Passed 70-680 but failed 70-685. What's going on?

So I passed my 70-680 a little over a month ago now after having committed myself to hardcore studying using Professor Messor's videos as well as other resources that I found via this forum. It took me two attempts, but I passed it on the retake comfortably.

Going into 70-685, I was under the impression that it was going to be slightly easier than the 70-680 and have a good deal of overlap. That's not to say that I took it lightly. I committed the same amount of time studying for this as I did the 70-680, but this time around the free resources weren't as plentiful. This time I was limited more to reading through TechNet articles, using labs, and rewatching certain portions of Professor Messor.

You can only imagine my shock when I saw the "You did not pass this test" screen. I got a 625 (need 700 to pass), and I used almost all of the allotted two hours on this test, whereas I had plenty of time to spare when I passed the 70-680. This test is hard! Much harder than the 70-680, in my opinion. It's all troubleshooting-based questions with long, complex scenarios that you need to read through in detail before even attempting to answer the questions.

I'm not entirely sure what I need to beef up on in order to do better next time around. The only questions that gave me trouble had to do with supporting report users and VPN stuff. Other than that, I thought I crushed the test. My confidence was shattered when I saw that I had failed it.

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So anyway, that's my sob story. Has this happened to anyone else? Are there some good, free resources out there for the 70-685 that aren't linked in the sticky thread (which is quite old)?

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Comments

Psoasman

I agree. I had a harder time with this exam, versus the 680. I'd go through the weak areas and lab through them. Now that you've been through it, you'll have a better idea of the format.

EasyMac308

I failed 686 my first time through (which should be fairly similar to 685) with a 682. My weakest spot was VDI, which wasn't really talked about at all in the MS Press book. I crammed for two weeks and retook it, nailing it.

Take advantage of the score report to hone your focus on the weak areas, hit some different books and run through the labs, and do any practice tests you can get your hands on.

If you don't have your heart set on 685, I'd consider switching to 686 and getting your MCITP that way. There seem to be more/better resources out there for it. Yes, it's a harder test, in theory, but doable.

neathneathneath

Agree that its hard - it's an animal of an exam.

Failed a couple of times myself by found 680 ok.

Hope to resit in June