>Many thanks for the lucid intelligent reply. I am not trying to cheat
>and have no need to. When I attained a BSc from London University
>years ago that "revered institution" sold their own exam papers from
>previous years and probably still does. Does this not happen
>Stateside? That is all I am asking for - how can reading past papers
>be cheating?
>I have it on good advice that half the struggle with MS
>exams is grappling with the devious way in which the questions are
>composed, not the material itself.
First of all the format of these ms exams cannot be compared to what
you have to achieve in order to become a baccalaureate. The format of
the ms exams is no more than simple point 'n' click/drag 'n' drop type
questions, with the actual answers actually presented to you up front.
So, you simple have to choose/construct the answer from what's given
to you. Nowhere do you 'write' anything about your answers, or
describe and explain, in your 'own' words, how you came to an answer;
in other words, answering the question does not prove an understanding
of the question being answered. In addition there is no course work as
such that is graded as part of your overall assessment..
The format of the exams make them very easy, and thus open to
'practice test' providers being able to exploit them for profit. It is
also, sadly, very easy for people to cheat using brain dumps or
'products' from certain 'practice test' providers, which has
undermined their value to such an extent that the so called
'certifications' they lead to have become worthless in real world and
have simply resulted in an endless supply of unqualified, yet so
called 'ms certified' people who have simply achieved this status by
memorizing the answers to questions which they don't even understand.
>And yes I have read study guides, user manuals and gained years of
>experience in IT.
Then you will no problem whatsoever in passing these exams. Simply use
the prep guide for each exam and examine/research the topics you do
not feel you fully understand.
>This is not the first time I have come across
>posters who make rash and rapid assumptions about people - did I say
>Testking were any good?
>That's three questions in this post BTW but I don't think its me
>that's wasting space here
My own view is that all so called practice test provider, simply
highlight the fact the format of the exams is [currently] crap.
>OK fourth one - if these cowboys are selling answers written down by
>paid "sitters" is that why so many of the answers in their prodcuts
>are crap or at best highly debatable?!
They can sell their 'products' because they have a market of people
willing to affectively 'buy' a pass in the exam(s).
Kline Sphere (Chalk) MCNGP #3