Nine-year old girl is youngest person to become Microsoft Certified Professional

A nine year-old girl in India named M. Lavinashree has passed the Microsoft Certified Professional Exam, becoming the youngest person to ever pull it off (smashing the record previously held by a 10 year-old Pakistani girl). The youngster has a long history of making records in her short life -- including reciting all 1,300 couplets of a 2,000 year-old Tamil epic at the age of three -- and now she's now cramming for the Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer Exam. We'll be honest, this really takes the zing out of our biggest accomplishment at the age of nine: figuring out where in the world Carmen Sandiego was. Hit the read link for a video.

[Thanks, Penny]

[jorojoserojas @ Dec 24th 2008 11:43AM]

@ Cris T

You mean they speak English very well.

[Nick @ Dec 23rd 2008 8:41PM]

i'm jealous.

[dsfreak17 @ Dec 23rd 2008 8:53PM]

me as well

[Shinigami @ Dec 23rd 2008 8:55PM]

Kids these days...
Well, if she has fun messing with MS software at the age of 9, I'm happy for her.

[gfar @ Jan 18th 2009 5:18PM]

Don't be jealous.
Some of those MCP exams are 20 minutes with no simulations and have a very small question pool.

[KarlW @ Dec 23rd 2008 10:06PM]

Yea, don't be jealous. Those exams are ridiculously easy. I did it a couple of years ago, and it was probably the easiest thing I've ever done. Not to take anything away from her (I still couldn't have done it at 9), but I think this is more a reflection on the qualification itself than anything.

Anybody with the intelligence to peel a banana and who have used a computer before can pass the test.

[Flashpoint @ Dec 23rd 2008 10:16PM]

What's America's unemployment rate by the way?

[Willie Ha @ Dec 23rd 2008 11:55PM]

i'm eight and I was able to do the examples without outside help...

[Camperton @ Dec 23rd 2008 11:56PM]

At nine years old I couldn't even get past the final level of Bionic Commando.

[UnixSystemsEngineer @ Dec 24th 2008 12:04AM]

This article is going to break a record for low-ranked comments...

[uShak @ Dec 24th 2008 12:22AM]

I beat Battletoads at that age. and Astyanax.

On the age of consent thing: I'm pretty sure in Maryland you have to be 18, yet it says 16? I'm already questioning the accuracy of that information.

[Primate @ Dec 24th 2008 1:19AM]

hey ushake Age of consent in Maryland is 16 only when the person is less that 4 years older than you so say you are a 16 year old and your dating a 19 year old its ok but if they are 20 it's a no no. It was a way of making it so that kids dating were not charged with statutory rape when the person they were with was consenting and their own age or just a year or two older or younger.

[arash @ Dec 24th 2008 6:08AM]

she could even drive an aeroplane!

[Ken @ Dec 24th 2008 9:55AM]

I bet she just memorize brain dumps with all the possible test answers + failing a couple of times

[Matt @ Dec 24th 2008 11:00PM]

i loved carmen sandiego as a kid hahaha that just made my day

[Anand @ Jan 3rd 2009 10:43AM]

From her personal website, for those who care:

"When Lavinashree was one and a half years old her mother, M.Induleka, began to teach her English alphabets playfully. The alphabets were plastic toys and when her mother dictated the alphabets one by one, she pointed out them accurately. She also learnt to identify the symbols of our nation, national anthem, national song, flags of various nations, leaders of our country, countries and their capitals, fruits, vegetables, flowers, shapes and many others.When her elder sister Lavanya started studying Thirukural, Lavinashree forced her mother to teach her the kurals and started repeating the words effortlessly "We never forced her to study. She developed her own interest and we only acted as facilitators," says K. Munisamy, father of Lavinashree."

[Ethan @ Dec 23rd 2008 8:41PM]

You won't even have to move the tower from under the desk for her to work on it.

Oh and well done.

[Saad Rabia @ Dec 24th 2008 3:26AM]

She is a PC, and she is 9 years old.

[Fatima @ Dec 23rd 2008 8:45PM]

That is a very ignorant and racist comment.

[willxcore @ Dec 23rd 2008 8:46PM]

tis one of the major goals people strive to achieve in India.

[Matt @ Dec 23rd 2008 8:48PM]

Bt Helpline?

[Jonyah @ Dec 23rd 2008 8:47PM]

hehe, so exactly which test did she take? any test makes you an MCP. The last one I took, I studied 1 hour for and got a perfect score. Actually it was more of memorizing the answers from testking. My 7 year-old can pass those tests.

[max_lux @ Dec 23rd 2008 9:34PM]

Agreed. I tried some of those tests and they were pretty simple.

[Josh Ladella @ Dec 23rd 2008 11:39PM]

then how come she hasnt won the award for the youngest yet?

[lordmorgul @ Dec 24th 2008 12:47AM]

"then how come she hasnt won the award for the youngest yet?"

Maybe because at the age of 7 children should be doing something other than aspiring to be microsoft-brainwashed slaves of their new class system (tech support, or not tech support). At the age of 7 we should hope a child gets to spend time learning to be social with other children, not studying tests to become a perfect verbatim cloned microsoft user. They should be learning to think for themselves... not learning what microsoft wants them to think.

[Cris T @ Dec 24th 2008 10:59AM]

I just took the test at my school for the MCDST( The Microsoft Certified Desktop Support Technician) and got one question wrong . But I did get a perfect score on the MOUS exam.
P.S.> I'm 15 years old.

[Ian @ Dec 24th 2008 1:45PM]

"They should be learning to think for themselves... not learning what microsoft wants them to think.:

LOL. While I agree with the spirit of your post, it runs off the rails with your anti-ms spew here. Is the test some sort of clandestine political indoctrination to turn them into MSFT support zombies? No. It's a test. Get some persepctive. BillG is not hiding in your closet. SteveB is not lurking in your garage.

My response would have been exactly the same whether this was some MSFT cert or some Linux cert or some Apple support cert. Kids should be having fun learning things that build a solid foundation for future achievements. Not passing easily memorized tests so they can support their geezer parents by working at some tech support sweat shop.

[Alan @ Dec 23rd 2008 8:50PM]

The majority knows that it's not a racist comment.

[MS @ Dec 23rd 2008 8:49PM]

What an enjoyable, carefree, full of fun childhood she's had so far...

[sjdurfey @ Dec 23rd 2008 9:57PM]

my thoughts exactly. shes going to someday look back at your life and realize that she's never really had fun. it's sad really.

[burnblue @ Dec 24th 2008 1:57AM]

Why is it so easy for you to assume that she hasn't had fun? She looks perfectly happy in this picture. It is quite possible for some kids to be well rounded while excelling

[A.C.E.R. @ Dec 24th 2008 2:23AM]

Why do you assume it was so easy for him to assume? Maybe it was difficult for him to fully realize his assumption and you just hurt his feelings! bastard.

[Jtou @ Dec 24th 2008 2:24PM]

I personally enjoy memorizing things. Perhaps she has had a fun childhood.
Of course, there is also the high probability that her parents practically forced it on her. But she seems happy enough that she probably does want to do it. who knows. The memorzing and reciting 1300 couplets is AMAZING though. Sure almost anyone could pass the microsoft thing, but you try reciting 1300 couplets when you are 3, or get any 3 year old to do it... yeah... hard.... impossible... i couldn't do it now, and never will beable to do somthing like that.

[The Dude @ Dec 23rd 2008 8:49PM]

India.

[DirtyVegas @ Dec 24th 2008 11:12AM]

Huh. I see some comment cleanups in progress. I sorta liked this conversation ya know...

[CleverEndeavor @ Dec 23rd 2008 8:49PM]

Microsoft certified professional, come on!

[CleverEndeavor @ Dec 23rd 2008 8:51PM]

good thing i know how to fix my computer by myself

[CleverEndeavor @ Dec 23rd 2008 8:50PM]

good thing i am a computer engineer and kno how to solve my own problems with my comp

[Kamokazi @ Dec 23rd 2008 8:56PM]

But clearly, like most of us, you appear to be no match for the Engadget comment system.

[Frankfurter @ Dec 23rd 2008 9:54PM]

@Kamokazi - thanks, that was a genuine LOL. I needed that. :^)

[CleverEndeavor @ Dec 23rd 2008 10:03PM]

yes, i have met my match in this comment system
/sarcasm

[Chris Are @ Dec 23rd 2008 10:56PM]

Can you fix your computer by yourself?

[CleverEndeavor @ Dec 24th 2008 1:06AM]

yes, i can. for i am god

[Oracle @ Dec 25th 2008 3:54PM]

Haha.. and how old are you? Don't tell me you are 9.

[alnandr @ Dec 23rd 2008 8:51PM]

Engadget has it incorrect. I've had my MCP since I was 7.

-alnandr

[Deb @ Dec 23rd 2008 9:22PM]

Since you were 7? How old are you now? Don't you realize that there are little genius' people out there...Are you just jealous? where are all the positive, kind-hearted, loving people? Gosh, grow up.

[bangladeshiluv @ Dec 23rd 2008 8:50PM]

Thank you. Come again!

[ace587 @ Dec 23rd 2008 10:28PM]

LOL

[Barkus @ Dec 26th 2008 1:49PM]

LOL... YOU GO NOW! YOU NOT COME BACK NO MORE!!

[Dan @ Dec 23rd 2008 8:53PM]

That guy in the middle wins the "Guess Who doesn't Belong in this picture" game