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Passed 70-236
Claymoore
Member Posts: 1,637
Barely, with a 718
I know it's pass/fail and a pass is a pass and that Microsoft considers 700 passing and if they wanted a higher passing score they would set it higher, blah blah blah. Bottom line is I hold myself to a higher standard than just meeting the minimum requirements and I was disappointed with my performance. I felt better prepared than that, but I suppose only 6 weeks experience with Exchange 2007 wasn't enough. I scored almost identical in every section, so it's not one or two week areas I need to improve in.
Materials Used:
Microsoft Exchange Server 2007: Implementation and Administration
MCTS: Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 Configuration Study Guide: Exam 70-236
Exchange Server 2007 Administrator's Companion, Second Edition
Preparation:
I started reading about 2007 a year and half ago using other pre-SP1 material so I could work on a design for my previous employer. Other projects and budget cuts kept me from implementing it there while other study goals kept me from reading more about it. I didn't know if I would ever get around to taking this exam because I wasn't sure if I would continue down the MS career path or move to Cisco, but the new job is an MS job and my first project was an Exchange migration. I read both the Sybex study guide and the Exchange Implementation and Administration books with the Admin Guide as a reference in a few areas. I don't think the Sybex study guide alone is good enough for this exam, but I found the Implementation book to be both useful for the exam and the real world. I read some bad reviews on the MSPress 70-236 book so I stayed away from it.
Exam:
I can't really say much that hasn't already been said. Yes, there is a lot of Powershell. I wasn't trying to memorize every option for every cmdlet, instead I tried to learn what could only be done through the EMS and also how to do common tasks. I was surprised at the depth of a few of the questions, and sometimes I was stuck picking the answer that was at least syntactically correct and hoping for the best.
Next, on to 237. I started studying yesterday and found something in the first chapter that probably cost me 2 questions on the exam Friday. I was planning on taking this and 238 in the next 2 months, but I may need to stretch that to 3 in light of my low score on 236. I definitely have a lot more to learn if I am going to attempt an Exchange Ranger rotation some day.
I know it's pass/fail and a pass is a pass and that Microsoft considers 700 passing and if they wanted a higher passing score they would set it higher, blah blah blah. Bottom line is I hold myself to a higher standard than just meeting the minimum requirements and I was disappointed with my performance. I felt better prepared than that, but I suppose only 6 weeks experience with Exchange 2007 wasn't enough. I scored almost identical in every section, so it's not one or two week areas I need to improve in.
Materials Used:
Microsoft Exchange Server 2007: Implementation and Administration
MCTS: Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 Configuration Study Guide: Exam 70-236
Exchange Server 2007 Administrator's Companion, Second Edition
Preparation:
I started reading about 2007 a year and half ago using other pre-SP1 material so I could work on a design for my previous employer. Other projects and budget cuts kept me from implementing it there while other study goals kept me from reading more about it. I didn't know if I would ever get around to taking this exam because I wasn't sure if I would continue down the MS career path or move to Cisco, but the new job is an MS job and my first project was an Exchange migration. I read both the Sybex study guide and the Exchange Implementation and Administration books with the Admin Guide as a reference in a few areas. I don't think the Sybex study guide alone is good enough for this exam, but I found the Implementation book to be both useful for the exam and the real world. I read some bad reviews on the MSPress 70-236 book so I stayed away from it.
Exam:
I can't really say much that hasn't already been said. Yes, there is a lot of Powershell. I wasn't trying to memorize every option for every cmdlet, instead I tried to learn what could only be done through the EMS and also how to do common tasks. I was surprised at the depth of a few of the questions, and sometimes I was stuck picking the answer that was at least syntactically correct and hoping for the best.
Next, on to 237. I started studying yesterday and found something in the first chapter that probably cost me 2 questions on the exam Friday. I was planning on taking this and 238 in the next 2 months, but I may need to stretch that to 3 in light of my low score on 236. I definitely have a lot more to learn if I am going to attempt an Exchange Ranger rotation some day.
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bertieb
Member Posts: 1,031 ■■■■■■□□□□
I totally understand where you are coming from as I hate scraping by, but you got the job done with a pass and no doubt you'll be working on a few of the finer details too. Congrats and good luck with the EMA track in general
The trouble with quotes on the internet is that you can never tell if they are genuine - Abraham Lincoln -
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HeroPsycho
Inactive Imported Users Posts: 1,940
I scored a 700, although my exam was totally jacked, as I've mentioned before. My co-worker who knows Exchange very well failed his first attempt. Don't feel bad.
You'll feel a lot better after you take 237. I got a 980 or something like that.
Good luck to all! -
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dynamik
Banned Posts: 12,312 ■■■■■■■■■□
Barely, with a 718
Scary
That sounds identical to my experience. You should be able to knock out 237 quite easily. I skimmed the 200 pages in that 237/238 combo book and did a fast run through Transcender. However, the "How to ****..." and "Mastering..." books did cover a lot of that material. I didn't go with any exam-centric books for 236, and I highly recommend you check all those out.
I know that's not a thrilling score, but congratulations all the same! I think it sucks too (speaking about myself), but I'm not too broken up about not having every cmdlet command and option memorized.
