Simon,
I agree that that kind of cert is a wast of time. I was thinking of something along the sans/giac model, there are tests involved but that is the *easy* part. You need to complete a practical assignment that can be in excess of 70 pages long and after that is graded and you pass then you can sit for the test. Take a look at some of the stuff at: http://www.giac.org/cert.php.
