Never had a simulation question on a Microsoft exam

I have been taking certification exams for almost 12 years now with my first Microsoft exam almost 10 years ago. I got my MCSE in 2000 then upgraded to 2003. I have my MCITP SA and EA. I almost have my MCITP EMA and MCTS Vista, Windows 7 and Virtualization. Also waiting to hear back from my MCTS Exchange 2010 Beta. After all of that I have yet to have a single simulation question. I'm wondering if this is just random coincidence or it is some strange situation since my MCP ID is pretty old. How about the rest of you guys? I'm interested to hear if this is the case for some of the guys who have been around for a while or if this is just random coincidence.

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Comments

RobertKaucher

The Vista exam doesn't really have any sims. Since you took the 2000 MCSE I assume you upgraded, right? That would explain the lack of sims there. The 2008 exams did not have any sims when I took them, and I have yet to hear about a beta exam that has sims either. I suppose it's just the track you have taken.

Starke

Yes that's correct. It seems simulation is the way Microsoft wants to go so I suppose it is inevitable.

RobertKaucher wrote: »

The Vista exam doesn't really have any sims. Since you took the 2000 MCSE I assume you upgraded, right? That would explain the lack of sims there. The 2008 exams did not have any sims when I took them, and I have yet to hear about a beta exam that has sims either. I suppose it's just the track you have taken.

Hyper-Me

How do you "almost have" 6 tests?

Starke

Sorry it was a run on sentence, I do that a lot. I only need the 70-238 to complete my MCITP Enterprise Messaging Administrator. I already have Vista, Windows 7 and Virtualization.

Hyper-Me wrote: »

How do you "almost have" 6 tests?

drewkeg

the 290 and 291 in the MCSA 2003 track have sims. If you want sims, take the 431, it has 12.

Psoasman

RobertKaucher wrote: »

The Vista exam doesn't really have any sims. Since you took the 2000 MCSE I assume you upgraded, right? That would explain the lack of sims there. The 2008 exams did not have any sims when I took them, and I have yet to hear about a beta exam that has sims either. I suppose it's just the track you have taken.

Mine had 5 sims on it.

mikedisd2

My 290 exam had 6x sims and none of them worked. The receptionist rang MS and told me to come back and resit the exam. This was already the second time it happened so I asked if I could finish the exam to see what the score was; right on 700. I walked out of the exam room only to say "unbelievable" to the receptionist. Good enough to me.

Starke

Nice, hopefully the performance based testing that they use with 83-640 will have all of the bugs worked out and be a better sim technology altogether.

mikedisd2 wrote: »

My 290 exam had 6x sims and none of them worked. The receptionist rang MS and told me to come back and resit the exam. This was already the second time it happened so I asked if I could finish the exam to see what the score was; right on 700. I walked out of the exam room only to say "unbelievable" to the receptionist. Good enough to me.

RobertKaucher

Psoasman wrote: »

Mine had 5 sims on it.

If you are talking about the Vista exam, what you are considering a sim may not be what I am considering a sim. I am refering to a simulated, fully functional OS or Application. Not being presented with with a dialog box and being asked to select the proper drop down menu.

For example when I took the 290 I had a sim and was presented with the Windows Server OS and was asked to perform certain functions in the AD.

There was nothing like that on my Vista exam. I was presented with a few dialog boxes and asked to select the proper options to do this or that, but I was not presented with a full Vista OS and then asked to create a VPN connecteion using SSL, for example.

So I think it is just what you count as a sim.

RobertKaucher

drewkeg wrote: »

the 290 and 291 in the MCSA 2003 track have sims. If you want sims, take the 431, it has 12.

Just to be clear, since he upgraded his MCSE 2000 to MCSE 2003 he did not have to take either the 290 or the 291... So, no sims.

But I agree with the second part. Starke, if you want to experience all the joys, just take one of the SQL Server MCTS exams.