Exam Retirement

CIW Exam Retirements

A CIW exam may be retired for various reasons, including release of new skills objectives, changes to related certification programs, or our determination that a job role or technology has become obsolete, based on input from the IT industry.

The following exams will retire on December 31, 2021:

The following CIW exams are retired as of December 31, 2013:

The following CIW exams are retired as of June 30, 2011:

The following certifications will no longer be awarded as of June 30, 2011:

Note that retirement of a certification track simply means that CIW will no longer be awarding these certifications in the future. However, these CIW certifications that were awarded in the past still hold their value as achievements in the technologies that were current at the time awarded. Once CIW certified, always CIW certified. Whether you choose to re-certify with newer CIW exam versions is your decision and based upon the needs of your current job or your career path.

Older CIW exams that have been retired for some time include the following:

CIW Foundations version 4 exam 1D0-410 (retired January 31, 2005)
CIW Site Designer v4 exam 1D0-420 (retired June 30, 2006)
CIW E-Commerce Designer v4 exam 1D0-425 (retired June 30, 2006)
CIW Administrator for Microsoft and Novell Professionals exam 1D0-475 (retired October 15, 2004)
Master CIW Administrator for Intel Professionals exam 1D0-476 (retired April 1, 2002)

Retirement Policies

Once retired, an exam is no longer available at testing centers, although in some cases candidates can still apply credit for a retired exam version toward a multi-exam certification (while such certifications are still offered). CIW provides at least six months’ prior notice for retirement of any CIW exam so that interested candidates have time to prepare and take the exam while it is still available. You can find information about retirement status for a particular exam by visiting that exam’s certification information page. For example, if you are interested in the latest information about the exams for the Web Foundations Associate (WFA) certification, consult that particular page.

Exam Versions and CIW Certification Eligibility

Candidates should understand the difference between an exam (a single multiple-choice test covering one area of subject matter) and a certification (a status designation that may be earned by passing one or multiple exams). Note that several CIW certification tracks require the candidate to take and pass two or more CIW exams.

Candidates who are pursuing any multi-exam certification tracks (such as CIW Web Development Professional) should verify the version of each required CIW exam they take. Eligibility of a specific exam toward any certification track is dependent on the given exam’s most current version at the time that the candidate completes all requirements for the certification track. A passing score on a CIW exam that is one version older than the most current live version of that exam (at the time of completion of all required exams) will be accepted as contributing toward a multi-exam CIW certification. However, an exam that is two versions older than the most current live version of that exam (at the time of completion of all required exams) is not eligible toward a multi-exam CIW certification.

CIW CI Exam Requirements

CIW Certified Instructors (CIs) are required to pass the most current exam (currently v4 or v5) before teaching the corresponding CIW course.

Current CIW Exams

We invite you to explore our current CIW Certification Roadmap, which has been redesigned to reflect industry best practices. The CIW Roadmap currently has the following certification tracks:

If You Are Preparing to Take an Exam

If you are preparing independently to take a CIW exam, you should verify that your CIW courseware titles and versions are recent and correspond with the current CIW exams and certifications. For information about current courseware versions, visit the page for the specific certification you are pursuing. For example, if you are interested in the latest information about the courseware and exams associated with the Web Foundations Associate (WFA) certification, consult that particular page.

CIW exam-preparation courses offered by ATPs (Authorized Training Partners) and AAPs (Authorized Academic Partners) provide current materials and training that cover the current CIW exam objectives.

Owned and managed by Certification Partners, CIW is the world’s premier vendor-neutral IT and Web technology education and certification program. Since 1997, CIW has trained more than 1 million students and professionals, and has awarded more than 210,000 professional IT certifications through thousands of universities, colleges, high schools, middle schools, learning centers and corporations worldwide. The CIW core curriculum focuses on the foundational standards and job skills that enable the Internet to function, including Web design, development, security, administration, networking and databases.

More than a certification, CIW has become the educational standard adopted by academic institutions, governments and businesses worldwide for Web technology skills. What sets CIW apart is the industry recognition. Just to name a few, corporations such as Cisco, Raytheon, General Dynamics, Northrop Grumman, HP, BAE Systems, Citibank and even the U.S. National Security Administration recognize and request CIW certifications in their current job postings for available IT positions.

CIW certifications verify that certified individuals have the job skills necessary to master a technology-driven world. In today’s competitive workplace, certified CIW professionals have proven abilities that set them apart from other Web professionals.