During my studies for my first Adobe Flex certification, I found that there was an enormous amount of information that needed to be covered and as my test approached, I questioned whether I was prepared enough to pass the exam.  During my preparation, I considered purchasing one of those "we have every question on every test" packages made famous by many sites, but as I made this consideration, I realized that doing so would make me feel like I was cheating somehow.  Afterall, I wasn't after a "piece of paper," but rather a test that indicated my level of proficiency with my artistic tool. 

So I didn't want to "cheat" but I was curious as to the "level" of questions that I would see during the exam.  I've taken some "proficiency" tests before and they have ranged from things that developers will actually see during their time in development, to utterly ridiculous questions that guage merely the extent to which the theory of a technology was derived/conceived and what the creator was thinking on a certain day/date/time, to the extend of the developers "photographic" memory, to questions that, barring an excellent guess, could only be answered by those reclusive experts with 10+ years of experience.  Through all of my searches on Google, I only found one tool that could help me get a "feel" for how the questions are worded and that tool was a product by Attest.  I think the program was helpful in helping me to prepare because it helped me guage my overall grasp of concepts and the Adobe Flex architecture, and gave me a realistic glimpse in how the questions are asked.  The program was not one of those "spend $300 and we guarantee you pass" type of deals, but rather contained enough realism to give me a good idea of how the test would go on the day of the exam.

Well, Attest has decided to do something different for the Flex 3 certification program they have developed.  Instead of charging money, Dave Flatley from Attest has partnered with Holly Schinsky at Rich Desktop Solutions, Inc to produce the latest version of the Flex certification preparation program aimed for those looking to take the Adobe Flex 3 w AIR cert and has graciously (bless you both) decided to offer the program for FREE as an Adobe AIR application.  I wish both companies well and offer thanks for their hard work in helping Flex developers to achieve their certifications.