How does the MS press books compare to the sybex book

sizeon

I hear that MS press leaves out things that are on the exam. What gives?

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Comments

chopsticks

Why would they want to do this?

NotHackingYou

MS press book for 70-432 was not good.

Psoasman

It really depends on the authors and the exam they are writing for. The best way to study is to get the exam objectives and work through them.

sizeon

Psoasman wrote: »

It really depends on the authors and the exam they are writing for. The best way to study is to get the exam objectives and work through them.

for the 70-640 exam

kj0

I'm using MS Press now. Right here in front of me, and I find it good, I watched the CBT nugget videos first, and am now reading MS Press, I will then read another 70-640 book to compare and hope for a broader understanding.

sizeon

how does the cbt compare to the book>?

Slowhand

It's not that any book, MS Press or otherwise, leaves things out. It's that authors can't hope to be able to predict 100% of what's going to be seen on the exam since they're not always the ones directly involved with creating the tests. Most authors go over the exam topics released by vendors like Microsoft, then go through documentation and setups based on their own experience to give you a comprehensive study guide to go by. (There are at least a handful of cert-book authors on this site that can tell you all about the pain of doing research for unreleased exams.) In essence, they're giving a best-effort to cover everything that the test-creators have stated will be on the exam, but it's practically impossible to read those people's minds and cover every single thing in the level of detail, or from the perspective they expect, without missing a bit here and there. This is the primary reason why most of us recommend using multiple study guides, as well as TechNet articles, blogs, videos, home-labbing, etc., in order to help you prepare for whatever the exam(s) might throw at you.

As for CBT Nuggets and other video series like them: they're fantastic, they give you a good look at the technology in action. They're not, however, a good replacement for a big, thick study-guide book. They're generally not as detailed as the books, but will give you a first-hand view at some of the hands-on work you'll be doing. I tend to find that CBT Nuggets videos are great for getting me up and running, showing me "how to do it" when I'm getting ready to lab, and then the books fill in the blanks of all the theory and underlying knowledge I need to know to pass the exam and understand the in-depth nuts and bolts.

Lunchbocks

I couldn't agree more. I LOVE CBT Nuggets because it takes the information and presents it to you in real world. However, I use it to apply what I am learning, not as a sole source for knowledge.