Microsoft is retiring SharePoint MCSD developer exams

In an announcement posted by Microsoft Learning on February 16^th 2016, Microsoft announced that both MCSD exams (70-488 Developing SharePoint Server 2013 Core Solutions and exam 70-489: Developing SharePoint Server 2013 Advanced Solutions) will retire on September 30^{th 2016}!

Furthermore, what is more interesting is that exam 70-517: Recertification for MCSD: SharePoint Applications is also being retired on the same date. This announcement is very interesting for two reasons:

• The MCSD: SharePoint Certifications came almost a year after the MCSE: SharePoint Certifications, but are retired a lot before. To give you an idea… The SharePoint 2010 IT Pro Certifications are only being retired on July 31^st 2016!
• There is no news on SharePoint 2016 certifications yet.
• By retiring both the two exams AND the re-certification exams, most developers will lose their MCSD: SharePoint certification pretty soon, since to keep it you must re-certify every two years.

However, the MCSD SharePoint is not the only certification that will die. The following MCSD Certification will also be retired on September 30:

• MCSD: Windows Store Apps Using HTML5 (481, 482, 490)
• MCSD: Windows Store Apps Using C# (484, 485, 491)

Furthermore, the re-certification exam for MCSD: Application Lifecycle Management is also retiring, meaning developers cannot renew their MCSD.

What does “retired” mean?

Here is what “retired” means directly from Microsoft Learning:

Keep in mind that even if an exam that is part of a certification you earned is retired, your certification is still valid. When an exam you passed is retired, the exam record remains on your transcript. If you’re working toward a certification that includes one of the exams listed for retirement, please be sure to take the exam prior to the retirement date. Allow time for a retake if necessary.

So, if you’re currently working on your MCSD SharePoint Certification, make sure you finish all your SharePoint exams as soon as possible to get it on your transcript!

Future of SharePoint MCSD?

There are lots of theories that can be made about why Microsoft is canceling the SharePoint MCSD. Maybe the numbers weren’t what they expected, or maybe the recertification technique didn’t work. The SharePoint 2013 MCSE doesn’t even need to pass an exam to re-certificate, only need to listen to MVA.

Maybe Microsoft is replacing the SharePoint MCSD certification with an Office 365 MCSD certification in order to be cloud-first? Why do you think Microsoft is killing the SharePoint MCSD Certification so early? Let me know in the comments!

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You can view the original Announcement here: Exam Retirement Update: What’s retiring in September 2016?