New NetBeans Certification

Posted by Sinlung
New year, new president...new certifications! Emmett previews a few of the latest exams to go live or beta in recent weeks. Plus, Books of the Week tackle VMware and Google.
by Emmett Dulaney  
1/21/2009 -- Sun has released a Sun Certified Specialist for NetBeans IDE 6.1 exam (CX-310-045) that consists of 61 multiple-choice questions for those who develop in the Java desktop. Available through Prometric testing centers, the cost is $300 and the passing score is 59 percent (36 correct answers). Here are the six sections that comprise the exam:
  • IDE configuration
  • Project setup
  • Java SE development
  • Java EE Web development
  • Editing
  • Testing, profiling and debugging
A complete list of objectives can be found here.
New Network+ Exam Now Live
In that same vein, on Jan. 9, CompTIA went live with the updated Network+ exam (N10-004). This test now consists of 100 questions (up from 90) with a passing score of 720 (up from 554) on a scale from 100-900. The old version of the exam will continue to remain available until July 31 to allow anyone still in training to finish their classes using existing material and earn the certification (good for life).
More information can be found here: http://certification.comptia.org/network/glancebox.aspx. The following is a list of the six top-level domains and their weighting:
  • Network technologies:20 percent
  • Network media and topologies: 20 percent
  • Network devices: 17 percent
  • Network management: 20 percent
  • Network tools: 12 percent
  • Network security: 11 percent
Oracle 11g Performance Exam in Beta
The Oracle Database 11g: Performance Tuning exam (1Z1-054) has now entered the beta phase, with testing scheduled to end March 31. The cost of the exam while in beta is $50 and it consists of 18 sections and between 180-220 questions. You can find a complete list of objectives here.
Book of the Week: VCP Exam Cram
The VMware Certified Professional Exam Cram by Elias Khnaser packs a lot of information in an easy-to-follow text.  It begins by looking at virtualization overall, then hones in on the intricacies of the ESX Server and the infrastructure you need to master this technology. By so doing, this is one of the few exam crams that actually serves double-duty: Not only can it prepare you to ace the exam, but it can also serve as a great reference tool after the fact.
As you read the book, it's easy to see and appreciate how well the author knows this material -- so well, in fact, that I feel confident saying that if you can't pass the VCP 310 exam with this book, you probably won't be able to do so with any other study aid.
Book of the Week: The Google Story
A number of books have been written about the hottest technology company of the past decade (if not ever), and David Vise's The Google Story is just one of them. What sets it apart from the others, however, is the fact that it has been updated and re-released with more current information about the company.
My favorite element is the inclusion of the Google Labs Aptitude Test (GLAT), which is used to see if you have the sort of intellect for the "mind-bending problems encountered each day at Google Labs." A fun read, "The Google Story" helps fill in the back story of a company you likely interact with on a daily basis.