Exam Fees And Guarantees – They’re Real Worth
It’s not uncommon for training providers to proudly boast that all exam fees and guarantees are provided in the cost of their courses. But let’s just think about that for a moment…
There may well be several exams to take to complete some courses, with most IT exam entry fees coming in around the 110 pounds mark. It’s no secret that when exam fees are inclusive, the price of every exam has already been factored into the cost of the course anyway – it’s not as if they’re giving them as freebies! It’s simply that the marketing department think an inclusive cost comes across as a better deal to their customers, so they use it as a sales ploy to suggest better value and security. But when we look at what’s really going here, we might argue the case.
The most obvious question is why spend your money now on something that you won’t be using for probably 12 – 24 months? If you’re paying by cash for your training, wouldn’t the money for exam fees be better left in your account for longer, accruing interest? If you’re taking out a loan to pay for training, you’re going to pay more interest on a larger amount than is necessary, simply because your exam fees have been included up front. Isn’t it better to keep the money till you need to spend it? It certainly makes no sense to pay interest on it.
Up-front payment for exam fees helps to put more cash into a training provider’s pot, which helps them with their cash-flow. But it does even more than that in many cases. Inclusive fees mean that every student pays for their exams, whether they end up sitting those exams or not.
Not all students take every exam for various reasons. Some find IT jobs part-way through their course so don’t have the urgency to take every exam, and some quit along the way (especially if the standard of training and support is lacking). The training provider simply pockets the un-used fees when this happens. So in reality it’s not the students who benefit from up-front payments, but the colleges.
But what about exam guarantees – are they worth anything? Guarantees make us feel better (back to the marketing boys and girls). Colleges assure students that they can take their exams as many times as is necessary to pass without incurring further charges and many are convinced by this.
In fact, we all know that the only way to pass an exam confidently is with a high standard of training and good study habits. There isn’t a back door that lets you through after so many attempts. It’s the quality of the training, (which should include 24 hour support and authorised exam preparation software) which is much more relevant to success than exam guarantees. The small print on so-called exam guarantees will tell you that the college will decide when you’re ready to re-take the exam, and they won’t let you near one till they know you’re ready.
Passing an exam is under your control. After you’ve completed the right level of training, you can test yourself under exam conditions to build your confidence. Then you’ll know when you’re ready for the real thing.
It’s very easy to book it yourself, and there are places all over the country and around the world where you can sit your exams. (Students who’ve paid at the beginning of a course usually have to travel to the training provider to take exams). You can often take advantage of any offers that might be on at that time.
In actual fact, as your career develops, it’s possible you won’t need to take all of the exams – as sometimes it’s the knowledge that’s important, not the qualification.
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