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CSQE Software Quality Engineer Certification - What It Gives and

How to Handle It

Standardized certification mechanisms have had to be developed for the various disciplines in the wider Information Technology (IT) sector. These certifications are necessitated by the fact that there are many ways in which people acquire skills. There are, for instance, those who acquire their skills on the job. Then there are those who are self-taught. At yet another level, we have those who take formal college courses: and even for these, the information technology curriculums and methods they are taught using tend to differ significantly. Surely, there has to be a standardized mechanism for ascertaining that the skills possessed by the people coming in through the different routes are the right skills. For instance, there are certain things that every software quality engineer needs to know at a practical level: regardless of the mechanism through which he or she acquires the software quality engineering skills. This state of affairs, then, is what makes standardized certification mechanisms necessary: one such certification being the CSQE we are focusing on here.

Introduction to the CSQE

The initials CSQE stand for Certified Software Quality Engineer. Software quality engineering has, in the recent past, emerged as a discipline in its own right: quite distinct from the actual coding. So in a typical software development setup, you have some engineers doing the coding, and some other engineers - ideally the Certified Software Quality Engineers - doing the quality assurance work. Simply put, if you want to work in a quality assurance role within the software development industry, the CSQE is the right certification for you. It is a good certification to take, especially seeing that the nature of the software development industry is such that the demand for quality assurance people is usually so high. That is against a background where the companies that are in the software development business are ready to go to great lengths to ensure that their software products are truly high quality products. This creates the overwhelming demand for properly certified software quality engineers.

Major topics covered in the CSQE

• The first major topic covered in CSQE is that through which you are supposed to get an overview of software quality engineering as a discipline. Ultimately, in the exam for CSQE, you should expect to find questions that test your understanding of software quality engineering discipline as a whole and its objectives.
• The second major area covered in CSQE is that of building skills in software quality engineering.
• The third major area covered in CSQE is that of software testing. This has two components, the first of which is that of functional testing, with the other one being that of test management.
• The fourth major area covered in CSQE is that of configuration management.
• The fifth major area covered in CSQE is that of software requirements engineering.
• The sixth major area covered in CSQE is that of dealing with client reported software issues (that is, the management process that pertains to dealing with such problems).

Qualifications for the CSQE

You need to have some experience in a 'relevant field' as defined in the CSQE 'body of knowledge,' to qualify for the CSQE. In a primary case, that is supposed to be 8-years experience, gained through full-time work. Exceptions can, however, be granted on the basis of truly relevant educational qualifications. If, for instance, you have a Bachelor's degree in a field that is truly relevant here, you'd only need four years experience. If you have a Masters degree or a doctorate (again, in a truly relevant area), you'd only need three years experience.

How to prepare for the CSQE

There are certain books you need to read, in your preparation for the CSQE. The body that administers the exam can give you a list of the specific books you need to read through. Online training is also available on the website of the body that is charged with the role of administering the CSQE. While preparing for the CSQE, it definitely is a good idea to go through sample questions, and interactive simulations of the actual CSQE exam.

How the CSQE is administered

Ultimately, to actually get the CSQE certification, you will need to undertake an exam. This, thankfully, is an open book exam: meaning that you can go to the exam room with reference materials. Actually, you are expected to go to the exam room with reference materials. The exam is a multiple choice one, and it is administered twice per year: meaning that you need to select an exam date in advance.