Microsoft Certification FAQs

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They are demanding exams oriented to the real needs of the different job posts. They help professionals improve and direct their careers, and companies to be more become more productive and perform better. Find out more on Microsoft Certifications.

Microsoft Certification helps you stand out among IT professionals. In order to obtain an official Microsoft certification in a specific field, you have to pass the official certification exam for that specific field of expertise. Whether you are new to technology, changing jobs, or a seasoned IT professional, when you earn a Microsoft Certification, you demonstrate to customers and employers your commitment to advancing your IT skills.

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You have to decide which field you want or need to get certified in and pass the certification exams which correspond to the certification path you choose.

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Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist (MCTS), Microsoft Certified IT Professional (MCITP), and Microsoft Certified Professional Developer (MCPD) exams typically cost $150 (US dollars) but are priced according to currency values in specific countries. Nevertheless, exam prices are subject to change. In some countries, additional taxes paperwork fees may apply.

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You have to go to your closest Microsoft official test center and set an exam date. You can find your closest Microsoft official test center at www.prometric.com.

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Each specialization requieres passing specific exams. Here you have all the information you need on the exams you have to pass if you want to be a MCTS and a MCPD developer.

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Microsoft develops technology that is easy-to-use and accessible to everyone, including people with disabilities. If you can’t take a Microsoft Certification exam, either using standard testing equipment or in the standard Microsoft certification exam duration limits, Microsoft’s Certification program will make all reasonable efforts to help you. Go here for full details about the process for requesting an accommodation.

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Yes, you can take advantage of the Microsoft volume discount on Microsoft Certification exams. When you purchase 20 or more exam vouchers, you receive a 10% discount. Vouchers are good for one year from the date of purchase. To purchase vouchers, contact the Microsoft certification exam delivery provider. The Microsoft certification exam volume discount is available in limited areas. The offer is valid in some countries and regions. Go here to see if your country or region is included.

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The preparation guide for each test contains a “Skills Measured” section that you can review, as well as a list of preparation tools and resources provided by Microsoft. According to Microsoft, the best way to prepare for a test is to practice the skills listed in the preparation guide. Hands-on experience with the technology is required to successfully pass Microsoft Certification exams.

On their certification FAQs page Microsoft literally states that they reserve the right to update content for any reason whatsoever, at any time, to preserve the validity and relevance of our certifications. This includes, but is not limited to, incorporating functionality and features regarding technology revisions and service packs into test content. However, these changes are limited to the skills defined in the preparation guide. In other words, if new functionality changes how you perform a specific skill defined in the preparation guide, you may be tested on that new functionality in relation to that specific skill, but new functionality, in and of itself, will not be covered on the Microsoft certification test. It will only be tested if it’s directly related to a specific skill identified in the preparation guide. Microsoft will update the preparation guide to notify candidates when content related to a revision and/or service pack is probably going to be added to the Microsoft certification test.

If you are preparing for a Microsoft certification test on a technology that has an upcoming revision or service pack, Microsoft recommends that you consider each skill measured on the Microsoft certification exam (as specified in the preparation guide) in light of that upcoming release. Depending on when you take the exam, you may be asked questions regarding the revision/service pack functionality. Microsoft says that despite they understand that this does create challenges for candidates preparing for a Microsoft certification exam, they have to be able to update content as needed to ensure the validity and relevance of Microsoft certifications while maintaining the security and integrity of the Microsoft certification exam content.

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Microsoft does not provide information about the number of questions included on each exam. According to Microsoft, this practice helps maintain exam security and the value of Microsoft Certifications. Anyway, our experience indicates that the exam has around 50 or 60 questions, at least for Microsoft developer certification exams (MTCS and MCPD).

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Microsoft Certification preparation guides list key tasks as well as subtasks that subject matter experts have identified as important for the technology area covered by the Microsoft Certification exam—but they do not list all subtopics related to the key tasks that may be included on the exam. According to Microsoft, the subtopics are intended to better illustrate the scope of the key task/objective that will be covered. In addition, some questions might reference technologies that are outside the focus of the exam in order to provide appropriate context for the question, but these technologies are defined in the audience profile. Candidates who fit the audience profile for the Microsoft Certification exam should have the necessary experience to understand and use this contextual information to answer the questions. Here you can learn more about Microsoft exam certification preparation guides.

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The time varies from one Microsoft Certification exam to another, but it will not exceed four hours under normal conditions. In addition to answering the exam questions, you have time to review instructions and provide comments after completing the Microsoft Certification exam. To request the specific duration of your exam, contact the exam delivery provider; however, since Microsoft reserves the right to change Microsoft Certification exam content and time at any time, the most accurate information will be obtained if you contact the exam delivery provider on the day of your exam. We strongly recommend that you plan for four hours when taking an exam.

If candidates are unable to take a Microsoft Certification exam within the standard exam duration because of a disability, the Microsoft Certification Program will make all reasonable efforts to accommodate these candidates. Visit the following link for full details about the process for requesting an accommodation.

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A notification appears on your screen before the exam begins that shows the maximum time allowed for answering the questions in that exam. From campusMVP.Net we can say that most candidates complete the Microsoft Certification exams before reaching the time limit.

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It varies a little bit according to each candidate and what works best for each person. Nevertheless, these practices help most people:

• Answer the questions you know first
• If you are unsure of a question, mark it for review, and return to it later. Note whether a section of the exam is timed. You will not be able to return to a timed section after you have left it or after it has timed out. These sections will be clearly indicated during the Microsoft Certification exam. You will be able to review your answers before leaving the section
• Use all of the time allowed for each section and for the entire Microsoft Certification exam

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You will receive notification of your pass or fail status immediately upon completing your Microsoft Certification exam. Moreover, you will receive a printed report that provides your exam score and feedback on the skills measured. The exam delivery provider will forward your score to Microsoft within five working days of your exam.

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If you don’t pass the exam, review the results you obtain and prepare the exam again focusing on those parts were you scored worse. When ready, sign up for another exam. Remember you have to pay for each Microsoft Certification exam you sign up to, following Microsoft’s policy on exam retake. Go here for more info on Microsft’s exam retake policy.

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Microsoft Certification exams include several question types and formats to evaluate exactly a candidate’s skills and knowledge. Formats can be: case studies, simultaions and virtual labs. Question types can be: “multiple choice” questions, “hot-area” questions, “drag and drop” questions and “build-list and reorder” questions. In addition, Microsoft constantly introduces new evaluation techniques and question types, and may do so without any previous notification to students.

A:No. In order to preserve the security and the value of Microsoft Certifications, information on these questions is not provided.

A:Here is some general information about exam scoring:

A:All MCTS and MCITP exams are scaled such that the passing score is 700. The actual cut score (the number of items you need to answer correctly) is set by a group of subject-matter experts. A common misperception is that you must answer 70 percent of the items correctly in order to successfully pass the Microsoft Certification exam; however, the actual percentage varies from exam to exam and might be more or less than 70 percent, depending on the input provided by the subject-matter experts who helped Microsoft determine the cut score.

After you complete your Microsoft Certification exam, the number of items that you got correct is compared with the cut score to determine whether the result is pass or fail. The Microsoft Certification exam delivery provider’s software generates the scaled score and bars shown on your score report based on scoring information provided by Microsoft.

A:The score report details the areas in which a candidate demonstrates technical strength and the areas in which the candidate needs to improve. The report provides a numeric score for general exam performance as well as a bar graph for each subject area of the Microsoft Certification exam.

A:Microsoft provides numeric scores on all exams that give candidates some indication of their level of performance on the exam.

A:Each section of the exam may contain a different number of questions; therefore, the results on individual exam sections might not reflect your final exam result. In other words, there is no one-to-one relationship between the length of the bars and your pass/fail status. Additionally, a common misperception is that you must answer 70 percent of the items correctly in order to pass the exam; however, the actual percentage varies from exam to exam and may be more or less than 70 percent, depending on the input provided by the subject-matter experts who helped us set the cut score.

A:Each item, task, or simulation is worth one point, regardless of what you have to do to answer the question. This is subject to change as Microsoft continues to introduce new question types.

A:No. Points are not deducted for incorrect answers; if you answer incorrectly, you will simply not earn the point associated with answering correctly. This is subject to change as Microsoft continues to introduce new question types.

A:In some cases, you might experience a delay of up to a minute while your next question loads. The exam delivery provider’s software is designed to adjust this event. A delay between questions does not impact the answers you have recorded or the time remaining to finish the exam. Your Microsoft Certification exam will be scored correctly regardless of the delays between questions.

A:No. According to Microsoft, in order to help protect Microsoft Certification exam content and, moreover, the value of Microsoft Certifications, Microsoft cannot share information about which items you missed. This is a standard practice in the entire certification industry. The bars on the score report show your relative performance in the various subject areas covered by the exam. If you do not pass an exam, review your score report in conjunction with the preparation guide. Microsoft recommends focusing on obtaining and practicing the skills in the areas where you had the weakest exam performance.

A:Microsoft’s exam retake policy helps to ensure that candidates take the necessary time to prepare for the exam, and it is designed to prevent unauthorized use and piracy of exam content. Here you can find more info.

A:Microsoft Certifictaion exams cannot be rescored. If you have a concern about the technical accuracy of a particular item, you can always submit an Item Challenge form to Microsoft.

A:The Microsoft Certification Program requires candidates to accept the terms of an NDA before taking an exam. The NDA legally requires candidates to keep information related to exam content confidential. Requiring the acceptance of the NDA helps protect the security of Microsoft Certification exams and the integrity of the Microsoft Certification Program by legally discouraging piracy and/or unauthorized use of Microsoft exam content.

A:If you want to submit a suggestion or complaint about the exam or any particular exam item to Microsoft’s certification program, you have to fill in this form.

To report a concern about a testing center or technical difficulties experienced during your exam, please contact the exam delivery provider’s customer service: www.prometric.com.

To offer other types of feedback, please contact your Regional Service Center or the Microsoft Certification Program Help Center sending an email to MCPHelp@microsoft.com.

A:Microsoft works closely with the exam delivery provider to ensure that each and every testing center delivers a satisfactory experience. Unfortunately, candidates might experience a technical issue during an exam. The exam delivery provider’s software is designed to accommodate this event and saves your responses after each item. If you have feedback about your exam experience, please contact the exam delivery provider’s customer support. The exam delivery provider’s customer support will work with you and the testing center to investigate and resolve the issue

A:If you believe a question on a Microsoft Certification exam is inaccurate, you can request an evaluation of that question. You must submit your request within three calendar days of taking the exam. The evaluation process helps Microsoft identify and correct problematic questions and update exams properly.