How do you know youre prepared for an exam?

Is it enough that you know the concepts of every topic and youre able to perform the task in real life? i've been studying 70-270 for almost a month now and i've been working around xp machines for more than 2 years. im able to perform the exercises in the book and i can answer most of the questions correctly. so it make me think im nearly prepared. but when i visit my friends house he let me try his selftestsoftware in flash card mode..and wow! im not able to answer all 10 questions.... specially command line switches. now i wonder do u guys here specially the MCSE's know all the command line switches, every rules regarding an objective? everything? Now it makes me think you need to be a real genius to pass.

i remember a line i've read in one my reviewers that microsoft exams are not for the light hearted. Ill continue studying no matter what...pass or fail, it will not define me as a person.

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Comments

sprkymrk

About the only way I know I'm ready is after I see the results of the real thing - "Yup, I was ready" or "Nope, I wasn't ready".

Although another good gauge, if you use them properly, is Transcenders. When you can score 90% on those you're probably ready for a MS exam. I've used them twice and found that they test in the same style as MS and in line with the Skills Being Measured, so they are a pretty good gauge.

Personally, I never "feel" ready, so I just do my best and give it a shot. The worst that can happen is you lose $125. Not a good feeling, but not the end of the world either.

Mishra

I think that once you can teach someone else the subject matter than you have successfully learned it.

My learning style is to repeat what I have learned in a knowledgeable fashion, not just repeating the sentence from the book.

So lets say that I read the USMT chapters. Once I have understood what the book is trying to teach me then I repeat it back in my head as a summary. Example of what I would try to tell myself: "Well USMT's are migration tools that help users transfer files and settings from one computer to another. You can do this to multiple computers at a time with scanstate/loadstate through command line or one computer at a time with the file settings and migration wizard using a GUI wizard". (Yes I knew that by heart)

Once I've figured that out then you may want to try it out in a lab just to see what it does and thats it. Do I have the command line options memorized even though they are taught in the book? No. Do I remember every screen of the wizard? No. But I have a good understanding of the purpose of the tools and can easily go back anytime I need to use it and figure out a plan.

This is really how you should study most topics IMO. You can then eliminate all the wrong answers in any question you get asked. So my point is just use this study method and study ALL topics. If you run into a question that has a multiple choice answer you have never heard of then study what that choice is. Then you should be ready.

Just as an added comment. MS wants you to memorize DSADD, DSMOD, DSQUERY command line options and command line structure for the 290 test and may test you on a given scenario. Did I memorize it? Nope... Didn't want to waste the time and brain power remembering everything about that. Instead I just best guess on these questions and can get them right some of the time. It is just a sacrifice that I make so I KNOW the needed things for the test and real life (like permissions).

JDMurray

I never feel truly ready to take any exam. I just try to build up to a certain level of confidence to get to my "ready" point. My confidence is always a little higher if I have already taken exams from the same vendor (CompTIA, Microsoft, Cisco, etc.). I feel that if I can give a 3-5 minute talk on the details of each of the exam's objectives then I am prepared. And signing up for an exam 2-3 months in advance is a great motivator to me for studying. But as Mark said, about the only way I know I'm ready is after I see the results of the real thing.

dynamik

I use a book or two, CBT Nuggets, and Transcender. It's probably overkill, but I'm 3/3 thus far, and I think I have a better understanding of the material than I would have had I just gone with the bare minimum to obtain a passing score.

I use Transcender "improperly" though. I go through it over and over until I consistently get 100% on everything. It works for me because for each question, I make myself explain one the answer is correct and why the others are incorrect. I don't just memorize the correct answer. It really helps me solidify the knowledge and obtain a greater understanding of the material.

The thing I like about Transcender is that they have been consistently more difficult than the test itself. I'd give one a shot if you haven't tried one before or haven't taken an MCP test before. It'll give you a good idea what the actual test experience is like.

Regarding 270, I think that was the most difficult test I have taken so far. There was a lot of obscure aspects of XP that I never had to deal with, such as mass deployment (RIS, etc.), so it was kind of odd. I wouldn't be too worried about console commands and their respective switches. I don't remember getting a single question about them on the 270. I believe you just need a general understanding of what a command does. For example, what command would you use to import dozens of users into AD from a .csv file? You'll just need to pick the command from a list, not actually carry it out. You don't need to know that for 270. Just brush up for 290 and 294

Scheduling exams a couple of months in advance does help motivate you. However, there's always a chance you might accidentally plan a vacation for that same week and forget about it. I'll be taking 294 on Monday now...

ladiesman217

thanks for the advice guys. its an honor talking to you.

jamesp1983

dynamik wrote:

I use a book or two, CBT Nuggets, and Transcender. It's probably overkill, but I'm 3/3 thus far, and I think I have a better understanding of the material than I would have had I just gone with the bare minimum to obtain a passing score.

I use Transcender "improperly" though. I go through it over and over until I consistently get 100% on everything. It works for me because for each question, I make myself explain one the answer is correct and why the others are incorrect. I don't just memorize the correct answer. It really helps me solidify the knowledge and obtain a greater understanding of the material.

The thing I like about Transcender is that they have been consistently more difficult than the test itself. I'd give one a shot if you haven't tried one before or haven't taken an MCP test before. It'll give you a good idea what the actual test experience is like.

Regarding 270, I think that was the most difficult test I have taken so far. There was a lot of obscure aspects of XP that I never had to deal with, such as mass deployment (RIS, etc.), so it was kind of odd. I wouldn't be too worried about console commands and their respective switches. I don't remember getting a single question about them on the 270. I believe you just need a general understanding of what a command does. For example, what command would you use to import dozens of users into AD from a .csv file? You'll just need to pick the command from a list, not actually carry it out. You don't need to know that for 270. Just brush up for 290 and 294

Scheduling exams a couple of months in advance does help motivate you. However, there's always a chance you might accidentally plan a vacation for that same week and forget about it. I'll be taking 294 on Monday now...

howd you do on the 294?

dynamik

Awww... thanks for caring.

I pulled it off: http://techexams.net/forums/viewtopic.php?t=28651