By Simon Quicke
22 July 2008
Cisco has introduced more security features to its exam process to ensure that those taking the tests do not cheat.
As previously reported by MicroScope last year there were concerns among some dealers that online exam services and proxy examinees were undermining the certification process.
In a move to fend off proxy exam takers, those sitting for exams will be photographed, and those hoping to share knowledge and plagirise will face forensic testing, which could lead to a one-year or a lifetime ban if someone is found to have cheated.
In a statement, Erik Ullanderson, manager of global certifications for Learning@Cisco, said that it would work with the testing venues it used to hold it tests to make sure that cheating was eradicated.
"Proxy testing and other forms of cheating can diminish the value of certifications for individuals and the organisations that employ them,” he said.
One reseller said that cheating did not benefit resellers because it not only left them exposed to a skills shortage when it was revealed one engineer had been sitting tests for the rest of the staff.
“It could also be a problem for Cisco because its value is having a relationship with a partner that has the certification,” he said.
