is a short survey before the exam begins (taking the survey does not use any of the available 50 minutes).
■ If you do not pass the exam, you can retake it as many times as you want, but you must wait 24 hours before taking the exam a second time. If you do not pass the exam again, a two-day waiting period will be imposed for each subsequent exam retake.
Here are some general tips for improving the odds of passing your certification exam:
■ Read each question carefully. Although the test is not written to be confusing there are times when the obvious choice is not the correct choice.
■ Make sure you answer each question. Any unanswered questions are considered wrong, so you are better off making an educated guess than leaving a question unanswered.
■ For any questions where you are unsure of the correct answer, use a process of elimination to remove any obviously incorrect answers first. Once you have eliminated the obviously incorrect answers, make an educated guess from the remaining answers.
■ If you are unsure about a question, select the answer you think is most likely to be correct, mark it for review, and come back to it at a later time.
■ Get a good night's sleep the night before the exam. This will help you to be more alert and think clearly during the exam.
Take the following steps to register for the IC3 exam:
1. Using a browser, navigate to the Certiport website: http://www.certiport.com.
2. To register with Certiport, click the Register link in the top-right corner and provide all the required personal information.
3. Once the registration process is complete, select that you would like to take an exam or prepare for an exam and click Next.
4. Register for the IC3 certification.
5. Locate a Certiport Authorized Testing Center (CATC) near you.
6. Once you have found a CATC, you should then contact the Testing Center directly to confirm that they offer the exam(s) you wish to take, determine their prices and fees, set up a date and time to take the exam, and find out what exam preparation resources/courses they offer.
You can find the exam policies that you must abide by at this web page:
http://www.certiport.com/PORTAL/desktopdefault.aspx?page=common/pagelibrary/LiveApp.htm.
IC3 requires certification candidates to accept the terms of a nondisclosure agreement before taking certification exams.
Who Should Read This Book?
This book is intended for individuals who want to prepare for the Key Applications exam as part of earning their IC3 GS4 certification. For both the student and the job-seeker, IC3 provides the foundation of knowledge needed for success, and it is a well-respected and internationally recognized credential that reflects the most relevant skills needed in today's academic and business environments.
What's Inside?
Here is a glance at what's in each chapter:
Chapter 1: Exploring Common Application Features in Microsoft Office This chapter explains the basics of using the applications that are included in the Microsoft Office 2010 suite, how to format files, copy and paste data, print it, and so on.
Chapter 2: Using Microsoft Word This chapter focuses on using Microsoft Word 2010 for tasks like configuring the layout of your documents, organizing data, and so on.
Chapter 3: Using Microsoft Excel This chapter focuses on using Microsoft Excel 2010 for tasks like navigating among worksheets, workbooks, tables, and cells; formatting data; sorting it; adding formulas and functions; and inserting charts and graphs.
Chapter 4: Using Microsoft PowerPoint This chapter focuses on using Microsoft PowerPoint 2010 for tasks like creating presentations, changing their design, adding multimedia files, and creating animations and transitions between slides.
Chapter 5: Using Microsoft Access This chapter focuses on using Microsoft Access 2010 for tasks like adding data to a database, finding data in a database, and using queries and reports for filtering and displaying data.
Chapter 6: Collaborating with Others When Working in Microsoft Office This chapter focuses on collaboration while creating files and documents in Microsoft Office applications. You will learn how to track changes, leave and review comments, and share your work with others.
What's Included with the Book
This book includes many helpful items intended to prepare you for the Key Applications exam that's part of the IC3 GS4 certification.
Assessment Test The assessment test at the conclusion of the book's introduction can be used to quickly evaluate where you are with your general computing knowledge and skills that prove your competency in digital literacy. This test should be taken prior to beginning your work in this book, and it should help you identify areas in which you are either strong or weak. Note that these questions are purposely simpler than the types of questions you may see on the exams.
Objective Map and Opening List of Objectives At the start of this book is a detailed exam objective map showing you where each of the exam objectives is covered in this book. In addition, each chapter opens with a list of the exam objectives it covers. Use these to see exactly where each of the exam topics is covered.
Exam Essentials The end of each chapter provides a brief overview of the concepts covered in the chapter. We recommend reading through these sections carefully to check your recollection of each topic and returning to any sections of the chapter you're not confident about having mastered.
Chapter Review Questions Each chapter includes review questions. The material for these questions is pulled directly from information that was provided in the chapter. These questions are based on the exam objectives, and they are similar in difficulty to items you might actually encounter on the IC3 GS4 exam.
The interactive online learning environment that accompanies this book provides a test bank with study tools to help you prepare for the certification exam – and increase your chances of passing it the first time! The test bank includes the following:
Sample Tests All of the questions in this book are provided: the assessment test, which you'll find at the end of this introduction, and the chapter tests that include the review questions at the end of each chapter. In addition, there are two practice exams. Use these questions to test your knowledge of the study guide material. The online test bank runs on multiple devices.
Flashcards Questions are provided in digital flashcard format (a question followed by a single correct answer). You can use the flashcards to reinforce your learning and provide last-minute test prep before the exam.
Practice Files Many exercises in this book use practice files that were created specifically for this book. You can find them online, in the Other Study Tools
