The majority of the content for this section was created by my colleague, Neil Benson, who is also writing a Dynamics CRM certification guide. He was gracious enough to offer this material as a resource for folks preparing for the MB2-868 (Dynamics CRM 2011 Applications) certification exam.
On the Microsoft Learning website (http://learning.microsoft.com), you can find more information about the courses and exams. Here, you can also find a local training course provider or buy an online training course collection.
Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 users will find the following two courses very useful:
What's New in Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 (Course 80289A): This one-day course provides an introduction to the new features of CRM 2011 for users who already have experience with Microsoft Dynamics CRM 4.0 or higher
Introduction to Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 (Course 80442A): This one-day course provides an overview of CRM 2011 to users with no previous experience with Microsoft Dynamics CRM
There are no exams or certifications associated with these courses.
If you are an implementation team member or a system administrator, there are eight training courses and four exams available.
There are four courses available for learning about the major application areas of Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011:
Marketing Automation in Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 (Course 80290A): This one-day course covers the marketing features of CRM 2011. These marketing features include campaigns and quick campaigns, lists, templates, campaign activities, and campaign responses.
Sales Management in Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 (Course 80291A): This one-day course covers the sales features of CRM 2011. These sales features include leads, opportunities, quotes, orders, invoices, and the product catalog.
Service Management in Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 (Course 80292A): This one-day course covers the service management features of CRM 2011. These features include cases, queues, teams, and the knowledge base.
Service Scheduling in Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 (Course 80293A): This one-day course covers the service scheduling features of CRM 2011. These features include services, service activities, and the service calendar.
There is one exam covering all four of these application areas. This exam is Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 Applications (Exam MB2-868). After passing this exam, you will earn a Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist (MCTS) certification.
There are two other useful courses available for implementers and administrators. These courses are as follows:
Reporting in Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 (Course 80445A): This one-day course covers the advanced reporting features of CRM 2011
Workflow and Dialog Processes in Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 (Course 80444A): This one-day course covers the configuration and use of the workflows and dialogs processes in CRM 2011
There are no exams or certifications associated with these courses.
There is one training course and an exam that covers the installation and deployment of Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011:
Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 Installation and Deployment (Course 80296A): This two-day course covers the deployment options, prerequisites, and installation procedures for Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011
Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 Installation and Deployment (Exam MB2-867): After passing this exam, you will earn an MCTS certification
There is one training course and an exam that covers the customization of Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011:
Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 Customization and Configuration (Course 80294B): This three-day course covers the customization features of CRM 2011. These features include configuring the organization structure, customizing entities, forms, views, and charts.
Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 Customization and Configuration (Exam MB2-866): After passing this exam, you will earn an MCTS certification.
For developers, there is one CRM 2011 training course and an exam available.
There is one training course and an exam that covers extending Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011:
Extending Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 (Course 80295A): This three-day course covers CRM 2011's extensibility options described in the Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 SDK
Extending Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 (Exam MB2-876): After passing this exam, you will earn an MCTS certification
This section describes the two levels of certification available for Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011, and the benefits of becoming certified.
MCTS certifications demonstrate your proficiency in a feature area of a Microsoft product. Passing any one of the four CRM 2011 exams described earlier in this chapter will earn you an MCTS certification.
MCITP certifications demonstrate your in-depth expertise across a number of Microsoft products. There are three MCITP certifications available:
Whether you work as an independent consultant, work for a Microsoft customer, or work for a Microsoft partner, earning a Microsoft Dynamics CRM certification leads the way to better career opportunities.
Microsoft partners value certified individuals because employing Microsoft Certified Professionals (MCPs) enables them to achieve silver and gold competencies that demonstrate their commitment to, and expertise in, Microsoft Dynamics CRM.
Microsoft customers value certified individuals because Microsoft Dynamics CRM solutions implemented, managed, and supported by MCPs have a lower total cost of ownership and a higher return on investment.
Achieving certification demonstrates the technical proficiency that validates your knowledge, adds credibility to your resume, and will help you advance in your career. When combined with real-world experience, certification will mean that you are more highly regarded than other individuals with similar experience who haven't taken training or shown sufficient initiative to achieve certification.
The focus of this certification guide is exam MB2-868: Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 Applications. In this section we'll learn:
How to study for the exam
How to register for your exam
What to expect at the test center
How to make the best use of your time
How to answer the different types of questions
There are several ways to study for the MB2-868 exam:
Take an official instructor-led training course: For the applications exam, there are four courses you can take:
Course 80290A: Marketing Automation in Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 is a one-day, instructor-led classroom training course available for a fee from Microsoft Learning Partners worldwide, in a number of languages
Course 80291A: Sales Management in Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 is a one-day, instructor-led classroom training course available for a fee from Microsoft Learning Partners worldwide, in a number of languages
Course 80292A: Service Management in Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 is a one-day, instructor-led classroom training course available for a fee from Microsoft Learning Partners worldwide, in a number of languages
Course 80293A: Service Scheduling in Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 is a one-day, instructor-led classroom training course available for a fee from Microsoft Learning Partners worldwide, in a number of languages
Take an official e-learning course: A subscription to e-learning collection 80290A, 80291A, 80292A, and 80293A is available for a fee from Microsoft Learning, in a number of languages
Study the official courseware: If your organization has purchased a Microsoft Dynamics service plan, you can download the official courseware for courses 80290A, 80291A, 80292A, and 80293A from PartnerSource or CustomerSource
Use this certification guide: This certification guide follows the syllabus examined in the MB2-868 Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 Applications exam
The best study method will depend upon your training budget, learning style, and the available time. Note, however, that certification guide is the only option available that includes practice exam questions.
Hands-on experience with Microsoft Dynamics CRM 2011 is essential, regardless of your preferred study method. Follow all of the procedures covered in this guide several times in a CRM test environment. Use a 30-day trial subscription to Microsoft Dynamics CRM Online if you don't have a training deployment available. You don't need to have completed a full implementation project, but some hands-on experience will greatly improve your chances of success.
Regardless of which study method you choose, the only way to register for your MB2-868 exam is with Prometric: Microsoft's official certification exam provider.
Visit the Prometric website to register for your exam (http://www.prometric.com/Microsoft/Dynamics.htm).
You must take your exam in person at one of the Prometric's worldwide test centers. Candidates can use any test center, except in India, China, or Pakistan where you must provide proof that you are a legitimate resident of that country.
If you are taking an official training course with a Microsoft Learning Partner, check whether or not the course includes an exam before you book directly with Prometric.
MB2-868 is available in the following languages:
English
French
German
Italian
Japanese
Russian
Spanish
Portuguese (Brazil)
Chinese (Simplified)
The exam fee for MB2-868 is USD 150 (at the time of writing). The exam fees in your country may vary.
Your organization may be entitled to, or have purchased, exam credits. Check with your manager before booking your exam.
If you need to retake your exam, you will need to rebook with Prometric and pay for your retake exam. If you need to retake the exam for a third time, you will need to wait for 14 days after the date of your second exam.
Prometric test centers are located in a wide variety of IT training and test centers worldwide. Microsoft Learning Partners often have a test center so that you can take the exam directly after completing an instructor-led training course.
You should arrive at the test center about 30 minutes before you are scheduled to take your exam. You will be asked to present a photographic identification to the test center administrator and to sign in to a log book.
You cannot take anything into the exam room with you. This certification guide is so exciting that it can be hard to put down, but you'll have to do so while taking your exam!
The exam room usually has a number of workstations screened off from each other, and you may be taking your MB2-868 exam along with candidates taking the same or different exams. Communicating with other candidates is not allowed.
An exam supervisor will set up the exam on your computer and may or may not remain in the exam room during your exam. Video surveillance might be installed in the exam room to ensure all that candidates comply with the exam rules.
A wipe-clean notepad will be provided, but any notes that you take during the exam cannot be retained after the exam.
Once the test center administrator has set up the exam on your computer, you will be able to start the exam. You have 3 hours to complete 75 exam questions, although some of this time will be spent reading the legal preamble regarding copyright and personal data protection.
Almost all candidates will comfortably complete the exam within the time limit. The questions in your test are taken at random from a large pool of possible questions, so no two exams will ever be exactly the same.
The passing mark is 700 points, but Prometric does not reveal the points awarded for each question.
The following are some tips to help you make the best use of your time:
Spend lots of time reading the terms and conditions, privacy statements, and other legal preamble only if you've missed your calling to the legal profession. Otherwise, accept the statements and move on to the exam as quickly as possible.
Read each question carefully. In particular, pay attention to phrases that indicate how many answers are required—for example, select one, choose three, or select all that apply—and whether you are expected to select true or false statements.
Answer each question as best as you can in sequence. Do not skip questions by leaving them unanswered. Instead, if you are not confident in your answer, mark the question for review at the end.
After you have answered all questions, reassess all of the questions that you have marked for review.
Before finishing the exam, quickly review all of your answers to ensure that you have left no questions unanswered, and, where appropriate, that you have provided the required number of answers.
Your intuition is often right. Change an answer only if you have an overwhelming feeling that your first answer was wrong.
There are two types of multiple choice questions in the exam:
Multiple choice with one correct answer (radio buttons)
Multiple choice with multiple possible answers (checkboxes)
Read the question carefully to see how many answers are required. Consider the following example question:
Q.1. The required fields when creating a marketing list are: (Choose all that apply.)
Member Type.
Campaign Type.
List Name.
Type.
Owner.
The answer to this question is 1, 3, 4, and 5.
This question is a good example of an off-syllabus question that sometimes appears in Microsoft certification exams. The Microsoft training course syllabuses and exams are written by different groups of people and do not always cover exactly the same material. So, it is possible to encounter an exam question that wasn't included in the syllabus. This guide covers the course syllabus, and a deep understanding of all of the material covered here will be sufficient to achieve a passing score, but broader hands-on experience and additional reading is recommended if you want to achieve a perfect score.