What to Study
Obviously, the first thing you should do is check out the exam guide on CIWCertified.com. Based on my experience, here are the things that have changed, as well as topics for which I was not prepared enough. . .Internet Security - Be sure you know what denial of service and brute force attacks are and how to lessen the chances of becoming a victim. Learn about social engineering.
XML - Know everything about XML; what it is, how tags are used, how it differs from XHTML, how it differs from CSS.
Tag Formatting - Pay very close attention to formatting of CSS tags, XML (know when and how to use <!DOCTYPE>), and XHTML. Know the structure of each type of document (the order and presence of head, body, & script tags).
Flash - Be extremely familiar with layers, frames, tweens (motion and shape), and file types as they are used in webpages.
Graphic File Types - Know what makes a SVG file unique and when it is used in a page and how it interacts with browsers. Know the difference between GIFa and GIFb.
Plug-ins - Know all of the common plug-ins and which ones are pre-installed. Know how they are used and linked to on a web page.
Project Management - Although this is also an essential part of version 4 exams, be sure you take this seriously. I thought I knew plenty about project management, but got a bit turned around on terminology. Know about vision statements, style guides, and who is responsible for what during the project lifecycle. Know how to define the roles of Information Architect, Developer, and Project Manager.
Page Layout - Know how to create a balanced layout (symmetrical, asymmetrical, radial).
RSS - Know what it is and how best to use it in your design.
How I Studied
I began preparing for the exam using Sybex's CIW Site Designer and E-Commerce Study Guide. What I learned from this is that the new exams are truly updated. This guide just scraped the surface of the information needed for v5. You can get the basics from the old material, but until some study guides for v5 are released, you will have to rely heavily on outside resources such as the W3C recommendations and the user manuals and online tutorials for Flash, Dreamweaver, FrontPage, and Fireworks.Conclusion
If you are a web developer in the trenches, working with XML, Flash, Dreamweaver, Homesite and such every day, you will do well on this exam with a bit of study and a few practice questions to review your weak spots.If, like me, you have some experience with all of the topics, and a lot of experience with only one or two, then you know that you need to study pretty hard. I needed two weeks of good prep time or maybe a month of casual study to prepare for this. As it was, I only spent a few days preparing. Here's hoping I passed!
If you are a beginner in the web design field or are more the creative type looking to become a web master, you will need to spend some serious time making sure that you are ready.
What everyone will find is that you will come out of this with increased knowledge of things that you needed to know to round out your skill set. You will have the experience and credentials of a web master. Good Luck!
Quick Links
- Be sure to read my review of ComputerPREP's Site Designer v5 AssessPREP Software
- Also be sure to check out the About.com Web Design Site. Jennifer Kyrnin offers an amazing amount of great information on webdesign topics such as CSS, HTML, XHTML, Graphics, Javascript and more. A great example is this article on Aural Style Sheets.
- You can't study without using the W3C recommendations.
- Two good places for tutorials are the W3 Schools and Macromedia's website.