Failed 3 times now...

tctech

I now feel like the biggest moron of the century. Score, 657. DNS is my weakest. Routing strongest.

I have the official MS training kit, I bought a Measure Up.

I feel like giving up on this crap now but I'm only one exam away from the MCSA. It sucks being this close and not being able to finish. This entire experience has convinced me to avoid the Microsoft path for a while. I somehow need to pass the 70-291. After that, I'm going back to CompTia and maybe some Novell training. MS just depresses me.

I actually sent in two different info forms to MCP help. There was one question that had an actual grammar mistake where a word was missing in a sentence. Another problem did NOT give enough info to make a final decision on the answer. I can't discuss it because of the agreement but I found the exact question on blank KING and of course, I chose poorly.

Oct. 21st (updated).... will be my 4th attempt.

Cessation

tctech wrote:

I now feel like the biggest moron of the century. Score, 657. DNS is my weakest. Routing strongest.

I have the official MS training kit, I bought a Measure Up, and now have my hands on a xxxxxxxxxx.

I feel like giving up on this crap now but I'm only one exam away from the MCSA. It sucks being this close and not being able to finish. This entire experience has convinced me to avoid the Microsoft path for a while. I somehow need to pass the 70-291. After that, I'm going back to CompTia and maybe some Novell training. MS just depresses me.

I actually sent in two different info forms to MCP help. There was one question that had an actual grammar mistake where a word was missing in a sentence. Another problem did NOT give enough info to make a final decision on the answer. I can't discuss it because of the agreement but I found the exact question on my xxxxxxxxxx and of course, I chose poorly.

Oct. 17th .... will be my 4th attempt.

Howbout you put the cheats down.. actually take some time and study as well as download vmware and make yourself a lab...
Dont take a test unless your very sure you're not going to fail it.

tctech

i have a 2k3 server at home and i go over scenarios all the time....

i do well on the simulations but poor on the multiple choice

I don't feel I'm cheeting. How is a measure up cheating?

Cessation

tctech wrote:

i have a 2k3 server at home and i go over scenarios all the time....

i do well on the simulations but poor on the multiple choice

I don't feel I'm cheeting. How is a measure up cheating?

Measure up is not cheeting. look at your first post with the "XXXXXX" word.
Whatever that is its considered cheating because it has answers directly from the test. Throw them away. They will not bring you a joyous qualifed pass of the test. Only guilt and shame that you will have to hide from everyone.

tctech

wow, i didnt spend alot of time using that xxxx product... i didnt realize what it was until now. sorry

Cessation

tctech wrote:

wow, i didnt spend alot of time using that xxxx product... i didnt realize what it was until now. sorry

I cant say its ok that you didnt know.. but its not terrible.
Please do your research on products before purchasing them or reading them.

http://tcpmag.com/news/article.asp?EditorialsID=1085&whichpage=4&pagesize=10

tctech

alot of people have posted comments on that article you posted and many of them do not think the tk is cheating.... they actually blame MS for not providing proper materials and practice exams....

i kind i agree with them after failing 3 times. I don't think it's all me.

Why did I ace DNS on my first time through but get a 50% on DNS my third time through? Wouldn't proper testing show me the same results each time??
Did I know DNS better a month ago than I do now? No way.


That's why i thought the measure up was sure to help me tighten down my weak spots.... but i was wrong.

royal

To be honest, it's you. Different questions were most likely asked. You need to have a thorough understanding of ALL the material. Many people will purchase many products and spent many weeks on labs. These include CBT Nuggets, Testout, several books, vmware/virtualserver, sites such as this one and technet.microsoft.com, and lots of patience.

Also, the state of mind is a huge factor of when taking an exam. Get a good night's sleep, have some sugar to get your brain working (chocolate works good I hear), make sure you have breakfast (but don't eat too much where it'll discomfort yourself), etc...

Just keep working at it and DO NOT BE A QUITTER. Work hard and you will be rewarded with success. Hard work is the difference between success and failure.

Good luck on October 17th! Hit those books and make sure you have a comprehensive understanding of the material before then. If you don't feel confident, reschedule.

Cessation

tctech wrote:

alot of people have posted comments on that article you posted and many of them do not think the "abbreviated version of XXXXXX" is cheating.... they actually blame MS for not providing proper materials and practice exams....

i kind i agree with them after failing 3 times. I don't think it's all me.

Why did I ace DNS on my first time through but get a 50% on DNS my third time through? Wouldn't proper testing show me the same results each time??
Did I know DNS better a month ago than I do now? No way.


That's why i thought the measure up was sure to help me tighten down my weak spots.... but i was wrong.

Uh... do you think that it is possible that there are different questions about DNS that cover different aspects of DNS?
Just cause you got a all those Last DNS questions right means that you know everything there is about DNS now? I dont think so. I think it is very possible that there is a part of dns that you may not know and you missed a couple. Pretty logical isnt it? Now quit trying to rationalize it so that you can feel better about using it just to get by. Its a hard test no doubt but dont get conned into thinking that it will help you.

tctech

ya... i'm thinking the 21st now because i have to travel for work all next week.. at least i can study every night in my hotel room. Just can't do much simulating.

Cessation

Wow I am being really mean today.
Sorry about that pal. (bad headache from lack of sleep)

Im studying the same test as you and not doing too well in my my studies either.
I hope you just think about not using T/K and can do well on your next test.

GL

Cess

tctech

"Cessation"... you're kind of rude here. I simply made my original post to let people know I failed. And if someone else fails 3 times like I have, maybe they shouldn't be as dperessed as I am. Ok, I did vent alittle and say I feel like giving up.... I'm just frustrated.

you haven't passed this test yet either? Why are you ripping me so bad.
I'm no cheater. If I was a cheater I would pass.

The test has frustrated me and I don't like that I get 80% on DNS one time but then 50% another time. I think I have a right to complain about that. DNS is DNS. Why would I score well on some DNS questions and not others. It's just unfortunate. I'm really strong with WSUS and GPOs' but even some of those questions were 'termed' so carefully, I couldn't rationalize one specific answer.

I'm done... go ahead and bash me if you want. I'm no cheater. I'll be back in a copule weeks. Hopefully notifying the forum that I passed. BUT.... maybe I won't.

Cessation

tctech wrote:

"Cessation"... you're kind of rude here. I simply made my original post to let people know I failed. And if someone else fails 3 times like I have, maybe they shouldn't be as dperessed as I am. Ok, I did vent alittle and say I feel like giving up.... I'm just frustrated.

you haven't passed this test yet either? Why are you ripping me so bad.
I'm no cheater. If I was a cheater I would pass.

The test has frustrated me and I don't like that I get 80% on DNS one time but then 50% another time. I think I have a right to complain about that. DNS is DNS. Why would I score well on some DNS questions and not others. It's just unfortunate. I'm really strong with WSUS and GPOs' but even some of those questions were 'termed' so carefully, I couldn't rationalize one specific answer.

I'm done... go ahead and bash me if you want. I'm no cheater. I'll be back in a copule weeks. Hopefully notifying the forum that I passed. BUT.... maybe I won't.

Beat you to it.

tctech

Beat me to what? Passing? Then update your forum profile. Out of curiousity, what did you score on the test?

Cessation

Cessation wrote:

Wow I am being really mean today.
Sorry about that pal. (bad headache from lack of sleep)

Im studying the same test as you and not doing too well in my my studies either.
I hope you just think about not using T/K and can do well on your next test.

GL

Cess

Wow... This is what I meant by "beat you to it" I have not passed the test yet and will not be taking the test for around a month.
Chill out there guy.
And I was not bashing you cause of your test scores.
I just think its lame to turn to using material that comes straight from the test to study or memorize but whatever it up to you. So calm down over there.

frankj1247

It took me 3-4 months to finally pass this exam. I passed on my second try, first try was 496, really deplorable!

Keep on studying, working hard, there's a reason why there's only 60,000 MCSA 2003 because it's HARD!!! I had to read my book 3 or 4 times, and other stuff again again and again to fill in the blanks. You really gotta know your S-H-I-T!!!

I love those little print outs that Prometric/Vue give you after you finish your exam. I kept my failure report as a motivator and it worked. I taped it against the wall above my computer screen. Anyways, that's my two cents, I think you should tape your failure reports to the wall, throw darts at them, curse at them, but make sure you are reminded of it every second until you pass.

bighornsheep

tctech wrote:

"Cessation"... you're kind of rude here. I simply made my original post to let people know I failed. And if someone else fails 3 times like I have, maybe they shouldn't be as dperessed as I am. Ok, I did vent alittle and say I feel like giving up.... I'm just frustrated.

you haven't passed this test yet either? Why are you ripping me so bad.
I'm no cheater. If I was a cheater I would pass.

The test has frustrated me and I don't like that I get 80% on DNS one time but then 50% another time. I think I have a right to complain about that. DNS is DNS. Why would I score well on some DNS questions and not others. It's just unfortunate. I'm really strong with WSUS and GPOs' but even some of those questions were 'termed' so carefully, I couldn't rationalize one specific answer.

I'm done... go ahead and bash me if you want. I'm no cheater. I'll be back in a copule weeks. Hopefully notifying the forum that I passed. BUT.... maybe I won't.

nobody is calling you anything, I just think you should take responsbility for your own actions. Dont blame the test for how bad it is, or how the materials didnt match up to the skills being tested.

At this point, I really think you need to relax and go on a vacation or something. You have to wait 2 weeks anyway before you can write your next attempt.

tctech wrote:

Beat me to what? Passing? Then update your forum profile. Out of curiousity, what did you score on the test?

I think he's saying he beat you to saying he was rude. He already posted, read his reply.

tctech

actually I'm scheduled to fly to South Carolina next week for work. I can definetally make that a somewhat relaxing time.

anywho... that's enough out of me. Good luck to everyone else who hasn't yet passed. I will need some luck too.

i will post again when i either pass or fail....

sprkymrk

Good luck tctech, and now you know to stay away from ****.
Where in SC are you headed?

Cessation

sprkymrk wrote:

Good luck tctech, and now you know to stay away from ****.
Where in SC are you headed?

Actually im not so sure I got it into his head...
I hope he stays away but who knows.
I do wish the best for him. (but only if he stays away from the dark side.)

tctech

surfside beach and charleston most likely

**** can be handy... but they are not worth studing with. I actually havne't studied with any **** yet... i just referred to one to see if my exam questions were on it. And actually, a handful of them were on it.

each time i fail... i am learning something too. So not all is bad i guess.

Slowhand

Alright, all heated topics aside, I wanted to give a suggestion to you, tctech (and anyone struggling with this test). RRAS you just have to study the MS material for, as well as security templates, but DNS is another story. The study material for DNS that Microsoft provides is haphazard, at best. It does teach you what you need for Microsoft's implemenation of DNS, but little else. The drawback with that is that you end up relying on Microsoft's wizards and GUI's to administrate the domains and zones.

First off, I can't stress enough how valuable something like TestOut or CBT Nuggets is. I used both of them for my test, and I wouldn't have passed without that help. Also, the TrainSignal Labs training is very helpful. I believe it's Lab number 4 that covers DNS, and Microsoft DNS, in particular. Nothing, however, replaces hands-on experience. Which brings me to my point. . .

I've been working at a datacenter for about 1 and 1/2 months, now, and I've learned more about DNS in this time than I ever did studying for the 70-291 test. Sure, I learned about records, files, and the basic concepts behind zone transfers and pointers, that sort of thing, but I didn't learn how it all works, under the hood. As strange as it sounds, I'm a better MCSA now, after having had to administrate BIND under BSD, simply because everything is done by hand and in a command-line environment. It's not the same system, it's not the same setup, but the fundamental concepts have been hammered into my brain.

Maybe you don't want to go so far as installing UNIX, but get yourself a copy of BIND from ISC's website and start messing around with it. Once you've got it installed and you've set up something similar to what Microsoft's wizards have you do in the training books, you've learned just about everything you need to know about DNS fundamentals to not only pass the test, but to actually administrate DNS in a real-world environment. After that, using Microsoft's DNS server will be a breeze.

I hope the advice helps, and I hope you'll get back to your studying after your brain-break. Good luck.

cairtaker

I failed my first attempt. I really thought I nailed it too. My second attempt I started over and went back to basics. The book that got me through it was the 70-291 by Syngress publishing. It was huge and it took me about a month to try again, but I made it. See if you can get your hands on the 120 day trial cd of 2003 Server and work those labs in the book. I was 100% sure of all my multiple choice and drag-drops, except 1. That means my errors were on my sims. My strengths and weaknesses shifted after working a lot more on the sims and then i was able to pass. I felt that the Syngress book explained more in detail instead of taking it for granted that we already knew everything. Hey if we already knew it, we wouldn't be trying to pass it! On the sims I do them 2x on the test resetting each time, to make sure i have all my steps down and that i don't alter anything while i am looking for the desired option.

Good Luck and don't quit,
Your score is a sim or 2 questions away from passing. You can do it.

gomonn

THANK YOU SLOWHAND !!!!!

Slowhand

gomonn wrote:

THANK YOU SLOWHAND !!!!!

You're very welcome, and good luck on the test.