Exam Guide For 1D0-410 CIW Foundations
Important program notice
The CIW v5 Foundations Exam 1D0-510 is now live. The CIW v4 Foundations Exam 1D0-410 was retired on January 31, 2005. However, a CIW v4 Associate certification is still eligible toward completion of higher-level CIW certifications.
To become a CIW v5 Associate, candidates must take and pass CIW v5 Foundations Exam 1D0-510. The new exam covers objectives outlined on the Exam Guide For 1D0-510. The official CIW v5 Foundations courseware and AssessPREP tool are available from www.ComputerPREP.com
- Credit Toward Certification
- Prerequisites
- Exam Information
- Skills Measured
- Exam Preparation Tools
- Exam Retake Policy
- Exam Retirement
CREDIT TOWARD CERTIFICATION
CIW Foundations is a requirement for most CIW certifications, including:
- CIW Associate
- CIW Professional
- CIW Certified Instructor
- Master CIW Web Site Manager
- Master CIW Administrator
- Master CIW Designer
- Master CIW Enterprise Developer
PREREQUISITES
The following prerequisites are recommended or required for candidates taking the CIW Foundations exam and seeking CIW Associate certification:
- Candidates planning to take the CIW Foundations exam 1D0-410 should have prior experience using the Internet on a personal computer running the Microsoft Windows or UNIX/Linux operating systems.
- The CIW Certification Agreement is required for CIW certification eligibility. The candidate can submit this agreement after taking the exam by logging on as a CIW Candidate to the CIW Candidate Information Center site. This agreement needs to be completed only once, but no CIW certification will be awarded without it, even if you pass the exam.
EXAM INFORMATION
Students who have taken CIW courses are encouraged to continue their studies and apply their new skills before attempting the 1D0-410 Foundations examination. Skills taught in the CIW Foundations courses are best reinforced with real-world experience.
The candidate is responsible for learning the content and achieving a passing score on the CIW Foundations exam. Comments regarding course delivery should be referred to the training company that delivered the course.
Any 1D0-410 Foundations exam taken on or after June 15, 2001 will be subject to the following:
- Each delivery of the exam will include 10 non-scored beta items, appearing randomly.
- The examination period will be increased from 75 minutes to 90 minutes.
| Examination Version | Date Published | Exam Notes |
| CIW Foundations 1D0-410 | June 2001 | This version contains 10 non-scored beta items and 60 scored items. |
To achieve a passing score on the exam, candidates must:
- Correctly answer at least 45 of the 60 scored questions to achieve a total score of 75% or greater.
This scoring method does not apply to Foundations examinations taken before June 15, 2001.
| Module | Number of Items |
| Internet Fundamentals | 24 |
| Web Page Authoring Fundamentals | 12 |
| Networking Fundamentals | 24 |
| Total Scored Items | 60 |
| Beta items -- randomly delivered throughout exam | 10 |
| Total Items | 70 |
Each item offers four solutions or distracters. Exam candidates must select the one best solution for each item.
After passing the CIW Foundations exam, candidates are eligible for CIW Associate status. To obtain your CIW Associate certificate, simply fill out the CIW Certification Agreement and a CIW representative will issue your CIW Associate certificate.
SKILLS MEASURED
Foundation skills are not product- or system-specific. They are a combination of minimal technical and non-technical skills and knowledge required for those interested in developing specific Internet skills as a designer, developer or administrator. The 1D0-410 exam tests the following common core of Internet skills:
- Describe infrastructure required to support an Internet connection, including hardware and software components.
- Explain important Internet communications protocols and their roles in delivering basic Internet services.
- Explain the basic principles of the Domain Name System (DNS).
- Describe how Web browsers can be used to access the World Wide Web and other computer resources.
- Explain how e-mail clients can be used to send simple messages and files to other Internet users.
- Describe Internet services, including but not limited to news, FTP, Gopher, Telnet, and network performance utilities such as ping and traceroute.
- Explain user customization features in Web browsers, including preferences, caching, and cookies.
- Describe security issues related to Web browsing and e-mail, including certificates and viruses.
- Explain how to use different types of Web search engines effectively.
- Describe how to use the Web to obtain legal and international business information.
- Describe issues in developing a corporate Web site, including but not limited to project management, testing, and legal issues.
- Explain how HTML files are formatted to maintain compatibility with older Web browsers.
- Explain how to include images and graphical formatting in HTML files.
- Describe how to create a basic HTML form that accepts user input.
- Describe how to test and analyze Web site performance issues.
- Explain the features and appropriate use of XML.
- Describe networking and its role in the Internet, including protocols, packets, and the OSI reference model.
- Explain the role of networking hardware, and configure common PC hardware for operation.
- Discuss the relationship between IP addresses and domain names, including assignment of IP addresses within a subnet.
- Describe the function and components of the Web server.
- Discuss common Internet security issues, including user-level and enterprise-level concerns.
- Describe common performance issues affecting Internet servers and resources, including analysis and diagnosis.
- Describe how to transmit text and binary files using popular Internet services, including the Web and e-mail.
EXAM PREPARATION TOOLS
Official Curriculum
Instructor-Led Training
Practice Exam Sites
CIW does not endorse Web sites that list study guides or practice questions for CIW exams. All CIW examinations are copyrighted material. To maintain the security and value of our program, we reserve the right to decertify and/or prohibit from examinations any individuals who republish or distribute our copyrighted certification exam questions.
Official Practice Exams
Official CIW Online Practice Exams allow students and instructors to instantly evaluate the level of IT knowledge achieved. This tool provides students with an additional method of review and assessment to enhance the learning experience. It can also be used as a pre-assessment, practice exam and quiz administration tool to help instructors evaluate their students' knowledge.
Third-Party Practice Exams
Additional exam preparation tools are available from Self Test Software and MeasureUp,
organizations that have developed practice tests to help candidates prepare for
the CIW Foundations exam.
Third-Party Books, Web Sites, and Newsgroups
The following resources are provided as a supplement to your studies, and will reinforce the skills and concepts learned with CIW official course materials.
- Freed, Les, and Frank J. Derfler, Jr. How Networks Work (4th edition). Que, 1999. ISBN 0789715953.
- Gralla, Preston. How the Internet Works : Millennium Edition. Que, 1999. ISBN 0789721325.
- Hafner, Katie, and Matthew Lyon. Where Wizards Stay Up Late: The Origins of the Internet. Touchstone Books, 1998. ISBN 0684832674.
- Castro, Elizabeth. HTML 4 for the World Wide Web. Peachpit Press, 1999. ISBN 0201354934.
- Excite
- A Beginner's Guide to Effective Email
- HTML 4.0 Specification
- NCSA (at UIUC) Beginner's Guide to HTML
- Web Developer's Virtual Library
EXAM RETAKE POLICY
The CIW Exam Retake Policy outlines the conditions under which a candidate may retake a CIW exam. A waiting period between retakes of a single certification exam maintains the security of the exam and strengthens the value of the CIW certification. Each CIW exam is defined by a unique exam ID (e.g., IDO-410). A retake is any subsequent sitting of an exam with the same CIW exam ID by the same candidate at any authorized testing center.
In the event that a candidate passes a CIW exam, the candidate will not be allowed to retake that CIW exam. If the CIW exam objectives change, the exam ID changes to reflect the new exam version. Candidates who have passed an exam may sit a newer version of the exam that may have the same title but a different ID number.
In the event that a candidate fails a CIW exam on his or her first attempt, a 24-hour waiting period is required between the first and second sittings of that CIW exam. Candidates are required to wait for a period of no less than thirty (30) calendar days from the date of the previous sitting before any third or subsequent sitting of the same CIW exam.
Exams administered in any ways that do not comply with the CIW Exam Retake Policy shall be considered invalid and ineligible for a refund.
In the event that a candidate has violated this Exam Retake Policy, the candidate may be deemed ineligible to register for or schedule any CIW exam for a minimum period of twelve (12) months from the date of such determination.
In addition, any candidate determined to have violated the CIW Exam Retake Policy may be subject to any or all of the following:
- Denial of a specific CIW certification for a period of twelve (12) months from the date of such determination;
- Revocation of a specific CIW certification, if such certification had been previously granted to the candidate;
- Revocation of all CIW certifications previously granted to the candidate;
- Ineligibility to receive any CIW certification for a minimum of twelve (12) months from the date of such determination;
- Any other appropriate actions, including legal remedies, deemed necessary or appropriate to enforce the CIW Exam Retake Policy.
EXAM RETIREMENT
CIW Exam 1D0-410 was retired on January 31, 2005. To become a CIW Associate after that date, students are required to take the following exam CIW Exam 1D0-510.
COMMENTS
To make a comment or recommendation about CIW certification exams, please contact our CIW certification department.

