I Am Now Microsoft Certified

Last Wednesday, I took the Microsoft 70-536: .NET Framework 2.0 Application Development Foundation exam. I was a bit nervous. The testing center is located at the Lorain County Community College. I had driven by the LCCC numerous times but had never ventured on campus. Since Rachel is more familiar with the area (and because I wanted some moral support) she came with me.

I signed in and began my exam. Fortunately, I was the only one testing at the time. The room was very quiet. It was, however, a bit unnerving to look up and see a video camera looking down at me. The proctor gave me two “sheets” of reusable graph paper. I did not use them, but I liked the idea.

The exam itself was dissimilar from all the practice tests I took. I marked the first handful of questions for later review, as I was unsure of myself. However, I became more confident as the exam progressed. The only hiccup I had is I did not scroll down all the way on one question. The exam software reminded me of that. So, I had to scroll down to view the remaining part of the answers. Of course, it was only whitespace.

I had two hours to complete the exam, but I think it only took about forty minutes. Once I was done, I thought I would receive my score right away. But, I was given the option to comment on all the questions. Come already! Just give me my score! Finally, I received my score.

I did not get as high of a score as I wanted. But, the main thing was that I passed! I am now a Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP)! Now that I had one exam down, I was anxious to start the next exam: Microsoft 70-526: .NET Framework 2.0 Windows-Based Client Development. I was hoping that I could spend the rest of the week studying and take the exam the next Wednesday (today).

On Thursday, I drove out to visit Rachel. We then stopped at Chick-fil-A briefly before visiting the Ohio Western Reserve National Cemetery to visit her dad’s grave. On the way, traffic in front of us came to an abrupt stop. Rachel had to slam on the brakes. Afterwards, we noticed that the vehicle was slow to accelerate and wanted to veer to the left.

On Friday, I spent the morning at the repair shop. They had to rebuild the brakes. They had locked on to one of the tires. I guess they have had a lot of wear and tear. I am thankful the brakes held out as long as they did. Of course, now I have to fork out another $700 in auto repairs.

Today, I took my Microsoft 70-526 exam. Again, the exam went by relatively quickly. Again, I did not get as high of a score as I wanted. But, again the main thing is that I passed. I am now a Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist (MCTS) in .NET Framework 2.0 Windows Applications.

The next step is to get my Microsoft Certified Professional Developer (MCPD) for Visual Studio 2005. I will just have to pass the Microsoft 70-548: Designing and Developing Windows-Based Applications Using the Microsoft .NET Framework exam.

After the exam, Rachel and drove to the Western Reserve Historical Society to see the Vatican Splendors exhibit. The exhibit holds about “two hundred works of art and historically significant objects.” As some of these objects have not previously left the Vatican and as Rachel and I do not anticipate going there in the near future, we thought we would jump on this opportunity.

The exhibit was okay. It would have been a bit better if people had turned off their cell phones (there were several signs telling people to do so). I really do not care if you are trying to plan a trip to Jamaica. I hope you have a fun trip, but I do not want to hear about it while I am in a museum. It ruins some of the ambiance. It is similar to using your cell phone or talking during a movie. Ugh!

After we got home, I received my nifty new MCP shirt. Maybe I will wear that to work and see if anyone notices. For now, I am off to play some video games. Vacation is rough!