Newbie Question Regarding Exam 70-536

sushidot · December 2008

Hello-

I am interested in exploring my options with certification. Currently
I have no certifications whatsoever except for a BS degree in
managerial economics. I am interested in computer programming and am
almost finished with a book on C#. Computer Science was my original
interest as an undergrad in college...i was discouraged with a FORTRAN
class I was required to take which was later canceled one semester
after I finished.

I am a bit confused by the wiki article about Microsoft certified
professionals. If i wanted to pursue further certification in
programming could i do that through one of the cert paths (eg
MCTS .net 536 and 526) without pre-req...can i self study for it or do
i need to enroll in a school?

Any information would be helpful and appreciated

Sincerely,
SD.

MCPWannabe · December 2008

Good Questions. I can answer as someone who will be soon upgrading my MCPD from 2.0 to 3.5. Furthermore, I'm also an IT instructor who trains people on how to get certified.

Anyone can get them on their own. However, with that being said, not everyone will have the discipline to get them on their own, and it is usually faster to use an instructor.

Here is what I mean: I'm teaching a .NET Foundations course and a .NET Advanced Foundations course starting tomorrow. The two courses will last for a total of 6 days and prepare the students for the .NET 2.0 version of your test.

In other words, it takes a total of 8 days to get someone ready for the test -- 6 days of instruction, plus 2 days of the students reviewing the Measureup or Transcender courseware.

Most of the time, it will take far longer for someone to go through the material. The Microsoft Official Curriculum Courseware is far more focused than the Microsoft Prep books.

With that being said, the students are paying $2,200 a piece for 6 days of instruction for me. I truly don't know how they afford it -- except that their jobs pay for them.

With the cost considerations, I think that it is better to go ahead and just get the Microsoft Press Book and go through it. Unlike an instructor, you won't get immediate answers to your questions but you will get answers. You can go on numerous forums and post questions from everything to lab setups to advanced theory questions.

Within time, you will also get to the point where you know it. I've never used an instructor to prepare for a course, myself. Only recently have I abandoned the Microsoft Press Books as anything but a reference, and that is only because I get all of the Microsoft Official Courseware for free.

I started out with the press books and it worked quite well. If you go with an instructor, make sure that your instructor is actually certified in what he/she teaches. Many votechs go with non-certified instructors and you end up waisting your money and being unprepared for the exam.

sami.itn@hotmail.com · March 2009

Well, MCTS 70-536 itself is a prerequisite paper for other certification. So this paper is basically your starting point to go for other advance certifications and you don't need to worry about meeting any prerequisites. If you are good in programming then preparing for MCTS won't problem. You can do it yourself.

For further details about paper visit following link.

http://www.microsoft.com/learning/en/us/exams/70-536.aspx

Newbie Question Regarding Exam 70-536

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