Time to Certificate!

Have any of you noticed how hot SharePoint products and technologies have become over the past year or so. According to industry sources, sales of SharePoint will top $1 billion this year alone. For our purposes, we must ask the question: "What SharePoint certifications are available, and how can I earn 'em as quickly as possible?"

As of this writing, there exist two Microsoft Certified Technical Specialist (MCTS) tracks for SharePoint Products and Technologies

Administration
Development

I am quite sure that Microsoft will eventually offer a premium Microsoft Certified IT PRofessional (MCITP) credential for each SharePoint specialty track.

SharePoint Administration Track

To earn your MCTS in Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 Configuration, you must pass the following exam:

Exam 70-631 TS: Windows SharePoint Services 3.0, Configuring

To earn your MCTS in Microsoft Office SharePoint Server (MOSS) 2007 Configuration, you must pass the following exam:

Exam 70-630 TS: Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007, Configuring

SharePoint Development Track

To earn your MCTS in Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 Application Development, you must pass the following exam:

Exam 70-541 TS: Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services 3.0 - Application Development

To earn your MCTS in Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 Application Development, you must pass the following exam:

Exam 70-542 TS: Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007 - Application Development

Remember that, at least as of this writing, Microsoft has an exclusive partner agreement withPrometric. Therefore, you cannot register to take a Microsoft exam with Pearson VUE.

If any of you have taken a Microsoft certification exam, you already know that "merely" possessing subject matter expertise is only half of the battle. That is to say, you must also hone your test-taking skills.

Test-Prep Resources

With regard to SharePoint study books, of course I am going to recommend that you subscribe to Safari Books Online and see what you can find.

Outside of Safari, most or all of the SharePoint titles from Microsoft Press are outstanding. What I particularly admire about MS Press books over the past few years is their trend to contract real-world industry experts as authors instead of internal marketing folks.

With respect to computer-based training, I would suggest Transcender, Boson, or ExamForce.

Please let me know if you have any questions by leaving your thoughts in the comments portion of this post. I am happy to help in any way that I can.