Exam 'guarantees' are sometimes offered as part of a training package - this always means exams have to be paid for upfront, at the start of your training. Before you jump at the chance of a guarantee, be aware of the facts:

Everybody's aware that they're still paying for it - it's quite obvious to see that it's already in the full cost of the package supplied by the course provider. It's absolutely not free - and it's insulting that we're supposed to think it is! People who take each progressive exam, funding them one at a time are in a much stronger position to qualify at the first attempt. They're mindful of their spending and take the necessary steps to be ready for the task.

Take your exams as locally as possible and look for the very best offer you can at the time. Including money in your training package for exams (plus interest - if you're financing your study) is a false economy. Don't line companies bank accounts with extra money of yours simply to help their cash-flow! There are those who hope that you won't get to do them all - so they don't need to pay for them. Also, 'Exam Guarantees' often aren't worth the paper they're written on. The majority of companies won't be prepared to pay again for an exam until you're able to demonstrate an excellent mock pass rate.

Paying maybe a thousand pounds extra on an 'Exam Guarantee' is foolish - when consistent and systematic learning, coupled with quality exam simulation software is what will really guarantee success.

A lot of trainers will only offer basic 9am till 6pm support (maybe a little earlier or later on certain days); It's rare to find someone who offers late evening or full weekend cover. Locate training schools with proper support available at all hours of the day and night (even if it's early hours on Sunday morning!) Make sure it's always access directly to professional tutors, and not simply some messaging service that means you're parked in a queue of others waiting to be called back - probably during office hours.

We recommend looking for colleges that use several support centres active in different time-zones. Each one should be integrated to give a single entry point and 24x7 access, when it suits you, without any problems. Don't ever make the mistake of taking second best when it comes to your support. The vast majority of would-be IT professionals that fall by the wayside, are in that situation because of support (or the lack of).

Many students come unstuck over a single training area usually not even thought about: The way the training is divided into chunks and couriered to your address. The majority of training companies will set up a 2 or 3 year study programme, and drop-ship the materials to you piecemeal as you complete each exam. This sounds reasonable until you consider the following: Students often discover that the trainer's 'standard' path of training doesn't suit. It's often the case that varying the order of study will be far more suitable. And what if you don't get to the end in the allotted time?

The ideal circumstances are to get every piece of your study pack posted to your home before you even start; the entire package! Then, nothing can hinder the reaching of your goals.

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