Training Opportunities at PASS Summit 2013 - Register Now!

August 27, 2013

Thomas LaRock is a Microsoft Certified Master, a SQL Server MVP, a VMWare vExpert, and a Microsoft Certified Trainer with over 15 years’ experience in the IT industry in various roles such as programmer, developer, analyst, and database administrator. He is also the author of “DBA Survivor: Become a Rock Star DBA” (http://dbasurvivor.com) and has participated in the technical review of several other books.

Currently, Thomas is a Technical Evangelist for Confio Software. This role allows for him to work with a variety of customers to help solve questions regarding database performance tuning and virtualization. Thomas also serves on the Board of Directors for PASS as Vice President of Marketing. You can find out more information about him at his blog: http://thomaslarock.com/resume/.

We asked Thomas some questions about PASS Summit 2013 being held in Charlotte, NC from October 15-18, 2013.

Why is PASS offering Microsoft certification testing at PASS Summit?

PASS makes every effort to meet the needs of our members. One such need is to provide certification testing the PASS Summit. This is a valued service for our members that live in remote areas with few testing centers available. Another need is to raise awareness about the certifications and their value. Lastly, it’s always good to have a testing buddy! Last year at the PASS Summit I earned my MCM in SQL Server 2008 having spent time studying in the week beforehand with colleagues. (We all passed, yay us!)

Does onsite testing at PASS Summit happen every year?

This is the second straight year we have been able to offer certification testing. I’m truly hopeful that it will be a reglar feature at the PASS Summit.

Why would I want to take exams at PASS Summit instead of my local testing center?

For starters, not everyone has a local testing center. While I am fortunate to be only a few miles from a testing center, that is not the case for everyone. And for certain exams, like the MCM lab, the number of centers is even more limited. I also find that setting a date to take the exam at Summit allows for me to budget my study time accordingly in the weeks leading up to the event. The Summit also offers discounted exam prices, interactive exam crams, free practices tests, and a quiet study room.

Where do people register for exams? Is there some kind of discount code?

Registration details will be coming soon, you can find them in an upcoming PASS Connector.

Will taking an exam conflict with sessions?

The testing center opens on Monday, October 14th and will be open through Friday, October 18th. In order to minimize any conflict with sessions attendees are urged to take their exam on Monday or Tuesday. Attendees should schedule their exams as best as possible to minimize the number of sessions they may miss, but keep in mind that attendees will have access to session recordings.

PASS Summit 2013 is the place to get deep technical information and training. Register now at http://www.sqlpass.org/summit/2013/RegisterNow.aspx