Computer-Based Testing

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In a perfect world, you would be assessed for your true knowledge of a subject, not simply for how you respond to a series of test questions. But life isn't perfect, and it just isn't practical to evaluate everyone's knowledge on a one-to-one basis.

For all of its certifications, Citrix evaluates candidates using a computer-based testing service operated by Sylvan Prometric. This service is quite popular in the industry, and it is used for a number of vendor certification programs, including Novell's CNE and Microsoft's MCSE. Thanks to Sylvan Prometric's large number of facilities, exams can be administered worldwide, generally in the same town as a prospective candidate.

Exam Watch 

For the most part, Sylvan Prometric exams work similarly from vendor to vendor. However, there is an important fact to know about Citrix's exams: They use the traditional Sylvan Prometric test format, not the newer adaptive format. However, care should be taken that items marked for review are just that, marked only for review. Once you provide an answer and progress to the next question , you are not allowed to go back to previous questions and modify previous answers. Citrix Administrator Advice: Many experienced test takers do not go back and change answers unless they have a good reason to do so. Many of the current Citrix exams do not allow you to change an answer when you feel you may have misread or misinterpreted the question the first time.

To discourage simple memorization, most Citrix exams present a different set of questions every time the test is administered. In the development of the exam, hundreds of questions are compiled and refined using beta testers. From this large collection, a random sampling is drawn for each test.

Each Citrix exam has a specific number of questions and test duration. Testing time is typically generous, and the time remaining is always displayed in the corner of the testing screen, along with the number of questions remaining. If time expires during an exam, the test terminates, and incomplete answers are counted as incorrect.

At the end of the exam, your test is immediately graded, and the results are displayed on the screen. Scores for each subject area are also provided, but the system will not indicate which specific questions were missed. A report is automatically printed at the proctor's desk for your files. Your score report will instruct you to fax your results directly to Citrix and will provide you with the appropriate fax number.

In the end, this computer-based system of evaluation is reasonably fair. You might feel that one or two questions were poorly worded; this can certainly happen, but you shouldn't worry too much. Ultimately, it's all factored into the required passing score.

Exam Watch 

When I find myself stumped answering multiple-choice questions, I use my scratch paper to write down the two or three answers I consider the strongest, and then underline the answer I feel is most likely correct. Here is an example of what my scratch paper looks like when I've gone through the test once:

21. B or C

33. A or C



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CCA Citrix MetaFrame XP for Windows Administrator Study Guide Exam 70-220
CCA Citrix MetaFrame XP for Windows Administrator Study Guide (Exam 70-220)
ISBN: 0072193190
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2001
Pages: 169

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