absolute greenhorn: 486 test question

[Guennadiy VANIN]

I worked some years ago with UML and found Test 486 interesting to get certified and find job related to it. I looked over IBM, javaranch sites and could not understand or rather came to unfortunate to me conclusion that just one test does not make sense, i.e. does not lead to any certification. Is it wrong?
2)What are 1Z0-513 or 1H0-713 for? in

Object-Oriented Analysis and Design with UML
Test 486 (or 1Z0-513 or 1H0-713) Objectives

[Theodore Casser]

The other exam numbers for IBM's exam #486 (you'll see similar schemes elsewhere on their site) are for other vendors of the same exam. 486 is the JCert Level II cross-vendor exam for OOAD with UML.
Just like IBM lists an exam 155 for Java - it's the 310-025 exam offered by Sun, just with IBM's internal number. (No matter who you take the exam through, be it Sun or Oracle or IBM, Sun issues your certificate for passing the SCPJ2 exam.)
As for whether or not one exam makes sense to get certified... no exam-based certification is a conclusive proof that you know what you're doing. It's a statement that you have a baseline knowledge of a given topic but that's really about it. I can't, however, think of a practical means to certify the depth of one's knowledge in a format that would lend itself to testing.
------------------
Theodore Jonathan Casser
SCPJ2 and SCWCD
IBM Certified Specialist - WebSphere Application Server, Std. Ed, V3.5
[This message has been edited by Theodore Casser (edited November 14, 2001).]

[Guennadiy VANIN]

Interesting, revealing (new) to me.
But ...
?shall I get or NOT certificate and degree (specialist, professional) just after one exam. For ex., in MS certifications any first exam leads to Professional, only the next certifications degrees depend on the number of exams (MSCE, etc.), but the first one never stays unrewarded.
?So, what other vendors make UML certification? Any links?
[This message has been edited by G Vanin (edited November 14, 2001).]

[Desai Sandeep]

Vanin,
You will not get a Certificate for clearing Test 486.This test is a part of Jcert initiative, which has been formed by different vendors like IBM,Sun,Oracle,BEA,etc.
To earn a "Vendor" Certified Solution Developer (VCSD) Certificate you need to take a vendor specific test at Level 2.Incidentally, Test 486 is a vendor-independent test at Level 2.
You will recieve Level 2 Certificate from the Vendor after completing the requirements at this Level, which also includes successfully passing Level 1 - Sun Certified Java Programmer Test.
To sum it up you need to pass 3 tests to earn the VCSD title.Likewise you need to pass 5 tests to earn "Vendor" Certified Enterprise Developer (VCED) title.
Test 486 is the IBM Test number for OOAD with UML.If you take this test with Oracle as the vendor, then the Test Number is 1Z0-513.
Hope this helps,
Sandeep
SCJP2,OCSD(Oracle JDeveloper),OCED(Oracle Internet Platform)

[Desai Sandeep]

Originally posted by G Vanin:
[..]?So, what other vendors make UML certification?

I believe Rational conducts tests on UML, RUP and other Rational specific products.You may visit their site for more information
-- Sandeep

[Guennadiy VANIN]

thanks a lot. I looked there and I have found only one partner certification on products (SW), very expensive one . No UML. I even did not find any exam, just vague description and price
Is there any UML exam alone leading to certification?
[This message has been edited by G Vanin (edited November 14, 2001).]

[James Hobson]

I spoke with a Rational sales person recently about certification, I beleive your employer must be a business partner before you can get certified -- which I understand to be a wholly expensive game to get into....
James

[Guennadiy VANIN]

I have never seen here in Portugal anybody/enterprise who even has bought Rational Rose product.
[This message has been edited by G Vanin (edited November 14, 2001).]

[David Li]

Could anyone tell me how much is the IBM 486 test? I have heard it will be changed to open book. Is that true, when? Thank you so much.

[Fei Ng]

Originally posted by David Li:
Could anyone tell me how much is the IBM 486 test? I have heard it will be changed to open book. Is that true, when? Thank you so much.

This is interesting, open book ??? For the 486??? Where did you get this info?? I remember someone said he or she was wishing 486 is open book exam. I dont think this is good news or not.
If it is open they probably will make it harder. In IBM's guide
they suggested 2 books. Two books, with so many info will it be usefull?? but i wouldn't mind either way..

[This message has been edited by FEI NG (edited November 15, 2001).]

[Michael McElwee]

I am planning on taking the 486 exam this Saturday. The cost for the exam is $175 (US Dollars). Add to that ~ $50 for "Applying UML and Patterns" and ~$30 for "UML Distilled" and this becomes an expensive certification for an individual. For a company, it is typically not as big a deal, since they often send people to external training classes, which cost upwards of $500/day. The certification cost is small relative to that. At $175/test, however, it is definitely in one's best interests to pass the test the first time. Hopefully I will.
As an aside, the test is closed-book as far as I know. Quite honestly, it probably wouldn't matter, since most people I know end up using all of the time on the test; if you had to waste time looking things up, it might be challenging to finish the test.

[Guennadiy VANIN]

Can anybody explain me the terms

1. open-book test
2. closed-book tets
?
Thank you
[This message has been edited by G Vanin (edited November 15, 2001).]

[Pauline McNamara]

An open book test allows one to have a book or books (usually specified)available ("open") during the test. It's usually a reference type book that one couldn't be expected to memorize, but one must know pretty well where to find things quickly (as Michael said, "if you had to waste time looking things up, it might be challenging to finish the test.")
A closed book test does not allow one to use any books during the test.

[Guennadiy VANIN]

Pauline, thanks,
that is revealing, I did not know and did not see anything like this when looked thru exams.
Can you be so kind as to give an example?
Thank you
VGV

[Theodore Casser]

I wish 486 were an open-book exam. It's hard enough for me as it is.
I don't think IBM has any exams that are open-book - to my knowledge, every exam they offer is a closed-book affair. (I also think that non-practical exams would be fairly meaningless if they were open-book, since I could just buy a $70 book, walk into an exam, look up every answer and walk out of there with a meaningless certification. At least with a practical exam - a lab exercise - it's more a reference than an answer key...)

[Fei Ng]

Originally posted by Theodore Casser:
I wish 486 were an open-book exam. It's hard enough for me as it is.
I don't think IBM has any exams that are open-book - to my knowledge, every exam they offer is a closed-book affair. (I also think that non-practical exams would be fairly meaningless if they were open-book, since I could just buy a $70 book, walk into an exam, look up every answer and walk out of there with a meaningless certification. At least with a practical exam - a lab exercise - it's more a reference than an answer key...)

Yea.. i took a long long look and search on IBM's site.
It is not open-book and dont think it will be a open-book exam.
I really dont think it matter that much. Since you have to understand the concpets!! OOAD and UML. It isn't a API you don't remember much. Know the concpets!! learn by heart!!

[Michael McElwee]

From what I understand, this test would be difficult to pass using an "open book" forum. Most people I know used up all of their available test time and wished they had more. If they didn't know the subject and were relying on a book...I don't think someone could find their answers fast enough to be successful this way.