■ 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.
Tips for Taking the IC3 GS4 Exams
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.
Exam Registration
Take the following steps to register for the IC3 exams:
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 earn 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:
Part I: Computing Fundamentals
Chapter 1: Understanding Operating Systems This chapter introduces basic concepts like hardware, software, and operating systems and explains how they work together. It also explains the basics of managing files on a computer and customizing an operating system.
Chapter 2: Understanding Hardware This chapter goes into more detail about hardware and provides more information about different types of hardware, what they are used for, and how to measure their performance.
Chapter 3: Understanding Software This chapter demonstrates how to install, uninstall, and reinstall various software. It explains the different licensing models and the basics of using several types of software.
Chapter 4: Troubleshooting Problems with Your Computer This chapter describes the most common types of problems you may encounter when dealing with both software and hardware and how to deal with them.
Part II: Key Applications
Chapter 5: 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 6: 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 7: 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 8: 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 9: Using Microsoft Access This chapter focuses on using Microsoft Access 2010 for tasks such as adding data to a database, finding data in a database, and using queries and reports for filtering and displaying data.
Chapter 10: 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.
Part III: Living Online
Chapter 11 Using the Internet This chapter introduces the basics of the Internet and the World Wide Web. In this chapter you will learn what a web browser is and how to use it to navigate web pages, download files, and more.
Chapter 12: Understanding Networking and Its Most Important Concepts This chapter delves into complex network topics and tools like the different types of networks that are available, network addressing, security, and the performance of Internet connections. It also shares the basic tools for troubleshooting problems.
Chapter 13: Communicating Online with Others In this chapter you will learn the basics of communicating online with others, using services like email, text messaging, audio- and videoconferencing, social networks, blogs, and more.
Chapter 14: Being a Responsible Digital Citizen This chapter discusses ethics, Internet “netiquette,” censorship, piracy, and common piracy-prevention tools and recommendations.
Chapter 15: Maintaining Your Health and Safety While Using Computers This chapter shares several recommendations about how to protect your identity when online, how to remove data from your computer, and how to secure your computer. It also provides recommendations on how to maintain your health while using computers for a long time.
Chapter 16: Searching the World Wide Web In the last chapter of this book you will learn how to use search engines to search for information, how to find information online, and how to evaluate its truthfulness.
What's Included with the Book
This book includes many helpful items intended to prepare you for 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