“Oh, can I take my programming quiz for me?” my boss asked me recently. “Yes,” I said. “How much does it cost?” I demanded.

“A mere dollar and fifty.” my supervisor said with a smile. “Just the price of admission,” I exclaimed. “But how do they get me access to the computer, without me having to pay for it?” I asked.

“Easy – just log in as someone else on our network.” My colleague replied. “Then you can just access the access code from the desktop and gain instant access to our company’s computer systems. No need to take the exam.”

“How do they charge someone to take my programming quiz for me?” I asked. “We charge a membership fee to give students access.” “Why not just give everyone access?” my colleague said.

“When you consider that we give away computers with thousands of programs already installed, you really should pay to become a member.” I snapped. “I’m not going to pay for more computers when I can just use my current one!” my supervisor said with a smile.

I wasn’t done. “What about all those free programming quizzes we give away? Don’t they count as practice tests, too?” I demanded.

“Only if you want to take an actual test.” my friend said. “Then you’ll have to pay for them, too.” I put the idea aside and waited for the accounting department to call me and make me pay for the free programming quizzes. But no such luck.

My friend finally let me in on the secret: if you want to take any programming certification tests, you’ll have to pay to take them. In my case, I wanted to take an online programming test, not a computer programming test administered by a brick-and-mortar institute. So he paid for the test. While I wait for the same online institution to take my computer programming certification tests, I’ve been busy researching online sources for free online quizzes to take.

The first one I came across was a Web site that gave away a series of brief questions about each of the big three computer operating systems. Answer choices were limited to words or simple text. Then, there was this online quiz provider. It offered over two hundred short questions all about the Windows operating system. Again, answer choices were limited to simple text or words.

Finally, I found an online source offering over four hundred free online tests covering all the major topics in computer programming. The only prerequisite was that I am over the age of eighteen. Then I got lucky. The site I found had a feature that let me register for a free computer programming quiz. So I did.

I received a confirmation email that afternoon that I was one week away from taking my test. I printed it off, packed it up, and headed to the local community college testing center. My first experience with the software development testing services that I find online is much different than the tests I’ve taken. I was instructed to “simply” print the test out. I was instructed that I didn’t need to bring anything to the testing center.

That’s when I learned that I didn’t have to print out the entire test. I didn’t need to bother with all of those little pieces of paper. All I had to do, at the end of the test, was to click “pass” on the software development test online portal. That took me less than twenty minutes! I can’t tell you how relieved I was that I didn’t have to spend so much time on that test. I felt much more confident about my programming abilities after I passed that test.

So, if you’re asking “how can I take my programming quiz for me?” Then I would recommend that you find a local community college that offers testing services. Most community colleges offer programming courses. Or, you may even be able to find a community college that will administer a computer-based test for a fee. The important thing is that you take your computer-based test, complete the assignments, and pass the test.

If you’re a beginner, then I would suggest taking an online computer-based programming quiz first. There are many websites that offer free programming quizzes. They’ll give you a basic understanding of the subject and let you know whether or not the program is “real” or just a virtual toy. There are real programs out there, but if it sounds like “virtual toy,” then I’d pass.