Passed 70-643

Scored 945. I think I missed about 3 questions from 55.

It took 4 weeks to prepare (after work and on weekends), ~160hr total.

Recipe:
1. Get training if you can. I watched Trainsignal videos.
2. Read. I chosen MSPress book. Way outdated, doesn't cover R2 changes and Sharepoint 2010 Foundation and chapters about Terminal Services may confuse, because Microsoft changed TS to RDS and whole bunch of terms changed along.
To learn R2 changes I started at Technet: What's New: Changes in Functionality from Windows Server 2008 to Windows Server 2008 R2 and explored unfamiliar features by browsing deeper trough Technet. For example knowing about managed service accounts became very handy during the exam.
Sharepoint 2010 Foundation - for start there is a pretty good online source Microsoft SharePoint Foundation 2010 - Download, Articles | TechNet
4. Lab, lab and once more - lab. Most important part. Spent about 2/3 of time labing - practice is really crucial for this exam. Book doesn't have enought practice scenarios, so I had to made bunch of them up myself, end up having over ten virtual machines, with Clusters, IIS, RDS and Sharepoint farms. Probably pushed every button there is

As for Hyper-V learning - this is why I always recommend use Hyper-V for all labing (of course only if you are going for MS Certs). If you had used Hyper-V from start, by 70-643 exam you will already have mastered required skills - it saves time dramaticaly.
I also use WDS for installing new virtual machines - saved time once again.
5. Preplogic Megaguide for Craming before exam day. Good for review, especially if you bought only for 1$.

Overall exam one of toughest i have taken. Possibility to pass it without labing very doubtful.

I'm feeling like a squeezed lemon, but don't have time to rest - 70-647 is only three weeks away and failure is not an option

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Comments

earweed

Congrats on the great score!
I just passed the 647 saturday and it's a long, drawn out exam. Study the case scenarios in the MS Press book. They helped me a lot.

spd3432

Congrats! The 643 is the current exam I'm studying for. Using technet, the Microsoft ITAcademy (not all that good), and I've got the hard copy of the Sybex book on pre-order.

MickQ

Well done Povilas. Great score!

TrainSignalEric

Woot woot! Congrats!

Miikey87

Great work, I am looking forward to 70-643 soon however I am hesitant without the updated MS Press book. I don't have much experience in IIS to begin with.

Dakinggamer87

Congrats on pass!!

CChilderhose

Congrats on the pass. This one took me 2 tries when I did it.

Zillatech

I was thinking about scheduling this and noticed that its now 3.5 hours.

Is this right?

Exam Number: Microsoft 070-643
Exam Language: U.S. ENGLISH
Exam Duration: 03:30 [hh:mm]

It seems a little long for 55 questions. I figure there is at least 30 minutes for the surveys, etc. but 3 hours for the rest of it?

hackmer

If English is not your native language then Microsoft give you + (extra) time.
(For my 643/642 it was so. 55 questions and 3 hours)

Povilas

If I remember correct, exam timeslot was 2:45 total, with 2:15 or 2:30 for exam itself. And my native language also isn't English - but I don't think that Microsoft gives additional time because of it.
I don't know if it's a bug or feature, but once I booked for 70-642 and prometric allocated 4:00 timeslot and later I rescheduled it for another date and this time prometric allocated only 2:30 for the same exam!
As for time required for exam - It really depends on person, and I have met people who says that Microsoft doesn't give enough time, but other people, including me, thinks that there is enough time to do exam twice. It depends on tactics.
I believe that you must know material at first. If you don't know answer - give your best shot and go to next question and don't look back. I'm marking for review only these questions that I don't know which answer is the best (when there is a couple of right answers, but you need to choose the best). I never mark more than 5-15 questions. At the end of exam I only review marked questions once and make changes if needed and then hit Finish. That’s my tactics.
But colleague of mine always review all questions at least twice and changes answers based on second thoughts (created by doubts) and uses all time until the last second. And always gets worse results than me, despite that he knows more than me.
Also after taking bunch of MS exams you starting to feel what answer is expected from you and you start find answers quicker. Sometimes I even don't read all answers (rarely).

hackmer

Povilas wrote: »

If you don't know answer - give your best shot and go to next question and don't look back. I'm marking for review only these questions that I don't know which answer is the best (when there is a couple of right answers, but you need to choose the best). I never mark more than 5-15 questions. At the end of exam I only review marked questions once and make changes if needed and then hit Finish. That’s my tactics.

Completely agree with you!
I mark questions too. After all questions I come back to marked questions.

Zentraedi

hackmer wrote: »

If English is not your native language then Microsoft give you + (extra) time.
(For my 643/642 it was so. 55 questions and 3 hours)

Actually, it's just if you are in a non-English speaking country.

Any native English speaker here in Japan can take the exams and receive extra time.

Psoasman

Congrats on your pass, that's a nice score.

ITVince

Congrats! nice score!