Transcender 70-284 Prep Exam and failed

jaebsf

I've been studying for this test for about a month now and I've been using Transcenders. Now I'm not faulting Transcenders entirely. I understand that it is my responsibility to know the material. However, I did want to note that perhaps I was overly confident based on the scores I was getting in in the Transcenders exam. I have consistently been getting high 90%'s (and often 100%)in the Transcenders and thought this would bode well for the actual test.

Well I took the test today and failed (525 and I needed at least 700). Good thing Transcenders offers a "Pass the first time guarantee".

I was generally impressed with Transcenders while I was using it. But it could not have been more irrelevant once I sat for the real thing.

Anyone else here have a similar experience with Transcenders? More importantly, does anyone here have any experience with competitive products that have been highly relevant to the actual test?

The lesson I learned here was not to be dependant upon once source. I hope.

Anyway...back to the books..the real books. I'll try again next week.

I'd appreciate any feedback or helpful information. Thanks!

rlebah

How did you prepare for the test?

Depending on the familiarity of the subject

1. Cbt
2. Review the written material
3. Take a practice quiz to identify your weakness
4. Review the weak points via study notes, review steps 1 and/or 2
5. Work all the information in through a virtual lab
6. Prepare by Transcender or Exam Force, Measure Up etc.

I have not prepared for 70-284 but have used Transcender in the past. For Transcender, You knew the right answers but how well were you at explaining why the other choices were incorrect?

I used Transcender, Exam Force, Test Out and Measure Up along with Cbt Nuggets, Learn Key, Sybex and MS Press.

Each has there pro/cons. I find that Transender has the best explanations for solutions and on par or harder than the actual exam.

HeroPsycho

Passing Transcenders isn't enough. You need to be able to score 100% consistently, AND you must know the answer not because you memorized it, but that you completely understand the right answer.

jaebsf

I must admit that I invested to much confidence in Trancenders to assess where I was at. However, it was by no means the only study tool I'm using.

Any information on experiences with similary and other tools would be appreciated.

Thanks!

sprkymrk

Hi jaebsf, sorry to hear you didn't pass, but now you know what you're up against so next time will be the charm.

I have heard good things about the MS Press book for this, but I haven't used it myself.

BTW - Take a look here and see if it is relevent to your situation:
http://www.techexams.net/forums/viewtopic.php?t=27669

Slowhand wrote:

It's rough to fail an exam, it makes you feel like someone just pushed you into traffic. Still, don't get too discouraged, you'll pass it once you've gotten some more experience with the general Windows Server concepts. You're definitely right about doing 70-290 and 70-291 first. According to the 70-284 MCP site, you need to have some prerequisite skills:

Microsoft wrote:

Audience Profile
The Microsoft Certified Systems Administrator (MCSA) and Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE) on Microsoft Windows Server 2003 credentials are designed for IT professionals who work in the typically complex computing environment of medium to large companies.

A candidate for this exam should have at least one year of experience implementing and managing an Exchange messaging system in environments that have the following characteristics:

• 250 to 5,000 or more users

• Three or more physical locations

• Network services and resources such as multiple versions of Exchange Server, Active Directory, proxy server, firewall, other messaging systems, DNS, Internet, intranet, and mobile client computers

• Three or more domain controllers

• Two or more Exchange Server computers

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

Judging by that, it looks like the other two are a good way to get some of the skills mentioned. Having passed the 70-290, you'll know the Server 2003 operating system inside and out. Passing the 70-291 gets you the knowledge of those "three or more domain controllers" and other things they talk about, like DNS and the infrastructure concepts needed to really know how Exchange fits into the environment.

Let us know how the tests go, what you decide to do. And, of course, I wish you the best of luck (and the best coffee you can find,) for your tests and your studies.

HeroPsycho

http://www.netfresco.com/cert/70-284/