Cisco's IPS Exam (#642-532) Review

Cisco’s newest version of this very product-specific exam for aspiring CCSPs requires in-depth exposure to the company's IDS and IPS products.

Most Cisco security exams are about understanding Cisco’s viewpoint on security and how its sales, marketing and products fit within the network. The Securing Networks Using Intrusion Prevention Systems (IPS) security exam is no exception: It’s all about Cisco’s IPS and Intrusion Detection System (IDS) security products. On my exam, the questions quizzed my knowledge on how to configure Cisco IPS and IDS devices and how to use them to identify, mitigate and secure a Cisco network.

Cisco's IPS Exam (#642-532) Review

Cisco CCIE Voice Labs to Update in July 2006

Cisco CCIE Voice Labs to Update in July 2006

Starting July 17, 2006 CCIE will be adding a Cisco Unity Express Network Module (NM-CUE) into the exam racks, and updating to IOS version 12.4(3a). Other equipment software is also affected. For the full list see:
http://www.cisco.com/web/learning/learning_certification_program_updates.html

All About the PMP Certification

When I was a kid I hated seeing those signs at festivals that read "you must be this big to ride this ride." Of course, I was always just under the minimum requirements. Bummer! It's no fun to spend a summer trapped between the kiddie rides and the lusty tilt-a-whirl that all of your buddies are barfing on.

But those signs were there for a reason - besides making little pudgy kids like me furious - and the reason was safety. Today I wouldn't dare go on one of those deathtrap thrill rides - height requirements or not. Any carnival ride that can be dismantled, hauled to Sioux City, Iowa overnight, and reassembled in half an hour is not for me.

When I talk to people about the Project Management Professional (PMP) certification I often think about those carnival rides. The PMP certification may not have height requirements, but it does have eligibility requirements. Not everyone can sit the exam - and not everyone that sits the exam can pass it.

If you're not familiar with the PMP, I'll give you a rundown. PMP is a certification that proves that the project manager who acquires it has years of project management experience, education, and has passed an exam that tests their project management knowledge. It's not specific to any particular industry, so you'll likely find PMPs with backgrounds in IT, construction, manufacturing, and health care.

I think the Project Management Institute (adoringly called PMI), the organization that owns the PMP certification, has learned a thing or two from other certifications over the past decade. For starters, by making candidates qualify for the certification it adds genuine value to the title. Being a PMP immediately shows experience, education, and project management knowledge.

Starting the PMP Process

The PMP certification requirements also helps avoid the plague of paper certifications we've endured over past years. A long time ago, I was a Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer. I earned my title starting with Windows NT 3.51, and then Windows NT 4.0, 95, and then it just snowballed. I was flooded with opportunity and it was great. But, before too long, being an MCSE

was suddenly no big deal. I knew things weren't good for Microsoft, and the IT world in general, when I saw a waiter wearing his MCSE lapel pin while working at Denny's. I didn't ask for details – just coffee and pie.

So, in order to sit for the PMP examination you must qualify. Here's a quick breakdown of the various requirements.

If you have a bachelor's degree:

1. You need 36 non-overlapping months of project management experience within the last eight years. That non-overlapping part means that if you worked on six projects throughout the month of January that only counts as one month of project management work, not six months.
2. Your project management experience, all projects included, must total at least 4,500 hours, and all within the past eight years.
3. You must complete at least 35 hours of project management training. There's no time limit on this educational requirement, so college courses and online courses qualify.
4. You have to promise to abide by the PMP Code of Professional Conduct. Don't worry, you don't have to sign it in blood and the confines of the code are probably things you're already doing. Mafia aside.
5. You must pass the exam with a score of 61 percent or better. (I'm hoping you do better, but rest assured it's a pass or fail exam).

If you have high school diploma, an associate degree, or global equivalent:

1. You need 60 non-overlapping months of project management experience. Again, one month of project management work equates to just one month, regardless of the number of projects you worked on during that month.
2. You must log a total of 7,500 hours of project management experience over the past eight years.
3. You must complete 35 contact hours of project management training. Contact hours means that the training must be interactive. You can't just read a book, this article, or consider on-the-job training and claim your hours. Web-based training, however, is now being accepted as interactive.
4. You must agree to abide by the PMP Code of Professional Conduct.
5. You must pass the PMP examination with at least a 61 percent score.

Thoroughly confused? Have a look at Figure 1 to see the path to PMP certification.

Applying for the Exam

The fee for the examination isn't cheap: $405 for PMI members and $555 for non-PMI members. Guess what? It's actually cheaper to join PMI and then complete your application, as their membership fee is $129. Besides, as a member you also get some added benefits such as newsletters, magazines, and other goodies.

Beware, completing the PMP application is about as much fun as a root canal. My advice is to complete your application through PMI's website where you can pause, resume, and edit the application at your convenience until you're ready to submit it. On the PMP application, you'll have to document all of your education, experience, and the details of the projects you've completed. In addition, you'll have to provide contact information for your supervisors and managers that can verify (uh, that's vouch for you) the experience you say you've gotten on the projects you've listed.

PMI can take up to fourteen days to approve your application, though most of the applicants I've trained report a speedy response. Within those fourteen days, PMI may elect to audit your application for verification.

This is not fun.

If chosen, you'll have to provide PMI with proof of your experience, your education, and your project management training. This means you'll have to track down old bosses and get confirmation letters of your experience, photocopy your degrees, and provide your training certificates. I've known a few folks that have gone through the audit with no problems other than an extra helping of anxiety as they prepare to pass their examination.

Passing the Examination

Once your application is approved, PMI will send you a letter with a confirmation code, which you'll then provide to a Prometric testing center. Be advised that these Prometric testing centers aren't the same cozy testing centers where you took your Microsoft and CompTIA exams. These centers are secured environments where you'll check-in with two pieces of valid ID, stash your belongings in a locker (where they'll remain until you're ready to leave), and take your exam in a proctored room. In addition, you'll be monitored by more than one video camera in the testing environment. (You'd better comb your hair and sit up straight.)

The PMP exam consists of 200 questions and must be completed within four hours. Ready for a twist? Of the 200 questions only 175 actually count towards your grade. The 25-mystery questions are seeded throughout the exam to determine their overall worthiness for future PMP examinations. Can you say "guinea pig?"

Getting Some PMP Help

There are many different resources available to help you prepare for the PMP certification, here are some top choices:

1. The PMP Study Guide by Joseph Phillips; ISBN: 0072262907. Hey, that's my book! Yep, I'm plugging my book as your best choice. I use this book to teach both my live and online PMP Boot Camps. It works! It's now in its second edition – go get it. Now.

2. A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge from PMI; ISBN: 193069945X. No matter which resources you use to study for your exam you'll want for the simple reason that it's the book the exam is centered on. Two insider tips: Just call this book the PMBOK (pronounced Pim-Bach) and don't read it far from your pillow.

3. PMP Exam Cram2 by Michael Soloman; ISBN 0789734621. I've heard great things about this book (and the entire Exam Cram series). This book is loaded with PMP exam facts, quizzes, and exam tips. And it's from Pearson Education, which InformIT.com is a part of, so I'd better mention it, right?

There's also a bevy of online resources:

• http://www.pmpinabox.com: where you can download a free 25-question PMP assessment exam or buy their online offerings.
• http://www.college-net.com/boston.asp: where you can complete an online project management course.
• http://www.pmi.org: where you can find all of the PMP certification details, application requirements, exam objectives, and complete your exam application.

After the Exam

Once you've completed your certification you'll also have to continue your education by obtaining at least 60 Professional Development Units (PDUs) over a three-year span. A PDU equates to one hour and you can earn these by attending PMI events, completing training through PMI Registered Education Providers, or by volunteering at PMI events.

The PMP certification requirements, like those carnival rides, aren't meant to make you furious. They exist to protect the value of your certification and add worth to a title that's not easy to achieve.

• MCSE 70-270
• MCSE 70-290