As you may have seen on Scott Woodgate’s blog (http://blogs.msdn.com/scottwoo/archive/2005/01/17/354647.aspx), the BizTalk Server 2004 Partner Competency exam is now available and can be taken at any Pearson/VUE testing center.
I was in Redmond a couple of weeks back and took the exam the first day it was available. I did that so I would have time to take it again should I need to J. I passed it, first time, and as far as I know I was the second person in the world to do so.
If you’re planning on taking it, I would suggest you study. It you’ve been working with it you know that BizTalk offers a broad range of functionality, and there is only one exam, and it tests your knowledge across the breadth of the product. So, if you know everything there is to know about messaging and orchestration, but have never architected a production environment or have never done a configuration or have never worked with BAM or have never created a pipeline component... then you’re going to have challenges.
Having said that, if you are a BizTalk consultant, this is the only way to prove your competency to the world and your clients, so you need to take it.
If you study study study…. Go through the docs, the book (http://www.samspublishing.com/title/0672325985), the samples, and then you’ll pass it.
Good luck!