Testout Study Material

homerj742

I got my hands on Testout Study Material for MCSE 2003.
It seems pretty good, simulations and all.

My question is: I have 1.5 years experience working with Windows 2003 server. Is this testout enough material to pass the exam?

Cessation

homerj742 wrote:

I got my hands on Testout Study Material for MCSE 2003.
It seems pretty good, simulations and all.

My question is: I have 1.5 years experience working with Windows 2003 server. Is this testout enough material to pass the exam?

Depends on what kind of experiance it was.
and if it was pretty good experiance do you even need the testout?
But I used testout for my 290. I thought it was good stuff.

jbriggy

It's been my experience that one resource should NEVER be used as the sole method of study. Granted your experince should help you, but should you come across something you dont use on the job on a daily basis, AND not have it covered with TestOut, wont serve you well if you have questions on that subject come test time.

I also have the TestOut package, and (my personal opinion) I think the simulations are GREAT. They work well for me as I read the MS Press book and watch my CBT nuggets. The biggest downer about this package (my opinion of course) Is that it doesnt cover too much of anything in-depth. It just kind of skims the surface of things you need to know. That, and the instructor is about as exciting as a bowl of paint chips.

I sit for the exam October 9, good luck to you when you take the plunge!

deneb829

jbriggy wrote:

It's been my experience that one resource should NEVER be used as the sole method of study.

I completely agree with this statement. I have a coworker who said he only used the MS Press textbook and did not use the lab book (the smaller books, not their self-paced training) to pass the test.

I borrowed those books from him and found them informative, but not enough - be careful when someone said they passed using only one source - chances are going in they were already pretty sharp.

I also bought the exam cram 2 book, use practice tests, and online info - including this site.

I suggest not using the practice tests for study, but for review only! People tend to put alot of stock in the practice tests and the more they take them, the more they rely on them. They end up remembering the questions instead of learning the material. This gives them a false sense of security. When they take the real test, the questions are different enough that if you do not understand the materials you will be lost.

I found that I tended to take too many practice tests and was frustrated early on. I became addicted to testing my knowledge and often missed questions which led to a point just over 2 weeks ago where a score of 600 on a practice exam left me hopeless that I would never pass the test, because 600 was the score I got on a practice exam when I first began a seriously study of the material. I resolved to not answer another question until I put in a significant amount of study time.

I spent the next 2 weeks pouring over the material. My test is tomorrow and it was only this past Monday that I started a serious foucs on review questions - I am still avoiding the tendency to keep score because at this point knowing my scores will either give me a false sense of security or leave me stressed and hopless walking in to take the test tomorrow.

Interestingly, I am still ocassionally finding a review question with material that I had not seen in any of my text/online materials. Overall, I am feeling pretty comfortable with most of the material and am looking forward to the exam. I should have my results posted by tomorrow night.

homerj742

Thank you for the informative answers. Testout is good, but the more I think about it, it doesn't go as in depth as it should in certain areas.

and yes, the instructor is incredibly boring!

bcairns

I am using TestOut and MS Press - both seem to be good sources....umm.....along with this fine web site

Slowhand

The TestOut material is excellent. I used it when I was studying for my tests, and I plan on using it for every test I am able to. I'd recommend getting a book on what you need, as well, to cross-reference. Pick up the MS Press pack of books, you usually get a discount if you buy the "core" set.

Other than that, you should be okay. As long as you have experience, take the studying seriously, and make sure you've got it all covered, you'll be more than ready to pass the test. (Not that you're not serious about passing, but I know from experience that when we feel like we "already know" what you're being tested on, sometimes we can slack a little bit.)

Good luck on the test.