The Story of Exam Development: A Post-Memorial Day Trilogy

For those of you who have followed us from our old blog, this series will seem familiar. Because this series didn’t get transferred here (operator error, I’m sure), I’m reposting. Think of it like those TV clip shows that catch you up on what you’ve been missing (think of that hour long show before the actual season finale of Lost only with a little less intrigue and confusion--at least I hope).

Here is our complete exam development process to whet your appetite. Below it are descriptions of the first three phases of our twelve phase process. Yes, I know that there are only nine phases in the picture. All will be revealed in good time, my friends.

exam dev process

Phase 1: Determining the Need for an Exam

Exam development starts with a need for an exam. Our internal business partner, BPS, performs market research to determine the need and value of a certification in the marketplace. Input from market surveys, hiring managers, and MS product groups are considered when identifying which exams should be created.

Once a need has been established, BPS communicates this need to my organization, ACE.

Phase 2: Defining the Content Domain
At Microsoft, we call the area that an exam will cover the “Objective Domain (OD).” To create the OD, we work with external subject matter experts (SMEs) who help us define the important functions and tasks that users of the product must be able to perform to be considered competent. A good OD meets the following criteria:

• Objectives (tasks) cover all relevant skills and no critical skills are missing.
• Objectives are measurable, performance based, and map to the exam tier (TS or PRO).
• Objectives are clear and concise.
• Clear delineations between groups of objectives (called “functional groups”) can be made.

Krista recently blogged in more detail about this process.

Phase 3: Blueprint
The blueprint ensures that the content of the exam reflects the relative importance of the tasks specified in the OD. During the blueprinting process, SMEs rate the importance and frequency of each objective and functional group in the OD. We will use this blog as a forum to recruit blueprinting SMEs for future exams. Yes, you can play a role in exam development!

Krista recently blogged in more detail about this process, too.

Well, that’s all I have room for today. If you have any questions about these phases or those to come, let me know. I’ll incorporate the answers into the next parts of this trilogy (aren’t stories better as trilogies?).

Coming tomorrow on “The Story of Exam Development: A Post Memorial Day Trilogy,” the next 3 phases of exam development. Stay tuned!