Thursday, April 2, 2009

MySQL Certification Exams at the Users Conference

There will be big changes for those taking certification exams at the MySQL Users Conference. Once again we are offering $25 MySQL exams which is a big discount from the regular $200 price.

Last year we ran the exams as a drop-in service and it was well received. So we will continue to run it as a drop-in service. No need for an appointment. We will be in the Magnolia Room from 8:30 AM to about 4:00 PM but will not let anyone start an exam later than 3:00PM.

Be sure to bring your WiFi enabled laptop! Last year we killed a lot of trees and got a big workout printing thousands of exams and moving them around. This year the exams will be online. We will be reserving some hard lines for those taking the hands-on DBA 5.1 exam as they need to connect to the virtual servers in Colorado (that is if the O'Reilly folks can get the network gear) but everyone else will be using the wireless connections. Last year the wireless was heavily saturated at lunch and break times but the O'Reilly folks say that is a thing of the past (but please note this as a warning that the wisest of the exam takers will plan their exam times not to overlap major breaks and lunch).

What exams are offered? The Associate exam, the 5.1 Cluster DBA exam, the 5.0 DBA exams (both I and II), the 5.0 Developer exams (both I and II), and the new DBA 5.1 hands-on exam. We will not have study guides on hands so plan accordingly. And Kai Voight is presenting a DBA Certification tutorial on Monday and I highly recommend it to those taking any of our exams.

I had hope to offer the new 5.1 Developer exam but it is still being incubated.

If you have never taken a MySQL exam before, please go to http://www.pearsonvue.com/mysql and create an account. We hand the exam records off the information you enter there and not having and account will slow down processing for your exam. So take it easy on the MySQL Certification Team and your results will be sped to you.

And I am supposed to talk on Tuesday in the Magnolia room (where we have the exams) on MySQL Certification. If you have questions or want to help plot the future, please be there.

6 comments:

Sheeri K. Cabral said...

How/where do you pay? US $25 cash at the door when you walk in? Personal check? Paypal? Credit card? What about international folks?

Dave Stokes said...

Sherri -- Oops, I forgot that part! O'Reilly will be selling 'vouchers' for the exams and the tradition exams (Associate, Cluster, 5.0 DBA and 5.0 Developer) will be delivered on software that can take credit cards. For the DBA 5.1, candidates will need pay the O'Reilly folks (pre-registration or at the registration desk) as it has no hooks for credit card processing.

GoLo said...

great!

I'm studing for the Cluster cert, and the new 5.1DBA looks really cool...

I'll be there!

It's great not to need an appointment, I wasn't thinking on the certifications when I registered.

Percy Rojas said...

If i pass this 5.1 perf based DBA exam, which certificate do I get, Mysql DBA 5.1 ???. Please confirm, I have looked everywhere, If so I will take it!!!!!!

Dave Stokes said...

Percy -- yes, if you pass the DBA 5.1 exam you will earn a 5.1 DBA Certificate.

Etuhs said...

As one who has taken the new test, it's a very practical exam. For the price it is worth taking.

Just got to get this certificates delivered. :)