Exam and Testing Procedures

At the heart of the MCP program are carefully developed, computer-administered exams that measure your ability to perform a specific job function or set of tasks in the real world.

Learn more about the exam development process.

Microsoft is introducing innovative testing technologies to determine, more effectively, who meets the criteria for certification. Read on for descriptions of the innovations that are available for you to try now, and see more of what will be available in future Microsoft Certification exams.

The same exam questions are used in both adaptive and traditional fixed-form exams. Candidates are expected to understand the exam content, regardless of how it is presented. Therefore, Microsoft changes the exam format and questions occasionally. In addition, Microsoft does not identify the format of any given exam at the time of registration. Both practices help protect exam security and the value of Microsoft certification. To prepare for the exam, candidates should use the exam objectives listed in the exam preparation guide.

Select-and-place exam items
A select-and-place exam item tests a candidate's ability to synthesize information and assemble a solution to a problem or scenario graphically. This kind of exam item can reflect architectural, design, troubleshooting, and component recognition problems more accurately than traditional exam items can because the solution is presented in a form that is more familiar to the computer professional. (The downloadable demo that follows is intended only to help candidates become familiar with the testing technology. The content may not be technically accurate and should not be used as a practice test.)

Case study–based exam items
The MCP program has developed new types of questions for Microsoft Certification exams that are very different from other exam formats currently being used. We strongly urge MCP candidates to download and try the case study–based test demo to become familiar with these new types of questions. (The downloadable demo that follows is intended only to help candidates become familiar with the testing technology. The content may not be technically accurate and should not be used as a practice test.)

Simulations
A simulation imitates the functionality of product components or environments, complete with error messages and dialog boxes. The examinee is given a scenario and one or more tasks to complete by using that simulation. For more information, please download the simulation sample. (The downloadable demo that follows is intended only to help candidates become familiar with the testing technology. The content may not be technically accurate and should not be used as a practice test.)

Computer adaptive testing
A computer adaptive test (CAT) is customized to the individual exam taker. Examinees all start with an easy-to-moderate question; those answering the question correctly get a more difficult follow-up question. If that question is answered correctly, the difficulty of subsequent questions similarly increases. Conversely, if the second question is answered incorrectly, the following questions will be easier. This process continues only until the CAT determines the candidate's ability.

The key difference examinees notice between adaptive exams and conventional exams is that they cannot skip or go back and review previously answered items on adaptive exams. A screen at the start of the exam informs exam takers that reviewing previous items will not be allowed. (The downloadable demo that follows is intended only to help candidates become familiar with the testing technology. The content may not be technically accurate and should not be used as a practice test.)

As part of the exam development process, Microsoft creates a pool of questions, which is named an "exam set." The exam set maps to the objectives of the exam. During the beta process, which lasts about a week, you will be able to respond to a subset of the questions in the exam set. Microsoft performs a statistical analysis of the responses of all beta participants to the questions contained in the exam set to verify the validity of the exam questions and to determine which questions will remain for the certification exam.

To ensure that candidates taking beta versions of Microsoft Certification exams represent the appropriate candidate population, the MCP program now offers beta exams to selected qualified candidates by invitation only. Invitations are sent by e-mail to qualified candidates who subscribe to the MCP NewsFlash. The invitation will give you a promotional code that will enable you to register for the specific beta exam. Please provide the code when you register.

Prometric administers all Microsoft Certification exams. To take exams at any authorized Prometric testing center around the world, call Prometric at (800) 755-EXAM (755-3926). Outside the United States and Canada, contact your local Prometric Registration Center.

Certification exams are priced according to currency values in specific countries and regions. Beta exams are free and offered by invitation only to selected candidates. Live exams typically cost US$125 per exam. Certification exam prices are subject to change. In some countries and regions, additional taxes may apply.

An economical way to certify your employees is to take advantage of the Microsoft volume discount on Microsoft Certification exams. When you purchase exam vouchers in quantities of 20 or more, you receive a 10 percent discount. The vouchers are good for one year from the date of purchase. To purchase vouchers, call your test registration center. This exam voucher volume discount is available in limited areas; countries and regions in which this offer is valid are listed here.

Visit the Microsoft Training & Certification Web site regularly.

An exam that will no longer be offered after a specified date is considered "discontinued." An exam is generally discontinued when new versions of a product are released or improvements are made to the exam. When an exam is developed for the new version of a product, the exam made for the previous version is discontinued as soon as it becomes evident that markets around the world have upgraded to the new version and few people are taking the previous version of the exam.

Based on customer feedback, Microsoft redesigned the score report to detail the areas in which an MCP candidate has technical strengths and the areas in which the same candidate needs improvement.

The report gives you a numeric score and a bar graph for each skills section of the exam.

Starting with the release of the Windows Server 2003 related exams, Microsoft provides numeric scores on exams. Most exams have the new score report format, which includes this numeric score. Microsoft has worked with customers and testing industry experts to create an exam scale that would be consistent across all exams. The new scale requires a minimum passing score of 700 on all exams. The maximum score on the exams varies depending on the complexity of the skills being measured.

The length of the bars indicates how strong the examinee performed for each skills section of the exam. The closer the bar is to the strong end of the continuum, the better the score on that skills cluster. The closer the bar is to the "needs development" end of the continuum, the lower the score on that skills cluster. If a bar is not present, the examinee either answered all questions incorrectly or did not answer any questions within that skills cluster. These results will help all examinees determine areas where they have strengths and where they need improvement. The skills sections listed on the score report correspond to those listed in the skills matrix provided in the Exam Preparation guide.

Although Microsoft Certification exams provide feedback about the areas where examinees need to develop their skills further, Microsoft Certification exams are not designed to provide detailed feedback. Before you try Microsoft Certification exams, you should use practice tests from Microsoft Certified Practice Test Providers (PTPs) as diagnostic tools to identify your strengths and weaknesses.

Starting with the release of Windows Server 2003–related exams, Microsoft provides numeric scores on exams. Most exams have the score report format, which includes this numeric score.

You will receive notification of your pass or fail status on the computer where you completed your exam. In addition, you will also receive a printed score report that indicates your exam score and feedback by skills measured.
The exam provider will forward your test score to Microsoft within five working days after you take an exam.

Prometric will automatically forward your test score to Microsoft within five working days after you take an exam.

Only pass or fail status can be provided for these exams because each is a composite of two exams instead of a single exam.

If you believe that an item on an MCP exam is invalid, you can request an evaluation of the item.