Slaying the Beast - The After Effect

vsmith3rd

Some 7 weeks ago, after a long and protracted battle, I slayed the Beast. I thought, with this behemoth down, I was done with its torturing and tormenting me. I thought, with this obstacle overcome, the world would fall before me. I was wrong. Even in death, the Beast haunts me. His image, his very smell, permeates me. I can't seem to get geared up to study for the 293 or CCNA. Its as if the mental exhaustion is...too great. The motivation...sapped, my energies...drained. I must first rest...then partake in the Elixar of Life to re-energize me.

"Gulp"

Ahhhh. I feel the energy...returning, my strength....growing, my motivation...soaring ever higher. I feel...ready. No, I feel...READY! Ready to now tackle the Beast Jr. Ready to conquer the CCNA. Ready to toil over the rebuild of my lab. Ready to vanquish whatever else dares to stand between me and immortality (or at least another cert). So stand aside Microsoft Press, move over Test-Out, stand down Transcender, begone Cisco Press. There's a new sheriff in town, and he's ready to tackle the world. HA HA HA HAAAH.

(raising my sword...er...pen) Certifications...Hoooooooooo (riding off into the sunset).

undomiel

No more Monster drinks for you this early in the morning.

Good luck!

bertieb

undomiel wrote:

No more Monster drinks for you this early in the morning.

Good luck!

Yes, that was quite a post. If thats the result of taking on the beast I'm not sure I want to take the exam myself

Good luck though

scheistermeister

These kinds of posts have made me curious. How hard is this test really? I mean is it like on par with say a Cisco Professional level exam? What makes it hard?

LarryDaMan

This beast you speak of...

How does the general difficulty rate with other so called monsters (single exams) such as the CISSP... ?

The beast sure has a reputation...

vsmith3rd

Honestly, I must say that the reputation of the exam exceeds the actual difficulty. It's not exactly a breeze though. Just look at the failure rate for first time takers. I heard somewhere that it was greater than 50%. When you consider that this is almost never the first exam taking in pursuit of certs, factoring that the test takers, by the time they've taken the 291, have a feel for Microsoft and there long winded questions, but still it has a high failure rate, then I'd say its no slouch.

This post was primarily for entertainment purposes. I regret if my post has created any additional anxiety for those preparing for it. I thought I'd just add to its legend, as it indeed has a legend.

With that said, there is also some truth to my post, and some truth to its legend. After taking this, I was burned out. As hard as I tried, I couldn't gear up for the 293/CCNA. For some reason, I woke up really motivated today, and have cracked the book open, but with purpose this time. Seven weeks later, I'm ready again. I just got a little dramatic with it.

In summary though, let me say this to naysayers and ne'erdowells...

Beware the widow maker, the stealer of mighty men, the collector of souls. Beware...The Beast.

Moohahahahaaaa.

undomiel

dynamik

scheistermeister wrote:

These kinds of posts have made me curious. How hard is this test really? I mean is it like on par with say a Cisco Professional level exam? What makes it hard?

I just spent about an hour going through the BSCI self-study book because I was bored, and I'm going to say BSCI would require about 1.5-2 times the effort to prepare for when compared to 291.

It's difficult because previous MS exams don't really focus beyond networking basics, and with 291, you're looking inside packets with network monitor, subnetting, etc. You also have to deal with RRAS, DNS, DHCP, security, etc. It's just a lot of information to pack into one exam.

I'm pretty sure the CISSP would blow 291 out of the water. 291 is typically the most difficult exam someone takes up to that point (unless they've done some other high-level certs previously), which is probably why it's gotten a reputation of being so difficult.

Congrats to the OP!

bertieb

vsmith3rd wrote:

This post was primarily for entertainment purposes. I regret if my post has created any additional anxiety for those preparing for it. I thought I'd just add to its legend, as it indeed has a legend.

Hehe. Don't worry, that's the way I took it, I'll create enough anxiety of my own with no room for anyone else adding more on top Seriously though, I don't get too anxious, I mean, it's not as if it'll kill me is it? (Unless the Prometric exam crashes then I'm likely to smash the computer and I could be electrocuted I suppose )

Good luck with the 293 and CCNA, I'll be rooting for you

NetAdmin2436

vsmith3rd,
How many movie agents have contacted you today? Because I can definitely see you narrating the next 291 movie.

Wow, 50% of the people fail? I guess, I don't doubt that number. It would be interesting to see actual numbers. After narrowly escaping the 291 I too had to take a few weeks off and try and regain some confidence and self pride.

snadam

scheistermeister wrote:

These kinds of posts have made me curious. How hard is this test really? I mean is it like on par with say a Cisco Professional level exam? What makes it hard?

Let me put it this way: After I slayed the beast, they put a big monument in the village square in honor of my accomplishment

no its not that hard, and I didnt get that monument after all . As long as you study and know the covered material you should be fine. There are PLENTY of posts about how much you should cover each topic. follow those guidelines and you will be fine.

vsmith3rd

snadam wrote:

As long as you study and know the covered material you should be fine. There are PLENTY of posts about how much you should cover each topic. follow those guidelines and you will be fine.

Snadam pretty much summed it up. You put the work in, efficiently, and you'll be fine. But you just have to put work in.

Thanks NetAdmin2436. Its like I started typing, and I just got a little carried away. I think the legend is fun. Especially from the perspective of those who've yet to sit this one. It adds to the mystique.

TechJunky

I hear this beast takes womens young just for fun! It looks sweet and innocent and then lunges out at you like a wild animal and leaves you bearly hanging onto your life.

On that note I think I am going to challange this beast in a few days.

NetAdmin2436

Let's be serious here guys, this is what we are dealing with.

scheistermeister

NetAdmin2436 wrote:

Let's be serious here guys, this is what we are dealing with.

Pft... Come get some...

NetAdmin2436

RUN AWAY!

aordal

haha... You guys are all nerds.

scheistermeister

aordal wrote:

haha... You guys are all nerds.

Pot, Kettle, Black...