70-271 vs. 70-270

Tech109

Has anyone taken both 70-270 and 70-271?

I was preparing for 70-271 until my boss told me that upper management values the MCDST certification for people in my position.

Now that I'm studying for 70-271, it seems that it is similar, but much less in-depth, for example, in what level of detail you need to know regarding installation and startup issues.

Deen54

70-271 and 70-272 qualifies for MCDST

70-271- you need to know how to support end users. eg..xp windows requirements, installation

from upgrade to unattended, network connectivity, folder permissons, printer issues, disk

management etc.


i write the exam next week so I have studied everything relating from a clients point of
view.

pcpro215

I just passed my 272. M$ will ask you alot of questions on how to get to various tabs, from other tabs. They will also ask you how to open various file extensions, and what programs to open them with.

Tech109

...Deen, I know that 70-271 and 70-272 are for MCDST, but thanks for the attempt at an answer.


pcpro215 - what study resources did you use? The practice exams I've been using do not have many questions regarding which tabs to select, etc.

Alot of the demo exams I've found seem to be similar, and I can get the answers right. Just not sure if they are representative of the types of questions on the actual exam.

Nishesh.Prasad

hey tech109 .... i wud agree with u, 270 is more complex a paper than 271 by far. Myself, i had started 270 as my first attempt on certs & MS for that matter. I took me quite a while to hook up to it .... but things changed after i passed it & next came 271 coz i found it more Easier to cope with. used CBT Nuggets & MSPRESS which i wud consider to be more than enough. Gud luck !

Tech109

Thanks, I will consider the CBT Nuggest - lots of people seem to recommend them. I'm also studying various test questions and the Sybex book and its questions.

RobertKaucher

Tech109,

It seems that the root of your question is really about which exam you should take. Of course you have good reason to get the MCDST certification, your boss told you it is valued. But I would first consider the following:

1. What does this mean for your carear? A raise? How large of a raise?

2. Is the company paying for the certification?

3. What is your carear goal for the next three years? What sort of position do you want to be in?

If you are in a helpdesk position and you simply want to progress to a higher tier, the MCDST may be the way to go. But the two exams will cost you $250.00 total. What will the investment in time and money get you? If you want to progress to a Network Admin position within the next few years then I would expect a return on investment in the next year from the MCDST, because it may be of little value once you begin searching for a new position (except for the fact that it will count as an elective for the MCSA). Assuming you work a 40 hr week an extra .25 per hour will only get you about $520 per year. That means 6 months to recupe just the exam fees. What about books and other study material? Any time someone starts discussing which exam to take I always urge them to consider the money. That is what it is about in the end, right?

If you are taking the exam to learn and prove your knowledge, go with the 270 and follow the MCSA track. You will learn more and become more marketable. If you will gain some benefit at your current job from the MCDST, go for it. The exam is easier. I passed 271 in the mid 900s. I passed my 270 in the high 800s. Lots of questions that went into a high degree of detail about installation and troubleshooting. Permissions and security were also big. The 271 was mostly troubleshooting configuration issues (network config, desktop, etc).