Help, something feels off with 70-742

AlleyrmAlleyrm Member Posts: 6 ■■□□□□□□□□
First off all, thank everyone for their contributions to this forum. It has been a great asset to me.

But I am in dire need of some assistance and would appreciate any feedback that anyone can give. I am in the process of attaining my MCSA for Windows Server 2016. I earned my MCSA for Windows 10 at the end of 2016.

I have been working my butt off and I passed the 70-740 and 70-741 exams in August and October and passed the first time on each, as well as I passed the 70-697 and 70-698 in 2016 the first time on each.

However, here is my issue. I failed the 70-742 exam in November with a score of 616. No big deal, I thought, as I purchased an exam replay and got an extra retake. I took it a week later again I failed, again, this time with a score of 666.

I was very frustrated, but figured, hey, I improved. So I studied more (I have read 2 books, watched 35 hours of video on ITProTV, taken countless Transcender Practice exams, used flash cards, watched even more video and power point presentations I have found online, etc since October) Not to mention, I am a Systems Admin and Network Engineer for a managed service provider. I took the exam in December and failed again. The odd part, I got the same score of 666. Strange, but chalked it up to coincidence.

So I picked my self up, dusted myself off, and went back to studying. I went in today and took the exam again. I was very confident in my answers and felt really good about the exam. I went through each question 4 times before I clicked the finish button. Happy with my answers, I clicked finish. An yet again, I was met with a "failed" message with as score of... you guessed it, 666.

So if you are keeping count, the last 3 times I took this exam, I have scored a 666/1000. Something just doesn't feel right, and if the scores were different failing scores each time, I don't think I would have given it any more thought. But I know this content, and work with it every day. I find it difficult to accept that I have failed 3 times with the exact same score. Almost like something is wrong with the application and a score above 666 cannot be attained. Has anyone ever run into this before, is there an appeals process with Microsoft so I can have them check into this? Any input from this community would be greatly appreciated.

Comments

  • metaloadermetaloader Member Posts: 13 ■□□□□□□□□□
    Hey,

    I also passed every exam (70-698 70-697 70-398 70-740 70-741 ) in 1 attempt.
    But have failed 70-742 twice now.
    first 550, second 650.
    I feel like the questions in the exam are not covered in the Microsoft 70-742 book/MeasureUP at all.
    When are you going to retry?
    I'm going to retry March 31
  • PhalanxPhalanx Member Posts: 331 ■■■□□□□□□□
    https://www.microsoft.com/en-gb/learning/certification-exam-policies.aspx?challenge=true

    The 5th item on the contents listing is what you want. I'm taking the 70-742 for the first time on the 29th of this month. Will let you know what I get.
    Client & Security: Microsoft 365 Modern Desktop Administrator Associate | MCSE: Mobility
    Server & Networking: MCSA: Windows Server 2016 | MTA: Networking Fundamentals
    Data Privacy & Project/Service Management: PECB GDPR DPO/Practitioner | ITIL 2011: Foundation | CompTIA Project+
    Currently Studying: Microsoft 365 Enterprise Administrator Expert
  • malachi1612malachi1612 Member Posts: 430 ■■■■□□□□□□
    I am not having much confidence in this exam now. I had to give 70-741 a break after failing it twice. 70-740, 70-698 give me no problems. 70-697 I did on my 2nd attempt but that was my first ever MS exam so I didn't know how the questions where structured.

    CBT Nuggets, Puralsight, ITPro TV and the exam ref. I have all the materials I can for 70-742 but after the effort I put with 70-741 and failing it twice. I am loosing faith in doing MS at the moment.
    Certifications:
    MCSE: Cloud Platform and Infrastructure, MCSA: Windows Server 2016, ITIL Foundation, MCSA: Windows 10, MCP, Azure Fundamentals, Security+.

  • AlleyrmAlleyrm Member Posts: 6 ■■□□□□□□□□
    I'm retaking on the 29th. Good luck on yours!! I agree that some of the questions feel like they weren't covered in any training material.
  • AlleyrmAlleyrm Member Posts: 6 ■■□□□□□□□□
    I am not having much confidence in this exam now. I had to give 70-741 a break after failing it twice. 70-740, 70-698 give me no problems. 70-697 I did on my 2nd attempt but that was my first ever MS exam so I didn't know how the questions where structured.

    CBT Nuggets, Puralsight, ITPro TV and the exam ref. I have all the materials I can for 70-742 but after the effort I put with 70-741 and failing it twice. I am loosing faith in doing MS at the moment.

    I feel ya. I have CBT Nuggets, ITPro TV, Exam Ref and Cert Guide. I just recently did CBT Nuggets and Exam Ref, so here's to hoping they were enough to fill in the gaps on what I have missed.
  • metaloadermetaloader Member Posts: 13 ■□□□□□□□□□
    Hey what happend to your exam? unfortunately I could not do my exam so I'll do it this month.
  • AlleyrmAlleyrm Member Posts: 6 ■■□□□□□□□□
    I got delayed a bit taking the exam again. I took it today and I passed with an 894.
  • metaloadermetaloader Member Posts: 13 ■□□□□□□□□□
    Alleyrm wrote: »
    I got delayed a bit taking the exam again. I took it today and I passed with an 894.

    Congratz, nice score. I'm going to do the exam tomorrow for the 3rd time. Wish me luck!


    I studied the Cert guide,Exam Ref book, CBT nuggets and MVA
  • AlleyrmAlleyrm Member Posts: 6 ■■□□□□□□□□
    metaloader wrote: »
    Congratz, nice score. I'm going to do the exam tomorrow for the 3rd time. Wish me luck!


    I studied the Cert guide,Exam Ref book, CBT nuggets and MVA


    Good luck buddy. You got this. I went into this last one much more confident after watching the CBT Nuggets videos. Those were great.
  • metaloadermetaloader Member Posts: 13 ■□□□□□□□□□
    Alleyrm wrote: »
    Good luck buddy. You got this. I went into this last one much more confident after watching the CBT Nuggets videos. Those were great.

    Thanks! I passed the exam today with 757
    For me the 70-742 was the most toughest exam, The CBT nuggets video's indeed helped alot.
  • malachi1612malachi1612 Member Posts: 430 ■■■■□□□□□□
    Congrats, im still a few weeks off from taking my 70-742. Ive also been using CBTnuggets so hopefully I will pass first time.
    Certifications:
    MCSE: Cloud Platform and Infrastructure, MCSA: Windows Server 2016, ITIL Foundation, MCSA: Windows 10, MCP, Azure Fundamentals, Security+.

  • backtrackerbacktracker Member Posts: 91 ■■■□□□□□□□
    Can anyone comment on the Pluralsight vs. CBT Nuggets content for this exam in particular? Is one better than the other? CBT nuggets shows about 8 hours of content vs. 30+ on PS- not sure what to make of that....
    MSM-ISS (Information System Security)-'07 Colorado Tech.
    MCSE | MCSA X3 | Security + | Network +
  • malachi1612malachi1612 Member Posts: 430 ■■■■□□□□□□
    Can anyone comment on the Pluralsight vs. CBT Nuggets content for this exam in particular? Is one better than the other? CBT nuggets shows about 8 hours of content vs. 30+ on PS- not sure what to make of that....

    I am going through CBT Nuggets with this one and filling in the gaps with Technet. From my experience with Pluralsight when doing my 70-740, they overlap many videos from other certs. That's why it has double the amount of hours compared to CBT Nuggets.

    I have watch nearly all of CBT Nuggets for 70-742 and it focus on the exam objects directly.
    Certifications:
    MCSE: Cloud Platform and Infrastructure, MCSA: Windows Server 2016, ITIL Foundation, MCSA: Windows 10, MCP, Azure Fundamentals, Security+.

  • backtrackerbacktracker Member Posts: 91 ■■■□□□□□□□
    I am going through CBT Nuggets with this one and filling in the gaps with Technet. From my experience with Pluralsight when doing my 70-740, they overlap many videos from other certs. That's why it has double the amount of hours compared to CBT Nuggets.

    I have watch nearly all of CBT Nuggets for 70-742 and it focus on the exam objects directly.

    thanks, I'm going to give 'em a go. Congrats on your pass on 741! when do you have this one scheduled for?
    MSM-ISS (Information System Security)-'07 Colorado Tech.
    MCSE | MCSA X3 | Security + | Network +
  • malachi1612malachi1612 Member Posts: 430 ■■■■□□□□□□
    thanks, I'm going to give 'em a go. Congrats on your pass on 741! when do you have this one scheduled for?

    Thanks, I want to get this done in mid July. Hopefully I will pass this one first time round so I am going in at 70-742 extremely hard on the studying.
    Certifications:
    MCSE: Cloud Platform and Infrastructure, MCSA: Windows Server 2016, ITIL Foundation, MCSA: Windows 10, MCP, Azure Fundamentals, Security+.

  • jpanda206jpanda206 Member Posts: 23 ■■□□□□□□□□
    Just passed the 70-742, it was pretty difficult. really need to dive deep into the ADFS and ADCS if you dont do it @ work much.
  • backtrackerbacktracker Member Posts: 91 ■■■□□□□□□□
    Thanks, I want to get this done in mid July. Hopefully I will pass this one first time round so I am going in at 70-742 extremely hard on the studying.


    Best of luck to you. I'm hoping to also have this one done in roughly that same time frame.
    MSM-ISS (Information System Security)-'07 Colorado Tech.
    MCSE | MCSA X3 | Security + | Network +
  • malachi1612malachi1612 Member Posts: 430 ■■■■□□□□□□
    Final Round!!!!!! For the MCSA in Server 2016, I am due to take the exam in a few weeks.

    CBT Nuggets 70-742 is now complete, watch the videos twice while taking notes. I have access to the MS Exam Ref, Sybex 70-742 study guide and MCSA 70-742 exam success with this Cert Guide from Pearson IT Certification ebooks. I am going through edx course material.

    I am reading that this exam is harder than 70-741 (which I struggled with) and MS has made this exam over complicated.

    Anyone else who has taken this exam want to offer any tips please?
    Certifications:
    MCSE: Cloud Platform and Infrastructure, MCSA: Windows Server 2016, ITIL Foundation, MCSA: Windows 10, MCP, Azure Fundamentals, Security+.

  • scaredoftestsscaredoftests Mod Posts: 2,780 Mod
    No **** here. go away
    Never let your fear decide your fate....
  • eillinois31eillinois31 Member Posts: 38 ■■■□□□□□□□
    metaloader wrote: »
    Hey,

    I also passed every exam (70-698 70-697 70-398 70-740 70-741 ) in 1 attempt.
    But have failed 70-742 twice now.
    first 550, second 650.
    I feel like the questions in the exam are not covered in the Microsoft 70-742 book/MeasureUP at all.
    When are you going to retry?
    I'm going to retry March 31

    Old post I know, but I just passed the 70-742 today with a 700(I had to do a double take at my screen). I also used the MeasureUP test and agree, something was definitely off with this test. Without divulging too much info some of the questions were entirely too over complicated and some questions were too obvious. In the 70-740 and 741, I never hit the 'review later' button, but this time I had to.
  • malachi1612malachi1612 Member Posts: 430 ■■■■□□□□□□
    Old post I know, but I just passed the 70-742 today with a 700(I had to do a double take at my screen). I also used the MeasureUP test and agree, something was definitely off with this test. Without divulging too much info some of the questions were entirely too over complicated and some questions were too obvious. In the 70-740 and 741, I never hit the 'review later' button, but this time I had to.

    Agreed that some of the questions were entirely too over complicated. Anthony Sequeira from CBT Nuggets said the same too.

    70-740 and 70-741 were scaled over a number of technologies while 70-742 is about AD only and nothing else. So MS must of ran out of ideas when writing 70-742 and made hard for no reason.

    70-742 should of been easy out of the three.
    Certifications:
    MCSE: Cloud Platform and Infrastructure, MCSA: Windows Server 2016, ITIL Foundation, MCSA: Windows 10, MCP, Azure Fundamentals, Security+.

  • rfehrenbacherrfehrenbacher Registered Users Posts: 1 ■□□□□□□□□□
    This is pretty weird - I failed the exam last week with a score of 666 as well. Who knows how the grading is actually calculated, but that's a pretty strange coincidence that you got the same score 3 times in a row.

    Also, just a heads up for all prepping for the exam, the CBT Nuggets coverage of ADCS and ADFS is wildly inadequate. You need to pay more attention to those areas than just what the videos show.
  • malachi1612malachi1612 Member Posts: 430 ■■■■□□□□□□
    This is pretty weird - I failed the exam last week with a score of 666 as well. Who knows how the grading is actually calculated, but that's a pretty strange coincidence that you got the same score 3 times in a row.

    Also, just a heads up for all prepping for the exam, the CBT Nuggets coverage of ADCS and ADFS is wildly inadequate. You need to pay more attention to those areas than just what the videos show.

    I agree, for ADCS and ADFS ITPro TV was better when I was studying for 70-742.
    Certifications:
    MCSE: Cloud Platform and Infrastructure, MCSA: Windows Server 2016, ITIL Foundation, MCSA: Windows 10, MCP, Azure Fundamentals, Security+.

  • Qais_24Qais_24 Member Posts: 2 ■■□□□□□□□□
    Hi,
    I took 70-742 exam 6 months ago and failed with 660. I will take it again on Saturday. When I saw all the above comments, I got confused.

  • malachi1612malachi1612 Member Posts: 430 ■■■■□□□□□□
    Qais_24 said:
    Hi,
    I took 70-742 exam 6 months ago and failed with 660. I will take it again on Saturday. When I saw all the above comments, I got confused.

    Confused about what?
    Certifications:
    MCSE: Cloud Platform and Infrastructure, MCSA: Windows Server 2016, ITIL Foundation, MCSA: Windows 10, MCP, Azure Fundamentals, Security+.

  • Qais_24Qais_24 Member Posts: 2 ■■□□□□□□□□
    Tnx God. I passed 70-742 on 5th September. Scored 826.
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