taken 291 & 293 ? I need your help

For those who have taken both, I was wondering how similar the material is between the two?

I took my 291 a couple of weeks ago and did not pass....I have my second shot, but I have since taken 2 transcender practice tests and did not exactly smash it out of the park. I have been re-reading my MS Press book, re-watching TestOut CBT's, and have also done all the labs in Microsoft Learning Labs for them. I understand all the principles, but do not seem to be scoring well in DNS and RAS. I have gone over the material morning, noon, and night for a week and a half since failing, and I am kind of burned out, not to mention intimidated by the "beast". I was thinking about going on to the 293, just to give myself some fresh material to study, then revisiting the 291 for review before taking them both at about the same time.

Is this crazy or possibly a good strategy?

I guess I was hoping that the 293 would give me something new to liven things up as well as provide a confidence booster for my 291 retake. I am in a rut with the beast and don't know how else to get out of it. Previous certs are in my signature....all input is appreciated.