STUDYING: How much is too much ?

I have been study for the last two months each day, on an average of 4 to 8 hours each day to the point where it gets so boring to the point of agonizing reading about bindings, network connections, permissions, and gpo's over and over again.

It is not like reading a good novel, technical reading is not fun when it is done for over 2 months straight. I am in my early 50's my memory is definately not as good as it was when I was younger, definately. My question is, should I let a day or two go by in studying for the MCP, just to give my mind a rest, or should I continue cramming this way, for fear of forgetting the information that I am learning. The question is very important in my case, because I only have 2 or 3 weeks left before the test, and the constant studying is taking its toll.

Thankyou all for your generous, I hope one day I can say on this board " I Passed the 270" . ric

P.S. I would be very interested also in hearing the Studying Routines and STudying habits of how people usually study for this type of technical test

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Daniel333

A little less studying and more lab time will do you a better job. Best of luck!

Slowhand

I completely understand your feelings on marathon-study. I can't sit and read tech-books for hours on end, even if I find the material interesting. It does get tedious, it does get dry, and you do get square eyeballs after a while. One of the biggest challenges for me, when I was getting into the cert-game, was figuring out what study-methods worked best for me.

I tend to take my books with me out and sit in a coffee shop or another comfortable place to read. I'll also bring my reading-material with me when I go out in case I should be inspired, (you never know when you'll have the time and the inclination). Another tactic I use is to change up what I'm reading, maybe grab a book on a particular and relevant topic like a DNS book, a routing book, or whatever else may be on the exam I'm studying. Going off the specific cert-material and doing a little extracurricular reading is not only a nice change of pace, but it can also give you a better perspective on what you're studying. I also enjoy doing video and computer-based training, like CBT Nuggets or TestOut, are options I tend to take with all my certification endeavors and general training.

Hopefully, this will give you some ideas. As Daniel333 mentioned, doing some hands-on work is also a good way to change things up and help you nail down the topics you're reading about. Best of luck with your studies, your XP exam, and your future tests.

susuandme

How and thankyou for replying to my Studying Question.

I use the Sybex Book, there are some labs in there, I guess
what you mean by LABS is trying to simulate or navigate through
the proper sequence of paths, directories, control panel, adminstrative
tasks, setting us shares etc. I suppose this isthe lab part of it.

It is good advice, but I can't find too many labs about the 70-270 exam.
there are just a few in the sybex and passport book, the rest of the study
material I use is Test Questins Samples and Test engines. Where are the good
labs for MCP, can you direct me to some good websites to download them.

thanks, Ric

amp2030

susuandme wrote:

I have been study for the last two months each day, on an average of 4 to 8 hours each day to the point where it gets so boring to the point of agonizing reading about bindings, network connections, permissions, and gpo's over and over again.

I would say by now you should definitely be ready to take the test, especially since you can use MS Second Shot Voucher so there's nothing to lose. I overtrained for 70-270 as well, and then felt bad about the time I could have spent studying more advanced material, had I just tried taking the test earlier.

To each his/her own, but after 2 months averaging 4-8h a day, you are ready.

nel

i think you've answered your own question when youve stated how long and how much you've been studying.

Go for the exam and move on i say.

dynamik

Slowhand wrote:

...and you do get square eyeballs after a while.

Eyeblocks!?

susuandme wrote:

It is good advice, but I can't find too many labs about the 70-270 exam.

Just create your own. Come with a certain scenario and try to satisfy the requirements. For example, if you want to work with permissions, come up with something where there's a few different groups, such as managers, sales, and accounts. Then create user accounts and assign them to those groups. Finally, create some files and folders and assign various NTFS and share permissions and see if it works like you anticipated.

Mishra

Creating your own labs is actually more defining for your studies in my opinion.

Another good way to get labs is go to a site like Experts Exchange and look up questions they asked about the material you are studying. DONT read the answer... Lab it out and see what you come up with.

pennystrader

For the Microsoft exams I used Transcenders which have test questions and very well written answers explaining why the answer is the right answer. Reading a Sybex book is a good way to understand the material but then you need to practice for the actual tests and see how different types of wording can change the whole question around quickly. Remember that Microsoft exams want the best Microsoft answer and that in real life is not always the best answer. You need to think logically but think of what would Microsoft think is the best answer here. I found that Transcenders are harder than the actual exam. Once you understand the Transcenders answers you can walk in and ace the exam. If you need to take a break from reading you could watch a CBT nuggets or Train Signal or Testout as a way to comprehend more. Learning by audio, visual and hands on practice will help you comprehend the material. I would put the textbook away and focus on either watching video or using either VMware Workstation or the free Microsoft Virtual PC or some old physical hardware laying around and install XP and make sure you can stop know several ways to stop and start services, get into the registry, look at your local policies, creating file shares, assigning permissions etc. If you can do these things confidently then you can answer questions regarding this kind of material. Here is the list of objectives you should able to do before going to take your test.
http://www.microsoft.com/learning/en/us/exams/70-270.mspx

Though this link will not help for Windows XP since Microsoft wants us all to upgrade you can try some of their technology out for free by going to the Technet Virtual Labs and getting a feel for the product and working off of a pdf you get when you sign up for the free lab. This gives you hands on practice on some common things you would do with that product. This may help you if you decide to pursue any other Microsoft certifications in the near future.
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/bb467605.aspx

Good luck and ask any of us for help or post if you don't understand something and we can help steer you in the right direction.

Slowhand

Start with the labs at the end of the chapters in your book, they're directly related to what you're reading. The ones in the MS Press book tend to be a little better, in my opinion. Other than that, set yourself up a test machine, maybe using Virtual PC or VMware, and start testing out some things on your own. As you read, download the 180-day trials of Windows XP Pro and possibly even Windows Server 2003, to try out things as you cover them.