Passed 70-412 - second attempt
blargoe
Member Posts: 4,174 ■■■■■■■■■□
I'll share my experiences with this exam now that it is behind me. I didn't take this test quite as seriously as I should have the first time.
I am coming from a background that was very Microsoft heavy earlier in my career, but added VMware and Storage later on, and have tried to decouple myself from being "Windows Guy" ever since. Last year they fired the Windows admin, and have not replaced him, so I have been picking all of this back up again. So I was at a point where I was very comfortable with Windows 2012 as an operating system and core infrastructure, but I wasn't deep into the Windows platform like I had been years ago, with the exception of immersing myself in Powershell learning to help save time with system maintenance and VM deployments. The last Windows exam I took was nearly 10 years ago. So, I decided it was time to update.
On to the exam. Probably ill advised, but I decided that this was the exam that had all of the services with which I was least familiar, and would be the hardest, so I chose to knock it out first since doubted I would have time to dedicate to it later in the year. My last point of reference on exam toughness was quite a while ago, but this was the hardest Microsoft test I have taken, and one of the hardest overall. The coverage of the different application services and the depth as well as breadth that could be tested here makes it challenging. Many of these services are things that I have completely ignored, none of the companies I have worked for use other vendors for network load balancing, DLP, FCI, backup/restore, hypervisor, etc..., so it was a bit uphill for me.
I went through the exam blueprint and used TechNet and labbing (some self, some on TechNet) to work with the File Services role services, ADFS, ADRMS, Hyper-V, and NLB roles that I hadn't really used in production and at least skimmed over the documentation and got my hands on the GUI for the other areas and thought I was ready. I failed the first time with a score around 680. I had a surprisingly high number of questions on Azure Online Backup. I will tell you, if you haven't used it, you will not likely know the answers to the questions that I was asked. That was probably the difference in passing and failing for me, though I tanked on the Identity/Access section also.
Here is what I did the second time around:
I watched various videos on YouTube. The itfreetraining series on ADFS is great for actually UNDERSTANDING the different bits and pieces and terminology, which I felt like help me retain when I set up my own lab (instead of using the TechNet virtual lab like before) and did as many scenarios as I could.
I labbed up everything again that I thought I struggled with the first time. If I was already proficient in something, then I did as much of it using only powershell/command line (DHCP failover, WSFC, Active Directory, Certificate Services, etc).
I signed up for a free Azure account and played with Online Backup and learned the Powershell for that.
I bought the Transcender practice test and found some more weaknesses.
If you come in with pretty good understanding of Powershell in general, the common verbs and how they are normally used, how the pipeline works, etc, you can often rule out a couple of wrong answers right off the bat, and then it comes down to remembering the nouns that are used for a particular role service. I could see how this could seem daunting for someone with little to no Powershell background. I think taking a primer self-study in just Powershell would be valuable for any aspiring Windows admin at any rate, and would help with this test.
I'll take a short breather, then on to 410.
I am coming from a background that was very Microsoft heavy earlier in my career, but added VMware and Storage later on, and have tried to decouple myself from being "Windows Guy" ever since. Last year they fired the Windows admin, and have not replaced him, so I have been picking all of this back up again. So I was at a point where I was very comfortable with Windows 2012 as an operating system and core infrastructure, but I wasn't deep into the Windows platform like I had been years ago, with the exception of immersing myself in Powershell learning to help save time with system maintenance and VM deployments. The last Windows exam I took was nearly 10 years ago. So, I decided it was time to update.
On to the exam. Probably ill advised, but I decided that this was the exam that had all of the services with which I was least familiar, and would be the hardest, so I chose to knock it out first since doubted I would have time to dedicate to it later in the year. My last point of reference on exam toughness was quite a while ago, but this was the hardest Microsoft test I have taken, and one of the hardest overall. The coverage of the different application services and the depth as well as breadth that could be tested here makes it challenging. Many of these services are things that I have completely ignored, none of the companies I have worked for use other vendors for network load balancing, DLP, FCI, backup/restore, hypervisor, etc..., so it was a bit uphill for me.
I went through the exam blueprint and used TechNet and labbing (some self, some on TechNet) to work with the File Services role services, ADFS, ADRMS, Hyper-V, and NLB roles that I hadn't really used in production and at least skimmed over the documentation and got my hands on the GUI for the other areas and thought I was ready. I failed the first time with a score around 680. I had a surprisingly high number of questions on Azure Online Backup. I will tell you, if you haven't used it, you will not likely know the answers to the questions that I was asked. That was probably the difference in passing and failing for me, though I tanked on the Identity/Access section also.
Here is what I did the second time around:
I watched various videos on YouTube. The itfreetraining series on ADFS is great for actually UNDERSTANDING the different bits and pieces and terminology, which I felt like help me retain when I set up my own lab (instead of using the TechNet virtual lab like before) and did as many scenarios as I could.
I labbed up everything again that I thought I struggled with the first time. If I was already proficient in something, then I did as much of it using only powershell/command line (DHCP failover, WSFC, Active Directory, Certificate Services, etc).
I signed up for a free Azure account and played with Online Backup and learned the Powershell for that.
I bought the Transcender practice test and found some more weaknesses.
If you come in with pretty good understanding of Powershell in general, the common verbs and how they are normally used, how the pipeline works, etc, you can often rule out a couple of wrong answers right off the bat, and then it comes down to remembering the nouns that are used for a particular role service. I could see how this could seem daunting for someone with little to no Powershell background. I think taking a primer self-study in just Powershell would be valuable for any aspiring Windows admin at any rate, and would help with this test.
I'll take a short breather, then on to 410.
IT guy since 12/00
Recent: 11/2019 - RHCSA (RHEL 7); 2/2019 - Updated VCP to 6.5 (just a few days before VMware discontinued the re-cert policy...)
Working on: RHCE/Ansible
Future: Probably continued Red Hat Immersion, Possibly VCAP Design, or maybe a completely different path. Depends on job demands...
Recent: 11/2019 - RHCSA (RHEL 7); 2/2019 - Updated VCP to 6.5 (just a few days before VMware discontinued the re-cert policy...)
Working on: RHCE/Ansible
Future: Probably continued Red Hat Immersion, Possibly VCAP Design, or maybe a completely different path. Depends on job demands...
Comments
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JD20
Member Posts: 66 ■■■□□□□□□□
Congrats on getting the first one out of the way. I definitely wouldn't have been able to start with the 412, so big ups on that. -
Cisco Inferno
Member Posts: 1,034 ■■■■■■□□□□
Wow congrats way to go!2019 Goals
CompTIA Linux+[ ] Bachelor's Degree -
AndersonSmith
Member Posts: 471 ■■■□□□□□□□
Congratulations!All the best,
Anderson
"Everything that has a beginning has an end" -
sedamen
Member Posts: 10 ■■■□□□□□□□
Hi Everyone
I know this is definitively not the place to ask this question but i need help ASAP.
I have been asked to change my password so many time. Every time i log off and try to log back in next day, it will say wrong password and i will have to reset the password. This is becoming so annoying. Does anybody having this issue. what would be the solution
Thank you -
greg9891
Member Posts: 1,189 ■■■■■■■□□□
Congrats!:
Upcoming Certs: VCA-DCV 7.0, VCP-DCV 7.0, Oracle Database 1Z0-071, PMP, Server +, CCNP
Proverbs 6:6-11Go to the ant, you sluggard! Consider her ways and be wise, Which, having no captain, Overseer or ruler, Provides her supplies in the summer, And gathers her food in the harvest. How long will you slumber, O sluggard?
When will you rise from your sleep? A little sleep, a little slumber, A little folding of the hands to sleep, So shall your poverty come on you like a prowler And your need like an armed man. -
JoJoCal19
Mod Posts: 2,835 Mod
Congrats on the pass! Definitely interesting knocking that one out first. I wonder if that will make the 410 easier.Have: CISSP, CISM, CISA, CRISC, eJPT, GCIA, GSEC, CCSP, CCSK, AWS CSAA, AWS CCP, OCI Foundations Associate, ITIL-F, MS Cyber Security - USF, BSBA - UF, MSISA - WGU
Currently Working On: Python, OSCP Prep
Next Up: OSCP
Studying: Code Academy (Python), Bash Scripting, Virtual Hacking Lab Coursework
