Key points for 70-270 and 70-291

[brokenhalo]

Hey everyone. I am new to the MCSE journey and I guess I am nervous as hell with all of these exams. I am currently just an MCP, but my goal is to be MCSE by no later than July. I have taken 3 exams so far, 70-270, 290, and 350. Now, I don't know what it is, but I need some tips for the 270 and 290 exams. I failed the 270 exam with a score of somewhere around 650, and I am going to be taking 291 in about 2 weeks and retaking 270 immediately afterwards. If anyone can help me with some key points of study or related microsoft testing experiences it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks,

-Brad
"If the doctors told me I had 5 minutes to live, I would type faster

 

[Scoobygeorge]

Kudos for myself passing 70-290 (Also Hello everyone, first time posting here) for I only studied for a week using Transcender, and have not practiced system administration for over a year now and trying to get back into the arena.

70-290, for me, was much harder to prepare for, and pass, than any other Microsoft exam, Novell or CompTia.

I got a 770. 700 was pass.

Anyway, I am off to study for 70-291 and would like advise please.

Transcender, Test King, or other simulation to help prepare for this test?

Transcender helped me greatly to acheive 70-290, but I thought they missed the target on several objectives.

Test King is half the price of Trancender too.

Thanks!

 

[1toomany]

Hey all,

Also busy upgrading myself having been out of the arena for 3 years by doing MCSE2003.

Would welcome your thoughts on this:- I have been using Testout and some ExamCram books for the courseware but testing myself with Transcender. Is it just me, or when it comes to the Transcender tests, you suddenly come across concepts that Testout/Examcram hasn't touched on.

Apologies to brokenhalo but we cannot reveal too much as it violates the terms of the NDA we agreed to when we sat the exams. It also demeans the qualification if the successful start giving too much information away.

 

[kmcferrin]

I would not be surprised if the Transcender practice exams touch topics that TestOut didn't cover. I used only TestOut to prepare for my MCSE exams, and on some of the exams I would have a question that wasn't covered in the TestOut prep. It was no biggie though, in most cases I could infer the correct answer based on what I knew, and after doing the TestOut material I was still passing with an average of 900.

________________________________________
CompTIA A+, Network+, Server+, Security+
MCSE:Security 2003
MCTS:Active Directory
MCTS:Network Infrastructure
MCTS:Applications Infrastructure

 

[hughejars]

Hi Everyone
This makes for some very interesting reading...
My situation at the moment is I'm studying towards MCSE and pretty much nearing the exam stages.
I feel somewhat disadvantaged as currently I don't work in an intense IT environment and so I'm getting little hands on experience with solving IT problems.
I've downloaded Pass4Sure to get some exam practice and it all seems to be "problem solving scenario's", with very little direct Q&A, scenario's my coursework just does not seem to cover only the fundamentals.
Everyone's advising us to download Testout and Transcender or Test King with their hefty price tags and it makes me think that success is going to cost and hard study is going to fail.
So without parting with yet more $$$ am I going to be the next lamb to the slaughter? In all probability - YES


Working towards my MCSE/A and CompTIA. Any help greatly appreciated.

 

[kmcferrin]

It sounds like Pass4Sure is on the right track. On the MCSE track exams, most of the questions are not straight forward Q&A style. Most of them present you with a short scenario, and then either something that doesn't work correctly or a couple of new requirements that must be met, and then they ask what changes needed to be made to accommodate those requirements. Then there are the simulations, where you are given a set of requirements and then have to actually implement them on a simulation computer.

I don't mean to be rude about it, but the certification wouldn't be worth anything if it were just a bunch of trivia questions. The goal is to see if you understand the technology and how the different pieces of it work together.

My recommendation for anyone is to pursue a learning course that includes lecture, reading, and hands-on labs. If you can't afford that, then I recommend getting some of the study guide books. I think that the official Microsoft self-study guides are pretty good. I also highly recommend that you download the 180 day evaluation copy of Windows 2003 (or whatever it is that you're working on) and install it on an old machine and actually work with it. Especially if you work in an IT environment where you don't get much hands on experience.

________________________________________
CompTIA A+, Network+, Server+, Security+
MCSE:Security 2003
MCITP:Enterprise Administrator

 

[brokenhalo]

Thanks guys for all of the awesome posts. This has been a great thread and has helped me alot. I haven't taken any exams since I last posted, but I have been studying real hard and I think I'm in good shape for both 70-620 and 291 when I take them next week.

Brad L. - MCP

"If the doctors told me I had 5 minutes to live, I would type faster.

 

[hughejars]

Thnx kmcferrin,
I understand the need for students to understand their actions will have consequences.
I have a small server with Win 2K3 server SBS loaded and it's giving me a good foundation, also getting the family to act clients on their computers.
I suppose I can feel easy I'm getting about 3/4 of these questions right so hopefully the software will iron out a few creases.
My main point was I wish I was in a real IT environment.
Good luck everyone.

Working towards my MCSE/A and CompTIA. Any help greatly appreciated.

 

[brokenhalo]

YES!!!! I had an interview today and got the job over 12 other people interviewed... Finally my MCP is paying off! I will be doing a whole broad range of things from fixing customers computer problems, maintaining the linux web servers, editing the web sites, going to clients offices and maintaining their networks, etc. Im so excited I cant see straight! I want to thank everyone that has helped me in all these posts

Brad L. - MCP

"If the doctors told me I had 5 minutes to live, I would type faster.

 

[kmcferrin]

Congratulations Brad! I hope that you enjoy your new job and learn a lot from it!

hughejars, it sounds like you've got things pretty well covered, but I would advise you to be careful with Small Business Server. While it is based on Windows 2003 it isn't exactly the same, and there could be some places where the differences trip you up on the exam.

________________________________________
CompTIA A+, Network+, Server+, Security+
MCSE:Security 2003
MCITP:Enterprise Administrator

 

[ndaher]

Hey guys, from what I've gathered reading everyone's posts, the test-taking process is done one exam at a time, is this right? In other words, you go in and take the 70-290 exam one day, and the 70-291 maybe a week or so later if you want. You don't go in and take every exam related to MCSE/MCSA in one day. Am I right? Or does it depend entirely on the testing facility? The reason I ask is so I can guage my studying accordingly.

Thanks for anyone's help

 

[brokenhalo]

Hahah I don't mean to laugh but yes, you do it one day at a time. I tried taking two exams in one day and it's tough to do. By the time you get done with one, you don't want to do it again. On top of that, each exam takes a LOT of studying and preparation, so attempting multiple exams in the same day or even the same week can be a daunting task and can be extremely time consuming. I would suggest doing what I and probably everyone else did... Buy a microsoft training book for the exam you want to take (IE 70-350 for ISA Server) and also some practice exam software as mentioned above and focus your study particularly on that book for a couple weeks (unless you are an expert with a lot of experience in the the main focus of the exam you're taking) before taking the exam. Don't be surprised if you happen to fail you're first one (I know myself and many many other people did). Good luck on your studying, and post back with any questions.

Brad L. - MCP

"If the doctors told me I had 5 minutes to live, I would type faster.

 

[ndaher]

Brad, no need to apologize, I realize now how absurd, and as you said laughable, my question must have sounded to someone who was even remotely familiar with certification I've been in tech for a few years, but only just now have I started looking into certification.

Thanks for the pointers, I actually just picked up a copy of the 70-290 Self-Paced training kit by Microsoft Press from the library, so I'll be spending the next few weeks pouring over it's pages. Much appreciated!

 

[kmcferrin]

Don't feel bad. Some of us do multiple exams in one day. I did three CompTIA exams in one day (A+ and Server+), and two Microsoft exams in one day (the Vista and MCITP:Enterprise Administrator "Professional" exam). It can be done if you have been working with the technology for years.

________________________________________
CompTIA A+, Network+, Server+, Security+
MCSE:Security 2003
MCITP:Enterprise Administrator

 

[brokenhalo]

ndaher... 70-290 was the first exam that I passed (I surprisingly failed 270 twice before deciding to forward my focus elsewhere). In 290, there are multiple simulation questions and alot of the exam focuses on AD users and computers, how to organize into OU's, the difference between functional levels, and group policy. I have never used active directory in a working environment before taking this exam so I was pretty clueless off the gate and just the book, a highliter, the practice exam that came with the book, and playing with AD on a home computer were enough for me to pass it my first time. Good luck!

Brad L. - MCP

"If the doctors told me I had 5 minutes to live, I would type faster.

 

[mrdenny]

Also don't forget that you have to book a couple of hours per exam. So doing 2 or three exams in one day will pretty much kill the day.

I did two in one day once, and it took about 3-4 hours (I did leave time for Lunch between them); but I was no fun when I got back to the office after.

Denny
MCSA (2003) / MCDBA (SQL 2000)
MCTS (SQL 2005 / Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services 3.0: Configuration / Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2007: Configuration)
MCITP Database Administrator (SQL 2005) / Database Developer (SQL 2005)

My Blog

 

[ndaher]

Guys thanks for the additional replies, that's all really important info. And sorry for taking 2 weeks to acknowledge, I did get your replies but put off typing a response right away and as such forgot about it. But your input is very much appreciated!