Hi,
As of October 2012, the MTA exams are no longer restricted to academic institutions. Anyone can take an MTA exam.
Here is a link to the MTA program summary page:http://www.microsoft.com/learning/en/us/mta-certification.aspx#fbid=ZOWYbu_6-_e
You will notice that Microsoft uses two companies to actually host the exams. You will want to click on the link for Prometric when you are ready to schedule an exam.
With respect to training for exams, please follow the link for the individual exams that you are interested in. The exam details pages include information about what skills are being measured. They also provide links that provide materials to help you prepare
for an exam.
Good luck!
Mike Corkery, MCT, MVP (Office Systems), MCSD (Windows Store Apps), MCITP, MCPD, MSF, etc. Please do not forget to click “Vote as Helpful” if any post helps you and "Mark as Answer”if it solves the issue.
