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Exam Difficulty?
It is very difficult to pass the ICCP examinations at the professional level (70% or more) without significant and diverse practical experience. The test items are developed by a highly divergent and broadly experienced group of subject matter experts made up of published authors, professors, practitioners and high performers on the ICCP examinations. Test items are classified according to 6 levels of difficulty, which match Bloom's Taxonomy of learning objectives quite closely. Without experience, most new entrants into the I.T. field pass between 50-69%. Various experienced individuals sometimes perform not quite as well as they expected: This may be due to their narrowly focused experiences in industry, lack of preparation, language issues or examination stress. Self Study programs and in-person review courses are critical to assisting individual to get prepared to take the examinations. The ICCP tests provide performance profiles which allows individuals and human resources personnel to figure out which areas of knowledge and skill need improvement. So in that sense the ICCP examinations can be used to perform a skills gap analysis for individuals. That is, the gap between what the job requires and the skills those individuals possess, so that a sound professional development program can be created for that individual. This is particularly useful for human resource departments and departmental managers who have to perform annual performance appraisals. Career Progression?
Getting certified will ensure that you receive more opportunities to move into another career or job. The certification provides evidence of your new capabilities and the professional nature of your knowledge. This will distinguish you from the crowd and raise your resume above others in the pile. Companies often do not want to pay for certification if that individual is looking to move to another company. If you are looking for promotion or another career within your organization, one way is for you to prove that you are serious about your profession, and are prepared to study and work hard, is to test yourself through attaining an ICCP credential. Companies often reward this kind of behaviour and pay for your training, professional development and testing. |
What Certification is BEST for me?
Holding an ICCP credential shows that you are current and wish to remain current as all certified professionals follow a credential renewal program. That is maintaining the currency of your knowledge once you've passed the examinations. While the ICCP credential is for life, much like getting a B.Sc., M.Sc. or Ph.D. and differs from the vendor certifications where newer versions of the software/hardware invalidate your hard earned credential. However to stay legally defensible in your work and professional practice you need to stay current with changing best practices. Additional credentials improve your marketability, significantly. By achieving a ICCP credential you are recognized as holding an equivalent professional status to that held by a Professional Engineer, Doctor or Accountant. In choosing to get an ICCP credential you also show that you can take initiative and manage your own career, and this is a trait that many employers look for in interviews and resume assessment. Today, recruiters and hiring managers are looking beyond the alphabet soup of vendor credentials and want to know they are hiring experienced, knowledgeable and initiative driven people, who compare well to the best the industry has ever developed. An ICCP credential raises your resume a great deal higher than the best vendor credential and right onto the "interview" pile. If a company doesn't select you first, from among its applicants to interview, then as a professional you should feel good about not getting an interview with that company, since that company may not be into "best practices" and "best talent". What will it cost me to get certified?
Typically, a person should budget a minimum of $1,200 which includes 3 exams and a selection of study materials.
If training is required before taking the examinations:
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