Scheduled to fight the Beast tomorrow!!

aquageek

Well I'm just going through the book for the second time and making notes, then I'm gonna watch some nuggets and do some practice tests, make some flash cards and brush up on weak areas. I don't have it scheduled yet but I think I'll be ready on or around Fri March 27th - so pretty close to when you're gonna take it. Should schedule it for the same day, Ha!

CCNA eh? I might hit you up for some help with subnetting in the next couple of weeks then!

genXrcist

Well, I picked the 31st to give me that last weekend to really review the material but I suppose I could take it on the 27th. If I feel ready I'll reschedule!

Anytime! Subnetting is a difficult concept to really learn but once you understand the why it makes a whole lot more sense.

aquageek

How's the studying going, gen?

genXrcist

aquageek wrote: »

How's the studying going, gen?

Hey Aquageek!

Things are going well, in fact I just finished the Sybex book tonight! Tomorrow night I will time watching some of the CBT nugget videos and Saturday/Sunday will be spent in large part going over DNS/DHCP/RAS and somewhat IPSec. Sunday evening I am going to take my Transcender test and if it goes well, I'm going to try and reschedule my exam for next week instead of March 31st. It all depends on if the guys at the testing center can get me in though as according to the schedule there are 0 openings for the rest of March.

I feel I will be ready by next Tuesday to pass but even if I don't, 2nd shot to the rescue!! Since I have the CCNA, the Subnetting/Routing sections have been easy. DNS is diffifcult but not impossible and DHCP/RAS are pretty simple imho. IPSec on the other hand...i dunno, something about it just seems hard to me. Maybe cuz I find it so boring. Not good since I plan on taking the Security+ someday! Lol

Thanks for holding me accountable, how are things going for you?

aquageek

genXrcist wrote: »

Hey Aquageek!

Things are going well, in fact I just finished the Sybex book tonight! Tomorrow night I will time watching some of the CBT nugget videos and Saturday/Sunday will be spent in large part going over DNS/DHCP/RAS and somewhat IPSec. Sunday evening I am going to take my Transcender test and if it goes well, I'm going to try and reschedule my exam for next week instead of March 31st. It all depends on if the guys at the testing center can get me in though as according to the schedule there are 0 openings for the rest of March.

I feel I will be ready by next Tuesday to pass but even if I don't, 2nd shot to the rescue!! Since I have the CCNA, the Subnetting/Routing sections have been easy. DNS is diffifcult but not impossible and DHCP/RAS are pretty simple imho. IPSec on the other hand...i dunno, something about it just seems hard to me. Maybe cuz I find it so boring. Not good since I plan on taking the Security+ someday! Lol

Thanks for holding me accountable, how are things going for you?

Hey dude,

Glad to hear you're making progress. Things are going pretty well for me. I've nearly finished my second pass through the MSPress book, making notes this time. Everything made much more sense this time round! I started using Testout material and so far it's been great. Really helped clarify some of the DNS material. I find DHCP realtively straight forward too. RAS I'm not too hot about - the first matching policy and the conditions etc etc. I'm definitely going to work on that some more - hopefully the test out will clear things up too. Also IPSec is tricky for me too!

So today I'll finish up the last two chapters in MSPress and next week I'll be using TestOut, making some flash cards, doing practice exams and then polishing up on weak areas. I'm still aiming for Friday next week.

Good luck for Tuesday if you get a chance to take it then!

Big Jizay

Hey Gen and Aqua,

Nice to see you guys still at it . Sounds like you two are on the right track. I'm sure you know this, but just as a reminder, I would also make sure to get a lot of hands on studying too, basically setting up a network with DNS, DHCP, RRAS, etc. I feel that this helped me a lot! Also, I would also install Network Monitor and play around with that on your network.

Good luck to you guys!!

aquageek

Hey dude! We kinda hijacked your thread

Thanks for the tips, I know I definitely need to work with netmon some more!

You know, none of this is above my level of comprehension, the trick is remembering it all and also being able to consider a scenario and analyzing it to discover the problem and then reaching a solution - efficiently. In a way, I wish all of the questions were simulations. I actually find those relatively easy!

Big Jizay

Hey dude! We kinda hijacked your thread

No problem. I wish the exams had more sims in it as well. At least 50/50 with questions and sims. This would make tests easier for legit people, and harder or impossible for braindumpers.

aquageek

Big Jizay wrote: »

No problem. I wish the exams had more sims in it as well. At least 50/50 with questions and sims. This would make tests easier for legit people, and harder or impossible for braindumpers.

Yeah, exactly.

Wow, I just went over the IPSec stuff in TestOut and it makes so much more sense now.

genXrcist

Big Jizay wrote: »

Hey Gen and Aqua,

Nice to see you guys still at it . Sounds like you two are on the right track. I'm sure you know this, but just as a reminder, I would also make sure to get a lot of hands on studying too, basically setting up a network with DNS, DHCP, RRAS, etc. I feel that this helped me a lot! Also, I would also install Network Monitor and play around with that on your network.

Good luck to you guys!!

Thanks for the tips and encouragement Big! You're right about setting up a network w/DNS, DHCP & RRAS, it really does help. I have server here at home that I setup to work, everything but RRAS. I feel I have a pretty good understanding of how that all works, enough to take the test anyway but I still want to run through that whole setup too.

On the Sims, I totally agree that they should include more of them. They're easy pts in my opinion for those who really study the material but Braindumps could very easily record the objectives and include them in their **** so I don't think they would really solve the problem.

I think interviewers should ask questions about people's certifications, like how did you prepare for it? Self-study or school? And then ask some theoretical questions to see if the individual really knew their stuff. If people couldn't get jobs after getting a cert. by using a brain ****, they would quickly stop using them. Just my thoughts.

Oh, and for Network Monitor. I haven't played with that at all but I'm familiar with Wireshark so that will help. I will just run through that process once and I think that should be fine.

Thanks again!

genXrcist

Hey Aqua, I'll give you a tip my instructor gave us for test taking. He said that because MS likes to be so wordy in their exams, he suggested skipping to the end of the question and reading the final part of the question to get a good idea of what they are actually looking for. Then if you need more info to answer the question, go back through the question from the beginning and you'll be able to filter out the junk filler that was added to throw you off.

Hope that helps!

Oh, and I didn't get as much study time this weekend as I was hoping to get so I don't think I'll be able to reschedule my test for an earlier time. Bummer.

No worries though. How is your studying coming along now? Feeling ready?

wedge1988

Wow, sorry about that all, it seems the file was removed by my friend!

No problem, ill upload it again; you can get it:

Here: 70-291_Revision.pdf - FileFactory

or

Here: RapidShare: Easy Filehosting

Its in PDF form this time!

Sorry; forgot to mention its version 2. Ill PM version 3 to the webmaster when ive done it after my exam!

aquageek

genXrcist wrote: »

Hey Aqua, I'll give you a tip my instructor gave us for test taking. He said that because MS likes to be so wordy in their exams, he suggested skipping to the end of the question and reading the final part of the question to get a good idea of what they are actually looking for. Then if you need more info to answer the question, go back through the question from the beginning and you'll be able to filter out the junk filler that was added to throw you off.

Hope that helps!

Oh, and I didn't get as much study time this weekend as I was hoping to get so I don't think I'll be able to reschedule my test for an earlier time. Bummer.

No worries though. How is your studying coming along now? Feeling ready?

Yeah, that's a good tip. I kinda skim through each question and glance at the answers before delving in to get a feel of where the question is going. That helps me focus when I read through the question because my mind isn't focusing on trying to guess what it's going to be asking, and i can concentrate better ont he question.

I also use the scratch pad they provide like crazy. Making notes on the question, consolidating the information, stating the objectives, or just trying to jog my memory by making little notes on it to remind me - for example, order of precedence for DHCP options, or whatever.

Studying's going pretty good! Thanks for asking. I think I'm still on target for friday. Just went over some Network Security and Templates, some DHCP stuff, going over some Routing stuff this afternoon.

This week I'll be making some flashcards/notes on stuff that hardly ever sticks in my head - port numbers etc, doing practice exams, and just exploring in the lab.

Feeling good about it!

genXrcist

Last night I took my first Transcender exam. It was late and I was rushing through it so I could spend some time with my wife before she went to bed so I know that impacted my score but man, I got a 48%! Lol I know these exams are harder than the real thing but sheesh!

Anyway, I did learn from the answers I got wrong and I have a better understanding of when to use one type of DNS zone or another.

Glad I didn't reschedule my exam for today! Countdown for next Tuesday begins though!

Aqua, how are you doing on the templates and when to use one over the other?

aquageek

hehe, yeah those Transcenders are tough ones!

Ummm, ok I guess. I don't think it's my strongest area, or my weakest area. Got any useful info about them?

I definitely need to work on WSUS!

Addendum: I did schedule my test for Friday. Bring on The Beast!

Big Jizay

There you go Aqua! I think you're ready for the beast! I believe on Friday that you'll become MCSA!

aquageek

Big Jizay wrote: »

There you go Aqua! I think you're ready for the beast! I believe on Friday that you'll become MCSA!

Hehe, thanks.

Rooslan says I'm ready too. I'm not sure if I trust him though.

genXrcist

aquageek wrote: »

Hehe, thanks.

Rooslan says I'm ready too. I'm not sure if I trust him though.

I'm sure you're ready. Man, must be nice to schedule an exam so close to today's date!

As for templates, really know when you would use them to reset a client/server computer based on needs of the question you get. I got some on Transcender that required me to have a good idea of what they each do so as to apply the appropriate template.

Oh, and be sure to have the port #'s memorized. Kerberos=88, DHCP=67,68, DNS=53, PPTP=1723, L2TP=1701, IPSec=UDP 500 etc. Microsoft just loves to put questions like these in and I think of them as gimme points.

So question, do you study for the last 24hrs before the exam or just relax and let your mind soak it all in?

aquageek

genXrcist wrote: »

I'm sure you're ready. Man, must be nice to schedule an exam so close to today's date!

As for templates, really know when you would use them to reset a client/server computer based on needs of the question you get. I got some on Transcender that required me to have a good idea of what they each do so as to apply the appropriate template.

Oh, and be sure to have the port #'s memorized. Kerberos=88, DHCP=67,68, DNS=53, PPTP=1723, L2TP=1701, IPSec=UDP 500 etc. Microsoft just loves to put questions like these in and I think of them as gimme points.

So question, do you study for the last 24hrs before the exam or just relax and let your mind soak it all in?

Yeah, we have a lot of test centers in this area, and they always seem to have open slots. I could have scheduled it for Thursday, and I nearly did, but I decided to stick with the original day - would hate for something to go wrong and then be wondering "if only...".

Can you not schedule yours at such short notice? How come?

Riiight, I went over templates after you mentioned them, I think i've got a pretty good idea of when to use which ones. Also, about when to use Secedit to apply some templates rather than GPO.

Yeah, ports are one of my weak areas. Thanks for those. You should go check out my thread "Tid-bits" in this section. Would like to see any useful bits of info you have!

I do study in the 24 hours before the exam. I usually always schedule the exam for the morning. I function better at that time, and I'm not awake for many hours worrying about it. The morning of the day before the exam I study areas that I know I'm weak in. Mostly reading. Then I do some practice exams. The afternoon and evening I do what I call "casual study", where I just randomly look up things that I don't know. For example, what protocol does DNS run on? What's the default setting for Remote Access Policy? Those kind of things.

How about you?

Big Jizay

Hey Aqua, so today's the big day huh ? Good luck with slaying the beast! Let us know how you do!

aquageek

Hehe, thanks, started my own victory thread.

[/hijack]

aquageek

Good luck for tomorrow, Gen

Slowhand

Congrats on the pass! 700's all you need to move on to the next exam, even if it makes you sweat a little.

Johnny Johnson

Congratulations on the pass, Big Jizay! Best of luck on the 70-293!

Big Jizay

Thanks guys! I hope to get better than a 700 on the 293 in the future. Well, it wasn't pretty, but the 700 on the 291 was enough to become MCSA. I can't complain