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In July, Cost of Obtaining a Developer Certification Will Go Up

Microsoft Learning is providing early warning to exam takers that the cost of taking MCP exams, including exams for obtaining the developer-based titles, will go up worldwide at mid-year.

The Microsoft Learning Group is giving fair warning to exam takers that exam prices will be increasing come July.

The price increase affects practically all levels of Microsoft Certified Professional exams (which includes exams for obtaining the Microsoft Certified Professional Developer title), as well as Microsoft Technical Associate exams. How much of a price hike will be a mystery until the formal announcement that month.

"There will be a price adjustment on Microsoft certification exams in July 2016. Microsoft is notifying customers and partners well in advance on April 25, 2016," writes Veronica Sopher, a Microsoft senior marketing communication manager, in a blog posted to the Born2Learn portal.

The FAQ that accompanies her post, while it doesn't list a price, notes that prices will increase worldwide and will apply to every version of the exam: commercial MCP exams; academic MCP exams including the ones through Pearson VUE and the Courseware Marketplace; and MTA exams. The increase will also apply to online proctored exams. The only version of the exams that won't be adjusted are those academic MCP exams available through volume licensing.

The last time Microsoft hiked exam prices was July 2011, when prices for exams in general went up $25 to the current level of $150 in the U.S. Exam pricing is regional, so prices will be adjusted accordlingly.