study advice required 1

[salv236]

Hello,

I am finding studying very hard at the moment, i am currently trying for the MCSE XP/2k3 server path here is how i do it.

1. using MS press i read cross referencing the erratas published by microsoft.

2. If there is a topic during the lesson that is unclear i search on the internet.

3. As i study i take notes, memorise apply using the operating system via vmware.

Has anyone discovered a problem with my strategy, how do others within the forum study.

Any suggests is really appreciated, i have been trying to study the 70-270 exam for well over 1 year. Maybe im not sticking to a criteria.

ssaia

Support Technican

 

[kmcferrin]

I think you've probably got a pretty good method. The two big keys I find are to study from a reputable source (MS Press self-study kits have that covered) and to get hands on experience with the product.

You say that you've been studying for 70-270 for over a year, are you still having problems? Have you taken the exam or any of practice exams yet? I'll be honest, I had been using XP regularly for a few years and I took the test with only a couple of days worth of study. The exam was harder than I expected, but I still passed. I would think that you should be ready to go by now.

Also something to keep in mind, if you spend a year studying for each exam then Windows 2003 (and probably 2008) will have been retired before you finish your MCSE.

________________________________________
CompTIA A+, Network+, Server+, Security+
MCTS:Windows 7
MCTS:Hyper-V
MCTS:System Center Virtual Machine Manager
MCSE:Security 2003
MCITP:Enterprise Administrator

 

[salv236]

i think i am having the problem where im studying for entire days causing problems with absorbing the information.

Sometimes i think that i am memorizing too much i.e all the tabs and settings of a feature in control pannel (this i think is just overkill)

I dont think im finding the right formula, a lot of people i know of study the questions and answers which i dont agree with, in my opinion this is cheating your not learning.

Im one of these people that wants to learn the skills before trying out any of the exams.

I think i need to change the method from reading noting memorizing learning applying to reading noting understanding applying.

I hope that i find the correct balance as its quite frustrating.

ssaia

Support Technican

 

[kmcferrin]

You're right. Memorizing all of the tabs and settings of every feature is the wrong way to go about it. It's more important to have a general idea of what each control panel applet, system tool, etc does. If you need to set up a VPN connection, where do you go? If you need to install Windows, what are the minimum system specs? If you are having connectivity issues, how do you troubleshoot them? Those are the sorts of things that are important to know.

You could have every tab, button, and menu memorized perfectly 100% and you'd still have trouble passing the test because you would be lacking practical knowledge. It's not about knowing what the knobs and buttons each do, it's about saying "I want to do X" and knowing how to get there.

As far as study time goes, I wouldn't recommend that you spend more than probably 2-3 hours doing hardcore studying in any given day, and I'd take 10-15 minute breaks every 45 minutes to an hour. Anything longer than that and you'll be too tired.

When you learn two things happen. First, you input the knew knowledge into your head. That's the studying part. Then the second thing happens is that you think about what you've learned. You mull it over and give your brain time to digest it. It's like weight lifting...first you lift the weights, then you give your muscles time to rest and grow from the lifting. If all you're doing is cramming/studying/memorizing then your brain isn't getting a chance to process everything and you'll have a lower retention rate.

________________________________________
CompTIA A+, Network+, Server+, Security+
MCTS:Windows 7
MCTS:Hyper-V
MCTS:System Center Virtual Machine Manager
MCSE:Security 2003
MCITP:Enterprise Administrator

 

[DonMc67]

The way I've studied for a lot of things in my life is taking main ideas and making flash cards. I know that sounds like elementary school, but for so much in IT vocabulary and common knowledge play a huge part.

 

[anationalacrobat]

The best way to study these things is to read the material once for your personal edification and then find the testkings or equivalent for the given exam and study them extensively. The good ones will give you questions exactly like on the exam with detailed explanations for why the right answer is right and why the wrong ones are wrong. If the paragraph is insufficient for satisfying your understanding, hit the appropriate section in the book and read in detail.

I've generally found the questions in the books to be worthless for prepping for these things. There's so much material they could ask you about and you'd go mad trying to isolate what's relevant from what's not.

Some people lambaste Test Kings and the like for producing paper certified people. They drilled the answers and could pass the test but did not retain a full understanding of the material. Cram studying tends to be worthless because the information drains from your skull as quickly as it was put there. And this can be true. The real world isn't about regurgitating facts from memory, it's about problem identification, knowing where to find the answer, and knowing what to do with it once you have it. I had a programming instructor who said that his tests were open book because life is open book but if you don't know what you're doing, 90 minutes is far too little time to pass the test. That's the key.

 

[kmcferrin]

First, there is no single "best" way to study for exams. Not everybody learns the same way, and so different study methods work better for different people.

Secondly, certification is not about learning. Certification is a validation of the learning and experience that you already have. If you have worked with the product and have real-life experience then you should be able to pass the exam by doing a couple of reviews and practice exams, and then following up on areas where you are weaker.

Thirdly, TestKing is terrible. They don't provide questions that are "exactly like on the exam" questions. They provide actual questions taken directly from the exams that have been obtained through illegal means. They are also considered cheating by MS Learning, and while the chance of being caught using TestKing is slim the penalty for being caught cheating on an MS exam is a lifetime ban from Microsoft certification. If certification is in any way important to your career then you wouldn't cheat on an exam, no matter how unlikely you are to be caught.

Beyond that, TestKing produces "paper" certifications. People who use TestKing to pass an exam have only demonstrated that they know how to cheat on an exam. It doesn't mean that they have any ability or knowledge of the topics covered on the exam.

I had an associate who went to an MCSE boot camp once where all they did was memorize TestKing content for 12+ hours a day for two weeks. Everyone who went to the boot camp came out of it with an MCSE. Many of the people from the boot camp got perfect scores on the exams. Most of them had no IT experience whatsoever before coming to the boot camp, and had no more IT experience when they left than what they came with. What do you think happened when (if) they actually managed to get a job that required an MCSE? Do you think that they managed to not get fired for being incompetent? And how do you think that reflected on the MCSE brand in general when they did get fired?

Here's the next problem with TestKing: because they produce "paper MCSEs" who have no real skill, knowledge, or experience they devalue the MCSE certification. There was once a time when the MCSE was a highly valued certification and the average MCSE was making close to $95,000 a year. These days the average MCSE probably earns more like $55,000 a year, and you frequently see positions posted for helpdesk technicians where they ask for MCSE certification. The value of the MCSE has dropped precipitously because now there is so much more "chaff" mixed in with the "wheat" and companies cannot depend on an MCSE certification as a way to judge a candidate's skill level. If a certification is in any way important to you or your career, why would you devalue that certification by cheating to get it?

The real world isn't about regurgitating facts from memory, it's about problem identification, knowing where to find the answer, and knowing what to do with it once you have it.

While that may be what real world IT work is about, that is not what certification is about. Certification is about validating the skills and experience that you have with a particular technology. If you are not interested in validating the skills and experience that you already have then why would you bother getting certified at all?

________________________________________
CompTIA A+, Network+, Server+, Security+
MCTS:Windows 7
MCTS:Hyper-V
MCTS:System Center Virtual Machine Manager
MCSE:Security 2003
MCITP:Enterprise Administrator

 

[anationalacrobat]

If a certification is in any way important to you or your career, why would you devalue that certification by cheating to get it?

Technically it wouldn't be me who is devaluing it but the incompetent people who get the cert and give it a bad name.

I think the more accurate way of putting it is "If you have a cert that says you can do the work but can't really do the work, who's fooling whom?" To me, that's the biggest danger of cram tactics, you can pass the cert and get the job but freeze up in the real world. That's indicative of a total waste of everyone's time.

 

[kmcferrin]

If a certification is in any way important to you or your career, why would you devalue that certification by cheating to get it?

Technically it wouldn't be me who is devaluing it but the incompetent people who get the cert and give it a bad name. /

You might not be, but someone who would cheat to get the cert would be devaluing the cert, which would be strange if that cert were in any way meaningful to their career.

________________________________________
CompTIA A+, Network+, Server+, Security+
MCTS:Windows 7
MCTS:Hyper-V
MCTS:System Center Virtual Machine Manager
MCSE:Security 2003
MCITP:Enterprise Administrator

 

[anationalacrobat]

test post -- is the forum bugged? Got post notifications but nothing here is recent.

 

[tcsbiz]

test post -- is the forum bugged? Got post notifications but nothing here is recent.

Ghosts in the machine?

 

[anationalacrobat]

Oh, I hope not. I don't want to have to get an ordination to go along with my certification for dealing with these bloody things. Then again, could make my job easier. Server giving me problems, douse it in holy water. If it's innocent, it will short-circuit; if it's guilty, the water will drive out the demon. Either way, I collect my fee and you buy a new server.

 

[EV42TMAN]

This is what I do, my room mate and went in together and bought the cbt nuggets training video combo pack for the mcse. I think it worked out to being 400 or 450 each. So first I watch the entire video taking notes on key things then I go and do the practice questions from the the ms press book and anything I didn't get right I read the sections in the book and re watch the videos. Then a day or 2 before the test I rewatch the entire cbt nuggets video. It works well for me I'd be done with my mcse by now if I didn't have to wait 2-3 weeks between each test. Thanks prometric

MCSA
MCITP:Enterprise Support
MCTS: Vista Config
MCDST
MCP

 

[kmcferrin]

Why do you have to wait 2-3 weeks between each test? I've scheduled multiple exams for the same day and taken them back to back before (on the MCSE and MCITP:EA tracks). Neither Microsoft nor Prometric have any waiting period requirements.

________________________________________
CompTIA A+, Network+, Server+, Security+
MCTS:Windows 7
MCTS:Hyper-V
MCTS:System Center Virtual Machine Manager
MCTS:Windows Server 2008 R2, Server Virtualization
MCSE:Security 2003
MCITP:Server Administrator
MCITP:Enterprise Administrator
Certified Quest vWorkspace Administrator

 

[progcompu]

Yes, I think the approach to studying is as follows(feel free to add or remove suggestions)

1. read the books and practice what you have learned with the software provided or available for download. (Understanding)

2. read the books again at least twice more to remeber what you have covered. Test yourself to ensure you have remmembered everything. Get someone else to test you. You never know they may become interested in your subject and find a new career ;-)

3. Read other books and look on the internet for other info to make sure you know the subject really well.

4. Look for practice tests which MS/CISCO/ etc suggest. eg MeasureUp etc. Use each exam on there like it was a real exam. That way you will not memorize the questions. These questions wil not appear on the exam-there is no point remembering them. Theyre only there to test that you know your stuff.

5. When you feel prepared take the exam.

Hope this helps!