70-290 2nd time failed !!! help

[cdk25]

aaahhh!!! took the 290 for the 2nd time again today and failed got a 622 with 44 questions, so i must have barely missed the pass, the first time i took this test i definatley did not know as much as i thought i did and failed, however i have been studying my microsoft official course 2273a big blue book and using self test software, and i know the material very well.

the questions i got this time around were extremley difficult, i wish i had the questions from my first exam, this test is becoming very frustrating and i would hate to lower myself into a exam cram or some other form of memorizing actual test questions,

my self test software is very good for learning because there are no actuall test questions, but it test the same material so you learn why you to choose the awnsers.

does anyone have any extra ideas for some more study material? i am also on a tight budget. it seems like ISS, terminal services was my weak points

 

[Wishdiak]

cdk25,

If your score report shows you weak in the areas of IIS and Terminal Services and you have the MS Press Readiness Review CD and you don't want to spend more money, then my suggestion is this:

Spend a few nights with the Readiness Review CD, concentrating one only one of the above topics. Choose questions that fall into one category or the other. Then repeat for the other topic. Finally, run through a series of test questions using all topics.

I admit that this is not an enjoyable exercise, but if passing the 70-290 on your next attempt is the goal, and you think you know the other material well, then you should be adequately prepared once you've brushed up on IIS and Terminal Services.

Wishdiak
A+, Network+, Security+, MCSA: Security 2003

http://www.wishdiak.com

 

[icemel]

the questions i got this time around were extremley difficult, i wish i had the questions from my first exam, this test is becoming very frustrating and i would hate to lower myself into a exam cram or some other form of memorizing actual test questions,

Lower your pride and get Test King prep exams. Who cares HOW you pass, as long as you pass and can do your job. It won't hurt you to memorize the answers to 400+ questions, now will it? These exams suck... just pass them however you can and move on with your life.

 

[Wishdiak]

Lower your pride and get Test King prep exams. Who cares HOW you pass, as long as you pass and can do your job.

That's one way to look at it. Another is: How well would you really understand the underlying material if you paid for the answers?

I wouldn't call it cheating, per se, since Microsoft exams are voluntary, but buying the answers doesn't teach you much about the material.

I personally know many people who have relied on Testking and other braindumps as a shortcut to an easy pass. Besides missing explanations, wrong answers, and missing answers, there is always the possibility that one will get different questions from the ones on the braindump.

Use at your own risk.

Wishdiak
A+, Network+, Security+, MCSA: Security 2003

http://www.wishdiak.com

 

[icemel]

I am also a certified Oracle DBA, and I NEVER used simulation exams to pass the Oracle exams. I simply had to know what I had to know as a DBA in my day-to-day job. And I passed all my 4 exams on the first try.

However, I find the Microsoft exams to be a different animal altogether. They don't necessarily test real-life skills, in my opinion. Case in point: I spent several months overhauling our backup and recovery process here at work, and yet there was not ONE SINGLE QUESTION on backup and recovery on my 228 exam. Backup and recovery has got to be the number one priority of every DBA, period. Why was there no questions on this on the test? Duh.

I have also been a DBA for a total combined 4 years now - and I know for a FACT I would have flunked that exam w/o my uCertify prep kit.

I don't attribute this to lack of intelligence, know-how or preparation. The fact is, the Microsoft exams are not fair, and do not test real-life skills. It's more like a game of trivial pursuit... and how much minutia can you cram into your brain so you can score a 700.

I feel absolutely NO guilt using test kits to prepare. Meanwhile, I can do my job just fine, thank you... isn't the the point?

 

[iownroot]

I'll just say lower your standards for no reason. What happens when you get another job and the person hiring you is expecting you to be able to configure IIS and Teminal Services in a reasonable amount of time?

Concerning Icemels comments:
The point of the exams and certifications is not to memorize questions and answers. If you truely have mastered the concepts then it will be hard to stump you no matter how flawed the questions are. I've taken many Microsoft exams, more than I can count and yes you will find a few questions to be very vague and poorly worded, but again, if you've truely mastered the concepts, then you'll be fine regardless because most of the questions are not that bad. Also Micrsoft with the newer exams (specifically the latest versions of the 2003 track exams) are more real world oriented (hence the simulations). My advice is go ahead and master these skills now, because as you progress to more specialized areas such as security, you'll wish you had. How can you exploit an IIS flaw if you don't truely understand how IIS works or is commonly configured? How can you even begin to execute a man in the middle attack if you don't truely understand the structure of a packet? Please understand that my aim is not to flame or point fingers. Just offering a little word of advice having been in this field for over 12 years.

Keatron

CISSP,ISC2 Affiliate & Instructor, MCT, MCSE2K/2K3, MCSA, CEH, Security+, Network+, CTT+, A+

 

[icemel]

Well, I'm not a sys admin, never have been, and never will be. So the content 290 and 293 mean little to me.

 

[Wishdiak]

icemel,

Out of morbid curiosity, if you're not striving to achieve certification as MCSA/MCSE, why are you taking 70-290 and 70-293?

Wishdiak
A+, Network+, Security+, MCSA: Security 2003

http://www.wishdiak.com

 

[icemel]

Because it's required for the MCDBA. I honestly don't know why Microsoft requires DBA's to take tests on system administration. Yes, some knowledge of networking is important, but not to this degree, in my opinion. I will never be required to configure users and groups at the OS level, never mind OU's, GPO's and what not. Our sys admins do all the stuff. Nor would I want the sys admins touching the database.

 

[iownroot]

Icemel. The reason Microsoft has the 290 in the requirements for MCDBA is to try to ensure that you are a solid DB admin. In other words, as a DB admin, you shouldn't have to sit around and wait on someone else to come and assign permissions to certain files/folders, create user groups etc. 290 is considered a networking systems core requirement. As for 293, you actually don't need it if you don't want to take it. There are at least 6 other electives you can take instead of using 293 for an elective. So Microsoft does not actually REQUIRE you to take 293, it's just one of the choices. In my opinion, I think either of the .NET objectives would actually give you more useful (and maybe even more marketable) skills as an elective. I'd pay top dollar for a solid DB admin who can also build simple and intuitive small front end apps.

And also in response to not wanting sys admins touching your database, just remember, if the network is down and no one can connect to your database it is pretty useless.

CISSP,ISC2 Affiliate & Instructor, MCT, MCSE2K/2K3, MCSA, CEH, Security+, Network+, CTT+, A+

 

[icemel]

iownroot, don't you have anything better to do than lecture people on bulletin boards? now, get back to work!

 

[Wishdiak]

icemel,

Not being a DBA myself, I (perhaps eroneously) assumed that a part of administering the database server(s) included troubleshooting access to the database by other entities, whether they be user objects or computer objects.

I suppose if such things as allowing or denying access to the database server from other objects in the domain, or other domains in the forest, is something best left up to system admins, then that's a great endorsement for becoming one.

Personally, I had planned to go after MCDBA or MCTS after completing my MCSE, and it makes more sense now in terms of marketability.

I had no idea that there was such animosity between sysadmins and DBA's, but to have a foot in both camps seems a pretty powerful position.

Wishdiak
A+, Network+, Security+, MCSA: Security 2003

http://www.wishdiak.com

 

[icemel]

I had no idea that there was such animosity between sysadmins and DBA's, but to have a foot in both camps seems a pretty powerful position

I guess it depends on the company you work for.

Some sys admins are very possesive of their systems.

I guess I was just having a bad week, sick of Microsoft products... yes, I am still an Oracle loyalist, and administering Oracle on a UNIX and/or Linux system would be my preference.

 

[wasisnt]

Do you have working experience on what you are studying for or are you just trying to learn it to get into the field?

I have training videos from

http://www.cbtnuggets.com

and they are very good. They arent cheap but I learn a lot from them.

http://www.onlinecomputertips.com

 

[wasisnt]

They have free samples on the site too but I think you have to register.

http://www.onlinecomputertips.com

 

[icemel]

I am currently a SQL Server DBA, I guess knowing Oracle too doesn't hurt... I just remember how much enjoyment I had administering Oracle on UNIX/Linux - writing scripts, etc - Microsoft takes a lot of the fun out of administration by all their fancy interfaces... also takes your control away as well. Kind of like having a computer chip in your car - fantastic until the thing breaks, and you have no idea how it works - you gotta throw it out and get a new one... because you have no idea what's going on under the hood. Just my humble opinion. Yours may differ.