70-686, SWING...and a miss

Excellent1

Yeah, I basically scored the test number, so I didn't miss it by much. I found so much overlap between 680 and 686, that I just decided to take it without much additional study, so I'll be using my 2nd shot soon.

I want to word this very vaguely, so as to not violate NDA, but I noticed that I had several questions on MED-V, which was not covered in any of the prep material I have. I used the Gibson book and the MS Press book (although I admittedly didn't go through them as thoroughly as I have done in previous exam preps). In any case, after the exam I looked through my material and MED-V wasn't even mentioned, let alone covered in depth, in either of these resources.

That said, after some hunting around, I found this as a starting point for the topic: Technical Reference

My questions may have just been the ungraded trial questions, but I thought I would post this here as food for though for anyone taking this exam any time soon. My worst area on the test was Designing Application Packages for Deployment, which I have since remedied. There were a few things I was weak on, details wise, which the test accurately and fairly exposed when I took it. The test didn't feel cheap; I simply took it too lightly the first attempt. That won't happen again.

Retake is tentatively scheduled for Tuesday, so we'll see how round 2 goes. I'm cautiously optimistic, which means I'll probably score in the low 300's. I'll update this either way, afterwards.

Psoasman

Sorry to see you didn't pass, probably about 1 question away. M$ is famous for adding content to exams from obscure sources.

Excellent1

Thanks, man. I downloaded the notes you made, by the way. I know of at least 3 questions I would have answered correctly if I had used your notes for the first attempt, so they are much appreciated.

That said, the bottom line is that I rushed the attempt, didn't do my due diligence in the prep, and failed it. From a philosophical standpoint, it's actually reassuring as it shows you actually need to know the material fairly well to earn the certification. Cheaters aside, those with the cert earned it, which makes me that much more determined to get it on the next attempt.

When are you looking to try your hand at this one?

Jander1023

Yeah, I scored a 686 on my first take. App virtualization was my worst area also. I actually thought some of the questions were worded poorly or had poor grammar. I failed again on my 2nd attempt by 2 questions but finally passed on my third attempt. I re-read the book during the required 14 days before re-take. I also spent extra time on app virtualization, mostly on technet.

Good luck on your next attempt.

Jander1023

Btw, you may want to read Chapter 4 of the Introducing Windows Server 2008 R2 eBook available free online. This helped me improve the add design and virtualization section of the exam.

Psoasman

Excellent1 wrote: »

Thanks, man. I downloaded the notes you made, by the way. I know of at least 3 questions I would have answered correctly if I had used your notes for the first attempt, so they are much appreciated.

That said, the bottom line is that I rushed the attempt, didn't do my due diligence in the prep, and failed it. From a philosophical standpoint, it's actually reassuring as it shows you actually need to know the material fairly well to earn the certification. Cheaters aside, those with the cert earned it, which makes me that much more determined to get it on the next attempt.

When are you looking to try your hand at this one?

I am planning on doing the 640 and 642, then will tackle the 686. I've heard that having gone over those exams will help with the 686. I've been busy finishing up my AAS, so now I have more time to self-study.

Excellent1

Just sat this a brief time ago and passed it. I've spent the last week (my previous attempt was a week ago today) studying hard on the areas I was weak in and delving a little deeper on the details of some of the tools used. Scored 870, so passed with a decent margin.

The materials I used to pass this were the Gibson 685/686 book, the MS Press 686 book, technet, Psoasman's notes (thanks for sharing those), along with a LOT of time this last week labbing. I have my own test domain set up with dc and clients, which let me practice publishing and assigning software to users/computers along with seeing first hand how precedence for group policy works, testing blocking inheritance, security filtering, etc. Reading about this is great for a foundation, but doing it gives you insight to the tricky details that sometimes gets asked.

I would have liked to spend some time with a KMS setup, but I didn't have time to do that. It's not necessary, but would have been helpful. Also, for those that choose to go the 1 resource route, be careful if you just use Gibson's book. Without going into detail, you need to be conversant with the application compatibility tools. Given the fact that Gibson's book doesn't even mention the ACT, you will have to spend some time on technet or somewhere else to get this information. Don't get me wrong, as with most of Darril's books, it's a good resource, but the contemporary wisdom of using at least 2 resources definitely applies here.

Anyway, this test is tough but fair, in my opinion. For those like me who do not have an opportunity very often to lay hands on the resources that big enterprises use, this can be a challenge, so lab everything you can. If I can set up a lab, anyone can. Good luck to anyone taking this.

Essendon

Well done!! Another fine example of how labbing helps hammer the concepts home. What's next for ya?

Lord Nikon

congratz! Dont forget to update your certs in your profile!

Xantcha

Congrats on the pass.

Do you have any diagrams (visio?) of your lab setup?

Ken25

I also downloaded Psoasman's notes. Thank you for them.