Fail on 70-640

Minion

Hello Technet,

A fail on 70-640, really down about this. I've been using Seek learning in NZ which is Skillsoft (online, videos / reading and practice exam) , reading MS Technnet and MS Learning to see what was coming up in the exam. Also read some white papers on Win2k8r2.

I'm going on holiday now for four weeks, was hoping to go away with a win.

I'll look at Measure Up when I get back as colleagues have recommend it. Having a look they list 70-640 and now 70-640 R2, get both or just the R2?

After the exam I checked the results sheet, I totally bombed in "Configuring Active Directory Roles and Services" which I thought I was confident in.

Has anyone ever experienced Prometric failing to receive an exam centre results?
I got a complete ZERO...or am I really that bad.

Cheers

cyberguypr

Let me be the first to ask: do you have practical experience with Server 2008 from your job or a home lab?

Minion

Thanks for the reply,

In my job, limited to none. I work level 1 / 2 and act as a liaison to our out source level 3 support. They either remote in or send down a tech to carry out the work.
I get to watch and ask questions, or read over the case notes / be part of the conference calls.

At home I have a PC running Windows Server 2008 standard, not R2. I've been navigating the screens installing / configuring as I went through the course materials I have.

A colleague has commented to me he found 70-640 harder that 642 and 646. He's now Server Administrator 2008 and works help desk.

I been told to give up on 70-640 for now and move onto Windows 7 70-680, 682 which gets me 680 / 685 and 686.

Unless we get rid of our out source level 3 I'll probably never really touch our mixed 2008 Standard and Standard R2 servers.

The last comment in my post was probably childish.

Essendon

I was the exact same way as you Minion, when I was doing desktop support and never touched any server except for our WSUS box. The only way, apart from looking for a new job, is to build a computer of your own at home and see for yourself how things work out.

Be advised that the 70-680 Windows 7 exam is not an easy exam. No matter what some goose may tell ya, but it's not easy. You got to know more than a few server concepts and you got to lab the material up to have any chance of the material sticking in your head.

So build a computer of your own, install VMware Server/Workstation/ESXi/VirtualBox/VirtualPC and lab it all up.

Minion

I also look after our wsus server for desktops.
I'm under no illusion that 680 will be easy.

I'll come back from holiday and start again.

For measure up would it be wise to get the 70-640 R2 pratice papers?

For someone that doesn't touch servers, keep going or get windows 7 sorted.

Essendon

The path I suggest to people is 640 > 642 > 643 > 647 > 680. Leave the 680 for last, after you've done all the server exams, the 680 will definitely be easier.

The MeasureUp test bank is okay, but make no mistake that the questions in there are nowhere near the difficulty of the actual tests.

Ivanr4g63

70-640 is a difficult exam itself, many techs with good experience fail it often, so don't let it get you down on your road to certs as these aren't easy.
I'm a bit confused though, you're saying you actrually score zero?

In any case, if you're already familiar with this exam/cert path, I'd say keep going and you'll do better next time.
For any exam doing some decent amount of LAB is necessary, but on server exams more than just labbing is the need to get familiar with the concepts of each objective. So in simple words, Lab and Lab the same subject again, create you're own scenarios is better than following a template-like scenario.

Just think that if you were to pass a server certification and not be familiar which each subject you'll get fried on job interviews no matter how good your amount of certs may be. Not saying you don't have a good amount of knowledge under you belt already but when sitting in the exam this microsoft fellas know how to make us sweat bullets of nervousness and anxiety. We've all been there.

So cheer up, and Lab more. Best of lucks from all of us.