One of the Best News for Microsoft Certified Trainers in Years: Prometric Will No Longer Deliver Microsoft Exams

According to Microsoft, Prometric will no longer be delivering Microsoft certification exams after December 31, 2014. If you want to take an exam on January 1, 2015, or later, you should reschedule your exam with Pearson VUE. Microsoft is also warning MCTs that when they pass an exam taken with Pearson VUE, their transcript will be updated within a day. If they pass an exam taken with Prometric (until the end of December 2014), their transcript will be updated in 5-7 days. In other words, Microsoft is saying “get a clue, people.”

First it was only Prometric, then for a while both Pearson VUE and Prometric were Microsoft exam providers. In July 2007, Microsoft infuriated Microsoft Certified Trainers (MCTs) and Certified Partners for Learning Solutions (CPLS) by announcing that Prometric will be the sole provider of Microsoft exams. You see Prometric was considered as the “bad” guy in Microsoft training world and Pearson VUE was the “good” guy. However, as this on-again, off-again relationship went, Microsoft fired Pearson VUE without even giving them a reason and at the same time publicly announced “Microsoft has strong relationships with Pearson VUE as an exam delivery provider.” That was a hard slap from Microsoft on Pearson VUE’s face along with the words “I love you.”

Later, after thousands of complaints from MCTs Microsoft brought Pearson VUE back in the game. On June 2, 2014 I wrote this article “Microsoft Once Again Decides to End Prometric’s Monopoly as an Exam Delivery Provider.” To better understand the exam-provider saga, you should read that article…..especially if you are an MCT.

Now Microsoft has decided to dump Prometric and keep Pearson VUE as their sole exam provider. This is great news for MCTs. Pearson is a well-respected company and this business marriage can be very lucrative to both companies. Their relationship goes beyond this massive deal though. On March 11, 2014 Pearson announced a publishing agreement with Microsoft which made Pearson the official distributor of Microsoft Press products. In the past, O’Reilly Media was the exclusive distributor and co-publisher of Microsoft Press titles but obviously that has now changed. One of the results of Microsoft’s agreement with Pearson was the Microsoft Press Store which was announced on Microsoft Press Blog. On both counts, the decision to make Pearson the sole exam provider and the official distributor of Microsoft press products, Microsoft appears to have made a wise and popular decision.