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What is Certiport’s mission?
Certiport is focused on establishing itself as the leading provider of global, performance-based certification
programs and services, enabling individual success and lifetime advancement through certification.
What products and services does Certiport provide?
Certiport currently offers the following certification services: program development, exam development, marketing,
and channel delivery. Certiport will continue to develop and launch new certification initiatives. Certiport is one of
the only companies in the world with the capabilities required to design and deliver concurrent exams that test within
an application while the program is running. For more information about Certiport service and product offerings,
contact Certiport Customer Services at 888-222-7890.
Why are worldwide standards and certifications necessary?
A worldwide computer literacy standard—encompassing both knowledge and skills—creates an agreed-upon foundation
for employers, employees, educators, and students. When such standards are in place, the portability and long-term
value of proficiency certifications are much like a diploma from any other well-recognized institution of learning or
excellence.
What are concurrent exams?
In concurrent (performance-based) exams, examinees are tested within a computer application while it is running.
Performance-based certification testing has two differentiating advantages. First, exam designers can construct exams
that directly measure both knowledge and the ability to apply that knowledge. By directly testing each examinee while
working in a live application, concurrent exams deliver a higher degree of skill and knowledge validation. Second,
through interacting with a live application, examinees have a testing experience in which learning and mastery of
software is transferable to school or working environments.
Who are Certiport end users?
Certiport end users can be students or employees who want to prove their knowledge and skills through
certification. Certification can be important in both academic and employment settings, and Certiport exam programs
offer a highly valid verification of capabilities.
Other direct and indirect customers are those who influence the certification process, including human resource
directors, IT department leaders, academic advisors, and educators. Because Certiport provides a standard for assuring
learning and proficiency in specific areas of computer competency, its products and services can be widely utilized
throughout business and academia.
Who are Certiport partners?
Certiport partners include its major business clients such as Microsoft and World Organization of Webmasters, as
well as its channel partners—authorized testing centers (Certiport Centers)—and other organizations that provide certification
testing such as CompUSA, New Horizons, and ExecuTrain. Additionally, approved courseware vendors work directly with
Certiport to provide the training materials needed to support exam programs.
How does Certiport provide value to its customers?
Certiport products give corporations and academic institutions a standardized methodology to measure and prove
specific computer and Internet knowledge and skills. Additionally, the Certiport certification testing process
provides staffing and IT training organizations with a method to verify the efficacy of training programs. Finally,
educators, students, and corporate human resources and training professionals use Certiport products and services to
substantiate knowledge and skills, thereby incrementally improving productivity and efficiency.
Certification provides proof of knowledge and skills needed for lifetime advancement, from school throughout
careers. It ensures the end user has mastered certain required elements. Because computer training and certification
increases productivity and efficiency and improves the quality of work, many organizations and states have chosen to
integrate the program into human resource department standards and in statewide curriculums. In July 2001, Missouri
became the first state to launch the Microsoft Office Specialist program statewide, and similar initiatives are planned for Pennsylvania,
West Virginia, Maryland, and Illinois.
Where are certification tests offered?
In addition to its thousands of worldwide Certiport Centers (authorized testing centers), Certiport offers certification
testing through channel partners such as New Horizons, ExecuTrain and CompUSA.
What is Microsoft Office Specialist certification?
Launched in 1998, the Microsoft Office Specialist program is globally recognized as the skill standard for the Microsoft Office suite of
business productivity applications, including Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft PowerPoint®, Microsoft
Access, Microsoft Outlook®, and Microsoft Project. To date, Certiport has delivered more than 1,000,000 exams and
awarded more than 760,000 certifications at Certiport Centers in over 100 countries worldwide.
By encouraging individuals to develop advanced skills with Microsoft business desktop software, the Microsoft Office Specialist program
helps fill the demand for qualified, knowledgeable people in the modern workplace. At the same time, it helps
satisfy an organization’s need for a qualitative assessment of employee skills.
What is IC³?
Certiport’s newest offering is its Internet and Computing Core Certification (IC³) program, which is
designed to establish a global standard to measure Internet and computing literacy for students, educators, and
employees. IC³ ensures both computer knowledge and skills and provides proof of ability to productively
use computer hardware, software, and the Internet. The IC³ program, which covers skills once loosely
gathered under the heading of "computer literacy," provides a strong and dynamic standard on which to base educational
programs for broad-based Internet and computing skills. It provides students and job seekers with the
educational/training foundation and credentials needed to succeed in any field or job position requiring the use of
computers. The IC³ certification program serves as a foundation for more advanced certifications, beginning
with Microsoft Office Specialist.
How do IC³ and Microsoft Office Specialist differ?
IC³ and Microsoft Office Specialist are distinct, yet complementary, certification programs. Microsoft Office Specialist certifications are specific
to individual Microsoft Office applications; IC³ covers a wider spectrum of concepts, including basic
computing, networking, and Internet knowledge and skills. The IC³ program can be the foundation for Microsoft Office Specialist
certification and for lifetime advancement through training and certification.
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