Help with DSCE

dallastech

Hey guys,

I just got hired onto a contract position working on Dells. The company told me to get these tests done. The problem I am having is the study material is confusing the hell out of me. I don't even see the E6400 and 6500 in the IFR Material. There is no 2008 Desktop and portables either, its all 2007 still........

Also, What is inside the foundations (Desktop and portables) part? I want to try and get these tests done tomorrow since its open book but i need to find all the material first.....

Required Dell Certs…..

1 Customer Handling Skills
2 Foundation 2008 Desktops
3 Foundation 2008 Portables
4 Portables - Latitude D630 XFR - Certification
5 DSP Client – On-Site Troubleshooting w/Power Tester Certification
6 Portables - Vostro 1310 - Certification
7 Portables - Vostro 1510 - Certification
8 Desktops - ATX V.1 Certification
9 Portables - Latitude E6400 – Certification
10 Portables - Latitude E6500 – Certification
11 Portables - Vostro A840 Acknowledgement (No Test but need to Acknowledge Training Materials in DCSE)

dallastech

I took the customer experience test just now and passed with all questions correct. I got an 80% score....That doesn't make sense....isn't all questions correct 100%

motogpman

Those are a lot of Dell certs to knock out in 1 day, good luck. Are you using the study material from the DCSE website that your employer should have set you up on?

dallastech

They just sent me to the dcse website, I am downloading the Zip files and using them to help on the tests......

I don't have to pass all the tests today, They told me i just need to pass the portables and desktop foundations plus the customer experience, Then i can start doing calls. But have to pass the remaining 9 tests in 15 days.......

dallastech

Damn, i Just got a 58% on the desktop foundations........I know for a fact that i selected one of the wrong boxes on a HDD questions about removal......The wording is a killer if you don't pay attention...........

EXample, Move HDD out and away VS Move HDD away.

grr lol

undomiel

I remember that when I did the exams I had to look back through some of the older materials to find answer. People complain about the CompTIA exams but they're nowhere near as bad as the DCSE ones.

dallastech

Well, I did the portables foundation exam and failed the first time with 78% the second time i passed with 83% out of 80%.........

Is it just me or do they have a strange grading system?

motogpman

I spent 8 years with a comany that did a mjor portion of Dell's service, the first server DCSE tests was like 6-7 tests that covered everything from server config, fiber, clustering, failover, server config, ....blah,blah. It wasn't open book either, so I can relate, however, the newer stuff was open book basically. That original DCSE test was probably one of the hardest I have had to take over the years, mainly since it was given in an "observed" testing environment and non open book.

Does the company you are working for start with a "U"?

dallastech

Yea, I didn't even know this was open book until 3 days ago, i was freaking out cause i had to memorize all this by today.....I've built PC's for awhile now. I've never owned a Dell personally. I prefer building my own over them retail machines. I know i can build and stuff. But the fact that i thought i had to memorize all that scared the crap out of me because i quit my other job coming to this job (this is my first Technician job) So if i don't pass this test I am SOL...Thank God its open book though!!!

motogpman

I am assuming the "yea" is for the question about the company you are working for? If so, PM me, I may be able to give you some insight on the innerworkings for that company.

dallastech

oh, No the company im working for is out of Austin, They do Contract stuff for Benctec......

motogpman

You mean Banctec? If so, the guys that I ran into while in the field here in the Houston/Galveston area didn't have a great reputation. Not trying to slam Banctec, I worked for Unisys ( shy of 8 years), they weren't really anything to brag about either, however the training was invaluable.

I talked to one of the Banctec guys and he said they were paying a flatrate for service calls down here, I think it was $25-$35 per ticket. Not sure if they covered mileage either. That obviously would be good if you can slam a lot of calls out, but it also created an atmosphere of sloppy work, which meant we ( Unisys) would have to do follow ups/cleanup since the customer didn't want their techs back out on site. This at least will be a good starting point for you, so learn as much as you can.

I was at Baker Hughes waiting for entry into the server room to work on a DLT, several years ago, and a Banctec guy came in with his pregnant wife/girlfriend. He obviously didn't know anything about personal hygiene either. This joker actually took her into the room where he worked on the laptop while she sat there looking like someone just pissed in her wheaties! Needless to say, he wasn't asked to come back to that site again. Moral of the story: Make sure that you are professional/presentable/confident, it may lead to a job offer at some point. Attention to detail is key. Be prepared to have any/all types of environments to work in and there are a lot of customers who will look directly over your shoulder while you are working, in time you will get used to it. People seem to be amazed at laptops, so you will probably have to get used to people sitting next to you, just out of curiosity.

I saw that there were a lot of portables on your list as well. I used to use a small, not highly magnatized screw driver set and clear tape. I would not reccomend putting it close to the ic chips while working, it was just easier to have the magnet suck the screw out of the recessed holes. I would place the small screws on the tape, in order or by piece that they were associated with. Small plastic fishing lure box works well too. Bezels/chassis/lcd screen/motherboards, for instance, that way they don't get lost, people do see missing screws on their laptops! DO NOT use an electric screw driver, I have seen many a people damage the plastic using those, which means a return service call and a pissed off customer.

From start to finish, it was like taking apart an M16, disassembly-replacement-BIOS flash-test , could be done in 10-15 minutes. I would suggest asking them if they have any damaged units you can practice with as well before getting in front of a customer.

OK, long winded, but I figured I would try to help ya out. Good luck and keep us posted on your progress.

dallastech

hey! Appreciate the advice!!

The HR person told me i'll be working on mostly laptops. She said the majority of the service calls will take between 15-30 minutes, with an average of 5-10 calls a day. Pay is from 18 a job to 50 dollars a job depending on the mileage.......

I totally hear you on the Hygiene thing! I was a courier contractor for quite awhile and seen some crazy stuff. Guys with shorts down to their butt cracks and hats on backwards........

Its going to be nice to get into a contractor position again, For some reason I just can't stand a J-O-B I guess its the independent mindset.. Up until last week i was Working Retail (Garden Ridge) Ugh, What a crappy place to work!! I guess blowing my engine and forcing me back into a crappy job helped me get into computers! lol......

dallastech

I passed both 2007 Desktop and portable exams today, Woot!! 95% on Portables and 85% on Desktops

motogpman

Excellent job. Yeah, Garden Ridge is obviously going to be a big change, I shop there a lot actually.... I am going to assume that the higher paying calls are meaning that the travel between locations are going to be big.

We had a total idiot who was called and SDC, he basically is the one who pooled the jobs and distributed by geographical location. It wasn not uncommon for one of us to be walking into the building as another one of our guys was walking out. Hopefully this doesn't happen to you. Plan your route easily and Dell is very big on customer feedbakc, hence the above statements. I have gotten awards from them in the past from their customer feedback, so make sure to do a professional job and it will pay off.

When you have a chance, start looking at the server certs as well, I would assume that they pay higher for those calls as well.

josevizcaino915

dallastech wrote: »

I took the customer experience test just now and passed with all questions correct. I got an 80% score....That doesn't make sense....isn't all questions correct 100%

I really need your help. I read in your message that you passed the exam Customer Handling Skills exam Id 802 for the DELL DCSE, could you help me, I am looking for the some study materials or even the answers for the 15 questions. I need them ASAP.

Jose Vizcaino