so close, but no cigar

bighornsheep

took 291 3 weeks ago and failed with a 535.
I used mcgraw hill All in one MCSA guide, and Meyers 291 Passport.
failed really bad with DNS, and needed more work on security.
I then got syngress 291 e-book, and stuided hardcore for 2 weeks.

This week I read over meyers passport, and some chapters in AIO guide, and went to take the test...

sigh....much closer this time, and I felt must better while writing the test, but not close enough.

failed with a 657

more page flips pour moi

sprkymrk

Sorry to hear that friend.
Any idea what went wrong?
You have the books. Do you feel like you have hit a plateau or do you still have room to improve? Do you have hands-on? It's possible that CBTs or Instructor led training may be the thing you need now.

bighornsheep

I dont know what it is exactly...but I think it's two fold.
1) I didnt review my stronger areas as much as I should, so I forgot alot of the details, about DHCP, and Network Monitor for example.
2) I should have did more practice questions.

I guess I'm going to have to review my materials again, do more of the practice questions, and try harder for the next time.

sigh....FTW

royal

Here is how I study, maybe it will help you out.

I begin watching all the CBT Nuggets. I then read a book. Which book varies depending on how people rate the book. Right now I'm reading the 294 MSPRESS book which I see quite a few errors that should definitely not have gone unnoticed. I also have backup material as well (another book). I also read tons of technet articles on subjects I am studying about.

While I study I have a notepad which I write down details that I want to remember. Writing down these details helps me remember it as well as gives me an easy reference. Every few days I skim over my notepad to make sure I remember the details and helps me easily committ it to memory better. After I finish the book, I review CBT Nugget videos. I also review sections of the book in which I put sticky notes on.

Basically, in short, I take notes and use sticky notes as well and review every few days to make sure I remember stuff I read in the past. Microsoft Help & Support as well as technet is an awesome source for knowledge.

Good luck and let us know how your next attempt works out for you.

rphann

Hope third time is a charm. Good luck on your next test.

Beefchief

I did pretty much everything icroyal did, including setting up a test lab of 2 Windows 2K3 machines. I read this forum before I started studying, and realised that this could be a tough exam, so I bought Transcenders as well. The Transcender practice exams were miles ahead of the Leaning Kit exams, and included sims as well.

The 291 exam was never stressful. A score of 960 is nothing to sneeze at

gomonn

I don't think I would have made it without Testout !!! What is nice about this program is that you have lectures, demo and labs + After each course, you have a note (max 1 page) with the key points.
What I did: I copied the notes into my palm so I could read over and over. Now I realize that most of the questions had to do with the keypoints ......

The point: if you can afford it, a CBT will make a difference

Anyway, Good Luck !

NetworkGod

it's funny you say no cigar, every time i pass an exam i go out and buy myself a cigar and smoke it with a couple shots of cognac..

bighornsheep

gomonn wrote:

I don't think I would have made it without Testout !!! What is nice about this program is that you have lectures, demo and labs + After each course, you have a note (max 1 page) with the key points.
What I did: I copied the notes into my palm so I could read over and over. Now I realize that most of the questions had to do with the keypoints ......

The point: if you can afford it, a CBT will make a difference
Anyway, Good Luck !

I dont think I can afford that kind of training materials right now...so I'm going to have to stick with the traditional way of studying and preparing. Thanks for the suggestion though.

Beefchief wrote:

I did pretty much everything icroyal did, including setting up a test lab of 2 Windows 2K3 machines. I read this forum before I started studying, and realised that this could be a tough exam, so I bought Transcenders as well. The Transcender practice exams were miles ahead of the Leaning Kit exams, and included sims as well.

The 291 exam was never stressful. A score of 960 is nothing to sneeze at

I like this comment, I think I will use my win2k3 box at home and practicing some dns zone transfers, so far I have only used it for what I need, shadow copy, iis, file and print sharing, no dc and no dns yet. Hoping more hands on practice will help.

n3tw0rkg0d wrote:

it's funny you say no cigar, every time i pass an exam i go out and buy myself a cigar and smoke it with a couple shots of cognac..

no pass, no cigar, close to pass, but no pass, so no cigar.