Microsoft Learning Solutions: Certification Exams
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Get the most out of your software investments
You already know that investments in innovative Microsoft technologies are critical to your business success. However, did you know that investments in employee performance and improvement are equally as important? Effective employee training can help you achieve:
| • | Faster software deployments and migrations |
| • | Improved business productivity |
| • | Reduced support costs |
Your entire organization benefits when you provide your technical and professional staff with current, accessible, high-quality learning solutions through Microsoft Certification. A 2003 study published in the Harvard Business Review1 showed that Microsoft Certified staff helped organizations to:
| • | Increase overall productivity. Companies that adopted active learning policies showed a 28 percent increase in productivity. |
| • | Improve project delivery and deployment. IT organizations with at least 25 percent Microsoft Certified staff had a 15 percent increase in projects deployed on time and within budget. |
| • | Decrease dependence on external support. Organizations decreased spending on ad hoc external IT support by 17 percent. |
| • | Reduce unscheduled downtime. Downtime frequency decreased 18 percent. |
Certified professionals give your organization a competitive advantage. They can help increase customer satisfaction, reduce network downtime, and push service to a higher level—an excellent return on investment.
Purchasing options
Microsoft Learning Solutions provides a cost effective way to get your staff certified. You can order exam vouchers based on your organization's needs. The minimum number of vouchers allowed per order is equal to the number of months remaining on your license agreement. For example, if there are 12 months left in your agreement, you must purchase at least 12 vouchers.
To determine how many vouchers you will need, first determine:
| • | The number of people in your organization who need to be certified |
| • | Which certifications each person needs |
| • | The number of exams required for each certification |
| • | The amount of time each person requires to achieve certification |
| • | The number of months remaining on your license agreement |
When you estimate how much time each person needs to achieve certification, remember that it is important for people to gain hands-on experience with Microsoft products. We recommend six months or more of preparation for basic certifications and one year for advanced certifications.
Notes
| • | All vouchers will be delivered at the beginning of your license agreement. |
| • | Unused exam vouchers expire at the end of your license agreement. |
| • | Microsoft Certification exam vouchers can be redeemed at any Microsoft Certified Exam Provider for any Microsoft Certification exam (does not include Microsoft Office Specialist exams). |
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| 1 | Nolan and McFarlan. "Burlington Consultants, Value of Microsoft Training and Certification Study, 2003." Harvard Business Review, August 2003. |