Problems passing 70-290

I'm having problems with the 70-290. I tried twice and was unable to pass it. I don't know what the issue is. The Microsoft Press exam questions get so lengthy and detailed that I often have trouble with them.

In general, whenever there are multiple conditions that need to be met, I have trouble answering the question. I don't know if it's me or the questions.

Also, should I give up on the 70-290 and start working on the MCITP instead?

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tbgree00

I failed this test on my first try and it was pretty discouraging for me. I still think the MCSA/MCSE track has a lot of value to it. There are tons of discussions of this so I'll leave that to you to find.

You now have two score reports that show where you're weak. Those are very good gauges for where to focus your studying. Do you have any other texts than the MS Press book? Do you have CBT nuggets or other video training? It's a good idea to have more than one source when studying for these things.

There's a good chance that you remember the sims and questions you had trouble with. Create a virtual machine or two and work through those topics. It really does help to do it yourself.

You can do it! Just search or post if you're unclear on a topic. Someone will help out.

Devilsbane

Some people struggle on this test. I have a friend that has met this test 5 times and can't get by it. I agree with tbgree00 that the MCSA/E holds more value than MCITP. I also agree that CBT nuggets were excellent for the 70-290 and 70-291. These can really fill in some gaps that you might have from not having the hands on experience.

While you might consider just passing up on this and moving to MCITP, what makes you think you are going to be able to pass the tests over there. They are very similar exams, and you will likely struggle with the same concepts over on that side.

So don't give up. Consider a new book, CBT nuggets, and I have always used Transcender for the final prep before exam day so that you can see how the questions are worded, and can read the explanations to see what they are looking for. The questions are written so that you fail, tip your hat to the writer, and study even harder.

krauser

The MS track is long and difficult, but it has its value when you earn it. My advise? Keep it up and don't give up. Study harder.

huntert

since these tests have been out for quite a while you can find all kinds of books for a good price on amazon

Devilsbane

huntert wrote: »

since these tests have been out for quite a while you can find all kinds of books for a good price on amazon

Books aren't always the answer for MS tests. Microsoft doesn't ask point blank questions, they ask questions that make you think about what is really going on. And that is something that can only be learned with experience. So build a lab and tinker with it. Make up a fake company if you want to and just design it (use vmware or another good virtualization tool unless you happen to have several unused boxes).

The other thing that I think helps with the experience portion is CBT nuggets. Even for a non-visual learner, I think these videos pull you in and give you that experience that you are lacking. Reading about how a DHCP server works is one thing, setting one up and playing with settings is another. Watching someone play with those settings, is also good and can likely give you a jumpstart on your own lab.

Microsoft questions give you all the information that you could possibly need. (Similar to a real world situation, if you have worked in a company for some time you probably know the network setup) it then gives you a problem and you have to use your brain to determine what the problem is. Maybe your brain just has trouble processing the questions. I have several friends that get overwhelmed with all the background info and can't process it. A trick that I was taught (and sometimes use) is to read the last line or 2 of the question first. The part that actually asks the question. Then go through the question, and now you know what you are looking for and can probably weed some of the information out as you go. Use your scratch paper (dry-erase) to jot down the facts that you feel are important to this question. Draw pictures if you need to, use diagrams, whatever you need to.

Another variation is to read just the question (the last line) so that you know what you are looking for. Read the answers, so that you know what the possibilities are, and then go through and read the questions. Maybe trying these strategies will help?

Another thing that I do, is when I come back for round 2 I write the answers down on my board.
A.
B.
C.
D.

I then will start crossing out the answers that I know are wrong, to at least get me down to a 50-50. (Yes I can do this in my head, but I prefer to write it down so that it is clear as day that A cannot be the answer.)Depending on what your scores were, maybe you just missed by a couple questions and this strategy could make all the difference.

Sabalo

Devilsbane wrote: »

Another thing that I do, is when I come back for round 2 I write the answers down on my board.
A.
B.
C.
D.

I then will start crossing out the answers that I know are wrong, to at least get me down to a 50-50. (Yes I can do this in my head, but I prefer to write it down so that it is clear as day that A cannot be the answer.)Depending on what your scores were, maybe you just missed by a couple questions and this strategy could make all the difference.

This is excellent advice. I do this, have yet to fail a test.

ElwoodBlues

Read the objectives really close:

Managing and Maintaining a Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Environment

Now, think about the material that you did not know the answer to and what the question was really asking.

I've had to repeat tests that when I read the question again based on the technology, there were obvious verbage in the questions that imediately eliminated other possibilities. The objectives listed above gives you a window of what you are expected to know and be able to answer.

Psoasman

What areas are you having trouble with? When taking MS exams, it helps to read the answers first, then read the bottom lines of the question, that is where the nugget of info you need usually is. MS tends to have overly long questions with lots of filler.

Example. Rob needs to be able to be able to create documents in the sales folder. He currently has read, read and execute permissions. You would give him write permissions for that folder.

I will often use the write board they give you and make some notes on the question. Sometimes writing it out helps.

redmossberg

dual_fifo wrote: »

I'm having problems with the 70-290. I tried twice and was unable to pass it. I don't know what the issue is. The Microsoft Press exam questions get so lengthy and detailed that I often have trouble with them.

In general, whenever there are multiple conditions that need to be met, I have trouble answering the question. I don't know if it's me or the questions.

Also, should I give up on the 70-290 and start working on the MCITP instead?

It took me 3 times to pass this test so keep studying and try again. They say third times a charm