how difficult is this exam

jimjamuk

Hi all,

Been browsing for a while but though I'd join in. This will be the first MCP I'm going to do. Most of my experience is network based so I thought this would be the easiest to start with

Just wanted to know - how hard is this exam relative to a CCNP ?

thanks

jimjamuk

spudnik

couldn't compare it to CCNP, but this is called the Beast of Microsoft exams (oh and i have failed twice)

you really need to know DNS (inside out) RRAS, DHCP, IPsec

grover77

Likewise I cant compare with CCNP, With this exam though there are just so many topics covered and you must know each one inside out or you will not pass!.

If you already understand a lot of networking topics you have a good start!.

good luck!!

gbhpboy

They don't call it the beast for nothing, Jimjamuk

I've been studying for this since August.
I do 3rd line support and have worked in IT for many years, trouble is its all old stuff NT mainly.
We have data comms specialists at out place so they do all the routing, RAS stuff, and we don't use much security so these are the areas I'm weak on. DHCP and DNS are fine and I'm one of these sad people who are a walking IP address calculator.
It's such a big syllabus and as sudnik has said you can't afford any weaknesses at all.
Still you're from Bristol like me, so you're doing something right.
When you read in the Evening Post, man arrested drunk and disorderly running down park street naked, you'll know that's me when I've passed the exam.

cheers mate.

jimjamuk

gbhpboy,

I know exactly what you mean - i mainly do comms and thought I'd do some OS stuff for a change. I'm hoping to have some of the background of it covered from my previous networking experience so just need to put into practice on a server and test lan.

hey I think I live near your work (looking at your username) - i'm just round the corner from the mod place. Any jobs going there? Mainly looking for an infrastructure job at the moment

jimjamuk

gbhpboy

that's right I work at HP, between UWE and the MOD.

I work on an outsourced account, which is losing money so we're shedding staff, 6 people have left in the last 3 months. HP in general has a workforce reduction programme at the moment. 100 other people are due to leave this building in the next 4 months.

We know more redundancies are on the way, I'd be surprised if I'm not one of them, that's why I'm trying to get a cert, so I can get another job when I have to go. Shouldn't be before next April though, but I may even survive until the end of next year.

You may have heard as we have that the MOD are planning big expansion at abbeywood, 4,000 more people coming in ? may well be jobs going there, just a thought.

good luck.

jimjamuk

yeah,

I'm at Cable and Wireless who have just bought Energis - which suprisingly means that about a 1/3 of the workforce is off!

Time to keep yer head behind the parapit though at your place - you never know you might survive the culling - good luck on that front

thanks - i'll keep an eye on the mod situ aswell

jimjamuk

funnyusa

this exam is a b&&i%ch, I failed couple time and just passed yesterday