Passed 70-270, my story of death and rebirth(lulz).

KGhaleon · June 2008

So I scheduled my test today on June 1st. I had wanted to do it saturday for the second shot deal, but all the openings disappeared when I went to set up an appointment. <_<

I ended up just using my MSPress books 15% off voucher, which was the best choice. I was going to have my roommate take me to the testing center since I didn't have a car, but he up and disappeared two days ago and just said something about a business trip. He apparently is working on some software for the iPhone.

I walked an hour to the busstop today, then took two buses across town to Fox hills, california. I ended up near "The bridge," which is a popular theatre with some other major stores and restaurants next to it. I had an hour and a half before the exam so I decided to find it first, then go eat something so my brain can process data a bit easier. I ended up walking for quite a while and completely missed the building several times...it ended up being right across from the theatre.

While walking past an intersection I heard a loud noise and noticed four birds fighting in the middle of traffic. There was a raven beating down on a tiny bird, while two other small birds attempted to save it. It was sad watching the tiny bird try to escape only to get knocked down, and I couldn't reach it in time. The raven tore the little bird apart.

I can only hope a car ran over the raven afterwards.

After seeing that, my hopes for a successful pass sunk and I wondered if I would face the same fate. <_<

After eating a sandwich with a glass of orange juice, I glancing over some notes and then proceeded to the testing center. It was quite small and the computers looked like old pentiums. I sat down and took a deep breath before pressing the start button.

I ran into a number of questions I wasn't sure about, but I tried my best to sort through the answers logically. Got a lot of questions about modems, IIS, IE, etc. I even got a proxy-related one which was weird. After taking the CCNA in 2006, this was hardly enough to intimidate me and I barely broke a sweat. Though I did take my shoes off halfway through since my feet were getting sweaty.

(hopefully they even had cameras under the desk, to see my amazing socks)

I passed, 778/1000. Not the best score, but it's better than failing. It wasn't a cakeway but it was much easier than I imagined it being. The MSPress Measureup exams were harder and the MSPress books cover most of the content. I highly recommend them.

I haven't passed a certification exam since 2005, so this was a good day for me. It reminded me of how good you feel being rewarded for your hard work.

I'm starting on my 70-290 this week.

ladiesman217 · June 2008

congrats kg!

AmpdChaos · June 2008

congrats KG... im taking mine next saturday... what do you recommend me focusing on?

KGhaleon · June 2008

Just study all the objectives, because they will throw a bit of everything at you and the questions/topics will likely be different. You really need to know the material to pass...you can't wing this test with a couple days of study.

Aside from the technotes here, also check these out:

(Life of an administrator)
http://www.microsoft.com/WindowsServer2003/evaluation/demos/sims/dayinlife/viewer.htm

(open with Internet explorer)
http://onlinetraining.goodwillsocal.org/files/frameset.html

I highly recommend studying the entire MSPress book and going through the Measureup CD that it comes with.

AmpdChaos · June 2008

Thanks for the info.. this is actually my secondshot ive been studying for a month straight now... hopefully i will pass this time.. first time i got 610 which was pretty good for me because i didnt cram for it... i just took it after a class i took at school.

KGhaleon · June 2008

Oh, not bad. I've been studying on and off since last year. I just couldn't find time to take it. I still didn't feel ready when I went in, so I was relieved to pass. Some questions are big with several paragraphs and even diagrams/pictures. Others are short and simple. Just read the books, thoroughly...and take notes.

I have over 20 pages of handwritten notes.