70-270 before 70-290

RATTLERMAN

I have read my material for 70-270 and have just begun 70-290. i have read some posts where folks are saying to take 290 before 270.

whats the deal? the only reason i have not taken 270 is life has been getting in the way and i have not scheduled the test. i want to do them together if possible

royal

270 and 290 are both different in the sense you can take either first and they won't have an adverse affect on your learning ability. Every person I know that has done the MCSE curriculum has done 270 first. Good luck with your studies.

deneb829

Yeah, I am one of the ones who suggests it. You don't have to do it that way, but I am sure glad that I did. Thinking about it now, I don't think it would have made a difference if I passed or failed 70-270 or 70-290, but I do think it made a difference in my score, and how soon I was able to take XP after taking server.

If I had to do it again, I'd still do it 70-290 first. If you take 70-270 first, I am sure you'll be fine because that is how most people do it. Just beware not to get a false sense of security from how you do on 70-270. 70-290 is a far more complicated exam.

Slowhand

The only reason I did the 70-290 (and 70-291 for that matter) before 70-270 is because I'd taken some classes where I got some time practicing on the Server boxes. I'd already bought the books for these classes, which happened to be the MS Press books for 70-290 and 70-291. If I was going straight into the MCSE and I needed a place to start, the XP test would be it. For me, though, it worked out pretty well, because I didn't really need to buy a book for the XP test, just study the things I didn't know in the Technotes and on TechNet, and work from the knowledge I already had from the server tests.

(P.S. Another thing which I enjoyed was not having 70-291 as the last obstacle in the way of getting my MCSA. I finished the infrastructure test, and all I had to do was pass the 70-270. Felt like a vacation, in comparison.)