Zend PHP5 Certification Exam Experience - before an exam

On Monday (Nov24) I went to work just to continue my daily job. Since most of the time I always out of office at 7pm, I arrived at home late 9pm. After eating my dinner, I opened my computer and re-read on the Study Guide particularly on the subject of Security and XML and Web Services because I read some blogs stating that most of the questions were based on XML, so I went reading those chapters in Study Guide and this time using the 2nd edition. As I scanned through those chapters, I just read without detailed research on a particular subject, since I learned few of them but not all. I done reading almost 11pm, and before going to bed I pray that HE will give me courage and strength to take the exam the following day and claim his promise in my favorite verse Jeremiah 29:11.

I woke up early to prepare since it would take hour and a half of travel going to the testing center at:
MISNet Inc. - Cebu City
5/F Ongtiak Business Center
#65 Gen. Maxilom Avenue
Cebu City 6000
PHILIPPINES
+63 (0)32 2531536

If you guys from Cebu, Philippines and willing to take the ZCE Exam, I would recommend you to choose MISNet as your testing center (I'm not advertising their company), maybe other testing centers are great and it depends on your preference. My first appointment date supposedly today (Nov28 @2pm) and since I rescheduled the exam at an early date (Nov25 @10am) not because I don't want to see my failing grade but because I don't want to prolong my agony and take any longer. I took three(3) rides going to testing center, and I noticed that I was too early of my appointment time, I entered the grocery of Robinson Fuente and spending my time texting to my fellow brothers and sisters to pray for me. Thanks to kuya danny, kuya arvin, kuya lester and ate rhea, and my colleague mae and jundie, and for my friend yvette ang gobonseng who purchased my exam voucher in my behalf, for their prayers and most especially to my family and God for answering my prayers. I looked at my cellphone's time it was 8:50am and since I still have more than an hour before my appointment time, what I did was took a visit at National Bookstore and reading some computer and religious books. I noticed that it was almost 9:20am, so I left the bookstore and going my way to the testing center. Since it's a walking distance from National Bookstore going to the testing center, I did not took a jeepney ride.

I arrived at the testing center 30 minutes before 10am. They asked me for 2 valid government ID's and read the pearsonvue testing guidelines. They required me to surrender all my things like cellphone, wallet, purse, ID's, even my handky. I start taking my exam 5minutes before 10am. Inside the testing center was a pre-configured computer and a surveillance camera. Before taking the exam, I prayed and ask to God for courage. I finished my exam in less than an hour, and since I still have more time, I reviewed some of the items particularly those items that were marked for review. I suggest to review your answers since in my part I changed at most 5 answers during my review. Overall I finished the exam with more than 10 minutes left. I then press the End Exam button closing my eyes with my hand, and after I opened my eyes I see message which I really love most "Congratulations". I thank God and HE did it for me. There is really nothing impossible with HIM. I was not really prepared during those times, and my weapons are just my experience and trust to HIM. My intention in taking the exam was for experienced so that I may know what particular topics in the exam I need to review because I read most of the blogs that they found hard for the actual exam compared to the mock exam. It's really hard if you do not have coding experience for at least a year.

If you are going to take the exam, I suggest that you have at least a year in coding experience in PHP, some are at least 6 months because memorizing the php manual by heart is not a guarantee to pass the exam.

Next... I will post my preparation I did before taking the actual exam.

My name was already in the Zend PHP Yellow Pages as one of the Zend Certified Engineers