Start with os exam or networking exam?

jscimeca715

Hey guys, what's your opinion should I start my MCSE track with a hardware exam such as 70-620 or 70-270 or dive right into the 70-290's? I have working knowledge of both types but wanted to get some opinions. Thanks!

dynamik

Doesn't matter. I think 270 and 290 are interchangeable. I actually did 290 first. 620 is by far the easiest of the group, and I felt it was geared more towards home use than business use. It might be a good way to get acclimated to MS exams if you haven't taken one before.

Magnum2544

I would suggest knocking out 270 or 620 as that is your client exam then start with 290 and move right down the line 290, 291, 293, 294, 297/298, then last elective

(That's just what I did, I'm sure many people take different tracks but it was very easy that way for me)

How ever you do it, good luck!

undomiel

I'll agree with dynamik here, I found the 270 & 290 to be rather interchangeable. The 290 just adds some basic Active Directory concepts and procedures on top of all of the knowledge from the 270. I personally thought it was a bit easier especially since it had simulations on it. There are no sims on the 270 it is purely slogging through multiple choice questions. They are both a good introduction to the difficulty level and style of question for Microsoft exams. So starting off with either the 270 or 290 would be my recommendation and then just move up through the line from there. Maybe after you have done the 270 & 290 it would be a good idea for a break to fill out your elective. I would personally recommend the Security+ because it gets you an additional certification and gives you a good grounding in basic security concepts and procedures.

NetAdmin2436

If you have both client and server experience....then yeah, you can flip a coin. Heads, 70-270...tails, 70-270. I did my 70-290 first, then 70-270. But i agree with the dynamic one and Undomiel and they are basically the same as far as difficulty. Can't go wrong with Security+ as well, that's what I did.

Slowhand

I began with 70-290, and it's not a bad way to go. Regardless of which you pick, though, I'd recommend doing 70-620 instead of 70-270, simply because the Vista exam counts towards the MCSA/MCSE track and MCITP: Enterprise Administrator, whereas the XP exam counts only towards MCSA/MCSE. That, and the fact that you get the MCTS for the Vista exam, as well.

jscimeca715

Okay, here's my plan: 70-620 ( I use Vista at work so it can't be too hard), 70-290, then Security+. After that...the rest of the core. Thanks for the help guys.

mand0

jscimeca715 wrote:

Okay, here's my plan: 70-620 ( I use Vista at work so it can't be too hard), 70-290, then Security+. After that...the rest of the core. Thanks for the help guys.

I like this, seems like a good approach for me too. Thanks everyone.

HeroPsycho

Yeah, don't do 70-270. 70-620 qualifies for your client exam for both MCSE and MCITP: Enterprise Administrator, so you'd kill two birds with one stone with that exam.