Anotyher Microsoft FAIL

I just got an email announcing that the 70-646 and 70-647 exams were being updated to reflect Server 2008 R2. It was from....

PROMETRIC

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za3bour

WOW

I didn't get such an Email from either of them , can you please paste the email here ?

earweed

Prometric - Windows Server 2008 - Second Shot is now available!
Having trouble viewing this email? Click here to view in a browser.

If you're currently pursuing or even just thinking about a Microsoft Certified IT PRO certification in Windows Server 2008, here's some exciting news :

Windows Server 2008 MCITP certification exams have been updated to reflect the latest technology, including R2
Second Shot is now available! Registering for Second Shot allows you to receive a retake exam at substantial savings if you do not pass on your first try. (Second Shot promotional pricing = regular exam price + 15%)*.

What's new in Windows Server 2008 R2?
Windows Server 2008 R2 delivers valuable new functionality and powerful improvements to the core Windows Server operating system to help organizations of all sizes increase control, availability, and flexibility for their changing business needs. New Web tools, virtualization technologies, scalability enhancements, management utilities and exciting Windows 7 integration help save time, reduce costs, and provide a solid foundation for your IT infrastructure.
Which certification exams have been updated?
70-646 PRO: Windows Server 2008, Server Administrator
70-647 PRO: Windows Server 2008, Enterprise Administrator

SHARE THIS EMAIL:

Second Shot is available on all Windows Server certification exams, so you can take advantage of this special offer wherever you might be on your certification path.
Get a Second Shot at your Microsoft Windows Server 2008 MCITP Certification!

*Candidates must register, schedule and take their first (and if necessary, retake exam) before June 30, 2011.

za3bour

I just got the email from Prometric

cool I thought I don't matter to them .And yet this is not reflected on MS website which should be the main source for info about the tests. At least now it's official thanks so much for sharing this.

now it's official guys, 70-640,70-642,70-643,70-646,70-647 all of them covers Windows 2008 R2

ElwoodBlues

I just got the email and I passed the 647 yesterday.

za3bour

and I passed today, if I got the email yesterday I think I would have a heart attack

za3bour

I have found this, I think an answer to our questions

Everyone is welcome to their opinion Charles. All Microsoft Learning training products report into me so I'm not quoting the official Microsoft company line, I am part of it .
Getting back to 70-640 and being updated for R2, this is the same exam update process we have had for year. Exams are updated as needed with beta questions but are not scored, the exam prep guide is updated, and at some point after enough exams have been completed the beta questions are evaluated and the selected validated questions start being scored.
Plus the 70-640 exam prep update is minor! ([FONT=&quot]AppLocker; [/FONT][FONT=&quot]“Reason for Access” reporting; configure AD recycle bin; authentication mechanism assurance[/FONT][FONT=&quot]; [/FONT][FONT=&quot]deploying multiple-forest certificates[/FONT][FONT=&quot]; [/FONT][FONT=&quot]x.509 certificate mapping[/FONT]). The exam prep guide is a guide, not a step-by-step manual which is why the document stresses "May include but is not limited to" throughout it. You may feel we are moving the goal posts but I would argue that by updating the exam prep guide we are making the goal posts easier to see.
Though people may appreciate your promotion of trainingsignal there are lots of exam resources available.
I sincerely wish you all the best on your Apple certification.
Sincerely,
Ben
Ben Watson
Director, Training Products
Microsoft Learning

This is the original link it's also useful some feedback from MS guys. I highly recommend that every one read this because it seems a lot of testtakers were shocked by changes and MS is defending their policy (but no luck).

The issue is simple, if you have an update

1- update skills measured
2- update books
3- Send emails to all test takers about this

That's it, it's simple simple simple

Here is the link

70-640 exam content - Windows 2008 R2 and Windows 7

Zillatech

Wow,

I feel sorry for the people going in thinking they are prepared and expecting a shorter test only to see a bunch of new questions but I guess it was bound to happen sooner or later. After all, "R2" has been out about a year now and since they can't seem to get the "Virtual Exams" going they decided to add more content.

The real bummer now is that almost all Server 2008 training out there needs to be updated and that will most likely takes months. I have shifted gears now away from the 70-643 and I'm doing my Windows 7 Exam (70-680) instead since that hasn't changed. I'll work on the 70-643 later after new videos come out. I called CBT Nuggets about this and they said they are aware of the R2 content changes and plan to update their MCITP Courses accordingly.

earweed

The trainsignal video for the 70-643 covers R2. Plus you get a bonus R2 Disk with it. IMO the bonus R2 disk is pretty good. The R2 disk covers AppLocker, BranchCache, Direct Access and a few other areas.

The hard part for me will be when it comes time to take the 647 in either late November or early December will the R2 questions be beta or graded so I'm studying for the 643 now like it does cover R2 for real whether it's some beta questions or not. I'm thinking that by the time I take the 70-647 it'll have R2 questions on it that count.

RobertKaucher

Not sure how this is a fail. Prometric has been responsible, in conjunction with MS Learning, for communicating with the active MCP community for a while now. They send email about Second Shot, Voucher Packs and a number of other things regarding MS certification exams. I also have to mention that I find the spelling error in the subject really ironic!

I find this interesting though. The MCSE exams were never updated to reflect Server 2003 R2.

earweed

Sorry about the spelling error.

My spelling >fail

The Fail on MS part is that some of the tests have been updated for nearly a month and MS hasn't bothered to announce the change even to Microsoft IT Academy Institutions (of which WGU is one)
It seems that MS not only doesn't announce the changes to us but doesn't announce them to their own people or to their Partners who are teaching classes in Microsoft technologies. It seems that we have to learn of curriculum changes through rumor or if we happen to stumble upon one lone thread in the Microsoft Learning Forum.
In one of the entries from someone from MS it was stated in that thread that students taking an IT Academy exam would have a normal 40 question exam. I took the 73-643 (IT Academy Exam) and it was 75 questions with every question labeled Server R2 and all of the names changed to reflect R2.

stevets

Frankly, I'm surprised they didn't do this sooner. While it sucks for those of us who are the midst of studying for exams, the fact of the matter is, this update has never been a matter of if, but when.

I have been using R2 for all of my labs and other various test/setups, simply because I'm geeky and love using the latest and greatest stuff that's out there. I have found that when I come across a new R2 feature that hasn't been mentioned or highlighted in any of my study materials, 20 minutes of reading a technet post usually does the trick.

Now if my resources were more limited and I couldn't work with 64bit software, I'm sure I would be more than a little ticked.

The bottom line is this: By adding R2 into the current certification structure they are adding value for those of us who are seeking those certifications, while also reassuring employers who are familiar with what the certification has to offer. I welcome the opportunity to be tested and certified on the newest product that MS has to offer. It makes me that much more confident, marketable, and knowledgeable in the workplace.

Zillatech

earweed wrote: »

The trainsignal video for the 70-643 covers R2. Plus you get a bonus R2 Disk with it. IMO the bonus R2 disk is pretty good. The R2 disk covers AppLocker, BranchCache, Direct Access and a few other areas.

True, I'm going through the "R2" Disc now but if you look at the new "Skills Measured" for the 70-643 and compare it to the Train Signal 70-643 Disc there are many things not covered. That is not based on the Outline either but the actual content because I've been through the entire course already.

Although the "TS" Training is good and well worth the time its not near enough to pass the new exam and even the Transcender that comes with it is not up to date with "R2". I know the Windows 7 stuff is the same and I had to do that anyway so for me its better to come back to the 70-643 later. Maybe by then Transcender will have some updates too. I notified Transcender Support about the recent "R2" changes just a couple of days ago.

earweed

So did I. They are "working on it" but they are way behind the ball.

LCA

I don't have any issues with MS changing the exams to R2. As far as my VM setups it doesn't matter a jot because I updated my desktop machine today to an Intel i7 870 with 8gb of ram which meant I had to wipe my old RAID 0 setup so I'll be starting from scratch with the VM's which means I'll be doing all labbing for 640, 643, and 647 on R2 exclusively.

earweed

At least you now have advance notice. I had about 4 days notice before failing my 70-643. And I have a computer capable of labbing R2 but I was labbing regular server 2008 because I thought that was what the tests were on. Be thankful you now have advance notice. I have time to lab R2 before my retake.
I had R2 on the computer with Hyper_V but all my V-Ms were regular 2008.

Jander1023

earweed wrote: »

At least you now have advance notice. I had about 4 days notice before failing my 70-643. And I have a computer capable of labbing R2 but I was labbing regular server 2008 because I thought that was what the tests were on. Be thankful you now have advance notice. I have time to lab R2 before my retake.
I had R2 on the computer with Hyper_V but all my V-Ms were regular 2008.

Yeah, I am going to upgrade my system and start using the R2 for the 646. I'm going to upgrade my processor to quad core and add 4 more gigs of ram while I am at it. I hate to spend the money, but it'll pay off when I start making more money.

stevets

Earweed, while I can empathize with your situation, I can't offer a whole lot of sympathy. I'm saying all of this in the nicest and friendliest terms possible.

As I understand it, we can reschedule an exam with prometric as long as it is 24hrs prior to the test. I know because I had to reschedule my 640 at the last minute (delayed a whole week) due to work.

Obviously, I don't know your schedule. But the time was there for you to decide whether you were go, or no-go.

Also, I cannot understand why more people were not/are not labbing on R2. It has been out for over a year! Even if the R2 features aren't on the exam, why not learn on the most up-to-date platform, especially if it's an "R*" and not a whole new OS? There is zero harm that could come from it, and plenty of benefit. Why go through all the effort to learn if you're already behind?

Like I said before, there are resource requirements for this technology (64 bit), so not everyone has that available to them. But let's face it, if you want to get into IT and you don't have a 64 bit capable box (my Athlon system I built in '05 is 64bit), you may have bigger problems to worry about.

But back to the exams. MS obviously dropped the ball on communicating the changes to everyone, but then again, maybe MS & I share a similar point of view. Who knows.

I'm getting long winded, but I'd like to say one more thing. Something that my dad told me years and years ago, but it will probably stick with me forever.

"Don't let yourself be a victim." If you can take that mentality, and never let things like this slow ya down, you'll always be in good shape and at the head of the pack.

Best of luck to ya, earweed, I'm sure you'll nail the 643 on your next go around. I hope others will find value in your experience.

earweed

What's messed up is that after studying R2 stuff for the 643 I'm going to have to study the R2 stuff that changed for the 640 and 642 so that I'll be up to speed for the 70-647 when it comes time to take it.
According to MS these new R2 questions "may" be ungraded Beta questions but we will be guessing that and guessing about when the official R2 questions go live. So it is just best to study R2 now.

MentholMoose

LCA wrote: »

I don't have any issues with MS changing the exams to R2. As far as my VM setups it doesn't matter a jot because I updated my desktop machine today to an Intel i7 870 with 8gb of ram which meant I had to wipe my old RAID 0 setup so I'll be starting from scratch with the VM's which means I'll be doing all labbing for 640, 643, and 647 on R2 exclusively.

I don't think anyone has a problem with MS updating the exams. The problem is the complete lack of communication about it from MS, and in some cases even misinformation. The thread was prompted by an announcement from Prometric about changes to the MS exams before MS even acknowledged said changes themselves.

za3bour

@Steves, I think you messed the point earweed was trying to make. We do not have any problem in MS changing questions or even exam structure it's their right.

But why not inform us ? I did a test yesterday that I had to travel from Damascus to Beirut in order to take that's a travel between two countries that is both expensive and very exhausting.

I heard about R2 thing, I did 640 and 642 not a long time ago and R2 was not mentioned. I looked at 70-646 page and there was no mention to R2 (unlike other exam) so I was sure I will not get questions based on R2 and I went to test center confident but I found out that whole exam now is based on R2 features and the 4 case studies were in fact R2 in addition to some other questions.

I had R2 installed few days ago I have been studying for 2 months and I have good experience and I barley passed.

If I knew about this earlier I would have rescheduled my exam although I'm really on a tight schedule to finish this.

I'm not asking for miracles I'm just asking for some care toward us

za3bour

In fact I do want them to change it to R2 and test us about their latest technology it's good for us and it made many of us install R2 and work with out and we are excited about it's new features (and new terms)

It's a simple Email and webpage update we're asking for nothing more

DaRichMan

Im on for the 70-647 exam tomorow.
In my official study material from Microsoft there was noting about R2 so why can they ask me questions about R2 tomorrow ???

LCA

DaRichMan wrote: »

Im on for the 70-647 exam tomorow.
In my official study material from Microsoft there was noting about R2 so why can they ask me questions about R2 tomorrow ???

In the lists of possible exam topics MS insert the words "May include but is not limited to:"

I guess to them that gives them the right to do what they like with there own exams i suppose.

marcels

This just adds another level of stress to exam prep.

Without clear guides/books with R2 features detailed I’m left trying and figure out what’s the best source of information to use for study?

I only see two options; wait until R2 books are available (and fork out more money) or search TechNet to fill the gaps?

But after saying that I’m wondering how much of the exams can the R2 questions make up? Will the current study material be enough for me to pass? Do I even worry about this?

Jander1023

DaRichMan wrote: »

Im on for the 70-647 exam tomorow.
In my official study material from Microsoft there was noting about R2 so why can they ask me questions about R2 tomorrow ???

You may want to contact the testing center and ask about rescheduling. Since this change just happened recently, they may accommodate your request.

However, if you have a second shot then just treat this as a practice test. If you luck out and get no R2 questions, or very few, then you may pass anyway!

DaRichMan

I just made a call to Global Knowledge and to Prometric. They are not aware of changes in the exam. Prometric Netherlands asked me to forward the e-mail form marketing@prometric.com about the changes to pro.globalcandidateservices@prometric.com. As soon as the aswer me I will let you know.

za3bour

So we have another failure from Prometric, it seems they don't talk to each other :S

Is it that hard to communicate ?

za3bour

I think using TechNet and get R2 book (Both Mastering and Unleached sounds good I personally got the Unleached book) is the best option for now.

The current study material will not be enough already all of EA and SA exams does reflect R2 so you need more sources to study in addition to the available books.

I don't think there will be new books in the first place it doesn't sound right R2 is not a new version it's an addition to Windows 2008 yes there are new features but in my opinion they don't require a new study material that would be costy on all level.

DaRichMan

Just came back from the exam and no questions abut R2.
Passed with 940 points

Jander1023

DaRichMan wrote: »

Just came back from the exam and no questions abut R2.
Passed with 940 points

Congrats!