"Training Camp" review - 70-290

leonar40

I just took the 70-290 exam today after taking a 2 and a half-day "boot camp" class through Training Camp. The training camp material could not have done a better job preparing you for the specific questions that are on the exam. They have an extensive selection of practice questions, which turned out to be extremely similar to the test questions. They even have sample simulations and interactives to study. However, many concepts that I am sure are important for hardcore Server 2003 admins are completely skipped simply because they are not on the test. I supposed there is no way around that or else you could not get all the material in such a short amount of time. Most of the main topics are covered however. For this reason, I would make sure and stress to your manager or whoever you are working for that this is not a Server 2003 class. This is a class on how to pass this particular exam. There is definitely a difference between the two. I took the test today and passed with a 976. Just so that you know my background, I manage an IIS web sever and several data severs all running Sever 2003. I have Security +, Windows XP Admin, and now Server 2003 Admin certifications. Feel free to ask me any questions about the class and I'll give you my honest opinion.

mikej412

leonar40 wrote: »

The training camp material could not have done a better job preparing you for the specific questions that are on the exam. They have an extensive selection of practice questions, which turned out to be extremely similar to the test questions. They even have sample simulations and interactives to study. However, many concepts that I am sure are important for hardcore Server 2003 admins are completely skipped simply because they are not on the test.

leonar40 wrote: »

For this reason, I would make sure and stress to your manager or whoever you are working for that this is not a Server 2003 class. This is a class on how to pass this particular exam.

Hum.... sounds more like a CHEATcamp than a BootCamp.

LarryDaMan

I have no doubt that the class was probably "exam focused", but from my experience Training Camp itself is a reputable company which does not hand out ****.

leonar40

Exactly. They definitely did not just hand out the entire test and have us study it. There was absolutely an emphasis on things that were on the test, and not much on topics that were not on the test. I mean what do you expect for a 2 day class anyway. One thing I forgot to say is that these types of classes are not for the inexperienced. If I hadn't done a lot of pre-reading before the class and hand several months of hands-on experience, I think I would have been pretty lost.

Hallucinate

Congratulations on passing the exam.

In regards to questions about the camp, do you feel the class was worth it? I am certainly not an expert on the subject, but I would think it would be hard to retain the information long enough to apply it with only a two day class.

leonar40

I would say that if you don't have much experience with Server 2003 then you should probably take a class where they will go into more detail about the operating system itself. If you do have some hands-on experience, then this was a great class. They really drill in the concepts needed for the exam. It is very short but it is intense as well. I spent 8 hours on Monday, 8 hours on Tuesday, and 4 hours on Wednesday in class. There was about 3 hours worth of reading and studying each night as well.

Lastly I would say that I can't make any judgment on "value" because my employer paid for the class, so I don't really know how much it cost.

Hallucinate

That's pretty cool that your company paid for the class. How often do things like that happen at the company you work for? Do you request for it or do you just find out one day you're going?

They Navy is pretty generous as well. It's difficult to get a class due to it taking me away from work; however, it's a very simple process to get vouchers for testing.