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Certification FAQ

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  1. What are the reasons Lucid Imagination is launching this program? Why now?
  2. What other software certifications are examples of a similar approach?
  3. What are the benefits of the test?
  4. Why should developers care?
  5. Why should employers care?
  6. How was the test developed?
  7. What areas of Solr knowledge will be tested?
  8. What is the format of test? How many questions are included?
  9. How much time is required?
  10. How are answers scored? What is the passing grade?
  11. How can I prepare for the exam?
  12. What is the cost?
  13. What should I purchase in order to take the exam?
  14. Where & when can tests be taken? Where do I find this information?
  15. What can I expect on the day of the exam?
  16. Is there an agreement or NDA I must sign?
  17. What does the NDA say?
  18. How is security ensured at the test center?
  19. Is there a logo I can add to my business card or website?
  20. Can the test be retaken?



 

    1. What are the reasons Lucid Imagination is launching this program? Why now?

      With the broad adoption and maturity of Solr/Lucene technology and the growth of its ecosystem, there was a need for a standardized approach to assess developer skills and experience. Solr/Lucene developers are in high demand and employers need to be able to determine expertise in using the technology to successfully develop search applications. Implementation partners and consultants want to verify they have this expertise as well - and they want to differentiate from less knowledgeable competitors.

    2. What other software certifications are examples of a similar approach?

      Comparable software developer certifications include: Red Hat Certified Engineer (RHCE), Microsoft Certified Solution Developer (MCSD), Zend PHP Engineer, OCJP (Oracle Certified Java Programmer) and VMware VCP (VMware Certified Professional).

      The Lucid Certified Developer program was designed to overcome shortcomings in certification programs offered by other software companies, such as:

      • Offering certification immediately after completion of only a 1- or 2-day class
      • Tests with only a small number of simple questions
      • Test questions that do not reflect real-world use of the application
      • Tests that have not been subjected to outside analysis or statistical validation

      By following rigorous methods, with a broad base of questions that faithfully reflects real-world use and experience, the process used to develop, test, and deploy the Lucid Certified Developer program was designed to overcome these common pitfalls.

    3. What are the benefits of the test?

      Search is by definition a very diverse field, and the great demand for skills by employers mandates a consistent set of criteria for evaluating those skills. The Lucid Certified Developer Exam is a standardized benchmark of open source search knowledge, skills, and experience.

      By establishing a standard measure that can be used universally, the Solr/Lucene Search Certification provides a transferable, universally applicable measure of your capabilities. Evidence does show that testing has a strong pedagogic effect in capturing knowledge. That said, it is no substitute for experience. The test has been carefully designed to challenge the breadth of your experience; we expect that few, if any, candidates will be able to pass it without hands-on real-world experience in using Solr/Lucene technology for search applications.

    4. Why should developers care?

      • Have your Solr/Lucene expertise validated and recognized
      • Solr/Lucene skills are in demand: differentiate yourself from other candidates during a job search
      • Increasing your value for employers can increase your salary
      • Show that you are part of the Solr/Lucene community
 

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    1. Why should employers care?

      • Proof that Solr/Lucene skills knowledge and experience can meet the test of real world demands
      • Select new hires with more confidence
      • Assess where current development staff may have gaps in their knowledge/experience

    2. How was the test developed?

      The Lucid Certified Developer Exam was developed in conjunction with Prometric, the leading global provider of testing development and delivery services. Prometric has testing centers in more than 160 countries and delivers more than 9 million tests per year.

      The first step was to establish a a team of Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) comprised of Apache Solr/Lucene committers, developers, and trainers. Prometric managed the process of developing the certification and its exam, providing guidelines on test development and best practices.

      The process followed the following steps:

      • Thorough job analysis to identify the specific areas of technical knowledge, skills, competencies required for effective Solr/Lucene development
      • Establishment of tasks and subtasks that required to earn a designation
      • More than 20 SMEs recruited and trained to write test items
      • Multiple workshops held with SMEs, under the qualified direction of a psychometrician to review and edit questions to ensure technical accuracy, freedom-from-bias, correctness and sound language structure
      • Final questions and answers created and rated on what developers would need to know
      • Test blueprint created incorporating individually developed items
      • Beta test created and administered to both SMEs and Solr developers from the community
      • Analysis of how each test item performed and refinement of test items
      • Psychometric analysis assessing scoring, fairness, reliability and validity, screening for any performance discrepancies
      • Statistical methods (modified Angoff and Borderline Group method) to determine passing score

    3. What areas of Solr knowledge will be tested?

      In order to prepare for the Lucid Solr/Lucene Developer Certification exam, the candidate should be comfortable with a broad range of topics. Sample topics covered include, but are not limited to:

      A more complete list of topics covered is at www.lucidimagination.com/certification/topics.

      • Lucene fundamentals, such as Lucene scoring methods such as TF-IDF and how to debug Lucene’s output
      • Indexing, such as the advantages and disadvantages of distributed indexing strategies, and how they affect performance and capabilities of an application or how to configure indexing so that faceting is available.
      • Searching, such as how an analyzer works, the syntax of different query parsers, how Solr implements field collapsing.
      • Debugging Solr, such as the debug parameters provided by Solr, and how they affect output.
      • General Solr knowledge, such as the various configuration files needed to run Solr, such as solr.xml, solrconfig.xml, and schema.xml, when to use index boosting rather than query boosting and vice versa.
      • Architecting a Deployment, such as how to set up distributed search so that a single request can be processed by multiple Solr instances.
      • General search and web application environment topics such as understanding general information retrieval techniques, such as inverted indexes, calculating relevance, and common techniques for implementing search, or understanding how to use techniques such as debugging, memory tools, or examining stack traces or GC logs to troubleshoot Java applications.
 

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    1. What is the format of test? How many questions are included?

      There are 100 questions, in multiple-choice format. Some have more than one correct answer.

    2. How much time is required?

      You should be prepared to spend just under three hours for the test. This does not include includes a brief orientation before the test begins, and a time for completing a survey following the test. The orientation prior to the test includes instructions on the test process, saving your answers, as well as signing a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA).

    3. How are answers scored? What is the passing grade?

      Tests are scored on a scale of 200-800, similar to tests such as the SAT. Your passing grade will depend on the particular set of questions your test includes. You will be advised whether you pass the exam upon completion, including the score required for passing. You will also get a printed report upon leaving the testing center.

    4. How can I prepare for the exam?

      There's no substitute for a combination of experience in working with Solr/Lucene and developing search applications, along study of the key topic areas. Here are some guidelines for you to consider prior to taking the exam: 

 

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    1. What is the cost?

      US $250, payable online at Prometric.com

    2. What should I purchase in order to take the exam?

      You may purchase the $250 voucher from Prometric website; if you have a registration code from your employer or another organization, this is the place to enter it.

      The certification voucher is valid for 1 year from the date of purchase.

    3. Where & when can tests be taken? Where do I find this information?

      The Prometric website, at www.prometric.com, provides full details on Prometric's testing procedures and facilities. More detail is at:
      www.prometric.com/lucid/default.htm
      www.lucidimagination.com/certification

    4. What can I expect on the day of the exam?

      The exam is taken in an isolated room, using a specially configured computer. The exam is closed-book, so you won't be able to consult any reference material or use the Internet while taking it.

      On the day of the exam don't forget to take 2 forms of identification with you to the testing center--testing staff must verify your identity.

      No cell phones or personal laptops will be allowed in the testing center.

      No use of unauthorized training materials, such as purchased 3rd-party “study guides” or “brain dumps” will be allowed.

    5. Is there an agreement or NDA I must sign?

      The non-disclosure agreement is presented to the candidate before the exam starts. Before taking an exam all candidates must agree to the terms of our non-disclosure agreement. It includes your consent to not reveal the test content or methods.
      Important Note: if you do not agree to the non-disclosure agreement when you sit for the test, you can end the exam, but you will forfeit the exam fee.

 

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  1. What does the NDA say?

    The NDA you'll see will be roughly as follows: 

    "This assessment test is confidential and protected by copyright and trade secret law. It is made available to you, the test taker, solely for the purpose of becoming certified in the area identified in the title of this exam. You are expressly prohibited from disclosing, publishing, reproducing, or transmitting this exam, completely or in part, in any form or by any means, verbal or written, electronic or mechanical, for any purpose, without the prior express written permission of Lucid Imagination. By accepting the Non-Disclosure Statement, you agree not to disclose the content of the Lucid Certified Apache Lucene/Solr Developer (LCSD) Exam."

  2. How is security ensured at the test center?

    Prometric testing centers employ strict security measures. Only authorized staff are able to access the publishing office, which adds an enhanced level of physical security around items and limits exposure. In addition, all work is performed on a dedicated and isolated file server.

    Consistent processes ensure exam integrity and accuracy. Prometric delivers the same experience for every candidate, everywhere.

  3. Is there a logo I can add to my business card or website?

    Yes – you can use the Lucid Certified Apache Solr/Lucene Developer logo on your business card or resume. You will receive instructions on obtaining the logo once you pass the exam.

  4. Can the test be retaken?

    Yes, after two weeks. Candidates who do not pass on the first attempt may re-take the test a second time, and will need to pay a partial re-test fee.

 

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