I signed up for an account with Brainbench before they started selling certifications. I took every test I knew the slightest thing about. I seem to recall failing the Perl test three or four times too.

The certifications I earned didn't do anything for me. No job offers, no increase in pay, nada, zip, zilch!

It was the tests that I didn't pass that spurred me on to study harder and with the help of some of the masters, I can say that I'm a better geek for it.