Which exam to do first?

nel

i have passed both my network+ and the a+ recently and i am swaying towards the idea of going for my mcsa.

i have heard and read numerous times it is better to do 70-290 first then onto 70-270? is this true?

i was also considering doing it this way rather than 270 first because i am covering the 270 course at uni next yr and i have 2 months to go before i go back to uni so i was thinking of doing 290 before then. then when i get back to uni crack on with the xp 70-270?

any suggestions?

Also would anyone recommend any books? and study material? is the MS press books the best stuff?

eurotrash

No, it's not true. You can do either first, though most people do the 270 first.

nel

so is 70-270 easier than 70-290?

rockstar81

70-270 and 70-290 overlap a bit. Id go for 70-270 first then once passed go on to the 70-290.

blargoe

You should do what you are most familiar with first. I'm assuming you've worked more with desktop OS than server OS, therefore 70-270.

nel

yes that is correct, so would you do the 70-270?

Slowhand

Personally, I decided to wait with the 70-270 until last for the MCSA, (I'm sitting for it either this Friday or this Monday, depending on when I decide to stop being lazy and get out of the house.) I'm the kind of person who "saves the best for last", and decided to get the seemingly more difficult exams out of the way first, so I wouldn't have to be staring down the dreaded 70-291 as my last test. For some, this works well. For others, it's easier to get the "easier" stuff out of the way first, and focus on the "harder" tests. (I put "easier" and "harder" in quotes because those terms are relative. For all I know, I could completely tank the XP test, while I did well on the other two and Security+)

All in all, it's really your preference. If you want to get a feel for what the MS test are like, without having to venture too much into uncharted waters, go for 70-270. If you want to get right into Server 2003 and get a feel for what the later tests will be like, simulations and all, go for the 70-290. Whichever you pick, good luck.