What was all the work that took so much time? First we spent time identifying objectives to test in the certification. Based on that, a number of questions were selected for asserting candidates' proficiency in the named topic. To ensure that questions are well-balanced, a beta test period was done in which the test was given to one hundred individuals at events all over the world. Data gathered during the beta period included results on the questions, and also what people thought of the questions - if they were too easy, too hard, not clearly worded, etc. This feedback helped us to apply psychometric analysis on the beta exam, and improve it to match professional standards.

At this point no official study guide is available. Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) from the BSD Certification Group are under an NDA not to disclose any information about the contents of the certification, as such it is left to outside parties to provide such training material.

Material that is available right now includes the list of objectives of the certification and the BSDA command reference. There's also a start of a wiki project that aims at providing a BSDA study guide, which may be happy about volunteer contributors.

If you're interested in taking the exam, be prepared to shell out $75US. The exam will be offered at various events, registration is open. See Dru Lavigne's blog posting for further details.

[Tags: bsdcg, certification]