For most professionals, preparing for a certification exam is a huge task. In fact, when you consider adding study to your already busy schedule, you are likely to give a second thought to pursuing a credential. Unfortunately, you can’t help it. If you really want to grow your career and increase your potential, you have to earn an IT certificate.It will validate your skills and knowledge required for the future. For the specialistswho want to earn MCSA or MCSE in SQL Server technology, passing Microsoft Certification 70-461 is a prerequisite.
5Helpful Preparation Tips for Microsoft 70-461 Certification Exam: Practice Tests Are Our Everything!
Preparing for this certification test requires discipline and hard work. It is not one of those exams that you prepare for over the weekend, even if you have some level of expertise in the domains. There are quite a lot of topics and components to cover and you can hardly deal with all of them over a few days of preparing. It means that you have to develop a strategy that will help you prepare effectively for Microsoft 70-410 so you can ace it at your first attempt. In this guide, we will take a look at five useful tips to help you in your preparation so you can have effective learning.
- Create the perfect workspace
You need the best study materials to prepare for Microsoft 70-461. First of all, you need a workspace. It doesn’t have to be something elaborate but it should be adequate enough to take your preparation resources, including your computer system, books, and other tools that you need. Your workspace should be free of anything that can distract you. For your computer, it is recommended that you have a system that runs on Windows 7 at least. You need to have this OS exactly on your system so you can install your Microsoft SQL Server and other software for your practice. Software that will be necessary for your exam preparation includes the following:
- SQL Server 2014 Express Edition;
- AdventureWorks2012 Sample Database;
- SQL Server Management Studio.
In addition to this, you might want to consider getting some resource books on SQL to make your preparation more effective.
- Develop a study plan
Now that you have created your special workspace, the next step is to develop a plan. How long can you dedicate to learning on a daily basis? Remember that you are not going to do this in an unstoppable mode. You just have to devote a couple of hours for the next few weeks to your preparation process, and as soon as you take your exam, you can go back to your normal routine. This means that you can experienceinconvenience during your preparation. If you ordinarily spend hours after work watching TV, you need to cut down on the number of hours you spend on it to take some time for a training course or a mock test. All you need to do in order to have effective study time in the next weeks of your preparation, you should be prepared to do this to avoid the possibility of taking Microsoft 70-461 more than once. Plan your hours based on the available time.
First of all, go through the exam objectives to understand the details. Basically, there are four broad topics that you have to learn:
- Creating database objects;
- Working with data;
- Troubleshooting & optimizing;
- Modifying data.
These subjects have a list of subtopics that you have to develop competence in before you take Microsoft 70-461. Please consider checking the details on the certification page. Based on the topics, plan your time to cover all the areas.
- Choose your preparation resources
Prepaway are specific resources that focus on the exam topics. Get these materials and be ready to study. The Microsoft Learning platform has a lot oftools for your dynamic preparation. Moreover, you can check the Prepaway website for updated resources that will help you ace your certification exam on your first try. There are different types of study materials, including video tutorials, classroom training, self-paced training, and books that you can use. All these tools are at your fingertips. Make sure you follow your plan and work towards the date that you have scheduled. As you continue your study, ensure that you keep track of your progress.
- Take practice tests
In addition, dedicate your time to answer practice questions. They will help you identify your weak and strong areas. You will also be able to know how far you have gone and how much you have assimilated in the process. Thus, you will know what areas should be improved and which ones are already mastered by you.By the way, we don’t recommend postponing your scheduled date because you may end up not taking the exam at the end of the day. However, if you treat this date as your final option, you will study hard and work towards it.
If you want to try this type of study materials, you should visit theMicrosoft Learning platform. It offers some practice questions that you can answer to evaluate your level of knowledge. You can also get up-to-date practice tests from the Prepaway website. In addition to this, the platformprovidesthe students with the opportunity to take these questions in a simulated environment that replicates the real setting. With this, you can feel the atmosphere of the actual exam. When you are taking practice questions, it is crucial to strive for the highest score. By default, you should try to get at least95% in your practice test to increase your chance of success.
- Don’t fret about your exam
When you have done all you can in preparing for the Microsoft 70-461 certification test, relax and hope for the best. Fretting about itwill not help you. As a matter of fact, it can make you lose focus. Therefore, instead of worrying, believe in your ability to pass.
Conclusion
Following these simple steps will guarantee you ahigher score in comparison to those who simply cram all the information they see or don’t prepare for the exam at all. You should try these tips for yourself and see how much you get.