70-297 vs 70-298

I'm trying to decide whether I want to take 70-297 or 70-298. I'm currently studying for 70-284 and have the exam scheduled for 5/3, so I figured it's probably time to start thinking about which book to buy for my next exam.

What are people's experiences with 297 vs 298? Which is easier, more relevant, etc? What study materials did you use to study for the exam you chose? How effective where they?

I noticed that the MSPress books for both exams have recieved horrible reviews on Amazon, how accurate are they? I've used MSPress quite a bit, and have usually found them to be fairly effective. Although from what I've read about both of these exams, I'm probably going to use at least two study resources to prepare.

Any help with these topics would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

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eurotrash

well as they are on different topics, it would really be up to you, as in your work, interests etc.

btw what book are you using for the 284? i'm currently reading the MS press and hating every moment of it. so incredibly disorganized and put all the complicated stuff first, and the basic stuff (that you should know first) at the end.
but then i read bad reviews on the sybex, and as there is no syngress title (my fav) i must make do.

skaeight

_omni_ wrote:

btw what book are you using for the 284? i'm currently reading the MS press and hating every moment of it. so incredibly disorganized and put all the complicated stuff first, and the basic stuff (that you should know first) at the end.
but then i read bad reviews on the sybex, and as there is no syngress title (my fav) i must make do.

I'm using Exam Cram2, however I also read the MSPress 2003 Exchange Server Administrators Pocket book. I'm hoping that the combination of those two books along with firsthand on the job experience will be enough.

I had a negative experience with Exam Cram2 on 70-270, so I hope my decision doesn't backfire. However, one thing I do like about EC2 is that they don't hold your hand through every tiny little process. MSPress most definitely does this and it can be very annoying to read a 10 step process on how to open the service manager everytime you need to restart a service. I just hope they aren't glossing over any crucial topics like I found they did in the 70-270 book.

eurotrash

well i have the EC2 too, and i might actually use it this time as it is written by two well known authors.
in fact i'll probably need it as MSpress is making me suicidal!

Bmac000

skaeight, all i know from reading many of the posts on these forums is that the 297 is easier than the 298. I had this same predicament about a month or so ago and I had to make a decision on which way I should go and I chose security 297. I know the exams are both different 1 is AD 1 is security but I read somewhere that an IT Trainer with many qualifications under his belt struggled to get past the 298 and he was a senior network admin for many years. At the end of the day its up to you and if your a wizz on AD then go 298 but for me I have chosen the path which I think should get me over the line.

skaeight

Bmac000 wrote:

skaeight, all i know from reading many of the posts on these forums is that the 297 is easier than the 298. I had this same predicament about a month or so ago and I had to make a decision on which way I should go and I chose security 297. I know the exams are both different 1 is AD 1 is security but I read somewhere that an IT Trainer with many qualifications under his belt struggled to get past the 298 and he was a senior network admin for many years. At the end of the day its up to you and if your a wizz on AD then go 298 but for me I have chosen the path which I think should get me over the line.

I think you have the numbers backwards. 297 is AD/infastructure and 298 is security.

Bmac000

yes i do sorry i just checked my book also, i was testing you

. Its late here in London and I've been studying for 12 hours as it is, bit tired. So yeah the 298 is easier.

skaeight

Well I passed 70-284 today, and all that leaves for my MCSE is either 70-297 or 70-298. I'm still a little bit undecided as to which one to take. Either way I think I'm going get the Sybex book. Judging by the Amazon reviews, both MSPress books are garbage, and the Sybexs' are pretty good, but then again, maybe that's completely wrong, has anyone here used the MSPress books?

So here's one last call for input before I buy my book. What do you guys think, 297/298 & MSPress/Sybex? I think I'm leaning towards 70-298 just because the consesus seems to say it's not as hard.

TeKniques

skaeight wrote:

Well I passed 70-284 today, and all that leaves for my MCSE is either 70-297 or 70-298. I'm still a little bit undecided as to which one to take. Either way I think I'm going get the Sybex book. Judging by the Amazon reviews, both MSPress books are garbage, and the Sybexs' are pretty good, but then again, maybe that's completely wrong, has anyone here used the MSPress books?

So here's one last call for input before I buy my book. What do you guys think, 297/298 & MSPress/Sybex? I think I'm leaning towards 70-298 just because the consesus seems to say it's not as hard.

First, congratulations on passing the 284!

Secondly, I am currently preparing for the 70-298 exam using the Sybex book and I must say I am impressed so far. This is a nice surprise because I thought their Core books were garbage to say the least in comparison to the MS Press books. Although, I still have 293 and 294 to take I went ahead and bought the MS Press books for those because I have had to for all the other exams. This book on the other hand is very detailed IMO, and I am hoping it does indeed cover enough. At the end of the chapters there are 10 review questions and a nice Case Study scenario question that covers the chapter content.

Chapter 6 has been the hardest for me because it involves PKI in depth, which is becoming a hard topic for myself to learn. I have not attempted any practice exams yet (Transcender is what I use), so I can't actually give you an idea of how the book is in relation to the practice exams.

Lastly, I have not purchased or looked at the MS Press book so my opinion on that is non-existent. Good luck on your next exam!

skaeight

Thanks for the input. I ended up taking a look at the objectives for both 70-297 & 70-298. While the 70-297 looks interesting and would probably be a great wrap-up of everything I have learned from A+ on, it does seem very daunting. It seems like a very broad test, and after viewing the objectives I can understand why people have said it is difficult. The security exam seems intersting as well, as I currently work with PKI's and VPN's (SSL & IPsec) at work.

So, I decided to go with 70-298. I just ordered the Sybex book. It seems like I can't go wrong with it. I really want to get moving on this exam. I can't wait to finish my MCSE.

Trailerisf

So 298 is easier???

mr2nut

Trailerisf wrote:

So 298 is easier???

Ditto?

mr2nut

From what I experienced today, 70-298 is quite an easy overview exam but can't compare as I didn't take 70-297. Hope this helps.