It has been a while since I took the SAP Certification. I am sharing my experience hoping this might help someone :cool:
After working past several years in the technology, finally I ventured to take an SAP certification (ABAP). Like many of my peers, initially I too was skeptical about doing a certification, thinking that experience alone will suffice and it is not worth the money/effort.
Yes, I know this is a tough question. And like everyone else out there, I too had this same doubt. Though there are several myths regarding the certification (Top 10 Myths about SAP Certification), overall its a great learning experience and a definite value addition. Plus I got the opportunity to attempt the exam much hassle free (at SAP North America) as compared to many of my colleagues from APAC region.
I searched for details in the Training and Certification Shop portal. Once found the suitable certification, select it and this will take you to the page with options for buying the voucher.
At this point it is better to create an SAP User Account in certification shop, if you don't have one already. I created the user. If the voucher is bought from Pearson Vue, you will receive the Voucher Code via e-mail. Once voucher code is available, go to Person Vue and create a web account.
Certification shop has all the details for taking an exam. Choose the desired exam to view (1) the number of questions, (2) duration, (3) cut off score, (4) languages available, (5) Exam topics, (6) suggested learning materials, (7) topic wise weightage of questions and (8) general guidelines.
SAP recommended materials are the best source for preparation, and they will be of great help if supplemented with a good amount of hands on in the respective topic area. Certification specific books from SAP Press are highly recommended. Check if there is one available for your exam.
Ideal amount of preparation time may vary for each exam, but IMHO at least a months time will be required if you have a day time job. Revise all topics at least twice or more, make notes and practice all the sample questions you could find.
Usually the exam voucher purchased will be valid up to an year (or Until the exam is discontinued) and the exam date can be scheduled/re-scheduled at any time within this period. My voucher was from Pearson Vue, so I used their web site to schedule the exam center and date. The time slots available will vary based on the centers chosen. There are few centers which conducts exams at evening hours and weekends, but for most others it will be during the regular office hours from Mon-Fri.
It is better to choose the best available time slot and location in advance (at lest 2-3 weeks ahead), depending on the city you reside. Always give 1-2 days of buffer time before the exam, for a quick revision. If you need to re-schedule the exam, make sure you do it at least 24 Hours before the exam (this is very important). I have done this twice, and there is no restriction on how many times you can change the date or venue.
I used the day to revise all my notes and went through all the sample questions I found in certification book and Google. Its a good idea to give yourself a good nights sleep before the exam.
I could not prepare much before the exam and I started to get a bit nervous too. :cry: I reached exam center half an hour early, and to my surprise I did not have to wait further; they allowed me to start the exam straight away. I was allotted a desktop computer. Exam instructions were displayed on the screen and once I read and submitted it, the exam has started. There is a timer displayed on the screen. And you have the option to book mark the question for later revision, before the final submission. (You can come back and change the answer options
even if you forgot to book mark a question.)
Questions are asked topic wise and are numbered accordingly. Question numbers/progress indicators will restart for each new section. Twice I revisited all the questions, and each time I corrected few more answers. Once completed the exam, I went back and reported to the examiner. (At this point I could sense my heart beating a little faster than normal) He printed and gave the Score Report. It showed the session wise score break up and my Result: PASS :smile:
The score card will be available online within few days. SAP will mail the certificate copy to the address given within few weeks. You can get the certification logo and other details from SAP Credential Manager.
All the questions are of objective format. The questions in the real exam were much trickier than any of the samples I have seen. Each question took more time than what I expected, and many were really thought provoking. I used the option to Book mark the questions, and this helped me while revisiting the questions later. If there are multiple correct answers, the question will show you the number of correct answer options. This is a great help to choose all the correct options.
I hope to continue this winning streak ; and I am sure anybody will be truly motivated to do more once passed their very first SAP Certification.
"Its always better to try and fail than not to try at all."
Keep trying, nothing is impossible. All the best.
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