New to 291 - the beast?

bcairns

Hey all -

Just passed 290 and looking at 291 as my next step.

Just wondering why this is called "The Beast".

sthomas

I think it is called the beast because a lot of people do not pass it on the first try (myself included). It is a difficult exam but it is manageable.

jescab

very difficult but very manageable - study hard for this one.........

bighornsheep

this exam covers alot. I have heard of MCSE from NT 4.0 tell me that its grandfather was "implementing and supporting enterprises".

Just to name a few "difficult" topics, DNS, RRAS (VPN + NAT, and Routing Protocols), IPSec, Server Monitoring, DC & AD structures...

and there are others, like DHCP, Kerberos, IAS, and WSUS which are not necessarily difficult by nature, but become a pain in scenaros....

having taken this exam a couple more than once, I conclude that test was well written by Microsoft, and truly represents what an MCP is all about.

Unless by means of ill-legit studying, one isnt able to pass by ONLY reading.

From my studying, I learnt that this exam is easier to prepare for when you study by topics that build on each other. For example, DNS & AD are like "peas and carrots", study them together, and get a good foundation of Microsoft's way of enterprise networks. Then build on that your DHCP concepts, and then RRAS, IAS, WSUS, and etc...

I hope this helps...I dont consider myself an expert, but I certainly can give you advice as to what you could try and do to prepare, as well share what didnt work for me.. good luck~

Slowhand

This is a difficult exam, considered by most to be the most difficult in the entire MCSE 2003 track. The reason it's called "The Beast" is a throwback to the infrastructure exam from the 2000 exams, which I believe was 70-216. That exam covered all infrastructure topics, whereas the new exams have split it up into 70-291 and 70-293. The reason 70-291 is called the new "Beast" is because most people hit infrastructure topics for the first time in this exam, usually because they do this exam before 70-293, and most of the topics overlap. This is one exam you really want to get a lot of studying in on, a lot of hands-on experience, and you really want to be sure you've covered everything before you sit for the exam.

It's not an impossible exam, just a great deal more difficult than 70-270 and 70-290, so a lot of people are caught off-guard. Don't let it intimidate you, but don't underestimate it, either. Give yourself plenty of time, make sure you understand DNS, RRAS, the initial AD concepts, and subnetting. There is also some security concepts, like security templates, that you need to know. Make sure you understand each topic before you move on to the next, there won't be as much wiggle room as there was with 70-290, where you can "understand the basics" and still be able to understand the questions.

I used the following prep materials, passing on my second attempt:

MS Press Book
TestOut
CBT Nuggets
A home lab with three Windows 2003 Server boxes, setting up the scenarios from the MS Press book.

I spent six weeks, total, preparing for the exam. I sat for the first test at the end of the fourth week, thinking I was ready, and I scored in the high 500's. My second attempt was two weeks later, and I scored nearly 800. Suffice it to say, I spent some serious hours studying in those two weeks, not to mention countless hours reading and practicing with the TestOut and the home lab the four weeks before. Study hard, cover everything with a fine-toothed comb, and you'll knock this test out before you know it.

Philippatos

I passed 291 this afternoon with a 760 to complete my MCSA. Can't say about MCSE track (yet) but it's definitely the hardest in MCSA track, IMVHO. I see know why some people do MCSA/MCSE 2000 and then the 2003 upgrade exams instead: just to avoid THE BEAST.

bighornsheep

Philippatos wrote:

I see know why some people do MCSA/MCSE 2000 and then the 2003 upgrade exams instead: just to avoid THE BEAST.

that's also the exact reason why the beat is THE BEAST. There are many threads about the difficulty of 292, it might actually be easier for people to take 290/291 combination instead.

Many believe they can avoid it, but the truth is, whatever doesnt kill you, just makes you stronger!

congrats on the pass!

Philippatos

Yeah, I've heard that about the upgrade exams recently anyway. Didn't seem to be the case in the beginning though. Maybe they made them harder? I know they replaced all the SUS questions with WSUS questions in 291, so i'm pretty sure they've done some revising.

Thanks BTW, I'm very glad to have this one behind me.

Orion82698

Congrats on the pass!!!