SQL Server Magazine

Each one of the MCSE CBT preparation packages I've reviewed in this series holds some interesting surprises. In this final installment, l review LanCircuit's Examiner and MindWorks' PRELIM.

Examiner Examination simulators are among the most expensive exam-preparation materials you can purchase. However, exam simulators are a necessary component of any MCSE self-study program.

Examiner is a low-cost examination simulation product that tests your knowledge of the material covered in six of the core MCSE exams. The product prepares you for the Networking Essentials (70-58), NT 4.0 Workstation (70-73), NT 4.0 Server Core Technologies (70-67), NT 4.0 Enterprise (70-68), TCP/IP for NT (70-59), and IIS 3.0 (70-77) examinations using a simple, intuitive interface. LanCircuit claims that at least 60 percent of Examiner's questions will be on the Sylvan Prometric MCSE exam "in one form or another." However, exact questions and answers are not available until you take the Microsoft exam.

To test the software, I downloaded the product from LanCircuit's Web site. It took an hour for the 9.63MB demonstration to download and install. I ran the self-extracting executable file to launch the setup program. After I answered questions about where to install the program and what type of installation I wanted to perform, I was ready to begin using the program.

When I launched the program from the Start menu, a graphical menu listed the examinations I could choose from. A small colored block indicates the type of license (e.g., single-user, multiuser) available for each exam.

You click a command button to select a particular exam (different command buttons exist for each exam) and launch a screen that gives an overview of the exam. I chose the TCP/IP for NT exam. The opening screen showed four large boxes, each box describing a section of the examination. When I clicked on the desired section box, the program launched the screen containing my interactive test session.

The test session that Screen 1 shows is straightforward. The test question appears at the top of the screen, and the multiple-choice answers appear below the question. The Marked button lets you bookmark a question. There are several command buttons and a text box at the bottom of the screen. You can return to the previous menu to choose another selection by clicking the Menu button. You can move back and forth between questions by clicking the right and left arrows. Clicking the Answer button places a yellow check mark in the box of the correct answer, and a detailed description of why the answer is correct appears in the text box at the bottom of the screen. The yellow check mark appears in the correct answer box even if you've chosen the wrong answer.

You can enable a randomizing feature within the program's options to vary the order of the exam questions. In addition, you can set the software to Learning mode and click the Answer button for a detailed explanation of why an answer is correct. In contrast, clicking the Testing mode will not deliver an explanation of answers.

A Review screen appears after you complete a series of questions. This screen tallies your correct answers to the examination's questions; to find out if you answered a particular question correctly, you must review each question in your examination. The program lets you know if you passed the exam when you select End Test.

Examiner's retail price for a single-user license is a bargain. LanCircuit offers volume discounts for establishments seeking a 5- or 10-user license. A trial version of the product is available from the company's Web site and offers 20 sample questions.

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