Practice tests 98-364

ClausIRL

Hi guys, do you know where can I find some free practice tests for the 98-364 except for ucertify? as I already have an account there and will do the practice tests on that site, but wanted another one thanks in advance.

NotHackingYou

I don't know of any practice tests besides uCertify. In my case, uCertify was pretty good for this exam.

ClausIRL

Hey guys, sorry to bother you again, I tried these practice test questions [link removed]

but they contain a lot of information about development and other info which is not covered in the Pluralsight Database Administration Fundamentals course, any ideas why and if these are the type of questions that come up in the real exam? Thanks.

RobertKaucher

1. Be aware that the link you posted looks like an exam ****. I urge you to avoid those.


2. There are lots of different videos on PluralSight that can assist you in learning material related to the programatic side of managing and developing for SQL Server.

* Introduction to SQL
* Data Normalization
* SQL Server :- Can you explain First,Second and Third normal form in
* The Third Normal Form is Snake Oil
* Data Types (Transact SQL)
* Database Design for Mere Mortals (Required reading at my current job)
* SQL Server 2008 Database Development (70-433) Part 1 and Part 2 (likely very advanced for your exam, but you can watch it and get the basics without having to go too deep)
* Consider buying a copy of Inside Microsoft® SQL Server® 2008: T-SQL Programming

The top 6 links are things every one working with SQL Server should have an understanding of. I know the bottom 2 are a bit advanced for an MTA, but you will likely find some interesting information in them that will help you.

ClausIRL

Thanks very much appreciate your help !

ClausIRL

MTA: 98-364 - Database Administration Fundamentals


Guys, do you think the practice tests above are good enough for practicing before I take the Microsoft Certification Exam 98-364 ?

RobertKaucher

I cannot comment specifically about that exam but I have used MeasureUp in the past and found it to be very helpful.

ClausIRL

I eventually bought the 30 day online version of MeasureUp tests, they seem to be pretty good and contain questions from the course & a bit more advanced as in it goes deeper with all the different types of queries you can run with all the clauses available for a DML / DDL query. I'll let you know how it goes after the real exam.

ClausIRL

Hello again guys, I passed my MTA yesterday with a score of 73 out of 100, pass mark was 70 and there were 35 questions. Moving on to the 70-461 now ! Do you guys think I should get some work experience while doing the 70-461 to make it easier to understand ?

NotHackingYou

Yes, absolutely.

N2IT

Agree with Carl

ClausIRL

Hi Carl, I see you passed the 70-461, did have any experience as a DBA when you took it ? I have SQL installed on a virtual machine so I can practice a lot at home to get used to it do you reckon it's not enough? Thanks in advance.

RobertKaucher

All of the "developer" type exams are very hard with out any first hand experience. You need to not only be able to understand the syntax of the queries in question, you also have to be able to accurately predict what will be the result of the queries given in the examples. Sometimes these can be pretty nuanced and this sort of experience only comes from writing queries with bugs in them and then fixing those bugs. So if you are going to plan on taking this test without real-world experience than I suggest that you find a way to really improve you query skills.

My suggestion is that you get a copy of Celko's SQL for Smarties. Dedicate yourself to working through those puzzles without getting any direct help. Don't be afraid to get the answers completely wrong. The most important thing will be that you make mistakes and learn why you made those mistakes. Once you have completed that book (and the important thing is that you just cover all the content, you don't have to memorize your answers or anything - just do the work) then start prepping specifically for the 461. If SQL for Smarties is too hard, then you need to study some more basic material first. But if it's too hard to even get started with then you are likely not going to be able to pass that test without a serious time investment in your studies. Really the Smarties book is generic SQL, so there might be T-SQL specific ways to solve some of the questions. That isn't an issue as you will certainly get t-SQL specific questions in the exam. Again, it's really just a way to get experience at solving problems in SQL.

NotHackingYou

@ClausIRL - Yes, I did have DBA experience as well as database developer experience before taking the exam. IMO 98-364 is more targeted at DBA skills and 70-461 is really more targeted at database developer skills. The DBA skills certainly help and many DBAs are also very skilled at writing SQL. IMO, these two skills are as distinctly different as they are complimentary. SQL Server is a big product and the exams reflect this.

I don't feel like I would have been able to pass 70-461 without real-world experience. I like Robert's suggestion above - if you intend to sit this exam without experience, I would say at minimum know the syntax of every command and all their options, cold. As Robert says, Much of the exam isn't just about the syntax of the query - sometimes the choices are down to one character. Was that command plural or singular? You may very well know the syntax to CREATE INDEX but can you create multiple indexes in a single statement? If you have multiple CREATE INDEX statements, is a GO required between them? Given two tables, will an INNER JOIN produce duplicates in your result set? These are not examples of questions from the exam but they are examples of the type of thinking that is required. For me, I need the experience of making mistakes to remember this type of thing. YMMV- but don't underestimate this exam.

RobertKaucher

I grabbed my copy of SQL for Smarties and was looking at it to make sure that it was actually a good suggestion for this exam and I am happy to report that it seems to be. You will certainly get a much better grasp of SQL querying by going through it. But obviously it is not intended for this certification or even for learning T-SQL specifically. And I noticed looking through it that there are a number of instances where I would use a T-SQL specific way of doing some thing (sequence numbers for example) that would probably be much more performant than doing it by the method shown in the book. So I really suggest that if someone uses this as a study aid they really get familiar with Books on Line and MSDN as well as asking lots of questions on DB Stack Exchange. But I promise you that if you go through this book before you start using the exam specific prep material, you will have a much greater chance of passing than if you don't. Just don't neglect that T-SQL specific way of doing certain things.

ClausIRL

Thanks very much Rob & Carl, you guys are great, sorry I haven't had a chance to reply back to you guys since December, I've been busy studying and practicing for the 461, it's tough and went through 3 study materials and now I'm on to practice tests, I went through the following in the following order:

1. CBT Nuggets 70-461 material - found it tough as the instructor went through everything very quick and had all the queries already written out so I had to pause all the time and carefully try to understand why he did what he did. (didn't help much).

2. Microsoft Virtual Academy Querying MS SQL Server 2012 JumpStart - Found it easier to understand but not too much live practice was shown.. seems like Brian Alderman is not too good of an instructor, he speaks fast and moves from one to the other too quickly for a beginner to understand, luckily the Swedish guy that was with him explained things a bit more clearer.

3. Pluralsight 70-461 Parts 1 & 2 - This material was the best out of all of them, the instructor explained it very clearly and did many examples written on the spot which made it easier to understand as he was also talking while typing them.

Will try out that book you mentioned for the different real world scenarios, I also have a colleague at work who is a DBA so he has given me a few tasks hopefully that will also help with passing the exam.

Thanks again guys.

ClausIRL

Hey guys ! I passed the 70-461 ! will start studying for the 70-462 soon, taking a 2 day break from the studying, it's been tough, as previously mentioned, for those that plan on taking it, I recommend: Pluralsight, Microsoft Virtual Academy and CBT Nuggets in order to pass this exam, Robert a few posts above, mentioned some other sites that will also help.

NotHackingYou

Congrats!

kyderby

Congratulations ClausIRL, and thanks for your advice on how to study for 70-461. I just passed my 98-364 narrowly with a 71 on my 1st try taking only the free Database Fundamentals Course on the Microsoft Virtual Academy website, and using their free study guide. I don't think that approach will cut it for the 70-461 exam, though. I am going to try follow your study path for 70-461. Wish me luck.

jasonmadrug84

Hey KyDerby,

thanks for sharing the Database Fundamentals course at the MVA site https://mva.microsoft.com/en-US/training-courses/database-fundamentals-8243.
Do you have any additional recommendations before taking 98-364?
I'm looking to take get 98-364 and 98-365 in one shot.

-Jason