MCAD Advice

greatchap

Hello Guys,

I want to pursue MCAD Certification.

I am an accomplished VB 6 developer with few years exp. But I have 6 months experience in .NET only.

I want to do VB.NET + ASP.NET & SQL Server which are the req of MCAD (Ado.NET maybe req as well).

So apart from microsoft books for mcad what resources should i consult to. Moreover how long will it take me to clear each paper.

Can anyone also tell me if i should do VB.NET with windows first or VB.NET for web applications as my first paper.

I checkout the microsoft site. It says -

I need to pass Core Exams (Two Exams Required) and 1 Elective exam.

In elective exam i can give sql server 2000 and thats okay.

But in core exam i have to choose

1 . Developing and Implementing Web Applications with Microsoft Visual Basic .NET and Microsoft Visual Studio .NET

OR

Developing and Implementing Windows-based Applications with Microsoft Visual Basic .NET and Microsoft Visual Studio .NET

2. Developing XML Web Services and Server Components with Microsoft Visual Basic .NET and the Microsoft .NET Framework

So if i do developing web applications and windows applications with vb.net and sql exam then i may not get MCAD becoz i also need to fulfill XML web services exam.

Any advice please ?

Thanks,
JG

JDMurray

greatchap wrote:

I am an accomplished VB 6 developer with few years exp. But I have 6 months experience in .NET only.

I believe that two years of experience is recommended. However, it really depends on how well your understand the material.

greatchap wrote:

I want to do VB.NET + ASP.NET & SQL Server which are the req of MCAD (Ado.NET maybe req as well).

Yes, anytime you are dealing with SQL Server or ASP.NET you should assume that ADO.NET knowledge will be required.

greatchap wrote:

So apart from microsoft books for mcad what resources should i consult to.

At your level of experience, the Microsoft books should be all you need. I'm sure that other people can recommend other MCAD study books and Web sites.

greatchap wrote:

Moreover how long will it take me to clear each paper.

This depends on you, how much time you devote to learning the material, gaining experience using .NET, how quickly you comprehend it, etc. It's normal to spend 3-6 months studying for each exam.

greatchap wrote:

Can anyone also tell me if i should do VB.NET with windows first or VB.NET for web applications as my first paper.

Are you more familiar with implementing Winform or Webform applications? What you have spent your six months of .NET experience doing will determine which exam you should go for.

greatchap wrote:

So if i do developing web applications and windows applications with vb.net and sql exam then i may not get MCAD becoz i also need to fulfill XML web services exam.

For VB.NET, you need to take the XML exam (70-310), the Windows application (70-305) OR the Web application (70-306) exam, and an elective exam (70-229 for SQL Server). You may take these exams in any order, and passing your first Microsoft certification exam will make you a Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP). In my opinion, the SQL Server exam is the most difficult. You need both admin and DBA skills for it.

One other important factor: the MCAD and MCSD exams are for the older .NET 1.1 and Visual Studio 2003 only. The newer .NET 2.0 and Visual Studio 2005 is covered only by the MCTS and MCPD certifications. You can upgrade the MCAD to MCPD, or go for the MCPD directly. Check here for more details: http://www.microsoft.com/learning/mcp/mcad/requirements.asp

greatchap

Thanks a lot dude for your help. I will try to give my best shot and do the papers as soon as i can. I have a month to do every paper. Thus i guess i need to put in more effort.

JDMurray

Good luck. If you only have a short amount of time, and you've been using Visual Studio 2005, you might want to try the two exams required for the MCTS instead.