In today’s society, having paper proof of what is locked inside your head is essential. Long gone are the days when a person could say, “My reference is Mr. Smith, whom I apprenticed under.” … and have that be good enough to get a nod of approval. A few employers will allow you a chance to show off what you know by testing during the application process, but if you’re one of the many people who never tested well in school simply because of test anxiety, this isn’t always going to shine the best light on your abilities.
You might be the most l33t computer technician the world has ever seen, but if you can’t prove it with a little piece of paper, you’re going to be overlooked in favor of those who can. The good news is that you can prove your techie prowess without having to sit through years of schooling that repeat what you already know. If you’ve got what it takes, you can get that certification online with little or no money whatsoever – right from the comfort of your home computer.
Remember that even certification holds only as much weight as the person viewing you as a candidate believes that it does, though. Even with certification in hand, some employers will still turn you aside in favor of the kid fresh out of a 4-year college. The resources discussed here will help you get your foot in the door and offer tangible proof of what you know, but never forget what a competitive world it is we work in.
This article discusses and reviews two of the best resources in Free Computer Technician Certification Exams currently on the Internet.
ExpertRating: The Computer Hardware and Maintenance Exam
ExpertRating is a truly neat website. They offer tests and certifications in a variety of subjects and have the distinguished privilege of being able to say they’re one of very few companies in the world to be certified under ISO 9001-2000 for course and test development and delivery. What this means is that they have been certified as well, able to prove that they meet or exceed International quality standards within their tests and courseware. Their certifications and training material have been prepared by professionals with years of experience behind them – and then those courses are put through several rounds of analysis to make sure they’re as good as they have to be.
In fact, ExpertRating is so good at what they do that many corporations have begun turning to them for pre-employment testing and employee development.
All that good stuff aside, the Computer Hardware and Maintenance Exam offered by ExpertRating is intense. Within the 40-minute exam, you’re thoroughly tested on your knowledge of processors, interrupts, expansion slots, buses, motherboard components, computer hardware concepts, memory, hard disks, ports, display cards, IDE and SCSI, floppy disks, and power supplies. Seriously, you need the fourty minutes allotted for the exam.
Here’s where ExpertRating’s certification exam becomes gorgeous: It’s free. You will need to create an account at their website, and then sign up for the exam. Taking the exam for the first time costs nothing, and you’ll receive your scores immediately. If you pass, you can order your hard copy certificate (under $7). If you don’t pass, you’ll want to take some time to read up on any weak points you have (try the certification notes offered here http://www.pc-technician.net/, which go even more in-depth than the subjects you’re being tested on) before re-taking the test; it will cost you $5 to re-take.
National Computer Science Academy: Computer Hardware Technician Exam
The National Computer Science Academy (NCSA) has a truly impressive name. Unfortunately, they don’t back it up with a lot of information about the company behind that name, and they aren’t able to claim ISO 9001-2000 certification as ExpertRating can. However … remember what I said about the weight of your certification being only as much as what the person viewing it believes it has? An impressive name like NCSA’s can give an unfair advantage to you, regardless of anything else.
NCSA’s Computer Hardware Technician Exam is about as intensive as ExpertRating’s, and will thoroughly test you in the same subjects. It is deeply hardware oriented, without focusing on as much of the maintenance as the previous test.
To take the free Computer Hardware Technician Exam through NCSA, you’ll need to sign up for it which creates an account at the same time. Make sure that you select the exam you want to take – you can take as many exams through NCSA as you like, but you have to wait at least one week to re-take an exam that you failed or want to improve your score on.
Once you pass the free exam, you will have to pay a certification fee to NCSA to actually become certified through them. The fee includes a hard copy certificate, and can be purchased by logging into your account and clicking the “Certify Me” button next to the exam you’ve passed. The cost of becoming certified through NCSA varies depending on the certification and membership options you choose, but starts at $39 and states that your certification is good for two years.
As far as the standard Computer Tech Exam goes, I would still recommend ExpertRating’s over this one. Not only do they have a better background, but you’re not locked into memberships and limited certification periods. However, NCSA also offers several other exams that can beef up your resume alongside the Hardware Technician certification that you might want to consider. Just weigh your options carefully.
