Loading ...Have you ever noticed that some topics have more questions than others on an MCP exam? Well, we do that on purpose. In your daily work, some tasks are more important or are done more frequently than others. The content of MCP exams reflects these differences.
In my post about the exam design process last month, I explained that we don’t just draw slips of paper out of a hat to determine which topics will be covered on each exam. Similarly, the process of weighting exam objectives is neither random nor magical. It’s input from experts like you that determines the percentage of the total questions each objective will ultimately have on an MCP exam. The exam’s content development manager (CDM) sends what we call a "blueprint survey" to a group of Subject Matter Experts (SMEs). In this survey, each SME rates the frequency and importance of each objective. The CDM compiles the responses into a tool that calculates the percentage of the exam items assigned to each objective and functional group.
The final blueprint functions as the recipe for an exam’s development, measuring out how much of each objective we need to put in the exam. We use the blueprint throughout the exam’s life cycle. During the item writing phase, the blueprint calculates how many items the vendor should write for each objective, given a specific size item pool. Whenever new exam forms are assembled, we ensure that the items chosen “map to the blueprint”—meaning that the proportions defined in the blueprint for each functional group are maintained in the new forms. So the exam consistently tests on the same content areas to the same extent, even though the actual items change.
Just like on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives, we don’t give out the specific measurements for each ingredient in our secret recipe. [Translation: no, we won't tell you how many questions will be on each objective. Click here for a list of 10 other things we can't tell you about exam development.]
But you can find a list of the general ingredients in the exam’s prep guide. For newer exams, we also provide information about the percentage of items in each functional group. To see an example, check out the Skills Measured tab on the Prep guide for 70-640. This information can help you focus more of your study time on the functional groups that will have more questions on the exam.
If you’d like to participate in a blueprint survey, stay tuned to Born to Learn, because sometimes we’ll ask for volunteers right here, as I did for the Windows 7 Desktop Administrator exam. (Incidentally, I got over 75 volunteers from that one post, and they’re still coming in. You folks rock! But you can stop now, because we’re done with the blueprinting. Next stop—item writing.)
As always, keep those great questions coming!
