Difficulty in earning MS certs(Win 7, Server 08) without any MS experience?

I am going to be studying for my 70-680, 70-685-6, then 70-640 soon. I have zero IT experience, who has passed these tests only by studying and not using any exp. Can it be done without any labs or virtual means?

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buzzkill

Plenty people fail these exams in spite of having lots of experience (just read the respective forums to hear some stories). 680 in particular can catch out seasoned Win 7 supporters as it delves into the deployment side of things in quite some detail. I didn't find 640 particularly easy either.

On the flip side I'm sure lots pass them without any experience.

They are however designed for people who have real world experience with these technologies.

Noone can say it is impossible to pass by only studying but I must ask WHY you would not even want to do some labbing in virtual machines? After real world experience, experimenting with these technologies in VMs (setting up, breaking, fixing) is the BEST way to learn all about them.

If you just read a book and manage to pass the exam then you will be a proper "paper cert" and if your goal is to use these certs to help get a job (I'm guessing it is since if you had a genuine interest in the subjects then you would set up labs) you could be in for a world of pain if you do manage to get one off the back of these certs

N2IT

That's going to be a rough road to travel IMO.

Good luck!

ArabianKnight

I am using a Netbook with a 10" screen

Honestly, I want to know a foundational level of knowledge on Win 7 and Server AD, as well as Cisco networking. But, I do not want a career as a networking or admin professional. I know I need to know this because they are everywhere.

I have narrowed down what I am interested in (security, forensics, IA etc.) but not yet set on a specific path, too many different options.

Not really using certs to get a job, just trying to educate myself in most used technologies and hopefully find my calling.

ptilsen

No labs, no experience? Pretty tough. I wouldn't venture to say impossible, but very, very tough. If the Netbook at least runs Win7, you can at least do some labs. There are also Hyper-V labs on Technet, and many of them align well with the certification material. I would say 70-680 and 685 could be done with minimal labbing and experience, but it won't be easy.

Honestly, the money that would be spent on these certifications would be better spent on the hardware needed to at least do a basic virtual lab. A full MCITP:EA lab designed to be fast and flexible might cost $700-$1500. The tests you're looking at, though, could easily be done on a $300-500 desktop.

At the end of the day six certs and no experience is going to get you roughly the same pay as three certs and no experience. I'm not saying they don't help, but your focus should be getting relevant experience. That helps your career more than the certifications and it helps get the certifications almost as much as studying does. Win-win.

N2IT

Just take your time and make realistic goals. Don't force feed the material, make sure you understand it and make sure it's somewhat enjoyable.

JayTheCracker

ArabianKnight wrote: »

I am going to be studying for my 70-680, 70-685-6, then 70-640 soon. I have zero IT experience, who has passed these tests only by studying and not using any exp. Can it be done without any labs or virtual means?

70-680
Then 70-685 (or) 686
Then 70-642
just after that, 70-640
the above order would be an easier path

zero IT experience??? u means no exp with server2008? studying 70-642 first would help <70-640 is quite not easy>