Frequently Asked Questions ASD Exam
FAQs about the ASD Exam:
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What are the advantages of having Accredited Symbian Developer status?
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Do I need to take the exam under exam conditions, with a supervisor?
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Is Accredited Symbian Developer an official Symbian program?
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Do I need to know about device drivers or other specialist areas?
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How often do I need to retake the exam in order to stay an Accredited Symbian Developer?
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How can I make use of the Accredited Symbian Developer program for training?
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How can I use the Accredited Symbian Developer program for recruiting?
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PayPal doesn't accept credit card payments from my country. How can I buy an exam?
1. What do I need to know to pass the ASD exam?
The curriculum is based on the 'Fundamentals of Symbian C++' curriculum, described in more detail at
http://developer.symbian.org/wiki/index.php/Fundamentals_of_Symbian_C%2B%2B_curriculum 
and on the Majinate curriculum page.
The curriculum and pass criteria are defined by Symbian and managed on their behalf by Majinate.
2. Where can I learn about the right topics?
Majinate maintains a list of accredited training providers. In addition to classroom training, we recommend the following books:
Accredited Symbian Developer Primer by Jo Stichbury
Symbian OS Explained by Jo Stichbury
Symbian OS C++ for Mobile Phones by Richard Harrison
Nokia provides online course material that will h elp to prepare a candidate for the ASD exam.
In particular, we recommend the Symbian OS Basics workbook v2 (course number 04300).
3. What are the advantages of having Accredited Symbian Developer status?
As the volume of Symbian devices grows, new entrants to the Symbian ecosystem need a mechanism for finding those capable of helping them deliver their solutions to Symbian devices. Those who pass the exam will receive an authenticed certificate and will be recorded in a register of Accredited Symbian Developers held by Majinate, which can be checked by third parties wishing to validate Symbian competency.
For furter details read the benefits of taking the ASD Exam. ASDs also gain access to unique discounts and special offers available in the ASD members area.
4. How much does it cost to take the ASD exam?
Majinate offers unsupervised ASD exams directly from this website and through partners.
There are two forms of the exam: a short practice and the full accreditation test.
5. Where can I take the exam?
A list of our partners is available here.
6. How long does it take to sit the exam?
It takes most participants between 60 and 90 minutes. You should plan to have time do the whole exam in one sitting. Your network connection will need to remain active throughout that period although you will not be penalised if the link is interrupted briefly. The exam times out after 2 hours, shown on a countdown clock during the exam session. The number of questions still to be answered is also shown.
The exam system is unavailable between 09:00 & 09:30 Eastern Standard Time on Sunday mornings while we conduct maintenance.
7. Do I need to take the exam under exam conditions, with a supervisor?
The exam may be taken with or without supervision. If a candidate is successful, their certificate will state whether the exam was conducted in a supervised environment, indicating whether the candidate was known to be taking the exam unaided. The on-line exam is licensed to be unsupervised in many regions, and local representative agreements determine the regions where they may be conducted without supervision.
8. Does the exam require knowledge of Symbian 9.x?
Yes. The exam is designed to test skills needed in the current market environment, based on which versions of Symbian can be found in the market at that time. Currently, this includes Symbian v6, v7 and v8. The question database is constantly being revised and some questions specific to Symbian v9 have been added now that phones based on v9 are established in the market.
9. What are the entry requirements for taking the exam?
It is not necessary to attend formal training to take the exam, and indeed on-the-job experience can in many cases suffice to pass. You will also require a good standard of English to take the exam.
10. Is Accredited Symbian Developer an official Symbian program?
Symbian carries further information on the ASD exam and other academic programs here http://developer.symbian.org/wiki/index.php/Accredited_Symbian_Developer
11. Do we need to be a Symbian partner (e.g. Platinum Partner or Affiliate Partner) before taking the exam?
Anyone can take the exam.
12. Do I need to know about device drivers or other specialist areas?
The exam is designed to test a general level of Symbian fundamentals that every developer will encounter when programming for the Symbian API. A Professional level program for domain specialists is now available and will gradually be extended to cover wider Symbian skills.
13. What is the pass mark for the ASD exam?
With the introduction of the v2.1 of the ASD exam, the pass criteria are public - previous pass criteria were confidential. The pass criteria are reviewed on an annual basis to ensure that the exam continues to test up-to-date knowledge of Symbian. A candidate is expected to show knowledge and understanding across the curriculum and this is tested by 2 components: achieving a score of at least 70 in the exam; and demonstrating Proficiency or Strength in 15 out of 16 sub-topic areas. This can only be achieved by completing the exam in the time allotted.
14. How often do I need to retake the exam in order to stay an Accredited Symbian Developer?
Accreditations made today will be valid for a minimum of 12 months and we anticipate at least 18 months, driven by the need to keep pace with releases of Symbian. You can tell if your accreditation is still valid by checking either on the members' portal or here. Certificates issued under V2.1 of the curriculum onwards will indicate which version of the exam was used for the test.
15. How can I make use of the Accredited Symbian Developer program for training?
Organisations may use the examination infrastructure to assess their level of Symbian competency, including additional information on areas of weakness and advice on appropriate training or revision that is needed for a particular project. Organisations able to offer this service can be found here.
16. How can I use the Accredited Symbian Developer program for recruiting?
Individuals claiming to be Accredited Symbian Developers are listed in a database held by Majinate. Please contact verify.asd@majinate.com for details on how to use this service.
Organisations involved in recruiting Symbian Developers can use the same examination structure as used for the Accredited Symbian Developer exam as a recruitment screening tool. Recruitment assessments are available from either direct from Majinate, or through our network of resellers.
17. What happens if I pass?
The results of your exam will be shown on your screen at the end of the test session with detailed results emailed to your registered email account. You will also receive a separate mail (usually within 2 working days) containing a log-in ID and password for the restricted parts of the Majinate web site, reserved for Accredited Developers, The email is formal notification that you are eligible to place the letters “ASD” for Accredited Symbian Developer after your name. A personalized security-printed certificate will also be sent to you, usually within 28 days, but depending on sufficient numbers for a print run.
18. What happens if I fail?
The results of your exam will be shown on your screen at the end of the test session and emailed to your registered email account. This will show how you performed in all the areas of the exam, identifying the areas that require further study in order to increase the chances of a successful later attempt. There is no limit to the number of times the exam may be taken, and no “cooling off” period.
19. Can I take a pratice exam?
Yes, you can register for a practice exam.
20. How can I use the exam for technical interviewing?
The full ASD exam with detailed results analysis is recommended for technical interviews, as a detailed profile of the candidate’s competency is built against the curriculum topics. However, if time is limited, a short form of the exam is available online. Results are available immediately on screen upon completion of the exam and give an indication of the candidate’s ability compared to the general Symbian developer population. An example of the result is available here. Note that we do not recommend that you rely solely on the results of the exam for employment purposes and that the exam should be used only as a guide.
21. What do the results look like?
The exam result is calculated automatically on completion of the test session and displayed on screen. This result is also sent to the candidate’s registered email address immediately. This is a detailed analysis showing a rank ordered list of all the curriculum areas with a short narrative describing the candidate’s profile compared to the profiles of the entire population of candidates who have sat the exam to date. A sample result is shown here.
22. I'm an ASD, how do I join the BCS?
Send a mail to asd.help@symbian.com including your ASD certificate number, validity date, name and address details confirming that you would like to join the BCS as an AMBCS - membership is open worldwide. Majinate will then make the arrangements for you and you will be sent your joining pack direct from the BCS. Membership prices of the BCS can be found at www.bcs.org
Details of how to apply to the BCS through the ASD scheme are held in the members area.
23. What information will be held about me, and is it secure?
Majinate is registered under the UK Data Protection Legislation to hold details for the purposes of running the ASD scheme. Your name, email and postal addresses, as provided by you, are held in the accreditation database. All records are encrypted and are accessible only by specifically authorised personnel of Majinate and Symbian. We do not provide your details to third parties except as obliged under UK law.
24. Will my personal details be used for marketing purposes?
There will be an occasional newsletter sent out with information relevant to the scheme and any new benefits. You can choose to opt in to receiving information from Symbian about Symbian's business by checking a box or writing to us. You can have your name taken off one or both lists at any time.
25. Can I review some sample questions?
Yes. The example ASD exam questions are available for review in this Sample Questions PDF 
download (300kb). The questions are similar in language, style, and difficulty to the real exam questions.
26. PayPal doesn't accept credit card payments from my country. How can I buy an exam?
If you live in some countries, such as Egypt or Russia, Paypal restricts the ability to use a credit card for payments. To overcome this, you can either:
- use a PayPal account linked to a bank account, or one where you have a high enough credit balance; or
- send us a Sterling cheque to our postal address; or
- make payment by bank transfer
For a bank transfer, please send us a mail to asd.help (at) majinate.com providing us with the details of the candidates (mail addresses, email addresses, first names, last names) and we'll send you an invoice using the information you supply by return with our bank details for payment.
27. Which versions of the exam are still valid?
All accreditations given under V1 of the exam expired 31st December 2007 and are now invalid: all accreditations given under V2 of the exam expired 31st December 2009 and are now invalid: to renew you need to re-sit the latest version of the exam. All accreditations given under V2.1 of the exam expire on 1st October 2010.
