MCITP: SA in 3 months challenge?

The story of three guys trying to get ahead...

Our background:
So we work as Network Admins Tier1 for windows based networks Server 2003 and 2008 mainly for an IT outsourcing company,
-What do we do: Remotely maintain live networks and domains, anything from creating a user's account in AD, manage their Exchange servers to troubleshoot a wide varierty of apps that run in TS-farm type server arrangements. Not to mention server maintenance, backup, BoVPN setups and such... all this in environments that range from domains of 10 users, to 700+ user multi forest domains. (in a few words we're network helpdesk)

With this being said we don't consider ourselves MCITP:SA material so our company setup a challenge for us:

Pass the 70-640, 70-642 and 70-646 and become MCITP:SA by August!
and we all get a significant raise... otherwise just continue doing what we do.

Off the bat the offer sounds great, obviously we're IN!

but in all reality we all are married family-men with lives and duties outside work... so we start questioning, is passing these 3 exams with this type of work experience possible if study time is limited... I mean you can only dedicate so much time when you work IT and come home to study IT... Realistically I think an hour a day is possible and going by the books and lab materials we can dedicate even some study time at work (since we have a designated play area for grown-ups) [is a lab facility... old rundown stuff there but good enough to play and practice with]

What we're looking here from you guys is a bit of motivation to keep us going OR thruthful horror stories if this is the case and is harder to achieve than what it sounds...

Thanks for any input, also your own hard studying stories will help!

Grazie Mile!

Find more posts tagged with

Free for TechExams community: Cybersecurity salary guide

Compare cert salaries and plan your next career move

Button

Comments

sina2011

I agree with what sean has said.

I had a proper flick through it today and about 90% is the same as the other Sybex Server 2008 Books I honestly have just left it and will only use it as a backup source I honestly found no difference except for the Sharepoint Foundation 2010 and for that im going to start doing Sharepoint Server 2010 later on in the year when the training is available.

As Sean said im disappointed.

erpadmin

It is pretty much a bit of a higher-level overview more than anything else. I found that whatever topics were discussed, I could get much more detail in the TechNet articles. However, I still would recommend you get it, because it is better than nothing, and you won't get into silly little arguments with yourself about how it's not an "R2 resource. You get enough information to jot down so you can read about it on Technet/other resources.

Another good resource (and R2 and regular 2008 is irrelevant, IMO) is the Transcender Study Guide. For the normal cost of a Transcender, I got the guide for free via RTEK2000. Until the 20th, I plan on living in 70-640 land until I get as comfortable with the material as I was with Security+ (which I'm actually glad I have...especially for the Online Responder/CRL stuff...)

I'm getting my butt kicked with the 70-640 Transcender, but that's because I'm coming home from work later than usual. This is actually normal, as Security+ did the exact same thing. I suspect that after I go over the guide and make notes, plus match that up with the TechNet articles, I'll be able to go round two tonight (with some coffee...) and be on the proper side of the butt kicking.

(BTW, in addition to having doing the 640 and 642 for WGU...I have it on my mind that I too will get your raise...LMAO....[I need "fake" motivation for the 646...

] )

Ivanr4g63

Any type of motivation is good motivation I'd say.

Thanks for your replies, they're very insightful and educative on this decision, I'll wait an extra week and hopefully I'll have enough time to re-read the materials I have and I may still get this book we'll see (any extra study help is welcome at this point), I must say right now im dead on 640 stuff only, I have a rather 'wondering' mind and I get easily distracted when studying a subject, for instance if I hear about setting up a 'router on stick' from a tech in the office I automatically want to hit the books about Cisco routers and such... so I must fight to stay focus for the subject at hand... Thanks for your pointers, always appreciated, I'll stay with what I have on the 640 and once I get better on my weaknesses I may get this book for extra re-inforcing the subject.

MickQ

You'll need to delve into the material a good bit more than is in that book. I sat my 643 before all the R2 books came out, so I relied on technet and playing with the things in a virtual lab.
Basically, what I did:
Checked the new R2 topics.
Read up on them on technet and as many details of them.
Applied them in the lab (where possible).

Bear in mind that I've been working with win servers since 2000 edition, so I knew the old stuff but needed the new. YMMV.
Also, you can go for your router-on-a-stick and CCNA after you get your MCITP EA

neathneathneath

Ivanr4g63 wrote: »

MCTS: Windows Server 2008 R2 Complete Study Guide (hardcopy with practice CD of course! )

To buy or not to buy?
In order to catch up on R2 features of the exams I was wondering if This new Sybex book is worth it or not, I know some of you here have it and even have taken the time to compare the book to actual R2 material, The reason I ask is because I'm looking everywhere for help with R2, I'm doing some ucertify tests and I don't think they are R2... so without further unnecesary explanations, Would you guys consider getting this book for extra help in preparing for MCITP?

ps: I personally love Sybex stuff, I used them alot in the past and I think they're a good source, but not sure on this one.

Thanks in advance

I also bought this book specifically for the 643 section and it does seem a bit thin on the ground compared to other books. I have the Sybex 70-643 original book by Joel Stidley and like-for-like that's a more detailed book albeit not covering the R2 content. I'm doubting that the cost was worth it

Ivanr4g63

Haven't had much chance to update but wanted to thank you all for all your support and positive comments.
Also great tips to keep us moving, I have a lot to write about my recent experience but will try to make it short for the sake ease reading.

*Thanks to those who followed this thread and gave me great advise, overall Thanks to TechExams.net this forum K1ck$ @$S!

So basically I passed 70-640 and 70-642, failed the 70-646 but mostly my fault because I rushed to it not being 100% ready.
My goal as many of you may remember was to complete MCITP:SA in 3 months, my hardest exams I have to say was the 70-640, it covers too many different topics that I wasn't too familiar with, took me well over 45 days to feel ready for this exam, in between there and because of my work I was practicing alot with topics regarding the 70-642. I Started studying late april and end-up taking the 70-640 late july, passed with a mid 700's score and moved quickly onto the 642, which I was able to pass with a low 700 score mid august, a bit dissapointed but I passed so it was ok.
I then rushed to cram study time, labs, updated material etc and took the 646 last week of august and Failed with a mid 500 score. I wasn't surprised with the score, more so mad at myself for not waiting when I knew going in that I wasn't fully prepared.

My overall experience was great, my joob noticed the effort and end up rewarding me for it as they previosuly said they would. Which I was happy about. And felt the need to keep preparing for more since I see now that I work for a company that promises and delivers which makes me feel fortunate.

My family time took a big hit since I work all day and commute long hours as well, but all this effort is slowly paying off. I still have a lot more to accomplish but I like were I'm going so is definitaly worth it.

STUDY MATERIAL:
-MS Press R2
-Some Sybex MCITP material
-Technet
-Ucertify
-PDF and flash cards on my mobile phone
-Tons of youtube vids
*This last one, youtube.com, I'm really surprised it doesn't get mentioned much around here, it litterally has every topic, how-to, explanations, definitions, practices you can think off on server 2003 and 2008, slowly people are uploading R2 stuff as well. The only problem is that videos are not labeled with the proper name, so locating the right video for the right topic takes some hefty searching, but if you look hard enough the material is there.

My personal study path was:
Lab all the excersices on the MS press book at home, (I haveseveral old pc's that were barely running server 2008 r2 -painfully slow- but enough for me to lab on them) read the book after I lab so I could comprehend the topic better and lab one more time the same topic, create my own scenarios once I understood the topic, research the web for solutions to the scenarios I've created, look on youtube for how-to's, read other material on the same topic and move one to next subject once I felt I grasp enough info. Hardest part was learning commands that I barely use.

Be aware - the exam does test you on relatively every topic there is.
And as mentioned many times in the past one single source for study material is NEVER enough.

I don't want to keep you guys reading all day, but thanks again for all your support. I'm still fighting to pass this 70-646 exam, it is indeed a hard exam but not impossible, once I do that I'll be sure to crack open a cold beer, one? I ment to say a case!!
til' then I'll keep on studying!

Thanks all.

Pishof

Thanks for the update. It was an ambitious goal that I've recently started as well although I'm giving myself closer to four months than only three as my goal. I've been studying 70-640 hard the last 15 days and hopefully will feel prepared to take it around the beginning of next month.

I've been using the MS Press 2008 R2 Study Guide, Labsim, and Ucertify. Did a broad readthrough of the MS book and working through labsim in the evenings while I drill myself on Ucertify on lunch and any time I have a few minutes to take a practice test.

I plan on moving back to the MS press book after Labsim and labbing through all the scenarios there and filling in any areas I feel weak on via a combination of additional labbing and reading technet.