What Types of Questions Are There?

Until recently, the formats of the exams were rather straightforward, consisting almost entirely of multiple-choice questions appearing in a few different sets. Prior to taking an exam, you knew how many questions you would see and what type of questions would appear. If you had purchased the right third-party exam preparation products, you could even be quite familiar with the pool of questions you would be asked. All of this is changing.

In an effort to both refine the testing process and protect the quality of its certifications, Microsoft has recently begun introducing adaptive testing, scenario-based questions and case-study questions, and other new exam elements, such as select-and-place questions and simulations. These innovations add new challenges for individuals taking the exams. Most important, they make it much more difficult for someone to pass an exam after simply 'cramming' for it.

Real skills and in-depth knowledge are now needed much more than they were before. Because Microsoft has a policy of not stating in advance what type of format you will see, let's take a look at adaptive testing and the new exam question types so you can be aware of all the possibilities.

Select-and-Place Exam Questions

Select-and-place exam questions involve graphical elements that the test-taker must manipulate in order to successfully answer a question. For example, a question could present a diagram of a computer network with several computers next to boxes that read 'Place Here.' There would also be several labels representing different computer roles on a network, such as Print Server, File Server, etc. Based on information given for each computer, you are asked to drag and drop each label to the correct box.

Note 

You need to correctly drag the correct labels to all correct boxes in order to get credit for the question. No credit is given if you correctly label only some of the boxes.

Simulations

Simulations are the kinds of questions that most closely represent and test the actual skills you use while working with Microsoft software interfaces. These types of exam questions include a mock or imitation interface on which you must perform certain actions according to a given scenario. The simulated interfaces look nearly identical to what you see in the actual product.

Simulations are by far the most complex element introduced into Microsoft exams to date. Because of the number of possible errors that can be made on simulations, it is worthwhile to consider the following recommendations from Microsoft:

• Do not change any simulation settings that don't directly pertain to the solution.

• Assume default settings when related information has not been provided because it is noncritical.

• Be sure entries are spelled correctly.

• Close all simulation application windows after completing the set of tasks in the simulation.

• Most important, however, is that you spend time working with the operating system.

Case Study- and Scenario-Based Questions

Case Study-based questions first appeared in the Microsoft Certified Solution Developer program (Microsoft's certification for programmers). The basic idea of the Case Study-based exam item is that you have a scenario with a range of requirements. Based on the information provided, you need to answer a series of multiple-choice questions. The interface for Case Study-based questions has a number of tabs with the information about the scenario appearing under each tab. The net result is that you have a rather lengthy description of a scenario, with several multiple-choice questions.

Scenario-based questions will most likely show up on all Microsoft certification exams. These are more in-depth questions, written in the form of a scenario. The questions are not tied to one area, but may span a number of different topics.