CIW Certification Training

Certified Internet Web Professional (CIW) is a training and certification program for candidates who want to start a career (or are already working) in the web developer industry. CIW (which originally stood for Certified Internet Webmaster) was created in the late 1990s as a vendor-neutral Internet technology and web development education program. Like the Internet itself, the CIW program has been through many changes since its creation. The program is currently owned and managed by the Certification Partners group. This same group also operates the Convergence Technologies Professional (CTP) training and certification program.

The CIW program is aimed at candidates who want to work in one or more of the following job roles:

  • Web developer
  • Web data analyst
  • Ecommerce specialist
  • Website user interface expert
  • Website designer
  • Mobile web app developer/designer
  • Social media marketing strategist

CIW Certification Tracks

The current (2015) CIW program consists of the following certification tracks:

  • Web Foundations
  • Web Design
  • Web and Mobile Design
  • Web Development
  • Web Security

Web Foundations

The Web Foundations certification track is aimed at candidates who have some basic web development knowledge, and possibly some work experience. Here are the disciplines in this track:

  • Internet Business
  • Site Development
  • Network Technology

Each discipline has its own exam and certification. Candidates who pass all of the discipline exams earn the top-level CIW Web Foundations Associate credential. Alternatively, candidates can take a single Web Foundations Associate exam that covers all of the disciplines. Passing the larger exam gives candidates the Web Foundations Associate cert, but not the individual discipline credentials.

Here are some of the skills candidates can expect to be tested on in these exams:

  • Internet and networking standards
  • Web browser functionality
  • Multimedia on the web
  • Databases and search engines
  • Basic site development using HTML5 and CSS3
  • Networking hardware and security basics

Web Design

The Web Design certification track is for more advanced Internet professionals who have intermediate web design skills and some related work experience. Here are the disciplines in this track:

  • Web Design Specialist
  • E-Commerce Specialist

As with the Foundations track, each Web Design discipline has its own exam and certification. Passing all of the discipline exams earns the top-level CIW Web Design Professional credential.

These are some of the skills covered by the Web Design discipline exams:

  • Web development essentials
  • Web design elements
  • HTML5, XHTML and other web technologies
  • Web design authoring tools
  • XML and JavaScript usage
  • Ecommerce technology and security
  • Using customer relationship management (CRM) software

Web and Mobile Design

There are several disciplines in the Web and Mobile Design certification track. Candidates should have work experience and an intermediate-to-advanced skill set with a discipline before challenging the related exam. Each discipline has its own exam and certification; passing all of the discipline exams earns candidates the top-level CIW Web and Mobile Design Professional credential. Here are the disciplines in this track:

  • Advanced HTML5 and CSS3 Specialist
  • User Interface Design Specialist*
  • Social Media Strategist**
  • Mobile Application Developer**
  • Multimedia Specialist**
  • E-Commerce Specialist**
  • Data Analyst**

(* scheduled release Dec. 2015) (** scheduled release Q1/Q2 2016)

Here is a list of some of the skills candidates will be tested on in this track:

  • HTML5 APIs and code validation
  • User interface templates and usability concepts
  • Designing sites for multiple platforms
  • Business use of social media
  • Mobile application SDKs and IDEs
  • Developing for iOS and Android
  • Creating video for the Internet
  • Implementing payment-processing for websites
  • Cloud-based data collection and management tools

Web Development

This CIW certification track consists of a small number of disciplines, each one associated with a specialized area of web development. The Web Development track is for candidates who have intermediate-to-advanced skills with one or more of the related disciplines. Each Web Development discipline has its own exam and related credential. A candidate who passes all of the discipline exams is awarded the top-level CIW Web Development Professional certification.

Here are the disciplines in the Web Development track:

  • JavaScript Specialist
  • Database Design Specialist
  • Perl Specialist

Here are some of the skills covered by this track:

  • JavaScript essentials and code development
  • Relational database fundamentals
  • Planning and designing databases
  • Using SQL
  • Database and transactions security

Web Security

The Web Security certification track is structured differently from the other tracks. The Web Security track consists of three certification levels:

  • Web Security Associate
  • Web Security Specialist
  • Web Security Professional

The first credential, Web Security Associate, is earned by passing the official CIW certification exam.

To receive the second credential, Web Security Specialist, candidates must first pass the Web Security Associate exam. Then, they must provide proof of holding a valid certification from a list of qualifying IT industry programs.

To earn the top-level Web Security Professional certification, candidates must pass the Web Security Associate exam and hold two valid certs from the qualifying list.

There are a fair number of security-related certs on the Web Security qualifying list. Here are some of the more popular credentials:

  • Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA)
  • CompTIA Security+
  • EC Council Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH)
  • GIAC Security Expert (GSE)
  • ISACA Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA)
  • Microsoft Certified Solutions Associate (MCSA)
  • Microsoft Certified Solutions Expert (MCSE)
  • Red Hat Certified Engineer (RHCE)

Here are some of the skills candidates should expect to see on the Web Security Associate exam:

  • Corporate network security policies
  • Authentication and encryption standards
  • Hacker-vulnerable ports and protocols
  • Detecting, preventing and managing hacker attacks
  • Incident reporting methods

CIW Program Details

CIW certification exams are offered worldwide through Pearson VUE test centers. Exams are delivered via computer and exam score reports are made available immediately after completing an exam.

Each certification exam is configured individually, with factors ranging from the following:

  • Number of questions (commonly between 40 to 70)
  • Passing score (65% to 75% in most cases)
  • Time limit (60 to 90 minutes is common)

If a candidate fails an exam on the first attempt, they must wait 24 hours before they can retake the exam. After this, there is a retake waiting period of thirty days for each subsequent failed attempt.

CIW certifications do not expire, even if the qualifying exam is retired. Certification holders are encouraged to keep their certs current by taking new versions of exams to earn the latest version of their credentials.

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