Preparing for and Taking an Exam – FAQ (EXAM SCORING)

Q. How are exam scores calculated?

A. Here is some general information about exam scoring:

* There is no penalty for guessing. If you choose an incorrect answer, you
simply do not earn credit for that item. No points are deducted for incorrect
answers.

* If a question specifies that you must choose multiple correct answers, you
must choose the exact number of correct answers specified in the question in
order to earn the credit for that item.

* Some questions on the exam might not be included in the calculation of your
score. To gather data to update and improve the quality of Microsoft
Certification exams, we need to present new content to candidates without
counting the results toward their score.

* All Microsoft exams are scaled such that the passing score is 700. The actual
cut score (the number of items you need to answer correctly) is determined by a
group of subject-matter experts. A common misperception is that you must answer
70 percent of the items correctly in order to pass the exam; however, the actual
percentage varies from exam to exam and may be more or less than 70 percent,
depending on the input provided by the subject-matter experts who helped us set
the cut score. After you complete your exam, the points you earned are compared
with the cut score to determine whether the result is pass or fail.
Prometric’s
software generates the scaled score and bars shown on your score report from
scoring information provided by Microsoft.

Q. How should I interpret my score report?

A. There are several important pieces of information on the score report:
Your scaled score and pass/fail status: All Microsoft Certified Professional
exams are scaled so that a passing score is 700. Any score of 700 or greater is
a "pass." Any score below 700 is a "fail." Different passing scores do not
reflect different levels of examinee knowledge.

Because of the way Microsoft sets the cut score, we cannot guarantee that an
examinee who scores 900 is more knowledgeable in the exam’s topic area than an
examinee who scores 800. We can only say that both examinees are at least
minimally qualified. The same is true for failing scores. An examinee who scores
400 is not necessarily less knowledgeable in the exam’s topic area than an
examinee who scores 600. In this case, both examinees fail to meet the minimum
qualifications for the certification. This is why your exam scores do not appear
on your transcript.

Your section scores: The bars on the score report show your relative performance
in the various subject areas covered by the exam–the longer the bar, the
stronger your performance in that areA. The length of the bars does not
correspond to the number of questions you answered correctly on that subject.
Additionally, because the subject areas contain varying numbers of items, the
length of any bar or combination of bars does not correspond directly to your
overall exam score or Pass/Fail status.

Q. What does the score report look like?

A. The score report details the areas in which a candidate demonstrates
technical strength and the areas in which the candidate shows a need for
improvement. The report provides a numeric score for overall exam performance as
well as a bar graph for each subject area of the exam.

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Q. What does my numeric score mean?

A. Microsoft provides numeric scaled scores on all exams that provide the
candidate with some indication of their level of performance on the exam.
Microsoft has worked with customers and testing industry experts to create an
exam scale that would be consistent across all exams. The scale requires a
minimum passing score of 700 on all exams. If you receive a score of 700 or
above, it means that you are at least minimally qualified; if you receive a
score below 700, it means that you are not minimally qualified. Because of the
way we set our cut scores, no other judgments about the numerical score obtained
can be made.

Q. What do the bars on the score report mean?

A. The bars indicate how strongly an examinee performed on each skills section
of the exam. The closer the bar comes to the strong end of the continuum, the
higher the score on that skills section. The closer the bar is to the "needs
development" end of the continuum, the lower the score in that skills section.

These results will help all examinees determine areas where they have strengths
and where they need improvement. The skills sections listed on the score report
correspond to those listed in the skills matrix provided in the Exam Preparation
guide.

Q. Does the score report show a numerical score for each section?

A. No. The score report provides a numerical score to reflect pass/fail status
only, in order to prevent confusion. Because exam sections often contain a
different number of questions, combining their numerical results would rarely
provide an accurate final exam result. As an alternative to providing a
numerical score for each section, we provide score bars to show an overview of
areas of strength and weakness relative to overall performance.

On upgrade exams, however, candidates must pass all sections in order to pass
the exam because each section represents a feeder exam. As a result, these
candidates receive a numerical score for each component exam.

Q. The bars on the score report show that I have scored more than 70 percent,
but I didn’t pass the exam. Why is this?

A. Each section of the exam may contain a different number of questions;
therefore, the relative results on individual exam sections might not reflect
your final exam result. In other words, there is no one-to-one relationship
between the length of the bars and your pass/fail status.

Q. How many points is each item worth?

A. In most cases, each item is worth one point; however, some questions or
question types may be worth more than one point. Microsoft does not provide
information about how many points specific items are worth.

Q. Is there a penalty for guessing? Are points deducted for incorrect answers?

A. No. Points are not deducted for incorrect answers; if you answer incorrectly,
you will simply not earn the credit associated with answering correctly.

Q. Why are some questions unscored?

A. Microsoft is committed to continually updating exam content and utilizing
innovative testing techniques. Our goal is to increase the relevance of our
exams, offer a more comprehensive and valuable certification, and ensure the
security of exam content. To gather the data needed to update and improve the
quality of exams, we need to present new content to candidates without counting
the results toward their score.

Q. I have taken this exam multiple times and have received the same score every
time. Does this indicate an error in the results computation?

A. No, it does not indicate an error. It is not uncommon for candidates to
obtain similar or identical scores on multiple attempts of an exam. Receiving
the same score on multiple attempts does not indicate that the program computing
the results is in error.

Q. I scored zero in one of the sections. How is this possible?

A. The number of questions that appear for each section is determined by subject
matter experts. As a result, some sections have more questions than others. It
is not uncommon to score zero when a section contains relatively few questions.

Q. I experienced significant delays between some of the questions. Did these
delays impact the calculation of my score?

A. In some cases, you may experience a delay of up to a minute while your next
question loads. Prometric’s software is designed to accommodate this event. A
delay between questions does not impact the responses you have recorded. Your
exam will be scored correctly regardless of delays between questions.

Q. Can I find out whether I answered a specific question correctly, or whether
this answer affected my pass/fail status?

A. No. By not providing this information, we are better able to maintain exam
security.

Q. Where can I find additional information about my areas of weakness?