Basically, the CIW program uses entry-level curriculum with an exam called the CIW Foundations track to test all students' knowledge of Internet basics. Passing the CIW Foundations exam earns the candidate CIW Associate certification. From there, a student can take any CIW professional job role series exam (with the exception of the CIW theory and language exams) to earn a CIW Professional certificate. Finally, students who are CIW Professionals can branch into four different job role tracks—Administrator, Enterprise Developer, Designer, and Web Site Manager—each of which culminates in an advanced Master-level CIW certification.

Note

Prosoft offers an instructional-level certification called the CIW Certified Instructor (CIW CI). This offering is not covered in detail in this chapter. However, you can read about how to obtain this increasingly popular credential on the Information on Becoming a CIW Certified Instructor (CIW CI) Web page, at www.ciwcertified.com/apps/becomeCI.asp?comm=home&llm=2.

As with many other certification programs, you can take an official course to prepare for a CIW test, or you can tackle any test head on, based on self-study and your own knowledge base. Starting from the CIW Foundations exam, you can move into technical areas aimed at specific job roles for Web developers, designers, or administrators, with increasing levels of expertise and specialization.

Here's how the various tracks work:

In the sections that follow, you'll learn more about CIW Professional certification and how it maps into the four Master CIW tracks. Obtaining Master CIW certification requires that you pass the sequence of exams shown in Figures 10.1 through 10.4; for that reason, we don't devote any additional coverage to these “aggregate certifications” except to use them to organize the underlying course/exam combinations.

The base for all CIW certifications is successful completion of the CIW Foundations exam (1D0-410). That exam covers Internet, Web page authoring, and networking fundamentals. By passing the CIW Foundations exam, candidates earn CIW Associate designation. A candidate can choose whether to take a 30-hour course to prepare for the Foundations exam. This course is broken into three modules: Internet fundamentals (6 hours), Web page authoring fundamentals (12 hours), and networking fundamentals (12 hours).

To earn CIW Professional certification, a candidate must pass the CIW Foundations (1D0-410) exam or CompTIA's i-Net+ exam and any one of the eight eligible CIW job role series exams. Students retain their CIW Professional designation until they pass all required exams for any of the four Master CIW certifications. The CIW Professional designation is commonly a step on the way to getting Master CIW Designer, Master CIW Administrator, Master CIW Enterprise Developer, or Master CIW Site Manager certification.

Note

Remember that you can't count the Master CIW Enterprise Developer language-theory exams—Web Languages, Java Programming, and Object-Oriented Analysis and Design—toward the CIW Professional certification.

Master CIW Administrator track students must pass all four of the exams that fall under this track to qualify for Master CIW Administrator certification. Taking courses is optional (and may occur in the classroom or online, at the candidate's choice), but a candidate must pass all exams listed in Table 10.1 to qualify for this certification.

Students must pass all eight exams that fall under the Master CIW Enterprise Developer track to qualify for Master CIW Enterprise Developer certification. Taking courses is optional (and may occur in the classroom or online, at the candidate's choice), but a candidate must pass all exams in Table 10.2 to qualify for this certification.

Students must pass all three exams that fall under the Master CIW Designer track to qualify for Master CIW Designer certification. Taking courses is optional (and may occur in the classroom or online, at the candidate's choice), but a candidate must pass all exams in Table 10.3 to qualify for this certification.

Students must complete all five exams that fall under the Master CIW Web Site Manager track to qualify for Master CIW Web Site Manager certification. Taking courses is optional (and may occur in the classroom or online, at the candidate's choice), but a candidate must pass all exams listed in Table 10.4 to qualify for this certification. (All the exams in Table 10.4 are described in previous tables in this chapter, so descriptions do appear again here.)

The Prosoft i-Accelerate program allows those with Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE) or Certified Novell Engineer (CNE) certification to earn Master CIW Administrator certification by passing only two exams:

For more details, go to www.ciwcertified.com/iAccelerate/iAccelerateNovellms.asp?comm=home&llm=3. From there, you can access additional information, including a program overview, an exam guide, and a FAQ.

Prosoft's newest certification, CIW Web Developer, is a single-exam certification that is also integrated within the jCert job role certification program. Students can earn CIW Web Developer certification by passing only one exam: CIW Web Developer (1D0-532). The CIW Web Developer exam is a gateway exam to other job role certifications within the jCert program, a series of Java-based technology exams from IBM, Sun, and BEA.

As part of an agreement between CIW and jCert, all jCert core technology exams will be available through CIW, including the new CIW Web Developer exam, jCert's Java Programmer exam, CIW and jCert's Object-Oriented Analysis and Design exam, and jCert's Enterprise Connectivity with Java exam. For more details about CIW and jCert, go to www.ciwcertified.com and www.jcert.org.

A CIW Specialization certificate recognizes the Internet skills and knowledge of an individual who attains certification from third parties. The only current example of this program is the CIW Security Analyst certificate. To qualify for this credential, an individual must submit to the CIW program proof of one of the following certifications:

To qualify for the CIW Security Analyst certificate, individuals must also take and pass the CIW Security Professional exam (1D0-470). For more information about the program, its requirements, and the certificate it confers, please visit www.ciwcertified.com/csa/default.asp?comm=home&llm=3.

The CIW Certification Council is headed by The National Workforce Center for Emerging Technology (NWCET), which supports the development of skill standards and test specifications for all upcoming versions of CIW Foundations, Professional, and Master certification examinations. As the recognized leader in nationally validated skill standards for the information technology sector, NWCET contributes its expertise in development of skill standards and test specifications to the CIW certifications, ensuring that they continue to be the most up-to-date and industry-responsive certifications of their type.

The CIW program has been endorsed by the Association of Internet Professionals (AIP) and the International Webmasters Association (IWA). Both the AIP and the IWA are nonprofit organizations of like-minded Web professionals that support sizable memberships. The CIW program has not, however, been endorsed by another crucial body, the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), which basically owns all the specifications for Web-related technologies.

U.S. veterans who take exams within the CIW certification program can now use their Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) education benefits to cover examination fees. For more information about VA education benefits and CIW, go to www.ciwcertified.com/program/VA.asp.

CIW courses are being taught in high schools, community colleges, and universities, where teachers are implementing and integrating official CIW training within their own programs while at the same time preparing students for CIW certification tests. To find an academic institution that teaches CIW content, go to www.ciwcertified.com/program/ciwAtps.asp.

Another industry group, the World Organization of Webmasters (WOW), at www.joinwow.org, has created its own certification program. Each of the four certifications can be obtained at either an Associate level or Professional level:

The WOW program has not attracted the kind of following or participation that the CIW program enjoys. Consequently, CIW is generating most of the interest in the marketplace (and, of course, that's why it enjoys a chapter of coverage in this book). However, we plan to keep our eyes on this fast-moving, ever-changing market niche and will adjust this coverage as needed in future editions of this book. Feel free to follow any of the links provided in this chapter, to visit these programs and judge them for yourself.

CIW courses are available through Productivity Point International, Executrain, New Horizons Computer Learning Center, and Micro Learning Centers, among a large, comprehensive group of third parties worldwide. This means there's a nationwide (and emerging global) network of outlets where classroom CIW training is available. For a complete list of CIW Authorized Training Providers (ATPs), visit www.ciwcertified.com/locator/selectATP.asp; for a list of CIW Authorized Academic Partners (AAPs), visit www.ciwcertified.com/program/ciwAaps.asp.

Online versions of courses are also available—as you'd expect from a company that offers Internet certifications—for much of the CIW curriculum. Several distance-learning options appear at www.ciwcertified.com (click the Products link, then check out Distance Learning, WebCT, CIW Self Study Products, CBT, and Blackboard-based offerings).

Now that you've learned about these CIW certifications, you probably want to know more about registering for and taking one or more of the related exams. The registration process needs to occur through Prometric or VUE and is quite similar to the process for other vendor programs that appear elsewhere in this book:

Each Prosoft CIW exam costs $125. To sign up for a test, you must possess a valid credit card or contact either Prometric or VUE for mailing instructions to send a check (in the United States). You can register for a test only after payment is verified or a check has cleared.

To schedule an exam, you can call or visit the Web pages of Prometric or VUE at least one day in advance. When you want to schedule a test, you should have the following information ready:

After you sign up for a test, you are informed as to when and where the test is scheduled. You should try to arrive at least 15 minutes early. You must supply two forms of identification, one of which must be a photo ID.

To cancel or reschedule an exam, you must call at least 12 hours before the scheduled test time or before close of business the preceding working day, or you might be charged, even if you don't show up to take the test.

All CIW exams are closed book. In fact, you aren't allowed to take anything with you into the testing area. You are furnished with a blank sheet of paper and a pen. We suggest that you immediately write down whatever you've memorized for the test before you actually begin to take the test. You get some time to compose yourself and to record this information.

As soon as you complete a CIW exam, the software tells you whether you've passed or failed. It even provides detailed diagnostic information to indicate which areas you should study and which CIW training materials provide the necessary information. Even if you fail a CIW exam, we suggest that you ask for—and keep—the detailed test results that the test administrator can print for you. The results tell you which areas you need to work on. If you fail an exam, you have to contact Prometric or VUE to schedule (and pay for) another test.

At a minimum, you should use the following materials to prepare for a CIW certification exam:

These materials represent a usable collection of resources for CIW exam topics and related information.

For convenience, we include the most important URLs mentioned so far in this chapter, along with pointers to a few other resources worth investigating for information about CIW certification, exams, training, and more: