Introducing the Field Certified Professionals Association (FCPA)
Prepared by James O. Ellithorpe, F.C.P.A.

The Field Certified Professionals Association

The Field Certified Professional Association (FCPA) was created to develop and administer the Field Certified Professional (FCP�) program. FCPA is dedicated to the accreditation, development, promotion, and implementation of hands-on, performance-based (Field Certification) testing serving IT professionals and employing organizations whose success depends on staff with proven technical competence.

The Steering Committee of the association currently consists of heads of performance-based certifications at Cisco, Novell, and Red Hat. FCPA also consists of a "Certification Board" made up of Sponsoring Members, with the value-added benefit of being able to provide input or make recommendations as FCPA builds its programs and activities in support of Field Certification. Others involved in the startup include chief information officers, IT consultants and certification managers.

FCPA is the premier, single source of vendor-independent, market-neutral credential for hands-on, performance-based certification. This mode of testing, called Field Certification, validates your actual hands-on skills and expertise to keep you competitive in today's ever-changing business environment. FCPA is the only independent association in the world that provides Field Certification for IT professionals.

By passing one of the FCPA exams, you will earn a Field Certified Professional (FCP) credential.

Field Certification is granted only upon passing a hands-on, performance-based certification test. A hands-on, performance-based test is a practical test of job task-related usage of actual, live equipment or technology to assess that individual's true competency to make that equipment or technology perform in an objective and verifiable manner. To qualify as a Field Certification, a hands-on performance-based test must meet the following criteria:

• At least 65% of total testing time must be hands-on performance-based as defined above.
• At least 65% of the total scoring points available for the entire test must be hands-on performance-based as defined above.
• Hands-on performance-based element(s) of the test must have their own cut score, and a pass of hands-on performance-based components must be required to earn certification.
• Hands-on performance-based elements must focus on critical job tasks.

The goals of the FCPA are to build a vendor-independent, market-neutral, membership-driven association to:

• Establish Field Certification as universally-accepted terminology for hands-on, performance-based certifications in the IT industry
• Build the esteem, status, recognition, and visibility of the Field Certified Professional (FCP)
• Give independent recognition and endorsement to existing, qualifying performance-based IT certifications as Field Certification credentials
• Establish standards to guide such FCPA endorsement
• Assist vendors to develop Field Certification exams for their technology or products
• Accredit Field Certification exams for technologies or products where the market (CIOs, professionals, consultants, and educators) demands it and vendors do not have such mode of testing
• Stimulate the investment to establish a worldwide infrastructure of Field Certification testing centers, and allow any sponsoring member to plug in as needed
• Encourage the courseware and testware vendors to develop training/simulation testware content in line with skill sets necessary to perform actual tasks based on industry needs
• Establish a professional network and a multitude of benefits for individuals who have earned their FCP and for information technology and human resource managers who recruit FCPs
• Encourage the courseware vendors to develop training content in line with skill sets necessary to perform actual tasks based on industry needs
• Enable the training and certification industry to develop uniform and unified goals
• Deter government intervention in the IT certification process by enabling industry self-regulation
• Facilitate information sharing and collaboration between managers of IT certification programs and with the IT testing and training industries

Here Is How It Works

During the exam, a candidate will be given job tasks and trouble reports. The candidate will be presented with a partially broken system or network in a live environment. Their success with the exam requires that they perform the assigned tasks and bring the system or the network back to a working status within a certain amount of time.

The exams are designed to test your ability to plan, design, implement, test, monitor, optimize, and troubleshoot the system or the network. Some exams may include simulations or knowledge questions as well. You will be supplied with most resources that would be available to you at work, such as tools, books, and reference materials.

In some situations, you must decipher appropriate information to perform your tasks. Not all information in the scenarios may be needed to do the job. In other situations, there may not be sufficient information and thus you must make some judgment calls to perform the tasks. You may also be confronted with situations where all the requirements may not be met and may require you to make some compromises, based on priorities stated or implied from the scenarios. When specific instructions are not given, you may select default values or settings.

The exams also test your ability to perform tasks within time constraints. In general, tasks are not individually timed. However, time will be a factor in passing the exam. Consequently, you must manage your time appropriately. For example, if you are performing a task that takes a long time to complete, but does not require your continual attendance (such as automatic installations), you should work on another task while you are waiting for the previous one to complete.

Benefits of Field Certification for the IT Industry

• Encourages training institutions to focus on teaching skills, not just knowledge
• Motivates career changers to seek skills training rather than cramming for exams
• Creates an environment for industry leaders to serve the IT industry as a whole
• Encourages a uniform set of standards

Benefits of Field Certification to Vendors

• Independent validation of actual skills and expertise
• Builds customers' confidence in the certified professional's capabilities
• Drastically reduces the need to hire experts to develop tests
• Eliminates the need to invest in equipment and additional personnel
• Ability to plug into the FCPA worldwide test delivery infrastructure
• Benefit of expertise and experience of world's leaders in performance-based testing
• Availability of a cadre of practitioners and experts involved in the testing process
• Consolidation of a multitude of talents from a variety of academia and industry
• Affordable performance-based test creation and delivery
• Availability of a worldwide infrastructure of Field Certification testing centers

Benefits of Field Certification for Employers

• Measures actual skills and removes the guesswork for new hires
• Increases productivity and reliability of certified staff
• Adds value to the credibility of the employing organizations
• Encourages training institutions to focus on training skills, not just knowledge
• Encourages career changers to seek skills training
• Builds confidence in the customers and the users of the technology/product
• Frees up technical, training, and management staff
• Reduces dependence on vendors to provide technical support
• Leads to more reliable services provided by the employer

Benefits of Field Certification For Individuals

• Enhances personal credibility, marketability, and promotion opportunities
• Enhances status and prestige
• Proves the ability to successfully implement sound business solutions for your organization or clients

Exam Categories

• Help Desk Technician (FCHDT)
• Systems Administrator (FCSA)
• Systems Engineer* (FCSE)
• Database Administrator (FCDBA)
• Database Developer (FCDBD)
• Applications Developer (FCAD)
• Internet Professional (FCIP)
• Security Specialist (FCSS)
• Hardware Engineer* (FCHE)
• Applications Specialist (FCAS)
• e-Mail Expert (FCME)
• Customized Exams

Exams Available July 1, 2023

• FCSA for Windows NT 4
• FCSA for Windows 2000/XP
• FCSE for Windows NT 4
• FCSE for Windows 2000/XP
• FCSA for Cisco (CCNA/FCP)
• FCPCT

Membership Programs

• Corporate
• Academic
• Association
• Individual

Partnership Programs

• Field Certified Trainer (FCT)
• Field Certified Examiner (FCE)
• Field Certified Testing Center (FCTC)
• Field Certified Training Partner (FCTP)

The Role of FCPA

• Supplement scenario-based with a skills-based extension.
• Provide parity across all products and technologies with respect to these exams.
• Implement consistency in the areas that are covered.
• Assess skills that are in demand in the industry, business and government communities.

Learning the Field Certification Lingo

There is a new "language" you need to become more familiar with as the Field Certification Process continues. The following terms may be helpful to you.

FCPA - Field Certified Professionals Association is the premier, single source of vendor-independent, market-neutral credentials for hands-on, performance-based certification. The Association is solely responsible for administering the Field Certified Professional Program.

Candidate - A person who is in active preparation and pursuit of an FCPA Credential.

Field Certified Professional - A person who has passed a FCPA Field Exam and earned the credential associated with the examination. They are also known as an FCP.

Field Certified Professional Credential - The actual certification earned.

Field Certified Examiner - The FCP who proctors FCPA Field Exams and has also earned the Field Certified Examiner or FCE credential.

FCPA Approved Testing Center - Also known as a FCTC, it is the physical site where FCPA Field Exams are administrated and where candidates go to take the FCPA Field Exam. Approved Centers are considered to be Partners of the FCPA.

Field Certified Trainer - Also known as FCT, use FCPA approved curriculum to prepare candidates to take FCPA Field Exams. Approved Trainers are considered to be Partners of the FCPA.

Field Certified Education Center - Also known as FCEC are authorized and approved by the FCPA regarding facilities, instructors and training. Approved FCEC are considered to be Partners of the FCPA.

FCPA Certifications

Field Certified Help Desk Technician (FCHDT)
Skill Level: Entry Level-Beginner
For individuals wishing to prove hands-on expertise in help desk support. This certification is obtained by following one of three tracks: PC Technician (FCPT), Server Technician (FCST), or Network Technician (FCNT).

Field Certified Applications Specialist (FCAS)
Skill Level: Intermediate
For individuals wishing to prove hands-on expertise as an applications specialist. All exams are vendor-neutral, although some will represent specialty in a particular vendor's products. The FCAS certification is obtained by following one of three tracks: Microsoft Products, Corel Products or Lotus Products. This certification is currently under development.

Field Certified Systems Administrator (FCSA)
Skill Level: Intermediate
For individuals wishing to prove hands-on expertise as system administrators. All exams are vendor-neutral, although some will represent specialty in a particular vendor's products. The FCSA certification is obtained by following one of nine tracks: FCSA for Windows NT, Windows 2000/XP, NetWare 6 (CNA 6/FCP), NetWare 7 (CNA 7/FCP), Linux, UNIX, Cisco (CCNA/FCP), Citrix, or FCSA Cross Platform.

Field Certified Internet Professional (FCIP)
Skill Level: Intermediate-Advanced
For individuals wishing to prove hands-on expertise as Internet professionals. All exams are vendor-neutral, although some will represent specialty in a particular vendor's products. The FCIP certification is currently obtained by following the Site Designer track. Other FCIP tracks under development are Internet Security Specialist, Web Development, and Web Administrator.

Field Certified Systems Engineer (FCSE)
Skill Level: Advanced
For individuals wishing to prove hands-on expertise as system engineers. All exams are vendor-neutral, although some will represent specialty in a particular vendor's products. The FCSA certification is obtained by following one of three tracks: FCSE for Windows NT, Windows 2000/XP, or Cross Platform. Tracks for NetWare 6 (CNA 6/FCP), NetWare 7 (CNA 7/FCP), Linux, UNIX, Cisco (CCNA/FCP), and Citrix are under development.

Field Certified Database Administrator (FCDBA)
Skill Level: Advanced-Expert
For individuals wishing to prove hands-on expertise as database administrators. All exams are vendor-neutral, although some will represent specialty in a particular vendor's products. The FCDBA certification is obtained by following one of three tracks: Microsoft, Oracle, or Sybase. This certification is currently under development.

Field Certified Database Developer (FCDBD)
Skill Level: Advanced-Expert
For individuals wishing to prove hands-on expertise as database developers. All exams are vendor-neutral, although some will represent specialty in a particular vendor's products. The FCDBD certification is obtained by following one of three tracks: Microsoft, Oracle, or Sybase. This certification is currently under development.

Field Certified Applications Developer (FCAD)
Skill Level: Advanced-Expert
For individuals wishing to prove hands-on expertise as an applications developer. All exams are vendor-neutral, although some will represent specialty in a particular vendor's products. The FCAD certification is obtained by following one of seven tracks: Visual Basic, Visual Basic .NET, Microsoft C#, C++, Java, JavaBeans, J2EE. This certification is currently under development.

Field Certified Directory Expert (FCDE)
Skill Level: Advanced-Expert
For individuals wishing to prove hands-on expertise as a network directory expert. This exam is vendor-neutral and focuses on multiple platforms including Microsoft, Novell, Unix, and Linux. The FCDE certification is currently under development.

Field Certified DNS Expert (FCDNS)
Skill Level: Advanced-Expert
For individuals wishing to prove hands-on networking expertise for both internal and external DNS networks. This exam is vendor-neutral and focuses on multiple platforms including Microsoft, Novell, Unix, and Linux. The FCDNS certification is currently under development.

Field Certified e-Mail Expert (FCME)
Skill Level: Advanced-Expert
For individuals wishing to prove hands-on expertise as an e-mail expert. The exams are vendor-neutral, although some will represent specialty in a particular vendor's products. The FCME certification is obtained by following one of two tracks: Microsoft Exchange or Lotus Notes. This certification is currently under development.

Field Certified Hardware Engineer (FCHE)
Skill Level: Advanced-Expert
For individuals wishing to prove hands-on expertise as a hardware engineer. All exams are vendor-neutral, although some will represent specialty in a particular vendor's products. The FCHE certification is obtained by following one of three tracks: Compaq, Dell, or Hewlett-Packard. This certification is currently under development.

Field Certified Security Specialist (FCSS)
Skill Level: Advanced-Expert
For individuals wishing to prove hands-on expertise as security specialists. All exams are vendor-neutral, although some will represent specialty in a particular vendor's products. The FCSS certification is obtained by following one of three tracks: Cisco, CheckPoint and Cross Platform Security Specialist. This certification is currently under development.

Field Certified TCP/IP Expert (FCTCP)
Skill Level: Advanced-Expert
For individuals wishing to prove hands-on networking expertise for new and existing TCP/IP networks. This exam is vendor-neutral and focuses on multiple platforms including Microsoft, Novell, Unix, and Linux. The FCTCP certification is currently under development.

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