The NDA... Microsoft's Non-Disclosure Agreement for certification exams... For those of us who have taken any Microsoft exams, we know the NDA as that page before the exam that we click YES to without really reading it. And for those who have not taken a Microsoft exam, you may not know about the NDA at all. Well let us not delay in explaining it shall we. The NDA says:
Exam Security Policy and Non-Disclosure Agreement Published: August 3, 2001
Microsoft has implemented policy changes regarding the security of Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP) exams. Microsoft's purpose for these changes is to protect the value of and investment in certification made by MCPs and the integrity of Microsoft's confidential and trade secret information.
All Microsoft certification exams, including the content and wording of exam questions, constitute confidential Microsoft information protected by trade secret law. Anyone obtaining access to MCP exams is obligated to maintain the confidentiality of this information.
If an individual is caught violating the Non-Disclosure Agreement that all examinees must agree to before beginning an MCP exam (please see the agreement below), the candidate will be permanently ineligible for any Microsoft certification.
By complying with and enforcing this obligation, you help maintain the integrity of the MCP program and the value of your certification. Please do your part by discouraging the sharing of exam questions and making others aware of this policy. We appreciate your cooperation.
Non-Disclosure Agreement and General Terms of Use
For Exams Developed for the Microsoft Certified Professional Program
This exam is Microsoft confidential and is protected by trade secret law. It is made available to you, the examinee, solely for the purpose of becoming certified in the technical area referenced in the title of this exam. You are expressly prohibited from disclosing, publishing, reproducing, or transmitting this exam, in whole or in part, in any form or by any means, verbal or written, electronic or mechanical, for any purpose, without the prior express written permission of Microsoft Corporation.
Click the Yes button to symbolize your signature and to accept these terms. Click the No button if you do not accept these terms. You must click Yes to continue with the exam.
Now with that out of the way; what does it mean? Let's be smart and logical about this first off. We all know that cheating is a NO-NO. We all know what cheating is. Nothing is to be taken in the testing center with you, and nothing is to be taken out (except what is given to you by the exam proxy.) The definition of cheating does not need to be given to many, but for those who need it:
v. intr.
- To act dishonestly; practice fraud.
- To violate rules deliberately, as in a game: was accused of cheating at cards.
Now with the obvious out of the way, let's move on. There have been many discussions in numerous of newsgroups as to what the NDA mean; with particular attention to the sentence:
"You are expressly prohibited from disclosing, publishing, reproducing, or transmitting this exam, in whole or in part, in any form or by any means, verbal or written, electronic or mechanical, for any purpose, without the prior express written permission of Microsoft Corporation."
The keyword for me in this entire sentence is, "... this exam." You are not to, "...disclosing, publishing, reproducing, or transmitting this exam, in whole or in part, in any form or by any means, verbal or written, electronic or mechanical, for any purpose." Okay... that is clear. So in layman terms, we cannot tell people exact questions on the exam. That seems logical. But what about other things?
I have participated in Microsoft newsgroups for a while now. And many questions have been posted concerning Microsoft exams and the specifics of such exams. An example of such questions are:
- How many questions are on the exam?
- Did you see any questions on XXXX technology?
- How long is the exam (time wise)?
- How many questions were on XXXX technology?
And the list goes on and on and on... So is it wrong to answer these questions? Technically you are not, "disclosing, publishing, reproducing, or transmitting this exam, in whole or in part, in any form or by any means, verbal or written, electronic or mechanical, for any purpose." See those 2 words again, "... this exam ." By answering these questions you are not breaking the NDA. You have not given any exact wording of the exam to anyone by answering these question; logically speaking.
Now as many of you know, I have been found guilty of taking the opposite side of this debate by not disclosing the answers to many of these questions. I have done this because to me, the NDA is a slippery slope. You see those 2 words I have been harping on can have another meaning. "...This exam," can include or mean the entire exam as a whole; including content, time frame, number of questions, technology tested, and so on. They say the English language is the hardest to learn!
So what do we do about this. I have started the ball rolling with Keith Loeber, Group Product Manager / Microsoft Certification; Bray Brockbank, Marketing / Microsoft Certifications; and Trika Harms zum Spreckel, Marketing Communications / Microsoft Learning. We have had discussions on what exactly can be safely disclosed and not violate the NDA for Microsoft exams. It should be an interesting topic of conversation, and as soon as things are discussed and clarified; I will pass it on to you.
