Test Difficulty

Super99

How would you guy/gals rate each test's difficulty?
1-10, 10 being very difficult.

70-270 -
70-290 -
70-294 -
70-293 -
70-291 -
70-297 -
70-299 -

neathneathneath

70-270 - 8.5
70-290 - 7.5
70-291 - 9

not done any others apart from MCDST:
70-271 - 6.5
70-272 - 6

alanier

270-8
290-7
291-9

dynamik

70-270 - 4
70-290 - 1
70-294 - 3
70-293 - 5
70-291 - 5
70-297 - 2 ( 298 )
70-299 - 2

I made my scale 1-5 and had the scores be relative to the other exams in the track.

However, I think the order in which you take them makes a lot of difference. 298 and 299 would have been much more difficult had I not already done 291 and 293 first. The order that was listed was basically the order in which I took them.

PC509

dynamik wrote: »

70-270 - 4
70-290 - 1
70-294 - 3
70-293 - 5
70-291 - 5
70-297 - 2 ( 298 )
70-299 - 2

I made my scale 1-5 and had the scores be relative to the other exams in the track.

However, I think the order in which you take them makes a lot of difference. 298 and 299 would have been much more difficult had I not already done 291 and 293 first. The order that was listed was basically the order in which I took them.

How much experience did you have with Windows Server 2003 previous to taking the 291? I am planning on taking that the middle of next month (same time I take my Windows 7 Beta exam). I have been studying pretty hard, reading, CBT's and hands on with an actual server (in production so I can't do much) and two of them in VM's.

But, my contribution (1-10, 10 being most difficult)

70-620 - 3
70-623 - 3.5
70-291 - 5

Easy, but you need to have more than common knowledge with the OS. You do need to study a bit. It's easy, but I guess you can say that with ANY exam that you are truly ready for. I overestimated it, though. I was expecting harder.

undomiel

70-270 - 9
70-290 - 2
70-294 - 7
70-293 - 6
70-291 - 5
70-298 - 5

The difficulty really depends upon your experience and how well you studied. The 270 was my first Microsoft exam and I went in way overconfident thinking it was "just" XP. I was very lucky I didn't fail that one. But other exams were more difficult or less difficult than the average just due to how much experience I had on the field with the technologies in question or because I spent a lot of time in the lab working on scenarios.

Megadeth4168

The only one I took from those listed was the 70-270.
It was my first MS exam, I wanted to take advantage of the 2nd shot at the time. So I signed up and took it without study.... I failed miserably!

I bought a book and studied for 1 month and passed with a good score! I would say that it was more difficult than some of the MCSE 2000 exams I took, I would give it a 7.

The 70-292 and 296 were probably 8 to 9 in difficulty for me, but the 70-219 was the hardest exam I took.

dynamik

PC509 wrote: »

How much experience did you have with Windows Server 2003 previous to taking the 291? I am planning on taking that the middle of next month (same time I take my Windows 7 Beta exam). I have been studying pretty hard, reading, CBT's and hands on with an actual server (in production so I can't do much) and two of them in VM's.

A decent amount, but I was at a small business at the time, so I didn't have much experience with more advanced scenarios (i.e. DNS hierarchies).

rjbarlow

70-270 - 8
70-290 - 6
70-291 - 8
70-284 - 8
70-285 - 9

I could change some of them after done exams more difficult than those. The major difficulty for the the 70-284 and 70-285 was the lacking of good material that prepared you for the exam, they was not easy at all though.

bpmufc

undomiel wrote: »

70-270 - 9
70-290 - 2
70-294 - 7
70-293 - 6
70-291 - 5
70-298 - 5

The difficulty really depends upon your experience and how well you studied. The 270 was my first Microsoft exam and I went in way overconfident thinking it was "just" XP. I was very lucky I didn't fail that one. But other exams were more difficult or less difficult than the average just due to how much experience I had on the field with the technologies in question or because I spent a lot of time in the lab working on scenarios.

no way 270 is a 9 I found the 290 harder

undomiel

I stand by my 9 for the 270. It's the only test that I felt like I had failed 15 questions in and was absolutely sure that I would be getting a fail at the end of it. The 290 felt like a walk in the park to me. Others experience may vary.

Graham_84

70-270 - 7
70-290 - 5
70-294 - 6
70-293 - 9
70-291 - 8
70-297 - 7
70-284 - 7

AzDoom

70-270 - 8
70-620 - 5

those are the two i took so far, the xp test i studied quite a bit for an still only got an 850. the vista exam i didnt study for at all and got a 750.

bubble2005

I would view all as a 10, each exam will get equal study time and preparation.

Slowhand

For me, this is about the scale I'd put the tests on:

70-270 - 4
70-290 - 6
70-291 - 8
70-294 - N/A
70-293 - N/A
70-297 - N/A
70-299 - N/A

Lamini

i think im about to start on the mcsa/mcse track...

im failing to see the contrast of opinions on the 70-270 and 70-290. I wouldve thought Server was harder than a Client operating system.

Psoasman

270 - 5
290 - 4
291 - 8
293 - 8
294 - will let ya know
298 - ditto
299 - 7
620 - 1
271 - 4
272 - 4

ChronusMaximus

WOW... I plan on testing for 70-291 in two months but it looks like its going to be harder than I thought...

GAngel

Lamini wrote: »

i think im about to start on the mcsa/mcse track...

im failing to see the contrast of opinions on the 70-270 and 70-290. I wouldve thought Server was harder than a Client operating system.

270 isn't a hard exam per say but i do remember saying to myself half these questions belong on 290. MS just seemed to randomly throw in questions from every exam in the mcsa series.