Test difficulty opinion

[lcolson1959]

Just passed my A+ with good scores. Been putting off certification for quite a while, but finally getting of my butt and doing.

For those of you that have taken some of the CompTIA tests how would you compare them in difficulty vs the Microsoft tests, especially the 70-270, 70-290 and 70-228 which I am working on now.

 

[icemel]

70-228 is easier than 70-290, I don't know about 270.

"Easy" is really related to how prepared you are. Any test is "easy" so long as you've prepared sufficiently. But there's less questions in the 228 pool, hence "easier".

 

[mrdenny]

It will also depend on what you do for a living. I'm a DBA so the 70-228 and 70-229 were very easy for me, while the 70-294 and 70-298 weren't as I'm not working on the tasks tested on those exams on a regular basis.

Denny
MCSA (2003) / MCDBA (SQL 2000) / MCTS (SQL 2005)

--Anything is possible. All it takes is a little research. (Me)

http://www.mrdenny.com

 

[Wishdiak]

lcolson1959,

In my experience, every Microsoft exam I've taken has had a higher degree of difficulty than every CompTIA exam.

Since the A+ exam is actually two exams, it may rank similar in difficulty to the 70-270.

The 70-290 and 70-291 exams were both much more difficult than either A+ or 70-270. I have no experience with 70-228, since that's not in my track, but none of these exams should be approached with a casual attitude.

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

http://www.wishdiak.com

 

[NickFerrar]

I found the CompTIA Security+ vastly different to Microsoft exams. The Sec+ was just a case of memorising a lot of things (ports, encryption types, CIA etc) and the questions were simply asking for a straight answer. In theory you didn't really need to uderstand it, just have a good short term memory. MS exams try to test the understanding more although they do this as much through convulted/confusing questions as anything else I'd say the MS ones are a fair bit harder, they test a greater depth of knowledge + you can know your stuff and still fail them if you misunderstand the questions.

 

[wasisnt]

I found the Microsoft tests to be harder. For my A+ I just read 1 book and passed no problem. The Microsoft tests required much more studying. Real life experience will make a lot of difference too.

http://www.onlinecomputertips.com

 

[SpyroA]

I really believe that the CompTIA and Microsoft certs are designed to designate different things.

IMHO, the CompTIA certs verify that you have the basic knowledge of the subject.

OTOH, I believe that the Microsoft certs verify a more working knowledge of the subject.


Spyro

PMP, Project+, MCAD, MCSD, MCDBA, SCJP and currently working on 70-291 for MCSA

 

[HutchHutchison]

A+ is very similar to the Network+ in terms of difficulty and format. Memorize and go!

M$ exams are more than memorization (which A+ and N+ are). They require a functional level of knowledge/skill (hit this button, make this check box) and a detailed knowledge of the variuos OS.

 

[Winnower]

i just passed 70-270 this morning. 58 questions, 135 minutes. Read quickly!

I tried 1000 but got 968, Before this exam, i passed all other MCSE 2003 exams. So the 70-270 is easier for me. I seldom use Windows XP, that's why i put this test at last.

The test points are:
.Unattended installation (RIS, SysPrep) answer file (i was confusing because i never install XP by unattended mode),
.Offline files,
.Power schedule (including Hiberate),
.Hardware Profile (creating a new h/w profile to disable some PCI, Video cards to save power...),
.NTFS/share permission
.ICF & Remote Assistance (tcp 3389) ****
. Local policy (to allow formatting and rejecting Remote Storage Cartage, )

 

[Wishdiak]

Winnower,

Congrats! Does that mean you're now MCSE certified?

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

http://www.wishdiak.com

 

[Wishdiak]

I'm a DBA so the 70-228 and 70-229 were very easy for me, while the 70-294 and 70-298 weren't as I'm not working on the tasks tested on those exams on a regular basis.

Out of curiosity, of those two exams, which do you feel was the more difficult? I have only those two left for my MCSE.

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

http://www.wishdiak.com

 

[Wishdiak]

Clarification: 70-294 and 70-298 were the two I was referring to.

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

http://www.wishdiak.com

 

[mrdenny]

The 294 was harder for me that the 298.

Denny
MCSA (2003) / MCDBA (SQL 2000) / MCTS (SQL 2005)

--Anything is possible. All it takes is a little research. (Me)

http://www.mrdenny.com