Chapter 1. Microsoft Certification Exams

Terms you'll need to understand:

• Adaptive tests

• Build-list-and-reorder question format

• Case study

• Create-a-tree question format

• Drag-and-connect question format

• Fixed-length tests

• Multiple-choice question format

• Select-and-place question format

• Short-form tests

• Simulations

Techniques you'll need to master:

• Assessing your exam-readiness

• Answering Microsoft's varying question types

• Altering your test strategy depending on the exam format

• Practicing (to make perfect)

• Making the best use of the testing software

• Budgeting your time

• Guessing (as a last resort)

Taking an exam is not something most people anticipate eagerly, no matter how well prepared they might be. In most cases, familiarity helps offset test anxiety. In plain English, this means you probably will not be as nervous when you take your 4th or 5th Microsoft certification exam as you will be when you take your 1st one.

Whether it is your 1st exam or your 10th, understanding the details of taking the new exam (how much time to spend on questions, the environment you will be in, and so on) and the new exam software will help you concentrate on the material rather than on the setting. Likewise, mastering a few basic exam-taking skills should help you recognize (and perhaps even outfox) some of the tricks and snares you are bound to find in some exam questions.

This chapter explains the exam environment and software and describes some proven exam-taking strategies you can use to your advantage.