298: What happens when you haven't studied for 6 months and must take the exam tmrw
DragonNOA1
Member Posts: 149 ■■■□□□□□□□
You pass, that's what happens.
Background: 6 months ago I took the 299 & 298 back to back. Passed 299 and failed 298. Never studied for the new testlet format. Almost passed but it still sucked to have my first fail on my last exam.
Fast forward to two days ago. Going through my old email I find a retake voucher that I forgot I had and had to be used by end of the month. How can you forget finishing your MCSE? In simplest terms, life. So I find a place that isn't booked that is about 60 miles away and book the exam.
So I haven't studied for 6 months and had to drive 60 miles to face the only test that I have failed and am nervous about. Sounds like fun huh? Well I spent maybe 3 hours the day before reviewing notes and taking the Microsoft practice tests and the Transcender demo. I focused not on the material, which I surprisingly remembered almost all of, but on the format of the test. That's how I was able to take the Transcender demo test 10 times. That's right, one test taken 10 times! LOL.
Anywho. Found a nice testing center and was finally able to pass. MCSE:S 2003 baby!
Most questions tell you where to look. Say, how would you design this as per what the CIO wants? So you flip to the CIO's statement and realize what needs done. Some questions say what is the best way to secure something? In reality you really don't need to flip back to the case study. You can eliminate two answers and focus on what Microsoft is really trying to teach for this exam. Wouldn't say it was easy, but pace yourself. Don't rush, they give you time to read the question and to skim through the case study to find the answer.
What must be 7 years and 10 tests later (A+, Net+, Sec+, 270, 290, 291, 293, 294, 299, 298 ), I'm finally MCSE:S. I did it on my own time and I actually learned the material. Good luck to all.
Background: 6 months ago I took the 299 & 298 back to back. Passed 299 and failed 298. Never studied for the new testlet format. Almost passed but it still sucked to have my first fail on my last exam.
Fast forward to two days ago. Going through my old email I find a retake voucher that I forgot I had and had to be used by end of the month. How can you forget finishing your MCSE? In simplest terms, life. So I find a place that isn't booked that is about 60 miles away and book the exam.
So I haven't studied for 6 months and had to drive 60 miles to face the only test that I have failed and am nervous about. Sounds like fun huh? Well I spent maybe 3 hours the day before reviewing notes and taking the Microsoft practice tests and the Transcender demo. I focused not on the material, which I surprisingly remembered almost all of, but on the format of the test. That's how I was able to take the Transcender demo test 10 times. That's right, one test taken 10 times! LOL.
Anywho. Found a nice testing center and was finally able to pass. MCSE:S 2003 baby!
Most questions tell you where to look. Say, how would you design this as per what the CIO wants? So you flip to the CIO's statement and realize what needs done. Some questions say what is the best way to secure something? In reality you really don't need to flip back to the case study. You can eliminate two answers and focus on what Microsoft is really trying to teach for this exam. Wouldn't say it was easy, but pace yourself. Don't rush, they give you time to read the question and to skim through the case study to find the answer.What must be 7 years and 10 tests later (A+, Net+, Sec+, 270, 290, 291, 293, 294, 299, 298 ), I'm finally MCSE:S. I did it on my own time and I actually learned the material. Good luck to all.
The command line, an elegant weapon for a more civilized age
Comments
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Shadly1
Member Posts: 96 ■■□□□□□□□□
Jeez, a little excited are ya?
Congrats on the cert. Any pointers? Well... any more pointers? -
DragonNOA1
Member Posts: 149 ■■■□□□□□□□
I don't know how me writing a novel shows that I'm excited but yes I am. If I was any more excited I don't think I'd actually be able to type words. Something like...
YYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS
I
P
A
S
S
E
D
end story period
The command line, an elegant weapon for a more civilized age -
kamikaze_worm
Member Posts: 68 ■■□□□□□□□□
Congrats.... Well done.
Don't take my next comment the wrong way but the universe must really hate me when you can pass this without studying and i have studied for 4 weeks solid and got a mediocre 654.
hmmm....IT Desktop Support Technician
Comptia Exams passed - A+
Microsoft Exams Passed - 270, 290, 291, 620, 293, 294
Qualifications - MCP, MCTS, MCSA
Working towards - MCSE
Currently Studying - 298 -
DragonNOA1
Member Posts: 149 ■■■□□□□□□□
kamikaze_worm wrote: »Congrats.... Well done.
Don't take my next comment the wrong way but the universe must really hate me when you can pass this without studying and i have studied for 4 weeks solid and got a mediocre 654.
hmmm....
You are so close. I had about that score my first time. You just have to find out what your problem area is. Mine wasn't the material, it was the format. So I studied the format and that helped me to pass. Of course I took 299 on the material so if you haven't passed that test then you might have to study both the material and the format.
You are so close. I know next time if you stay confident and focused the whole time you will pass.The command line, an elegant weapon for a more civilized age -
Devilsbane
Member Posts: 4,214 ■■■■■■■■□□
Nice to see a good story among all of the bad stories I've read on the 298. Definitely a confidence boost.
I'm in a similar position, but I'm doing more than 3 hours of prep
Good work, hopefully I can join you shortly.Decide what to be and go be it. -
DragonNOA1
Member Posts: 149 ■■■□□□□□□□
Time for the 2008 upgrade path?
I want to know the material so I am thinking of getting all the books for the regular exams (not the upgrade exams) to learn all the material inside and out but to take the upgrade exams to save time & money.
Ha. Time. It took me 7 years for the last one. LoL
Side note: I am leading an Active Directory upgrade between 3 hospitals because of my 294 pass. If I didn't self study and actually learn the material inside and out I would have never been comfortable enough to even propose having me do it and saving the company money. I'm not looking for just letters after my name, I want to know the software.The command line, an elegant weapon for a more civilized age -
Shadly1
Member Posts: 96 ■■□□□□□□□□
Couldn't hurt... From what I understand, the upgrade test focuses on just the things that will be new to you. If you start from scratch, you're going to see a lot of the same basic server junk you already learned in order to get as far as you already have. Sounds like a dull read to meDragonNOA1 wrote: »I want to know the material so I am thinking of getting all the books for the regular exams (not the upgrade exams) to learn all the material inside and out but to take the upgrade exams to save time & money.
Ha. Time. It took me 7 years for the last one. LoL
Side note: I am leading an Active Directory upgrade between 3 hospitals because of my 294 pass. If I didn't self study and actually learn the material inside and out I would have never been comfortable enough to even propose having me do it and saving the company money. I'm not looking for just letters after my name, I want to know the software.
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Devilsbane
Member Posts: 4,214 ■■■■■■■■□□
Couldn't hurt... From what I understand, the upgrade test focuses on just the things that will be new to you. If you start from scratch, you're going to see a lot of the same basic server junk you already learned in order to get as far as you already have. Sounds like a dull read to me
Dull yes, but also informational. Just today I was reading the IPSec stuff in the 299 book. I've encountered this half a dozen times before but today something finally just clicked with it. I've known it for awhile, passed tests that had questions on it, but now have a much better understanding.
It is good to review stuff.Decide what to be and go be it. -
DragonNOA1
Member Posts: 149 ■■■□□□□□□□
Sounds like a dull read to me
Sounds like that for me too. Maybe I'll do something like getting the 2008 R2 Unleashed book and taking an upgrade exam after all. Some of the reviews for the Microsoft Upgrade Exam book on Amazon aren't too good but the Unleashed book looks appetizing
The command line, an elegant weapon for a more civilized age
