Certification FAQs
What is National Instruments certification?The NI certification program identifies professionals who have a high level of skill and knowledge of NI products. NI certification offers a highly credible way to identify candidates with pertinent skills for hiring, promoting, or outsourcing needs. It distinguishes expertise and differentiates individuals and competitors for career advancement and project opportunities. NI offers multiple certification designations to help determine different levels of expertise. The Certified Associate Developer, Certified Developer, and Certified Architect designations represent basic, advanced, and expert knowledge in using NI products for test and measurement applications. NI offers certifications for NI LabVIEW, LabWindows™/CVI, and NI TestStand software. Who is interested in NI certification?System integrators use NI certifications to validate their expertise and differentiate their skills when they bid for projects. Organizations use NI certification to assess employees' technical growth and to make informed decisions on employees' career advancements. Hiring managers use the certification to ensure job accountability and enhance recruitment criteria for job functions and tasks. View the benefits for any individual deciding to become certified. What are the NI certification benefits for organizations?For organizations, certification is a strategic investment that pays off in increased productivity and reduced risk of project failure or delay, decreased turnover, and an overall competitive advantage. It ensures developers have the skills needed to develop robust applications on-time thereby increasing customer satisfaction. In addition, organizations view NI certifications as credible prerequisites that identify expertise for hiring, promoting, and outsourcing decisions. Finally, NI certification helps systems integrators credibly differentiate specific employee skills and, as a result, establish a competitive edge for winning project bids. What is the difference between the Associate Developer, Developer, and Architect levels of certification?Associate Developer certification denotes a basic foundational knowledge in the design, development, and maintenance of software applications. To obtain this certification, candidates must prove their technical competency by passing a one-hour multiple-choice exam. Developer certification represents a demonstrated advanced knowledge of and application-development experience in implementing software applications. Certification candidates must display technical proficiency with the product line by passing a four-hour practical exam. Architect certification signifies mastery of the technical aspects of the product and the ability to implement the most efficient solution in a team environment. The Certified Architect designation, the highest level of certification available from NI, signifies the ability to lead complex projects from conception through completion. How are the CLD and CLA exams graded?Certified LabVIEW Developer (CLD) and Certified LabVIEW Administrator (CLA) exams are graded by a small group of engineers in the Customer Education Course Development Group in Austin, Texas, at the National Instruments headquarters. Exam results are recorded on an evaluation record, which provides detailed grading results and follow-up areas for review. Exam grading is a two stage process: (1) the exam is marked by an engineer and (2) a second engineer checks the marking and concurs. The graders use a marking template as an evaluation and point-deduction guide. The How Can I Prepare for the Certified LabVIEW Developer (CLD) Exam? document replicates the marking template. The template generates a set of standard comments that are included in the evaluation form candidates receive with their exam results. This process is designed to ensure a consistent marking process and eliminate individual opinions on what should be marked. VI Analyzer is not used to mark exams. The main reason for this is that a human being can look at an exam submission, see what the intent of the candidate was when writing the application, and adjust the marking accordingly. In other words, if the application does not work, but the examiner can tell that the candidate ran out of time and was close to completing the application, the examiner takes that into account. Comments in the LabVIEW application are a great way for candidates to communicate information back to the examiner - they are read. Most of those who grade exams do so with the intent of giving a passing mark. Graders at NI want everyone to pass the exam while maintaining NI standards. The completed exam is not returned to the candidate, nor is the candidate allowed to retain a copy of the exam. What is the Certified Professional Instructor (CPI) certification?The CPI designation helps NI assess the ability of instructors who teach at NI Certified Training Centers. Used with a Developer or Architect certification, the instructor certification establishes a high standard for those teaching courses approved by NI. Instructor certification is issued only to individuals who work for companies that operate NI Certified Training Centers. On rare occasions NI may award instructor certification to individuals at private corporations. This option is at the sole discretion of NI. This certification is not available to individuals who wish to promote courses that NI has not approved under the guise of being certified by NI. Which languages are the exams available in?Certification examinations are currently offered in English, Japanese, and Korean. Where can I take the exam?In the United States, Canada, and Europe, the Associate level exam is administered via a Pearson VUE test center. Visit www.pearsonvue.com/ni/ to locate a test center near you and schedule an exam. The Developer and Architect level exams are administered at NI branch offices, Certified Training Centers, or hotel locations. In Asia, local branch offices schedule and administer exams. Please contact your sales representative or the NI branch office to schedule an exam. How long is my certification valid?Each certification has a two-year renewal requirement. At these two-year intervals, additional examinations are required. Continuing your certification requires you to pass all mandatory evaluations within the time frame specified. Please refer to the recertification policies document (pdf). What happens if I fail the exam?You are allowed two attempts per certification level. If you are unsuccessful at both attempts, you must wait six months before reattempting the certification exam at that level. Must I take training courses to be eligible for a certification examination?No. NI training courses provide the opportunity to develop the knowledge and skills required on the examinations. However, they are not mandatory, and taking courses cannot guarantee that you will pass the examination. What resources can I use during the exam?The Associate level exam is a closed-book exam and no reference materials/computers (other than the testing computer) is allowed at the test center during the exam. For the Developer and Architect level exams, resources are limited to a PC with the applicable software loaded on it. No other resources are allowed. The list of banned items includes but is not limited to:
In general, any activities or items that may allow the candidate to circumvent the intent of the exam are not allowed. What happens if I am involved in any prohibited activities during the exam?Your exam will be confiscated and you will no longer be eligible for NI certification. Eligibility is the discretion of NI, and is not subject to review. How difficult are the exams?In 2007, 79 percent of those who took the Certified LabVIEW Associate Developer (CLAD) exam passed; 56 percent passed the CLD exam; and 56 percent passed the CLA exam. How long are the exams?The Associate Developer exam duration is 60 minutes. The Developer and Architect exam durations are four hours each. What questions are asked on a certification exam?The formats of the exams vary according to level.
Practical exam sections are graded on three criteria:
What preparation materials are available?The LabVIEW Fundamentals Exam is accurate preparatory material for the CLAD exam in terms of style. A sample exam is available for the CLD exam. As older exams are retired for other certification, a sample is made available. Candidates are encouraged to review the exam topics listed on certification pages. For preparation questions on any certification, please contact NI at certification@ni.com. Are there any prerequisites for the exam?There are no prerequisites for the Associate Developer exam. You must pass the Associate Developer exam and carry the Certified Associate Developer designation before you can take the Developer exam. Finally, all candidates wishing to take the Architect exam must be Certified Developers. The mark LabWindows is used under a license from Microsoft Corporation. |
