is MS Selfpaced training kit good enough to pass

Funnyguy

hi guys
I'm thinking about taking the 70-270 exam and i've already bought the MS Book but not sure if the book will be enough for me to pass the exam. What do you guys think? any inputs are appreciated.:)

dynamik

You're going to be hard-pressed to get by with a single resource unless you're very experienced. It's a good book, but you might want to look into something like Transcender as well. I don't think I would have passed had I only used that book.

Funnyguy

thanks for reply Dynamik..
another noob question. What is Transcender ? I've read in this forumm that we have to set up a server so we can practice. Is that necessary? Thanks

NozzaC

Personally I'd say that it was certainly enough - if you understand and remember it and do OK in the provided measure-up practice exams. The exam isn't terribly deep. You might end up slightly lacking in 1 or 2 areas but you'd pass for sure.

RobertKaucher

NozzaC wrote: »

Personally I'd say that it was certainly enough - if you understand and remember it and do OK in the provided measure-up practice exams. The exam isn't terribly deep. You might end up slightly lacking in 1 or 2 areas but you'd pass for sure.

I'm not sure the 270 exam you took was the same as the one I took. While I agree it was not very deep, it certainly was very broad. I had questions that ranged from networking (IP/DNS/etc) to Active Directory to drivers and hardware issues. Most of the topice were covered too lightly for a person with little to no experience in corporate IT.

Now, if you mean it is the only print resource, then I might agree. TechNet can really fill in any of the gaps.

@Funnyguy: Transcender is test prep software. Generally considered to be better quaility than the MeasureUp that comes with the book. I found MeasureUp to be fine for the 270, though. As far as setting up a server, it is not required, but it will help you understand what's going on. If you are intending on going on to the MCSA/MCSE then I suggest the book for the 70-290 as it comes with an eval of Server 2003. You can use Virtual PC if you have good enough hardware. This will let you run a server and a few clients (depending on your system). I suggest using virtual PC either even if you don't plan on running a server. This way you can install the eval of XP and destroy it with out hurting your real computer.

Funnyguy

Thanks a lot guys. I'll try the book,Technet and Transcender. As far as the virtual PC, I just checked and it's really helpful to me..Thanks guys

NozzaC

Funnyguy wrote: »

Thanks a lot guys. I'll try the book,Technet and Transcender. As far as the virtual PC, I just checked and it's really helpful to me..Thanks guys

@RobertKaucher - you know I'm beginning to wonder if I got an easy one. I wasn't confident going in but completed it in like 1/2 hour and didn't even bother to check most of the answers because I was so sure I'd got them right. Mostly short, simple Qs.

I found the Transcender questions much harder than the real exam. The real exam was very straightforward in comparison. Some of the transcender Qs are so long I've forgotton what they were asking my the end of them! But this is a good thing I think because it encourages you to do some research on the MS site.

I can't recommend virtualisation for learning this stuff highly enough. I think we are in a fortunate time where we can do this for peanuts. A few years ago you'd be needing to setup a physical network which would be a pain for my little house.

RobertKaucher

NozzaC wrote: »

@RobertKaucher - you know I'm beginning to wonder if I got an easy one. I wasn't confident going in but completed it in like 1/2 hour and didn't even bother to check most of the answers because I was so sure I'd got them right. Mostly short, simple Qs.

I found the Transcender questions much harder than the real exam. The real exam was very straightforward in comparison. Some of the transcender Qs are so long I've forgotton what they were asking my the end of them! But this is a good thing I think because it encourages you to do some research on the MS site.

It's odd how that works sometimes, isn't it? I scored some place in the high 800s. A friend of mine with much less experience than I scored in the mid 900s and called it out-right easy, a mutual friend with similar experience to his failed the exam repeatedly.

The mystery of the MS Exam.... It's like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna' get.

I second your comments on virtualization. All you have to do is invest in a good desktop and you can easily virtualize a network better than most small businesses have.

TravR1

Personally, I did not like the MS book for this test - I found it confusing. I'm sure it covers all the topics so you can pass it if you read it over and over, but I would definitely read other books like Sybex, and Exam Cram.. then do all the practice tests that come with them.

I'm sitting this exam on the 22nd. I had it set for the 1st but got sick 1 week prior so I rescheduled.. made me mad

Funnyguy

thanks for the inputs everyone. I checked Transcender and the CD ROm is $99.00 but 30 days online access is only $69.99. I have free time right now, do you guys think 30 days online access is long enough to get ready for the exam?? thanks

dynamik

Funnyguy wrote: »

thanks for the inputs everyone. I checked Transcender and the CD ROm is $99.00 but 30 days online access is only $69.99. I have free time right now, do you guys think 30 days online access is long enough to get ready for the exam?? thanks

Yea. If you get yourself in a good position before signing up, 30 days should be more than enough to review. I like to own them because I go back to them occasionally to keep things fresh. I would have definitely gone with the 30-day versions if I was only using them for the exams.

Funnyguy

yeah.. the reason i'm thinking about the 30 days because i've already had the book.. so if need to refresh my memory it's there.. the 30days access will be a good addition to prepare for passing the test...i'll sign up for it and see how it goes.. anyway, thanks alot for all the inputs:D

tomken

You can also purchase Transcender with your exam voucher through GetCertify4Less.com. (Click the Exam Vouchers Link on the left side of this page) It is $190 for both, so with the exam at $125, you are getting the Transcender for $65.

I myself was very nervous about this exam....started and stopped several times last year because the material seemed overwhelming as I had no corporate experience. I thought that I knew XP fairly well and that the exam would be relatively easy. Studying for this exam surely opened my eyes to a lot of XP features I didn't know existed. And then I started reading these forums and the horror stories of experienced people failing this and other MS exams repeatedly really scared the bejesus out of me. I procrastinated for 9 months, but decided to really buckle down and get to it this past February. I studied hard for a month using the MS Press book, Exam Cram and Virtual Labs. The night before I was scheduled to sit the exam, I was sick to my stomach thinking that I was going to fail and was up until 4 in the morning doing practice exams. But it was all for nothing as I breezed through the exam in about 45 minutes and scored 948.

At any rate.....Good Luck on your exam!!!! Let us know how it goes!!!!

Funnyguy

thanks tomken for the website.. i'll let you guys know about the exam as soon as i'm done..