Forum Discussion
Exam Discount for MCT-Benefit is Not Auto-Applying – Looking for Community Insight
Hi everyone,
I’m an active MCT, and I’m trying to understand how exam discounts are being applied at Pearson VUE.
A fellow MCT shared a checkout screenshot where a “ESI 50% Discount (DAC – auto-applied)” appeared during exam booking. However, when I try to book a Microsoft exam using my own profile (same Microsoft account used for MCT, Learn, and Pearson), no discount appears at checkout.
Things I’ve already verified:
Active MCT status.
Same E-Mail used across MCT Portal, Microsoft Learn, and Pearson VUE.
Logged in directly via Microsoft sign-in.
Tested multiple role-based exams.
Checked during checkout (before payment).
Questions to the community:
Is this ESI 50% discount tied strictly to specific tenants / Enterprise agreements, rather than MCT alone?
Have other MCTs seen this discount auto-apply without any announcement or promo code?
Does this depend on region, exam type, or timing of MCT renewal?
Is there any known sync delay or backend requirement beyond standard MCT activation?
I’m trying to understand whether this is:
Expected behavior (ESI vs MCT entitlement), or
A missing entitlement / sync issue specific to my account
Appreciate any insights from trainers who’ve seen this recently.
Thanks in advance
Dilan
hi dilan_ranasinghe You’re not doing anything wrong here, this confusion comes up a lot because ESI discounts and MCT benefits are often mixed up, even internally.
A few clarifications based on recent experiences from other MCTs:
1.ESI 50% discount vs MCT benefit
The “ESI 50% Discount (DAC – auto-applied)” you’re seeing in that screenshot is not tied to MCT status.
That discount is part of the Enterprise Skills Initiative (ESI) and is:
- Linked to an organization’s tenant
- Activated through an Enterprise Agreement / ESI enrollment
- Applied automatically when the user signs in with an eligible corporate account
So an MCT using:
- A personal Microsoft account, or
- A company tenant that is not ESI-enabled
will not see that discount, even with active MCT status.
3.Why some MCTs do see it
Some trainers happen to:
- Be MCTs and
- Work for companies that participate in ESI
In those cases, the discount appears automatically at Pearson VUE checkout, which makes it look like an MCT perk, but it isn’t.
3.MCT exam benefits today
As of now:
- MCT does not include a universal 50% exam discount
- Occasional exam offers for MCTs are time-bound promotions, not always-on entitlements
- If there’s no active promo listed in the MCT Central / Learn announcements, nothing will auto-apply
4.Region, exam type, or renewal timing
From what the community has observed:
- Region and exam type don’t affect ESI eligibility
- MCT renewal timing doesn’t impact this either
- There’s usually no sync delay, if your tenant is ESI-enabled, the discount shows up immediately
5.What to check if you think you should have ESI
If you believe you’re eligible for ESI:
- Confirm your work email domain is part of an ESI-enrolled tenant
- Sign in to Pearson VUE using that corporate account, not a personal Microsoft account
- Your org’s Microsoft ESI admin or L&D team can confirm eligibility
What you’re seeing is expected behavior:
- The 50% ESI discount is tenant-based, not MCT-based
- Some MCTs see it simply because they’re also in an ESI-enabled organization
- There’s no missing entitlement or sync issue with your MCT account
You’re definitely not the only one who’s been puzzled by this, thanks for raising it, it’s useful clarification for the community. Let’s wait for others response.
4 Replies
So I just checked the portal, and I didn't see any limited time offer on exams. I became an MCT about 6 months ago, and was told that we get 75 percent off all exams. The ESI benefit that I had before was the fact that was in school, and it seems that discount seems to apply faster than my MCT discount. A couple certs back I was able to get my MCT discount, but since then it has been the ESI discount applying every time. I do work for a consultant firm that is an MSP, so I'm not sure if that has anything to do with the auto discount applying for ESI, but I would prefer to use my MCT discount over that one. From what I was told, was all we had to do was sign in and book with the account linked to my MCT which is my personal account not my work account.
Also my learn profile is attached to my company's partner program and I don't know if that is significant or not.
Thanku so much, i am just looking for this information
hi dilan_ranasinghe You’re not doing anything wrong here, this confusion comes up a lot because ESI discounts and MCT benefits are often mixed up, even internally.
A few clarifications based on recent experiences from other MCTs:
1.ESI 50% discount vs MCT benefit
The “ESI 50% Discount (DAC – auto-applied)” you’re seeing in that screenshot is not tied to MCT status.
That discount is part of the Enterprise Skills Initiative (ESI) and is:
- Linked to an organization’s tenant
- Activated through an Enterprise Agreement / ESI enrollment
- Applied automatically when the user signs in with an eligible corporate account
So an MCT using:
- A personal Microsoft account, or
- A company tenant that is not ESI-enabled
will not see that discount, even with active MCT status.
3.Why some MCTs do see it
Some trainers happen to:
- Be MCTs and
- Work for companies that participate in ESI
In those cases, the discount appears automatically at Pearson VUE checkout, which makes it look like an MCT perk, but it isn’t.
3.MCT exam benefits today
As of now:
- MCT does not include a universal 50% exam discount
- Occasional exam offers for MCTs are time-bound promotions, not always-on entitlements
- If there’s no active promo listed in the MCT Central / Learn announcements, nothing will auto-apply
4.Region, exam type, or renewal timing
From what the community has observed:
- Region and exam type don’t affect ESI eligibility
- MCT renewal timing doesn’t impact this either
- There’s usually no sync delay, if your tenant is ESI-enabled, the discount shows up immediately
5.What to check if you think you should have ESI
If you believe you’re eligible for ESI:
- Confirm your work email domain is part of an ESI-enrolled tenant
- Sign in to Pearson VUE using that corporate account, not a personal Microsoft account
- Your org’s Microsoft ESI admin or L&D team can confirm eligibility
What you’re seeing is expected behavior:
- The 50% ESI discount is tenant-based, not MCT-based
- Some MCTs see it simply because they’re also in an ESI-enabled organization
- There’s no missing entitlement or sync issue with your MCT account
You’re definitely not the only one who’s been puzzled by this, thanks for raising it, it’s useful clarification for the community. Let’s wait for others response.
Thanks a lot for the clarification. I got my MCT title recently and do know much about the MCT benefits and how they work. So, this would he so helpful for the new MCTs like me.
Regards
Dilan
