Passed 70-680 to complete MCITP:EA

I sat for the 70-680 exam today and passed with a score of 809. The test had 50 questions and I honestly thought I had 42 of them definitely right. Overall the material was not too bad - there were just 5 or 6 of the usual "Microsoft" questions. I hate questions where they ask for the next step, or the fastest way to do something. There always seem to be 2 or 3 equally "right" answers so the questions are a crap shoot. There were also some VERY obscure command line commands on the exam, so if you see any commands in the books I would recommend looking them up and understand what they do.

Overall the test seemed to cover the material evenly. If you look over all the info in the 8 domains on this site you should be ready for this exam. I created 8-10 pages of notes for each domain using the MS Press book and used these notes to prepare. The notes seemed to cover everything very well.

I used the following 3 books to prepare:
1) MS Press 70-680 - not horrible, but not the best
2) Darril Gibson's 685/686 book - good coverage of the material
3) Poulton 70-680 book - this was by far the best of the 3

I also used the MS Press CD questions and self test software questions and flash cards.

I would recommend using the MS Press and the Poulton book along with the MS Press CD and the questions in the Poulton book. If you cover these 2 books and questions in detail you should be well prepared for this exam.

Also, if you are beginning to study for the MCITP:EA I would HIGHLY recommend taking the server exams first. The material you cover and learn from the Server 2008 tests will help prepare you for this exam.

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Comments

pzero

Congrats on the pass!

Psoasman

Congrats on passing!

Lord Nikon

great work!

Glyphic83

Todd,
Which exam would you advise that one take first? I've been studying for 70-680 for about 3 weeks now and am doing okay at it but not great, and I've read many comments on these forums that say to take server exams first. But which to start with? Any thoughts?

CChilderhose

Congrats on the pass.

aklabs

congrats Todd

i take my test friday

Dakinggamer87

Congrats on pass!!

Asif Dasl

Congrats! That's quite an achievement...

Todd Burrell

Glyphic - I have stated more than once on this forum that I would HIGHLY recommend taking the Server 2008 exams FIRST, then take 70-680 last. There are a number of topics like BranchCache, DirectAccess, BitLocker, Group Policy, AppLocker, Windows Firewall and WFAS, Remote Access technologies, IPv6, etc..., that are covered in good detail in the Server material. There is simply no substitute for seeing this info on the server exams first because that made 70-680 MUCH MUCH easier. I would have had a very hard time with 70-680 with it as my first MCITP:EA test even with my MCSE experience.

Pick up one of the 2008 R2 books to accompany the MS Press books (like Mastering 2008 R2). They will help with the R2 technology like DirectAccess and BranchCache.

Also, for 70-680 I would definitely recommend the Poulton book instead of the MS Press book, although I learned a great deal from the MS Press practice questions on the CD. The Darril Gibson 685/686 book is also a great resource.

One other bit of advice - take the 640, 642 and 643 tests FIRST, then take 70-647. 70-647 is a total pain in the butt, so you will need all the knowledge from the other 3 exams to pass it. The format is a total nightmare.

Good luck.

Glyphic83

Todd Burrell wrote: »

Glyphic - I have stated more than once on this forum that I would HIGHLY recommend taking the Server 2008 exams FIRST, then take 70-680 last. There are a number of topics like BranchCache, DirectAccess, BitLocker, Group Policy, AppLocker, Windows Firewall and WFAS, Remote Access technologies, IPv6, etc..., that are covered in good detail in the Server material. There is simply no substitute for seeing this info on the server exams first because that made 70-680 MUCH MUCH easier. I would have had a very hard time with 70-680 with it as my first MCITP:EA test even with my MCSE experience.

Pick up one of the 2008 R2 books to accompany the MS Press books (like Mastering 2008 R2). They will help with the R2 technology like DirectAccess and BranchCache.

Also, for 70-680 I would definitely recommend the Poulton book instead of the MS Press book, although I learned a great deal from the MS Press practice questions on the CD. The Darril Gibson 685/686 book is also a great resource.

One other bit of advice - take the 640, 642 and 643 tests FIRST, then take 70-647. 70-647 is a total pain in the butt, so you will need all the knowledge from the other 3 exams to pass it. The format is a total nightmare.

Good luck.

Thanks, Todd. I think I may start with 70-642, then go from there.

demonfurbie

Glyphic83 wrote: »

Thanks, Todd. I think I may start with 70-642, then go from there.

yep im starting with 70-642 as well ... it seams like alot of the info i learned in net+ is in there, so i thought it would be a good start.