Are All MS Exams Crap-shoots?

toddvb

Passed yesterday with 820 (no congats, please...this took way too long ).

Very few questions bore ANY resemblance to anyone's practice questions.

Assumed I got in the high 600's before results, but then again that's what I thought last fall when I got a 525!

Maybe MS's study materials get you thinking "in the right direction" without your knowing it, but I think passing is more likely a matter of luck in the question draw.

For those who want to know:
-Used primarily MS-kit and this site (first time I used EC2+MMPassport).
-42 questions including 6 SIMS (all ADUC, if I recall correctly). Last time was very heavy on Disaster Recovery.
-Abosolutely NO group questions ("your results may differ..."). Had several last time.
-LOTS of NTFS+Share perm questions!

General philosophy:
Many Mult-choice questions I could get down to 2 answers, with both possibly incorrect due to likely factors not stated in the question.
Went back to them later and read them again and again until I thought of another POSSIBLE road-block to one of them; then picked the other.
Guess it worked.... or was it just luck?

jescab

CONGRATZ dude - and to answer your question, pretty much......

jburn

I completely agree with you. I took the 70-270 exam last fall and failed it with a 677. At that time I had worked with XP as a desktop admin for 2 years and had an A+ and Network+ certficaiton. When I took the 70-270 it was my first Microsoft test but I had taken a class for it and read two books, also took many practice tests and viewed several CBT videos but when I got in the test room and the exam started I was stunned. There were all kinds of questions that seemed to be way out of the scope of windows xp and it even addresses you on serveal questions as a network admin or domain admin. Also, just as you said, the questions seemed to contradict one another at times, I also found that to be true with a lot of the training books, which added to the confusion. Anyway, I had to definately re think my approach.

jim_stasz

I've only taken one so far but I agree. Crap shoot all the way.

Going into my test I wasn't feeling real good about my chances but I had a $99 voucher that was set to expire and I figured I'd have a free 2nd chance. Passed with an 842. Not a high score but it is when I figued I was going to fail. I got the right group of questions for what I was strong on.

Hope I am that luck on the 290.

seuss_ssues

maybe im missing something.

The questions follow the outline given by microsoft for each exam. Somtimes they ask about something in a weird way, but i never had anything surprise me.

kevozz

I've only taken one MS test. What I have found is that they leave out enough information so that two answers could be or seem correct (or incorrect considering your perspective).


>General philosophy:
>Many Mult-choice questions I could get down to 2 answers, with both >possibly incorrect due to likely factors not stated in the question.
>Went back to them later and read them again and again until I thought of >another POSSIBLE road-block to one of them; then picked the other.
>Guess it worked.... or was it just luck?

It's a good way to take the test. Thats what i did on 30-40% of the questions, I marked them for review and spent almost all the extra time (ended with 10 minutes left on the clock) to read them over and over again. I ended up with a 933. If you really know your material, this will help jar your memory (at least mine, anyways).

Congrats on the pass!

toddvb

Consider yourself lucky (or very smart), seuss_ssues!
In my VAST expierience (270, 290 twice), I've been surprised by nearly half the questions!
Not that they are outside the guidelines; it's just that MS seems to throw in a condition or answer from "left-field" a lot.
Recall one ASR question that added 3rd-party backup software into the equation. Something I had not seen in any texts or practices.

toddvb

My version of the first question on the MicroSoft Master-Carpenter Exam:

You need to drive a nail into a board.
Choose the tool that would do the job best:
a) a screw driver
b) a hammer
c) a drill
d) a 40lb anvil dropped from 2 meters

Kind-of depends on what they mean by "best", doesn't it?

Olajuwon

toddvb wrote:

My version of the first question on the MicroSoft Master-Carpenter Exam:

You need to drive a nail into a board.
Choose the tool that would do the job best:
a) a screw driver
b) a hammer
c) a drill
d) a 40lb anvil dropped from 2 meters

Kind-of depends on what they mean by "best", doesn't it?

I will go with A hammer
All of the above can drive a nail into a board, but a hammer will do it best.

There you have it. MS exams are well written. You should go with the best solution.If the exams were easy then everyone would pass them and they would have no value.

kevozz

As usual Olajuwon, your missing the point...

Planning on some Brain Dumping are we???

"Plan on getting: Securty+, CCNA, MCSA 2003, MCSE 2003, MCDBA by August."

Olajuwon

kevozz wrote:

As usual Olajuwon, your missing the point...

Planning on some Brain Dumping are we???

"Plan on getting: Securty+, CCNA, MCSA 2003, MCSE 2003, MCDBA by August."

What's up with all the attacks from you? I have noticed you already.

What is your problem, fool? I use CBT, several books, lab setup and work experience and I study for 3+ exams at once. You need to look past me. I don't know you and I don't want to know you. Mind your own business, fool.

kevozz

I would if you actually contributed something and made sense. You have already chased a couple of people from the forum by your rude/stupid remarks.


By the way, I like the MR. T impersonation.

kalebksp

toddvb, I think you're looking at this from the wrong direction. You said that Microsofts questions don't resemble questions from any practice tests, and therefor you blame MS. Infact, it's not MS's problem, it's that there are very few good practice tests, in my opinion anyway.

kevozz, it's incredibly rude to accuse someone of braindumping. Olajuwon is ambitious, good for him. Just because you don't like what someone says doesn't give you the right to accuse them of cheating.

gbhpboy

It's a question of playing a game with Microsoft, isn't it, and playing by their rules. What you know helps and what you have done also helps. Main thing is to be able to think in the same way as the people who set the questions, read the question very carefully, and watch for the tricks and traps that you KNOW they will try and put in. The correct answer is the answer that THEY want which may not be the logically correct answer for you.

good luck with studies.

toddvb

Amen kalebksp and gbhpboy!
Can't really blame M$, as I believe it is all just a vicious circle:
As the practice tests have gotten better (and the BrainDumps more prevalent), MS has had to up the anti by writing questions closer to the periphery of the objectives.
Based on my somewhat unexpected passes, I think they've balanced this by making the SIMS pretty easy and weighting them more heavily.
Just my opinion.