About to take 70-290...just looking for some reassurance

hey all, I'll be taking 70-290 in about 6 weeks or so. I'm trying to get MCSA on the way to MCSE. to understand my dilemma, I have to explain my background first so here goes. I've been in IT for about 7 years now which sounds like a lot but since I wasn't an enthusiast to begin with, it really isn't. I learned everything from scratch. I worked for about 3.5 years as a desktop support/lan tech then moved onto my current position (been here 3.25 years) as a Network Admin for a small Arch/Eng firm. I have a fair amount of experience with AD and server 2k3 b ut I'm a little worried about this test. the XP test was easy. I passed that about 4 years ago and have been complacent ever since. I know I've lost alot of time but better late than never right? So without going into too much detail, can anyone give me an idea of what to expect? I've been using the exam cram book and the practice questions provided but I haven't experienced any of the sims yet. I'm obviously worried most about the sims. Can anyone give me some tips without divulging too much info?

thanks and sorry this turned out to be a bit of an intro post.

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Comments

Slowhand

Well, it sounds like you're in a pretty good position to pass the exam. You've got plenty of hands-on experience, so some things will be easier to study for. What I'd recommend is for you to pick up a copy of the MS Press book, (which comes with a 180-day trial of Server 2003, in case you don't have ready access to the software,) and set yourself up at least two machines you can do some labs on. If you don't have access to the hardware, I'd suggest setting up a couple of Virtual PC or VMWare installs, and running through the suggested hands-on practice labs at the end of each chapter in the MS Press book.

And, since you mentioned that you're planning on taking your MCSE, MS Press also has a box set of all four of the core MCSE exams (70-290, 70-291, 70-293, and 70-294,) which gives a little bit of a price-break over buying all the books seperately. As mentioned in a various threads about all kinds of certs, having more then one study resource is key to passing an exam, so picking up at least one more book (or something like CBT Nuggets or TestOut) should definitely be in your immediate future.

Gundamtdk

I advised against using the Microsoft Books. I have the box set and I found the material unhelpful.

I recommend the following materials:

-CBT Nuggets
-VMWare to setup a virtual lab
-Testing software - I find that Microsoft exam may go against your practical experience.

jbaello

Gundamtdk wrote:

I advised against using the Microsoft Books. I have the box set and I found the material unhelpful.

I recommend the following materials:

-CBT Nuggets
-VMWare to setup a virtual lab
-Testing software - I find that Microsoft exam may go against your practical experience.

This books become a very useful reference for granular informations. To add them to your list will definitely be a very useful one.

dynamik

290 is essentially the server version of 270. You're not going to be dealing with anything too complex. There's a lot of overlap between users, groups, performance monitor, etc. With your experience and six weeks to review, I'm sure you'll do fine.

I've actually liked the MS Press books for the exams I've done, but I would encourage you to supplement them with another resource. Practice tests (such as Transcender), a Virtual lab, and CBT Nuggets are all excellent advice.

Don't feel bad about postponing your MSCE. I originally purchased the Transcender MCSE pack in 2004, and I'm just getting around to using it now.

Vogon Poet

The sims are the easiest part of the test (assuming you've practiced using server 2003).
Follow along with the books, know the objectives, take a few practice tests and you're there.
(Oh yeah, practice the topics on a practice server)

michael_knight

You kind of sound like me, except that I don't have experience working with Servers. I've been studying for over a 2 months now, and I think that I'm more nervous than anything so I may just take it. I need to hurry up and get my mcse so I can go back to concentrating on the Cisco track

94jedi

thanks very much guys. I appreciate all the responses. I've registered for that "second shot" voucher so that might take a little pressure off of me. I guess I'm worried because I haven't take a test in so long I've almost forgotten what it's like to be in "The Zone". I remember I used to be able to study for about a month and pass a test easily. I'm definitely going to be setting up a practice vlab. Unfortunately, in the real world, you can only get so much experience. My company is fairly small so once I set something up and have it working, that's it, it's done. I usually don't touch it for a long time unless there's a problem. I don't get the chance to really "practice" anything so a vlab will definitely help out a lot.

So the transcenders are typically the best practice tests? I've used them in the past along with CBT nugget vids but all that stuff was for win 2k mcse so it's outdated now.

thanks again guys.

94jedi

michael_knight wrote:

You kind of sound like me, except that I don't have experience working with Servers. I've been studying for over a 2 months now, and I think that I'm more nervous than anything so I may just take it. I need to hurry up and get my mcse so I can go back to concentrating on the Cisco track

the cisco track is definitely the next step for me. I just want to get MCSA out of the way so I can fully concentrate on ccna, then come back to mcse. I figure with mcsa and ccna then maybe linux+ and sec+ I'll have a well rounded arsenal of certs. After that, the mcse with sec+ is just icing on the cake.