Taking and passing up to two Technology series exams earns the candidate the MCTS (Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist) credential for the particular technology the exam(s) relates to. There are a number of different exams/tracks to choose from, with each one concentrating on a particular Microsoft technology. Although the MCTS certification is Microsoft’s new foundation credential, it is geared toward both experienced and not-so-experienced professionals alike.
The exams for MCTS certifications test a candidate’s knowledge of the technology rather than specific job skills, and depending on the MCTS certification track chosen, the candidate need only pass one or two exams to gain the MCTS credential. This credential is for candidates who wish to focus on a particular Microsoft technology, and is a pre-requisite for going on to the Professional range of certifications such as the MCITP and MCDP. Related work experience is not a pre-requisite to gaining the MCITP certification, but obviously hands on experience with the respective technologies will be an advantage.
At the time of writing (early 2006) there are 5 different MCTS certifications available, but more will be rolled out in the near future as Microsoft releases new platforms and technologies. The current offerings are (click on the links for more detail):
- MCTS: .NET Framework 2.0 Web Applications (two exams)
- MCTS: .NET Framework 2.0 Windows Applications (two exams)
- MCTS: .NET Framework 2.0 Distributed Applications (two exams)
- MCTS: SQL Server 2005 (one exam)
- MCTS: BizTalk Server 2006 (one exam)
A separate MCTS certification is awarded to candidates for each of the individual MCTS tracks, so a candidate can become MCTS certified in a number of tracks if he/she wishes. The MCTS credential, like nearly all Microsoft certifications, is valid as long as the technology to which it is tied remains current.
