote: »

I think you read right. That's what I read. The exams will still be available, but I think they are doing away with the MCSA for Windows 7.

I know that. This page makes it seem different than the regular MCTS.

Fayz

Sorry my reply was meant for bacchus.

RellyRale

I just passed the 70-680 but i had the 70-685 already and it shows MCSA MCITP and this microsoft certified technology specialist on my microsoft transcript

Fayz

I thought they dealt away with the MCITP and MCTS titles.

culpano

MCTS still available for Windows 7. I am have booked 70-680 exam for December. I have decided to do this instead of 70-688 which is the second Windows 8.1 exam for the MCSA.

OctalDump

Fayz wrote: »

I thought they dealt away with the MCITP and MCTS titles.

There's still a bunch of MCITP and MCTS certs that you can still earn, but for they have stopped using these for new technologies. I think Windows 7 and Server 2008r2 are the most recent technologies with these designations. The MCITP equivalents in the new technologies (Windows 8 and Server 2012) are now MCSA and MCSE with the S standing for Solutions, and the A for associate and the E for Expert.

MCTS has been replaced with Microsoft Specialist

This is all fall out from the change away from MCSA/MCSE with Server 2008, and back again.

Microsoft doesn't usually retire certifications before retiring the exams necessary to gain the certification. The certifications then become de facto retired when none of the necessary exams are available.

What is strange is that the MCITP Enterprise Desktop Support Technician is still current when there is also MCSA Windows 7. Both are earned through 680 + 685. I am guessing this is just to answer the marketing question. MCSA has much broader awareness than MCITP, even though most of those people probably don't know what either particularly means.

The other important point, which some miss, is that once you gain the certification it is still valid even if MS retire it. The retirement is just for new people attempting to gain the cert. Given that many of the MS technologies stick around for a long time, retired certs can still be useful to have.

And the obligatory update that the retirement dates for MCSA Windows 7 and Windows 8, and the retirement date of the Windows 8 exams, have now been pushed out to 2016. It also appears that there might not be an MCSA for Windows 10, although a second Windows 10 exam will be available.

gncsmith

How long does someone have to complete the two Win7 exams?
I'm interested in completing them both and then moving to Server 2012.

OctalDump

gncsmith wrote: »

How long does someone have to complete the two Win7 exams?
I'm interested in completing them both and then moving to Server 2012.

There's no retirement date set at the moment. There was talk of the MCSA Windows 7 certification retiring, and MS were saying "Fall 2015", but they have stopped saying that. The exams themselves never had a retirement date set. They were proposing to change them to just a Specialist certification.

If you are interested in moving to Server 2012, then there is the option of doing 70-680 and 70-686 to get MCSA Windows 7 and also MCITP Enterprise Desktop Administrator, and then doing one more exam (70-417) to get MCSA Server 2012. It's fewer exams, although it covers the same material, so you sort of do need to know the same amount of stuff.

gncsmith

Thanks for the information OctalDump.

I'll be starting this week and was wondering how much time I had.

Swift6

maelstrom3530 wrote: »

This is from: https://www.microsoft.com/learning/en-nz/retired-certification-exams.aspx

[TH="class: col1 column"][/TH]
[TH="class: col2 column"]Exam[/TH]

Retiring on November 30, 2015
70-687: Configuring Windows 8.1
70-688: Supporting Windows 8.1
70-689: Upgrading Your Skills to MCSA Windows 8
70-692: Upgrading Your Windows XP Skills to MCSA Windows 8.1

Microsoft are retiring the Windows 8 upgrade exams on January 31, 2016.
70-689: Upgrading Your Skills to MCSA Windows 8
70-692: Upgrading Your Windows XP Skills to MCSA Windows 8.1

See 'Exams Scheduled to Retire' section.
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/learning/retired-certification-exams.aspx