Testing Your Exam Readiness

Whether you attend a formal class on a specific topic or use written materials to study on your own to get ready for an exam, some preparation for the certification exams is essential. You pay for your exam attempts, pass or fail, and you want to do everything you can to pass on your first try. Not only can failed attempts be very expensive, but they also can be very discouraging.

We have included in this book several practice exam questions for each chapter and two sample tests, so if you don't score well on the chapter questions, you can study more and then tackle the sample tests at the end of the book.

For any given subject, consider taking a class if you've tackled self-study materials, taken the practice test, and failed anyway. If you can afford the privilege, the opportunity to interact with an instructor and fellow students can make all the difference in the world. For information about systems auditing classes, visit the Certification Program page at www.microsoft.com.

There is no better way to assess your test readiness than to take a good-quality practice exam and pass with a score of 90% or better. When preparing, shoot for 95+%, just to leave room for the "weirdness factor" that sometimes shows up on Microsoft exams.

One last note: We hope it makes sense to stress the importance of hands-on experience in the context of the exams. As you review the material for the exams, you'll realize that hands-on experience with database design concepts and best practices is invaluable.