Taking a Certification Exam

After you've prepared for your exam, you need to register with a testing center. In the United States and Canada, tests are administered by Prometric and VUE. Here's how you can contact them:

• Prometric ” You can sign up for a test through the company's Web site, at www.prometric.com. Within the United States and Canada, you can register by phone at 1-800-755-3926. If you live outside this region, you should check the Prometric Web site for the appropriate phone number.

• VUE ” You can sign up for a test or get the phone numbers for local testing centers through the Web at www.vue.com/ms.

To sign up for a test, you must possess a valid credit card or contact either Prometric or VUE for mailing instructions to send a check (in the United States). Only when payment is verified or a check has cleared can you actually register for a test.

To schedule an exam, register online or through a telephone at least one day in advance. To cancel or reschedule an exam, you must call before 7 p.m. PST the day before the scheduled test ( otherwise , you might be charged, even if you don't show up to take the test). When you want to schedule a test, you should have the following information ready:

• Your name , organization, and mailing address

• Your testing ID (if you are appearing for a Microsoft exam for the first time, you will be assigned a testing ID when you register for the exam)

• The name and number of the exam you want to take

• A method of payment, such as a credit card

After you sign up for a test, you are told when and where the test is scheduled. You should try to arrive at least 15 minutes early. You must supply two forms of identification ”one of which must be a photo ID ”to be admitted into the testing room.

All exams are completely closed book. In fact, you are not permitted to take anything with you into the testing area, but you are given a few blank sheets of paper and a pen or, in some cases, an erasable plastic sheet and a marker. We suggest that you immediately write down on that sheet of paper all the information you've memorized for the test. In Exam Cram 2 books, this information appears on a tear-out sheet inside the front cover of each book. You are given some time to compose yourself, record this information, and take a sample orientation exam before you begin the real thing. We suggest that you take the orientation test before taking your first exam, but because all the certification exams are more or less identical in layout, behavior, and controls, you probably don't need to do this more than once.

When you complete a Microsoft certification exam, the software tells you whether you've passed or failed. If you need to retake an exam, you must schedule a new test with Prometric or VUE.

The first time you fail a test, you can retake the test the next day. However, if you fail a second time, you must wait 14 days before retaking that test. The 14-day waiting period remains in effect for all retakes after the second failure.