by Julie Golding, U.S. MPN Lead

If you are making plans to earn a new Microsoft certification or simply build your expertise about one or more of the many new Microsoft products that have been released over the past few months, I wanted to highlight resources that will help you find training and take advantage of offers that can help. Thank you for being a Microsoft partner and for your comments and feedback this year, particularly as I ramped up my own expertise about the Microsoft competencies when I took over as the U.S. lead for the Microsoft Partner Network. I hope you have a wonderful holiday season and I’m looking forward to a great 2013!

1. Exam Pack Discount with Second Shot – schedule your exams. Save up to 40% on exams by purchasing a Microsoft Competency Exam Pack, and get a free exam retake if needed. Eligible exams included in the Second Shot offer include those covering Windows 8, Windows Server 2012, Microsoft Office 365, Microsoft Dynamics, and more. Details about this offer, and the full list of eligible exams are at https://www.prometric.com/en-us/clients/Microsoft/Promotions/MPN-landingpg-2012/index.html.
2. E-books, print books, and practice tests discounts extended. Microsoft Press and Transcender offers  are available through December 31, and we keep a list of partner training promotions online at https://mspartner.microsoft.com/en/us/Pages/Training/promotions.aspx.
• Purchase Microsoft Press e-books at 50% discount and print books at 40% discount at http://oreilly.com/go/mspholidayoffer
• Save 50% on Transcender top-rated practice tests http://aka.ms/bmssfx
3. Plan ahead for live in-person and online training, plus watch and listen to recently recorded sessions. I recommend reading the U.S. Partner Hot Sheet at http://aka.ms/hotsheetblog, an online guide published each month that features links to upcoming training, listed by product. For on-demand training by product/technology, role, exam, or competency, sign in to the Learning Plan Tool to customize and follow your own plan, or use learning paths.

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Preparing to renew your competency?

Many U.S. partners with competencies have membership renewal dates that will occur in the next several weeks. Keep your benefits and your distinction of being among the top 5% of Microsoft partners by renewing your competency on time. The U.S. MPN Experts team offers consultation services to help you understand what requirements you need to fulfill and your progress against them. Contact them by email, phone, or chat.