As a Microsoft Certified Application Developer MCAD or a Microsoft Certified Solution Developer (MCSD), you are eligible to upgrade your credential—to reflect your expertise using Microsoft Visual Studio 2005—with one or two exams.

Microsoft has introduced a new structure of certifications to better reflect both technology-level and professional-level skills. The result is two new series of certifications for developers: the Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist (MCTS) certification and the Microsoft Certified Professional Developer (MCPD) certification.

Although your MCAD and MCSD credentials continue to be recognized and valued by employers and decision makers who use Microsoft .NET 1.0 and Microsoft .NET 1.1, you now can demonstrate your skills on Visual Studio 2005, if applicable, by using upgrade paths for one to two exams.

By upgrading your credential, you validate your skills on the latest tools from Microsoft, inspiring confidence in your employer, team, and yourself to excel using Visual Studio 2005.

Note If you upgrade to an MCPD certification on Visual Studio 2005, you will be eligible to take advantage of the simple transition paths to transition your Visual Studio 2005 skills to Visual Studio 2008.

Identify the exams that make sense for you.

You can find details on the certifications and exams in this table.