By Amy Haigh
If you are planning to take a Microsoft certification exam in the near future, you may want to book your exam, or at least purchase an exam voucher, before the end of June. On July 1, 2011, the prices for many of Microsoft’s most popular certification exams will increase for the first time in nine years. Certifications to be affected include MCTS, MCITP, MCSA, MCSE, and MCDBA, and Boson offers ExSim-Max Practice Exams for each of these certifications. In the United States, the price for most exams will increase from $125 to $150 for regular examinees. For high school and college students, the price for most exams will increase from $60 to $83. Microsoft Certified Trainers (MCTs) will receive a 50% discount on all exams. For Microsoft’s announcement and a FAQ about the new pricing structure, see the New Prices for Microsoft Certifications Exams Web page.
Testing centers will honor exam vouchers purchased by June 30, provided that you take the exam by the voucher’s expiration date. And Microsoft is promoting another option to lock in a further discount on the current $125 exam price. If you purchase a Microsoft Certification Pack, which gives you discounts for purchasing multiple exams at a time, and take one exam by June 30, you will have until December 31, 2011, to take the other exams in your Certification Pack. Even if you must rush to take your first exam by June 30, the Certification Packs include one free retake per exam, so it might be worth purchasing a Certification Pack even if you don’t feel completely prepared right now. For information on exam price discounts, see Microsoft’s Special Offers page.
And remember, to ensure that you are indeed prepared to take your Microsoft exams before or after June 30, check out Boson’s ExSim-Max Practice Exams for Microsoft certification exams. Boson’s No Pass, No Pay ExSim-Max guarantee has you covered if you fail the Microsoft exam within six months of purchasing the corresponding ExSim-Max product.
Photo by Steve Snodgrass on Flickr