what is the value of taking SCEA beta?

[Michael F Lee]

Just wondering, can I get a "certification" after taking the beta exam? seem not... but I see people are quite interested to take them, there must be other reasons...

[Nicholas Cheung]

Originally posted by Michael Lee:
Just wondering, can I get a "certification" after taking the beta exam? seem not... but I see people are quite interested to take them, there must be other reasons...

Why not?

You will get the certificate pack if you can pass all 3 tests, even it is a beta test.

Nick

[Hong Anderson]

Originally posted by Michael Lee:
Just wondering, can I get a "certification" after taking the beta exam? seem not... but I see people are quite interested to take them, there must be other reasons...

Of course. You will surely get the SCEA 5 certification if you pass the beta exam.

If Sun don't give the certification to who pass, why we test the test for them?

[Michael F Lee]

oh i see, so passing a beta exam give you certification too...

and most of them are free also? oh then it IS a good deal!
[ September 06, 2007: Message edited by: Michael Lee ]

[Theodore Casser]

Originally posted by Michael Lee:
and most of them are free also? oh then it IS a good deal!

Well, there is a trade-off. You're taking a longer exam (in terms of questions and time) and doing so before there is necessarily some kind of study material available, so you're taking it at an increased risk of failure. As mentioned, though, it is free, so there's that benefit to counter the downside.

It can be a good deal, but just remember the saying - there's no such thing as a free lunch.

[J Vallejo]

Does anyone know the exact number of questions for part 1 (beta). If not, can someone estimate a range (like 60 questions max) based on their experience with previous beta exams.

[Hong Anderson]

Originally posted by Theodore Casser:


Well, there is a trade-off. You're taking a longer exam (in terms of questions and time) and doing so before there is necessarily some kind of study material available, so you're taking it at an increased risk of failure.

I think failure in taking beta exam isn't anything bad, because it's free, right?

Besides, in spite of we fail, we still have benefits for what we have studied, and we also have experience with the SCEA beta exam, that will help when we go to take the official.

[Hong Anderson]

Originally posted by J Vallejo:
Does anyone know the exact number of questions for part 1 (beta). If not, can someone estimate a range (like 60 questions max) based on their experience with previous beta exams.

I don't know the number, but my estimation is the number of questions is not below 150.

[J Vallejo]

Originally posted by Kengkaj Sathianpantarit:


I don't know the number, but my estimation is the number of questions is not below 150.

Wow. 150 for beta versus 48 for the original scea exam? So does this mean that beta exams are usually 3 times the number of the original exam? If this is the case, there is indeed a greater chance of failure in the beta exam.

[Theodore Casser]

Originally posted by Kengkaj Sathianpantarit:

I think failure in taking beta exam isn't anything bad, because it's free, right?

Besides, in spite of we fail, we still have benefits for what we have studied, and we also have experience with the SCEA beta exam, that will help when we go to take the official.

Didn't say that failure is "bad", just that there's a trade-off (in terms of the studying being possibly more difficult for not knowing precisely what kinds of things will be asked, and for having to develop one's own study materials). I just see it as easier to do a released exam instead of a beta.

Originally posted by J Vallejo:
Wow. 150 for beta versus 48 for the original scea exam? So does this mean that beta exams are usually 3 times the number of the original exam? If this is the case, there is indeed a greater chance of failure in the beta exam.

Not really, since they take a subset of the exam questions you face to determine the score, rather than the whole thing. The only issue is what questions get pulled for that score - while it's still a similar distribution to what will be on the real exam, it's luck of the draw, and random chance might have them pulling only the questions you got wrong.