MCP or MSCA or MSCE?

abcluke

Hi All, I am studying for Network+ and hope to take and pass it in a month. I have A+ too.

Now I would want to get a MS certification after, not sure which one to go for though? I heard the MSCA, i can use electives from network+ and A+.

Which do you recommened?
Any comments or suggestions would be very helpful!

mikiemov

Yep I think that exam can count towards MCSA. Personally I'd shoot for MCSA and then once you have it..consider MCSE..after all its only 3 more exams...

Ghent

From my understanding of MS exams, you should obtain all 3 on the way to MCSE. MCP means you've passed one MS exam, then they give you MCSA after a couple more, and then finally after several of them your MCSE. So if your heading down the Microsoft path, just set MCSE as your goal, and consider the other 2 as rewards along the way.

ajs1976

You get an MCP if you pass any MS exam. Sometimes there are exams that don't, but I think all the current exams do.

The A+ & Net+ will count as an elective for the MCSA, but not the MCSE.

If you are following the 2003 track you will obtain the MCSA on your way to the MCSE.

If you are following the 200 track, depending on the exams you pick, you can get the MCSA on the way to MCSE.

take a look at www.microsoft.com/traincert

abcluke

cool, thanks for the advise, will aim for MCSA using electives, but will be aiming for the MCSE.

If I pass my network+ soon, do you think this would be a good buy to start me off towards my MCSE:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0735619530/qid=1074350584/sr=2-2/ref=sr_2_11_2/202-2325032-6215067

any further suggestions will be grateful

janmike

A+ & Network+ can be used in MCSA to substitute for 70-216. However, for MCSE you'll still have to pass 70-216. The CompTIA certs won't substitute on that one. But, if you want to get a quicker MCSA, then the CompTIA substitutes will do the job. Then you can worry about 70-216 as you head towards MCSE. But, CompTIA Security+ will substitute for one of the 2 required MCSE electives.

Hope this helps. Best of luck to you.

abcluke

Is that selection of books any good though, does anyone know?

janmike

Some folks like the M$ Press books and some don't. Personally, I really like what I've seen and read so far--I feel that I gotten real benefit. Of course, I'm just in the beginning stages of 70-210.

I've read some reviews and personal statements that complain that the M$ Press books are too detailed. Some have complained that some of them don't cover all the material in the exams. My advice, and what I will do, study the M$ Press books and supplement those with at least one additional study guide to be sure that you're covered. I am sure that no study guide is absolutely complete, so if you do extra study you may just get a bit of extra edge that will allow you to correctly answer a couple of exam questions that will give you a cert and not a re-exam.

Also, the M$ Press books are designed to be studied by working examples in an actual network environment, so you should have a couple of PCs networked together in order to get the most benefit from the books.

That's my opinion, but I'm so far limited on depth in the M$ Press area.

Best of luck on your decision.

Pavlov

I liked the MS Press books - I also got a few of the corresponding Readiness Review books by MS Press as well. They made for a nice variation of practice questions for me. There's just so many times that you can take the Transcender exams before you've simply memorized which is the right answer