To complete some courses there may well be several exams to take, and most IT exam entry fees are around the 110 mark. We all know that when exam fees are inclusive, the cost of every exam has already been added into the price of the course anyway – it’s not as if they’re throwing them in for free. It’s just that the marketing boys and girls think an inclusive cost sounds like a better deal to their clients, so use it as a sales technique to imply better value and security. However, when we look at what’s really going here, we might beg to differ.
The most obvious question is why spend your money now on something that you won’t be using for probably 12 – 24 months? If you’re paying by cash for your training, wouldn’t the money for exam fees be better left in your account for longer, accruing interest? If you’re taking out a loan to pay for training, you’re going to pay more interest on a larger amount than is necessary, simply because your exam fees have been included up front. Isn’t it better to keep the money till you need to spend it? It certainly makes no sense to pay interest on it.
More money goes into a training provider’s pot when exam fees are paid for up-front, which eases their cash-flow. But in many cases, it does a lot more than that. Whether they end up taking them or not, inclusive charges mean that every student is paying for their exam fees.
For a number of reasons, not every student takes all their exams. Some give up part way through (especially if the standard of training and support isn’t good) and some find IT jobs before finishing their course so don’t feel the urgency to take every exam. When this occurs, the training college simply keeps the un-used fees. So actually it’s the colleges that benefit from payments up-front, not the student.
But what about exam guarantees – do they have any weight? Many students are convinced by college assurances that they can take their exams as many times as is necessary to pass without incurring further charges. Guarantees make us feel better (back to the marketing boys and girls).
We all know in reality that the only way to approach and pass an exam is with proper study habits and a good standard of training. There is no side entrance that lets you through after a number of attempts. So the quality of the training is much more relevant to success than exam guarantees (the right training will include 24 hour support and authorised exam preparation software). The small print on so-called ‘exam guarantees’ will state that the college will make decisions on when you’re ready to re-take an exam, so they won’t let you near one until they know you can pass.
You can control passing your exams. When you’ve worked through the right level of training, and tested yourself under exam conditions, you’ll build enough confidence to know when you’re ready for the real thing.
It’s really easy to book yourself a place, and there are centres all over the UK and around the world where you can take your exams. (Students who pay at the beginning of a course often have to travel to the training provider to take exams). You may also be able to take advantage of any offers that are around at that time.
In reality, as your career progresses, you might decide not to take all of the exams – as sometimes it’s the knowledge that’s important, not the certification.
(C) 2009. Pop to LearningLolly.com for excellent tips on Authorware Attain 4-5 and Authorware Attain 4-5 Training.
