Advice for during the exam itself?

It has been almost 7 years since I took my last MCSE exam, the 70-216 (barely failed), Im back at it. I've been working with this stuff for about a year, as my company manages networks for companies to small to warrant their own IT staff, so I'm going in that I've worked with this stuff for a change. I'm nervous as heck as my employer is paying for this and I'd like to impress them the first time around.

I'm taking the 290 tomorrow and I was wondering it there was some last minute advice for actually sitting the exam such as looking for trick questions / answers, or sketching folder structures out to figure out permissions? Are the real exam questions "real life" situations or the oddball stuff that no one really uses but MS "thinks" that you should know? I'm banging around 60% on practice exams, which way back when I was taking my NT exams, were harder than the real one. So here's hoping that I've prepped enough.

Sincerely,
Brian Fink, MCSE (NT)

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Comments

amp2030

I found the questions on this exam really straightforward (as opposed to the 70-270, for example). Just the usual expected stuff - permissions, backup (lots of questions on this in my case), shares, groups...

Since you already have the NT exams, my only advice would be to concentrate on the main differences between NT and 2003 (universal groups, etc) , since the basics are likely the same.

Best of luck, let us know how it went.

Mikdilly

They seem to like testing on backups, as in different types and how to restore from. Also had one question that was almost word for word from the back section of the mspress book for 290 'Preparing for the Exam'. Thought the sims were tricky as the wording was confusing as to what they were asking you to accomplish.

hustlin_moe20

I just took 70-290 today and found that there were a lot of questions on back-up types and how to restore them. Also, there were 5 sims and they were all based on permissions and groups.

mrhaun03

hustlin_moe20 wrote:

I just took 70-290 today and found that there were a lot of questions on back-up types and how to restore them. Also, there were 5 sims and they were all based on permissions and groups.

Sooo I'm guessin that's a pass? Congrats if it is.

I'm hoping to sit the exam before december and do 291 soon after.

brian_d_fink

Sorry it took so long to reply but a few hours after the exam, I was on the highway from Boston to Cincinnati for Thanksgiving. I want to thank everyone, passed with a 780. Once I sat down and took the "planets" exam, I found myself back in an exam frame of mind.

The exam was relatively straight-forward without some of the goofy questions that I recall on my NT exams about things that you might encounter once in your IT career. The questions were all pretty reasonable and things that you might encounter on a regular basis. I would say that 40% of my exam was on troubleshooting, such as "look at the event log" type of questions (which I scored 100% on). The five or so simulation questions were primarily on permissions, which was my weak point.

The exam center was pretty nice, but the new rules, such as no watches was new to me.

I guess Ill be scheduling the 291 for the end of December, if that is the best next exam to take?

Brian

Mikdilly

Congratulations on your pass, got the same score.
Screwed up one of the sims as it let me add a group but wouldn't let me delete it after realizing should have changed existing one.
Also changed an answer that I had right.

Bulletz

Hi guys

I will be taking 70-290 next month and this will be my first microsoft exam,
so is it adviceble for me to take 70-290 or is a must that you always have to start with 20-270,
looking at me side that an A+ and N+ cert.

stlsmoore

Bulletz wrote:

Hi guys

I will be taking 70-290 next month and this will be my first microsoft exam,
so is it adviceble for me to take 70-290 or is a must that you always have to start with 20-270,
looking at me side that an A+ and N+ cert.

If you already started studying for the 70-290 I would suggest taking this exam first then moving to 70-270 or vice versa. I say this because there's a lot of overlap between the two. I would def. knock 270 & 290 out first before moving to the higher exams.