Failed, miserably...

kentwindham

I passed 270 and 290 rather easily, with decent scores. I bombed 291 today - scored a 509.

I ended up with a ton of monitoring questions - performance, system, network and their parameters. I'm not up on those, but with that bad of a score that can't be what did me in.

My report shows name resolution (DNS) as my weakest section, that can't be. But whatever, I'll give it another shot in a couple of weeks. It's pretty disheartening to fail that bad.

I've used TestOut extensively to study for this and felt rather confident (I'm never over confident going into these exams).

Wish me luck on my next try.

Is 509 the lowest score you've heard?[/b]

cndshullaw

I'm studying it right now and i can see how you could bomb it. It seems pretty tuff. I am using Learnkey cbt's...I used them for a+ network+ 270 and 290, and that guy is awsome. Check it out. But anyway, better luck next time.

bertieb

Unlucky. I guess thats why they call this one the b***h.

I've not done this one yet, though from what I've read it's definately a hard exam. Take positives from the fact that you've sat the exam and know what to expect, so I'm sure if you go over the material the score report says you are weaker in over the next few weeks, you'll do fine.

You can nail this sucker, good luck!

bighornsheep

I've posted about this before, but I'll restate this fact about 291.

When it comes to DNS for this exam, if you think you kow it, you don't, if you think you're ready, you're probably not, if you think you have studied enough, you probably haven't, if you think you're good to write it this <insert date of week>, you're not ready, if you think you're going to past on the <insert number> time, you probably won't (MAYBE if you're royal, then perhaps only half of the aforementioned will be true) otherwise, I'm probably right and there's more prep to be done, books to be read, practice to be completed.

A rough calculation and recollection off the top of my head, I'd say people pass this exam on average on their 1.75 try; 509 is definitely NOT good, but I don't think it's the lowest I've seen...if your report says DNS is a weak area..I'm assuming the bar is less than half, and in that case, there's no way you could have passed this exam even if you aced everything else.

Go through this webpage like crazy if you want to nail down DNS
http://www.zytrax.com/books/dns/

I really don't mean to be a jerk...but this exam takes a lot of work...and let's just say I've spent my fair share.

Good luck~ And don't forget, you're always welcome to ask questions.

jbaello

bighornsheep wrote:

I've posted about this before, but I'll restate this fact about 291.

When it comes to DNS for this exam, if you think you kow it, you don't, if you think you're ready, you're probably not, if you think you have studied enough, you probably haven't, if you think you're good to write it this <insert date of week>, you're not ready, if you think you're going to past on the <insert number> time, you probably won't (MAYBE if you're royal, then perhaps only half of the aforementioned will be true) otherwise, I'm probably right and there's more prep to be done, books to be read, practice to be completed.

A rough calculation and recollection off the top of my head, I'd say people pass this exam on average on their 1.75 try; 509 is definitely NOT good, but I don't think it's the lowest I've seen...if your report says DNS is a weak area..I'm assuming the bar is less than half, and in that case, there's no way you could have passed this exam even if you aced everything else.

Go through this webpage like crazy if you want to nail down DNS
http://www.zytrax.com/books/dns/

I really don't mean to be a jerk...but this exam takes a lot of work...and let's just say I've spent my fair share.

Good luck~ And don't forget, you're always welcome to ask questions.

There is so much stuff to learn in 70-291, testout is definitely not enough for this, I'm done with testout and currently hammering trainsignal, MS -Press, Sybex and Transcenders, I currently have 3 servers and 2 client now because I thought 2 would be enough, the back of my desk looks like a huge mess of black sphagetti with different wires coming from all over the place haha, I'm not using any virualization.

I have nailed 270 and 290 in less than 3 months, but 291 looks like it will extend me 3 months, well we'll see on the 23rd.

For your score, I really think it's not a bad score, your almost there

jbaello

And make sure you follow and disect Bighornsheep's advise, it is very true hehe.

dstock7337

I too had failed 291 bad when I first took it, so I feel your pain.
I then made the mistake of taking it and studying for it while very ill with sinus and lung infections. Test taking and studying is not good while sick or distracted.
TestOut I found great to give me the foundation to what I needed to know. However, it was lacking a vast amount of detail. Although some may swear by Sybex, I too found that to not be enough. For this, I used Sybex, Exam Cram, Testout, and MSPress.
I state Microsoft Press because that was my last resort to gain as much knowledge as possible for this exam. I read that book word-per-word, cover-to-cover, and only then I was able to pass (plus I wasn't sick anymore).
I also used VMware to setup a test enviroment with one DC server and one workstation (which could be XP or a member server of my mock enviroment). This test enviroment helped me ALOT to practice.
Since I was only a Helpdesk analyst at that time, I didn't have the experience of working with DNS, subnetting, working with DHCP, or really much of anything outside of Desktop Support and reseting passwords.

Once you have this exam down the belt, it'll make it easy to pass 293. (293 is really close, if not identical - I didn't have to study it as I already learned enough from 291). It's also my understanding that if you can't perform the sims within this exam correctly, you probably don't have a good chance on passing. I would suggest either VMware, Microsoft's online labs, Virtual PC (which I think is free), etc.
If you only have Testout, use their sims and get the MSPress book (I think it's like about 30 US dollars on Amazon.com).

I wish you good luck.

wpiersall

After taking the 290 getting over 900 and then the 270 getting 850 something...

Yes a 509 is a failing score but not near as bad as 318. And to get 424 twice then to get a 509 your are close to passing.

Hmmm... how can 509 on be close your asking, right?

From that score without knowing what sections you did well or all about halfway which is most likely the case.

509 meant to me... that I had gotten one of the sims right but still missing questions as well.

The part that sucks is taking the exam again only to get a 657... which means that I had to get at least 2 more STINKING questions right to pass this exam!

Per my instructor and any one else that this exam is one of the hardest that Microsoft has to offer. The next hardest exam that I have been told about is the 299.

318 was after using TestOut... 424 was after using Sybex... 509 was taking a class with an instructor and then picking his brain after more studying. Then the 657...

DON'T Give up!!!!

kentwindham

kentwindham wrote:

I've used TestOut extensively to study for this and felt rather confident (I'm never over confident going into these exams).

Wish me luck on my next try.[/b]

I took the test again about 5 weeks ago and passed, barely, but I passed - with a 700 - EXACTLY!!! I will have to say that the real world experience I've obtained in the last 7 months really helped with this exam. I did not study much more than I did the first time I took it nor did I seek out a different study material, just stuck with what I was using and the website on DNS mentioned in this thread.

This next section has been edited to remove incorrect information (I did not want anyone to read this and be confused so I removed the incorrect information rather than just posting a correction)...
Man, the relief was phenomenal. So now I'm going to move on. I'm probably going to take a little bit odd route to the MCSE. I was going to take the SBS 70-282 exam. The SBS test counts as an elective for the MCSE but it does NOT for the MCSA. I'm taking it to get it on my resume and it will also get the SBS specialist tag for my firm. I haven't decided on an elective for the MCSA, we'll see.
...end of edit.

I really appreciate all the help and encouragement I've received from this forum. Thanks again.

Dracula28

Congrats on the pass.

Magnum2544

THE BEAST

Claymoore

bighornsheep wrote:

I've posted about this before, but I'll restate this fact about 291.

When it comes to DNS for this exam, if you think you kow it, you don't, if you think you're ready, you're probably not, if you think you have studied enough, you probably haven't, if you think you're good to write it this <insert date of week>, you're not ready, if you think you're going to past on the <insert number> time, you probably won't (MAYBE if you're royal, then perhaps only half of the aforementioned will be true) otherwise, I'm probably right and there's more prep to be done, books to be read, practice to be completed.

Ok, I don't mean to start an argument, but there's no reason to over-hype this test any more than this site already has. Seriously, you're starting to scare the kids. It's just a test on Windows networking - not the Gordian Knot. This is a test where, like the job market, experience trumps all. I took this test 2 weeks after I took 290 and scored an 860, but I have 9 years of Windows networking experience (almost 5 with 2003) and a CCNA.

Here is the Audience Profile from the Preparation Guide for Exam 70-291.

The Microsoft Certified Systems Administrator (MCSA) on Windows Server 2003 credential is intended for IT professionals who work in the typically complex computing environment of medium to large companies. An MCSA candidate should have 6 to 12 months of experience administering client and network operating systems in environments that have the following characteristics:

• 250 to 5,000 or more users

• Three or more physical locations

• Three or more domain controllers

• Network services and resources such as messaging, database, file and print, proxy server, firewall, Internet, intranet, remote access, and client computer management

• Connectivity requirements such as connecting branch offices and individual users in remote locations to the corporate network and connecting corporate networks to the Internet

The Audience profile states they expect you to have 6-12 months experience in a Windows networking environment.

kentwindham wrote:

I took the test again about 5 weeks ago and passed, barely, but I passed - with a 700 - EXACTLY!!! I will have to say that the real world experience I've obtained in the last 7 months really helped with this exam. I did not study much more than I did the first time I took it nor did I seek out a different study material, just stuck with what I was using and the website on DNS mentioned in this thread.

Is it any coincidence that Kentwindham passed after gaining 7 months of experience? (Congratulations, btw!) Getting experience with the technology is the best thing you can do to prepare you for the exam. I understand that this may not be possible if you are doing helpdesk work and the windows admins won't share their toys. If that is the case, here is my advice:

1. Do more labs
2. Do the same labs, but intentionally screw up different steps. It's my opinion that you can learn more from breaking and fixing technology than just watching it work perfectly all the time.
3. Download Wireshark and watch PCs request DHCP addresses. Then break DHCP in different ways and watch what happens.
4. Turn on DNS logging and use the log to watch the name resolution process succeed and fail. I like using SMS Trace as a log file viewer (from the SMS Toolkit) to watch the logs live.
5. Learn to Subnet! Be able to do it in your head. Not because you will have 10 questions on subnetting on the exam, but do it so you can read through questions with different IP addresses and subnet masks and not get confused.
6. Read through Royal's 291 Resource sticky post.
7. Troll the 291 board and read other people's problems/solutions.
8. Always remember it's just a test. Sign up for the Second Shot for a free retake as insurance, and don't be afraid - the Beast can smell fear.

JJbiggle

Geeze.. I have to take this test next, and I don't know what to think. I should stop reading these forums and just study.

Pash

this link here:-

http://technet2.microsoft.com/windowsserver/en/library/19a63021-cc53-4ded-a7a3-abaf82e7fb7c1033.mspx?mfr=true

is my main "How DNS works" link. Its a great technet link and always helps refresh me if I feel im getting weak.