FAQs on Certification – CAST

Frequently Asked Questions on CAST Certification

Pre-requisites

Q: I would like to take up CAST Administrator Certification. Tell me more about it

A: CAST Basic Certification is for AI Administrators (beginners) to validate if the eLearning and coaching provided has actually resulted in proper knowledge to start operating the AIP Platform. You can take up Basic Certification with less than one month's experience in CAST AIP after attending a coaching session by CAST Consultants

Q: How do I purchase Basic Certification?

A: Basic Certification is offered free when the client purchases the CAST University eLearning subscription. Basic Certification is linked to a minor version of CAST. To retain the validity of your certificate/diploma, you need to pass the Basic Certification linked to the current version (offered free)

Q: When can I take up Professional Certification?

A: to know the recommended CAST AIP experience to take up Certification, refer to the table below

Q: What is the criteria for each Certification?

A: Refer to the table below

Level	Short Note	Recommended CAST AIP experience
CAST AIP Basic Certificate	For starting AI Administrators to validate if the eLearning and coaching provided has actually resulted in proper knowledge to start operating the AIP platform	< 1 month
CAST AIP Professional Certificate	For intermediate AI Administrators to demonstrate their ability to properly configure applications across different technologies including basic transaction configuration	~ 3 months
CAST AIP Advance Certificate	For advanced AI Administrators to demonstrate their ability to configure complex application for transactions configuration as well as AFP configuration in AIP	~ 6 months

Q. If I become a CAST Certified AI Administrator and CAST Certified Key User, how do I relate my CAST knowledge to the Certification or its level?

A: Refer to the table below

CAST Certification	Description	Pre-requisites
Basic Certified CAST AIA	As a Basic Certified CAST AI Administrator, you will learn how to operate CAST Out of the Box (OOB) implementation with not much customization. You will gain the knowledge and confidence to take full advantage of the CAST Application Intelligence Platform: learn to customize your source code analysis, integrate CAST AIP into your workflow and application life-cycle management process, drive improved application code and business priorities with real-world examples using a hands on approach You will learn to configure CAST for simple architecture oriented applications across technologies. You will be able to generate a basic level of quality analysis, run the snapshot, deploy dashboards and guide the application team in understanding simple results provided by the quality cube such as business criteria, technical criteria, quality rules etc. The knowledge that you gained in the coaching session, eLearning content and the subsequent completion of Basic Certification gives you the ability to guide end users to generate the action plan from the dashboard	Mandatory: Completion of AIA 101 Getting Started with CAST AIP and AIA 102 Structural Application Analysis - hands-on eLearning courses and coaching session by a CAST Consultant
Professional Certified CAST AIA	As a Professional Certified CAST AI Administrator, you will learn to configure CAST for complex architecture oriented application specific to Quality and customize the Quality Model to match your application's context. You will gain the knowledge and confidence to interpret the data to the application teams and identify data flow within the application. You will learn to use the key features of CAST such as Architecture Checker and Report Generator	Completion of AIA 101 Getting Started with CAST AIP and AIA 102 Structural Application Analysis - hands-on eLearning courses OR Having knowledge of CAST AIP at an intermediate level. The incumbent should have reached the expected level of learning before attempting the Certification exam
Advance Certified CAST AIA	As an Advance Certified CAST AI Administrator, you will gain the knowledge and confidence to use full features/functionality of CAST, how multiple technologies work, how extensions work, how to precisely configure transactions and achieve a high level of precision in analyzing results. You will learn how to do application sizing in accordance with IFPUG standards, backfired FPs and enhanced FPs	Completion of AFP 201 Productivity Measurement eLearning course OR Having knowledge of CAST AIP as an advance Administrator. The incumbent should have reached the expected level of learning before attempting the Certification exam Recommended reading: Access to eLearning courses of CAST University to reinforce your understanding on CAST AIP
CAST Certified Key User	As a CAST certified Key User, you will understand how to use CAST AIP output to drive application software quality and productivity improvement within your respective teams. You will gain the knowledge to navigate various CAST AIP dashboard's views, interpret results, prioritize violation, create actions plans and make the interface between application teams and CAST AI Administrators. As a certified Key User, you can help your application development teams get the maximum value from the investment in software analysis. You will gain the knowledge and confidence to exploit all the information delivered by CAST AIP and effectively leverage dashboards, reports and APIs. You will understand how to customize the Quality model to make and keep analysis relevant and meaningful, quantify the value of software analysis and drive internal use of analysis results	We recommend the following e-Learning courses to gain the required knowledge and understand how CAST AIP works · AIP 01 - Overview of CAST AIP eLearning course · Key User 101 e-Learning course or coaching session by a CAST consultant

Certification version and expiry

Q: Is CAST Certificate/Diploma version specific?

A: The pre-requisite eLearning courses for Certification are version specific and the exam is based on this. For e.g, if the pre-requisite eLearning courses are CAST AIP v8.0, the exam questions will be based on CAST AIP v8.0. CAST Certification is not CAST AIP version specific. However, the Certification exam is specific to CAST AIP version. If you wish to get certified in CAST AIP 7.3 or latest versions, the exam will be specific to the CAST AIP version. Please check with CASTU@castsoftware.com to know the specific level of the exam and its availability

Q: What is the validity/expiry date of CAST Certification?

A: CAST Certification is valid as long as the CAST AIP version on which the Certification was obtained is available or a major change in CAST AIP technology warrants re-certification (in the order of occurrence). For e.g, if you have obtained CAST Certification on v7.x, the sunset period of your Certification follows the sunset period of CAST AIP 7.x version. If there is a major change in CAST AIP technology, you need to obtain new Certification on the latest version of the product

Basic, Professional and Advance Certification automatically expire at the end of life of last version of a major release. To maintain your certification, a bridge course is offered (free of cost) to assess your knowledge and renew your certificate/diploma

Q; What is the validity of CAST Key User Certification?

A: The Key User Certification is not version specific. However, the Certification exam is specific to CAST AIP version on which the Certification was obtained. The Certificate is valid as long as the CAST AIP version on which it was obtained is available or a major change in CAST AIP technology warrants re-certification (in the order of occurrence). A new certification on the latest version of CAST AIP is offered for free if you renew your certification before End of Life (EOL) of the last minor version of a major CAST AIP version

Q: How do I retain CAST Basic, Professional and Advance Certification?

A: For Professional and Advance Certification, if a bridge eLearning course is taken (free of charge for certified at these levels) and the assessment is completed/passed successfully, your certification is renewed for the bridged version. If there is a major change in CAST AIP technology, a new Certification on the latest version of the product need to be purchased

Q: What do I do if I want to upgrade my CAST Certification to the latest version of CAST AIP?

A: If you want to upgrade your CAST Certification to the latest version of CAST AIP, you need to reapply for Certification on the latest version (subject to availability). However, CAST University offers a bridge eLearning course on the latest version to help you update your skills on the latest version of CAST AIP. This course is offered at no cost to CAST Certified AIAs. Contact your Coach/Mentor or CAST University to enroll for the bridge eLearning course (subject to availability)

Q: My CAST Certification is on the sunset version of CAST AIA. What do I do to retain my Certification?

A: Contact your Coach/Mentor or CAST University to know how to renew your Certification

Enrollment process

Q: Will I get two Certification (Diplomas) if I complete both Basic and Professional Certification?

A: Yes, you will receive a diploma for Basic and Professional separately

Q: Can I take up Advance Certification without completing Basic and Professional Certification?

A: You can take up Advance Certification without completing Basic and Professional Certification. Please refer to the Pre-requisites section above and familiarize yourselves with the pre-requisites before attempting the exam

Q: Can I take up Professional Certification without completing Basic Certification?

A: You can take up Professional Certification without completing Basic Certification. Please refer to question #5 above and familiarize yourselves with the pre-requisites before attempting the exam

Q: What is the process to enroll for Certification?

A: Contact your Coach/Mentor or CASTU@castsoftware.com to get enrolled for Certification

Q: Where do I find the pricing for CAST Certification?

A: Contact your Coach/Mentor who will engage our Sales/Business Development team to discuss the pricing. You could also send an email to CASTU@castsoftware.com with your queries. The concerned team will get in touch with you

Q: Is it mandatory to complete Basic and Professional Certification before attempting Advance Certification?

A:We recommend the coach/mentor/Delivery Manager or the Business Development team to assess CAST knowledge of the client before recommending CAST Certification. The level of understanding that a Consultant would have with CAST Certification is explained in the Pre-requisites section above. Please assess your readiness before choosing the level of Certification

Q: I have completed CAST Certification on CAST AIP 7.3. What should I do to upgrade my knowledge on newer versions?

A:To know more about the new features in the latest versions of CAST, contact your coach/mentor or CAST University to enroll for the bridge eLearning course on the latest version of CAST AIP (subject to availability)

Q: Will my previous Certificate/Diploma will be invalid when I pass the Certification on newer CAST AIP versions?

A: Yes, the latest Certification will hold good

Q: What are the guidelines to use Email Signatures after completing CAST Certification?

A: After you complete CAST Certification, visit CAST Certification - Email Signature page in Confluence to copy the prescribed format. If you have completed Basic and Professional Certification, use only Professional Certification signature in your email. If you have completed Advance Certification, use only Advance Certification signature in your email

Feedback/Suggestions

Q: I want to share some feedback on eLearning and Certification offering? Where can I submit?

For CAST Internal: Log a JIRA ticket @ https://jira.castsoftware.com/projects/ELF. Expand Projects link on the top menu and select eLearning. In the left navigation bar, click Components. You will now see a list of eLearning courses and Certification. Select the respective component to log your ticket

For CAST External (Clients/SIs): CAST external teams do not have access to the JIRA tool. The respective coach/mentor/DM for the account will work with the client to register feedback/suggestions/issues, if any

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