Last month I passed what is called the “SAP Certification” for the Materials Management part of SAP. From my (humble) experience, here are 10 rules that will help you get there.
1. Expect the worst but do not fear.
“You must do the things you think you cannot do”. Avoid consultants trying to impress you by telling you how terrible the SAP certification exam can be. People have failed the test, but many more did become successful Certified SAP Consultants. So can you!
2. SAP is all about details in a bigger picture.
Let’s face it right away: in SAP, without studying the bigger picture, you’re lost; without eye for detail, you can’t operate any business. It is thus imperative to understand how SAP is configured, both from a global and process oriented perspective.
3. Get to visualize SAP transactions in detail.
Know how each transaction looks like, which options can be configured, where data comes from and which data can be entered.
4. Know how SAP will react.
One thing is to know what you can configure, knowing how to get where you want in SAP requires you to know how SAP will react to every change in data entered (in transactions, master data, customizing, …).
5. Where are you today?
It is imperative in SAP to know at which level data is contained. Plant level, Purchasing Organization or just plain Client Level, all data is valid only to its area of operations. And you can see the logic in this: every part of a company is responsible for doing its own things right. And why should this be different in SAP?
6. No time to waste: get summaries!
Before digging into the obscure SAP courses on SAP itself, find yourself a good summary. Mail colleagues, friends and managers and get that HQ document. You probably will have to study all the SAP documentation to pass the test, but you now will be able to distinguish between what is important and what is detail.
7. Find example questions on the Internet.
The SAP Certification exam consists of about 80 questions, all of them multiple-choice. Most of the time you will find each question having five answers. Indicate for each answer whether the statement is true or false in relation to the question asked. While the questions I found on the net helped me in understanding the exam, the key given on many web sites is of poor quality.
8. SAP Certification is all about grammar!
More than once during the exam, you will find that the devil is in the language used. From the cheap alterations between must and can, examiners (in this case, a simple PC) at SAP will try to corner you with questions and answers where the difference between true and false is in the wording used.
9. Ask your coach!
Any decent consulting firm will assign you a coach to help you through studying the Certification. If you’re stuck, ask him!
10. And above all: have confidence!
Enter the room with confidence. If your coach told you to go ahead with the exam, you will pass! Read all questions carefully, answer with confidence.
Good luck!
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