CF8 Certification, Here I Come!

Last year I got my first ColdFusion certification, just in time for a new version of CF to come out and make me feel like I was behind again. Since the test is only $150, I figure I might as well upgrade to a CF8 certification.

I've heard rumors that thanks to Ray, the CF8 exam is much tougher than the CF7 exam. And since it's going to be harder, and I really don't want to lose the "Advanced" level, I'm going to prepare pretty hard. Last year I did self-study, and it was pretty overwhelming -- there's just so much material and you don't get a great idea for what to study. This year, I'm going to prepare with the recently released CF8 Exam Buster training software.

I've already got it installed and gone through the first test, and I'm confident it's going to help me be prepared for the exam. I'll post again after I get my exam results and let you know what I think of CF8 Exam Buster, and whether or not I maintained my "advanced" level certification.

Posted in ColdFusion 8 | 5 Responses  

5 responses:

• Brian Simmons Aug 18, 2008 at 10:19 AM Hi Adam, the only thing I wanted to let you know about is: Adobe got rid of the Advanced Status designation. The ColdFusion 8 certification exam is now Pass/Fail, with 66% or above being a passing grade. I know some people like this, others don't. To each his/her own.
• Adam Aug 18, 2008 at 10:24 AM Oh, that kind of stinks. Oh well. :)
• Bob Aug 18, 2008 at 12:12 PM It's not so much that the exam is tougher, but that it is so inaccurate that people are being advised not to take it.
  
  According to Ray Camden, the CF 8 exam is really, really bad.
  
  http://www.coldfusionjedi.com/index.cfm/2008/6/3/Open-Letter-to-Adobe-on-Certification
  
  http://www.coldfusionjedi.com/index.cfm/2008/7/2/My-last-post-on-Adobe-Certification
  
  to quote Ray:
  
  “All in all, I think the test needs a lot of work. I do not think it should be taken in it’s current state. It is not quite as bad as I remember it from the review, but I cannot recommend someone pay for this test unless they have to for a good job. I can stand on my high horse all day and say what I want, but don’t be stupid. If you need the certification to pass, then take it. But outside of that, I’m suggesting folks avoid the test.”
• Adam Aug 18, 2008 at 12:42 PM Bob, thanks for the links -- that's some very interesting reading; and it certainly makes me question whether or not I'll continue to plan on taking the exam.
  
  This is the kind of conundrum I get myself into when I don't keep up with Ray's blog. (He just moves so fast!)
• Dave Shuck Aug 21, 2008 at 1:42 PM I went and took it yesterday and scored an 85, which really surprised me as there were only two questions that I simply wasn't sure on, and another couple that I felt could have been interpreted different ways with different results. I am guessing I didn't interpret them properly!
  
  FWIW, I didn't actually study, but instead got a copy of ExamBuster and just ran through the practice tests. I was getting 90-ish scores on all 6 tests in the practice so I just scheduled it and went and took it. I highly recommend that product since the questions are *very* similar to the actual exam.
  
  As for the dropping of "Advanced" status, I kind of think that sucks. It would be pretty easy for any schmo to go crap out a 66%, and to just lump all passing scores together is kind of weak. IMO