Five apps to help you pass Microsoft certification exams

Introduction

\n\tHaving good exam prep software can make the difference between passing or failing a Microsoft certification exam. A lot of the software you’ll find on the Internet is less than reputable. But the apps we’re going to look at here are high quality and can be very effective in helping you pass those exams.

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\n\tNote: If you’d prefer to view this information as a blog post, check out this entry in our Five Apps blog.

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\n\tPhoto credit: Copyright \u00a9 iStockphoto.com/mattjeacock

Transcender

\n\tTranscender also lets you choose from several preset exam experiences that are designed to mimic the actual exam. In addition, it provides hundreds of flash cards to help you to prepare for the exam.

TrainSignal

\n\tUnlike the other vendors we’re looking at here, TrainSignal does not produce practice exam software. Instead, it offers video-based training products that cover roughly the same material as an official Microsoft training class.

uCertify

\n\tuCertify also includes a chapter-by-chapter study guide and a comprehensive explanation of all the exam answers.

Pass-Guaranteed

\n\tThe best thing about Pass-Guaranteed is that it allows for a high degree of customization. You can configure the practice exam time limit and you can pick which practice questions you want to answer.

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Pass-Guaranteed

\n\tMy favorite feature in Pass-Guaranteed is the ability to randomize the answer choices for multiple-choice questions. This forces you to think about the answer rather than automatically choosing B after you have seen the question a couple of times.

SelfTest

\n\tThe exact offerings in the SelfTest app vary depending on the exam that you are studying for, but the practice test for the 70-642 exam includes 184 test questions — roughly triple the number of questions given on the actual exam. That practice test also includes 281 flash cards.

SelfTest

\n\tSelfTest features a learning mode, with detailed explanations of the correct answers. There is also a certification mode, which simulates the exam. Certification mode doesn’t give you any answers until you complete the exam.