I saw a post recently that said that braindumps were the best way to prepare for certifications. It was posted from a certification vendor, so take it with a grain of salt, but I think a lot of people think this.

That somewhat torques me off. I understand that certification can help someone get a better job, and it is good for a career. That’s fine, and I understand that if you are out of a job, or searching for a better job, that the price of the exam seems a little steep, and if you fail, you are out a decent amount of money. An exam costs $125 in the US, and that’s not an insignificant amount of money.

However.

We have enough people that don’t know what they’re doing. We have lots of people that struggle in their jobs, and often then don’t know what to do. Their bosses and co-workers aren’t happy. The struggle and get stressed, and they complain about their jobs. Stability is lower, software quality slides along the floor, and it’s a bad fit.

Not everyone falls into this category, but having taken quite a few exams, I’d say that if you have some knowledge of SQL Server, and you work through a lot of exercises from any certification book, you’ll be fine. It’s hard, but it’s supposed to be. You’re supposed to be competent if you pass the exam.

Finding ways to pass without being competent, or searching for a guarantee, isn’t good for your career. And it’s certainly not good for mine. Every person that passes who doesn’t really understand what they’re doing makes certifications that much more of a joke, and that much less valuable to employers.

Which is the point for most people. They get the certification so that employers will be *more* likely to pay them more.

Do yourself a favor. Study for the exam, learn how to handle the objectives, and then take your chances on the exam.

There are a number of deals for second takes as well, so be on the lookout for those.