Microsoft Certified Professional

A MicrosoftCertifiedProfessional (MCP) is someone who has passed at least one certification exam for Microsoft's products (e.g. VisualBasic, Visual C++, SQL Server, Office, etc).

Passing sets of exams leads to additional certification titles, such as MicrosoftCertifiedSystemsEngineer? (MCSE), MicrosoftCertifiedApplicationDeveloper? (MCAD), MicrosoftCertifiedSolutionDeveloper (MCSD), MicrosoftCertifiedDatabaseAdministrator? (MCDBA), MicrosoftCertifiedTrainer? (MCT), etc.

For more information, see http://www.microsoft.com/traincert/mcp/.

Common Criticisms of Microsoft's Certification Exams

Too easy to learn enough material to pass exams without any practical experience
Too closely linked to Microsoft's marketing strategies
Earned certifications are lost whenever Microsoft introduces new versions of their products
Expensive - each test costs US$125 to take; several tests are required for the valuable certification levels; one must pay for training materials or courses. Certification seems to be primarily a function of how much money you are willing to spend, rather than how skilled you are.
Test knowledge of what the products' features are, rather than knowledge of how to make best use of them
Multiple-choice and choose-all-correct-answers formats lead to very superficial questions, and occasional trick questions, rather than real opportunities to demonstrate competence
Lots of nit-picky low-level questions requiring rote memorization; few questions about important principles and best practices
Widespread cheating (exam questions and answers posted on Web sites, for example)
Some employers put too much emphasis on Microsoft certification, automatically rejecting all uncertified applicants or automatically accepting certification as proof of competence
Annoying, archaic test software

With seven questions to go on my Solution Architectures exam, the test software crashed, requiring a reboot of the testing machine. I was impressed that the exam provided such a realistic simulation of day-to-day usage of MS products. Maybe getting too upset about the reboot would have resulted in a failing grade. -- KrisJohnson, MCP, MCSD, MCAD

MCSE is said to stand for "Minesweeper Consultant & Solitaire Expert."

Have we really advanced so far that the term "MCP" can now safely be used as a professional designation? In my youth (a quarter century and more agone) this meant "Male Chauvinist Pig", and was considered a scathing denunciation by some and a badge of honor by others. Are the social and political issues connected to this older meaning of the term now so thoroughly settled that the term itself has lost this association, and is free for re-use?

FWIW, I've never known the acronym to be associated with Male Chauvinist Pig, and I'm not all that young. -kj

(Not knowing how old any of you are, all I can say is that at 43 I have heard MCP used to denote a Male Chauvinist Pig. But I don't think it was much used after the 70's.)

Don't you mean "MasterControlProgram"? (shhh, I'm having a TronMovie flashback...)

That is the primary association in my mind as well. -kj

See SoftwareCertificationDiscussion, IsJavaCertificationWorthIt