I just took part one of my MySQL 5.0 Developer test and I'm delighted to say I passed.

I was a little apprehensive before taking the test because, try as I might, there was general information about the test I just couldn't find out about. For example

• I knew there were 70 questions in 90 minutes, but was the time limit going to feel pressurized or generous?
• Were the questions mainly the 'Gotchas', or were they more of the general everyday stuff?
• I knew that some questions were standard multiple choice (with a single correct answer), and some were multiple answer where you had to tick each and every correct answer to get the mark. Multiple-answer is more difficult, because there are numerous ways to get it wrong. So what was the ratio of multiple-answer to single-answer?
• So there were 70 questions, but what was the pass mark? Did I need 65 out of 70 to pass, or 35?

Now I've taken the test I hope I'm not breaking the confidentiality agreement by passing on that:

• The time limit felt generous to me. I had plenty of time left to review and go over answers. In the event I finished about half an hour early.
• There was a lot of Gotcha material on the test. It definitely didn't center around the everyday stuff.
• About a quarter of the questions were multiple answer. That's not a count, just my recollection.
• You get a print out at the end which not only says how much you got right, but what the pass mark was too. I got 66 out of 70, and the pass mark was 43. I get the feeling that the pass mark can slide up and down depending on how the wider body of candidates do. So around 60%.

By the way, I took my test at QA-IQ's office in Roseberry Ave, Holborn, London. The test centre was very good. Calm and organised, with a nice waiting area. I also found Pearson VUE's exam software was easy to use. So full marks all round.

Now I need to book (and pass) part two before I can call myself a MySQL Certified Developer.