Product Reviews
Transcender C#-Cert/Windows 7.0
Transcender's C# practice exam tool installed easily for me, and the online
server delivered a license key without any problems as soon as I remembered
what my Transcender password was. Inside, there are three separate practice
exams for the C#-Windows MCAD exam (70-316), as well as a mode that delivers
random questions. The Transcender interface does a faithful job of simulating
what you'll see in the testing center (except, of course, the testing center
won't let you take a break to work on other stuff on the same computer), and
the exam questions seem true to the Microsoft format. There is not a lot of
code here; I'd say 50% or more of the questions would work equally well on the
VB .NET exam (70-306). That's appropriate, because the exams aren't supposed
to be about syntax.
When you're done with the exam, you can get a traditional scoring report in
the same format that Microsoft uses, telling you whether you managed to pass
or not. But then, as you'd expect from a training product, you can go back and
review the questions and see the right answers. Each answer is explained so
you can see the rationale that the item writer had in mind (and argue with it
if you like). For many answers, there are hyperlinks back to MSDN for the information
straight from the horse's mouth. You can also take the exam in an instant-graded
format, which allows you to see how you did on each question as you answer it.
This may work better for focused study, though of course it's not as good a
simulation of the real thing.
You won't learn the material from a simulation, of course. But combine this
tool with a good study guide, and you'll be on your way to passing one of the
core MCAD/MCSD exams.
About the Author
Mike Gunderloy, MCSE, MCSD, MCDBA, is a former MCP columnist and the author of numerous development books.