Powershell Verified

PowerShell Verified

By PowerShell.org

PowerShell Verified is a program that enables IT professionals to demonstrate cross-functional expertise with Windows PowerShell and related technologies. After registering for the program and paying for a verification, a candidate engages in a practical, hands-on exercise that focuses on core Windows PowerShell skills. No experience with specific PowerShell-managed technologies, such as Exchange Server, SharePoint Server, System Center, etc. is necessary.

At present, the program includes verification in the Toolmaking level of expertise, referring to a professional who is capable of building highly modularized tools, designed to be consumed by less technically proficient coworkers or colleagues, which comply with all major PowerShell standards and best practices. This level of expertise presumes strong skills in core competencies such as discovery, scripting, Remoting, and so forth.

This program is not a certification program. It is presented as a sort of guided self-assessment. The value of being verified will differ from candidate to candidate, and it is not our expectation that this program will be used for job or career advancement.

Prerequisite Skills

Prior to attempting verification, a candidate should have a high level of confidence in the following skills:

• Configuration of Remoting (WS-MAN and WinRM), including custom endpoints (session configurations), ACLs, firewall exceptions, and related tasks.
  
• Creation of script modules and manifest modules.
  
• Discovery of, and utilization of, new modules and commands.
  
• Authoring of advanced functions and proxy functions, including the provisioning of command help.
  
• PowerShell standards, such as command and parameter naming, pipeline parameter binding, etc.
  
• PowerShell scripting language, including variables, scope, constructs, and so forth.

Verification Process

The process begins by paying and registering for a verification. Candidates must choose a specific calendar day based on system availability. The verification process allows the candidate up to 6 hours, from 9:00am in their local time zone to 3:00pm in their local time zone.

2 hours prior to the scheduled time, the candidate will receive Remote Desktop login credentials and information about the test environment. The candidate will be logging into a Windows 8 computer via Remote Desktop. The test environment may include one or more other computers that the candidate will interact with.

During the verification process, the candidate may use whatever resources they would normally use in a production environment, including the Internet, books, training videos, asking colleagues for assistance, and so forth. Each candidate will have to weigh the value of their final grade against the amount of outside assistance that they needed.

The Windows 8 computer will include a file named “C:\Scenario.rtf,” which lists the tasks the candidate must complete. There will also be an executable named “C:\Grade.exe,” which the candidate must launch after completing their assigned tasks.

IMPORTANT: Grade.exe must be run prior to 3:00pm in the candidate’s local time zone. Failure to do so will result in a failing grade for the verification. Running Grade.exe multiple times will not cause any harm, and the last grade created before 3:00pm will be the one used for your verification result.

Within 5 business days of completion, the candidate will receive an e-mail with their grade.

Grades are given as pass/fail only. Verification is not intended as a learning diagnostic tool, and no feedback is given about which task or tasks the candidate performed successfully, or which ones the candidate did not perform successfully.

Important Caveats

On your scheduled verification day, you must sign into the virtual machine by 9:10am in your local time zone. You must remain active in the virtual machine continuously until you have completed your task and graded it. You can step away from the virtual machine for no more than 45 minutes. If the virtual machine is idle for longer, it will assume you are finished and suspend itself. You will not be able to resume it.

Security

PowerShell Verified is a community-driven effort, created in the absence of a formal first-party certification exam. The purpose of PowerShell Verified is primarily to assure one’s self of competency in PowerShell. We ask that candidates not share information about the verification scenario, their answers, or any other information with anyone else. We acknowledge that we cannot enforce this request.

Re-Take Policy

Candidates may attempt the verification process no more than once per year. Once a candidate has achieved a passing score, they may not re-verify the same level of expertise on the same version of PowerShell (or on subsequent versions that are deemed to be substantially the same).