I'm so confused. What do I do now to upgrade from MCSE 2003??

I had just started my upgrade path from MCSE to MCITP:EA and have just passed 70-680.

Now Microsoft send me an email telling me everything has changed, and their website is confusing to me. Basically I just want to study towards whatever the equivalent of MCSE is these days.

Certification Overview

This is what MS sent me to. So MCITP is still in the list, so do I just continue to go ahead with that? Or are they encouraging people to do this MCSE cloud thing?

I feel like I need to sit an exam just to understand what exams to take.

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Ch@rl!3m0ng

The nearest thing to the MCSE 2003 is the MCITP Enterprise Administrator. Forget the MCSE 2008 for the moment as this deals will privatye cloud or SQL. It also stands for differnet things

2003 MCSE = Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer.
2008 MCSE = Microsoft Certified Soultions Expert.

To do 2008 MCSE private cloud or SQL you need either your MCITP SA or EA which now also gives you your 2008 MCSA.

Hope this helps??

Bobs22

Thanks man. I think I'll just continue doing what I'm doing then. I read somewhere else on this forum that people think MCITP:EA seems redundant because both SA and EA give you MCSA. But I don't see how that matters as MCITP:EA is still an independent and higher tier qualification anyway.

I've heard 70-649 is a total beast of an exam, so I may do 70-648+70-643 which is the same as 70-649 anyway. Then do 70-647 which I heard is a beast as well.

Oh well, if this was easy I suppose the cert would be worthless.

ptilsen

70-649 should be tough simply because 70-643 is tough. Unless you are great on your SharePoint, IIS, Hyper-V, Storage, Clustering, and Remote Desktop Services, you should split the exams exactly as you have specified. You will probably find 70-648 easy and 643 hard. No sense in making you split focus across three exams and then failing two or three times. IMO, 648 + 643 is the way to go.

Edit: This is coming from someone who is strong in every topic but SharePoint and Windows Media Services, but has failed 70-643 twice. I didn't fail 648, 680, 291, or 290 once, and studied less for any two of them than for for 70-643. The material is very difficult to master.

EA is definitely the way to go. If I need to hire an EA and get an SA, I will not be pleased, generally speaking. MCITP:SA represents a lower level of proficiency that MCSA, IMO, and a big step down for EA.

ptilsen

phoeneous wrote: »

So if you have mcse:2003, then pass 70-649, what is needed to get mcitp:sa?

70-646. You would only need 70-648 + 70-646 to get MCITP:SA / MCSA 2008. 70-680, 70-643, and 70-647 are needed to get MCITP:EA.

ptilsen

Yes. The different is 649 is three tests stuck together, while 648 is two tests. The third test in 649 is equivalent to 70-643, which is not necessary for MCITP:SA/MCSA 2008. It is also a very, very, very difficult test (wish me luck; my third attempt is in 15 hours). Because of that difficulty, it can make sense to take 70-643 and 70-648 instead of 70-649, to avoid failing 649 several times.

ptilsen

phoeneous wrote: »

sa = 640 + 642 + 646
ea = 640 + 642 + 643 + 646

correct?

Not quite.

SA = 640 + 642 + 646
EA = 640 + 642 + 643 + 647 + (70-680 OR 70-620) -- it's a different PRO test (647 instead of 646) and requires a client exam (Vista or 7).

SA is really kind of lame, IMO, because "MCITP" gets used interchangeably with MCITP:EA quite a bit, and it's led to misinformation and ultimately some devaluation of EA/overvaluation of SA. EA is a much bigger accomplishment that represents a much wider skillset. 70-643, 70-647, and even 70-680 are almost universally considered harder than 640, 642, and 646.

I honestly think I could have finished MCITP:EMA and SA in the time I've been working on 643.

ptilsen

Nope.

N2IT

I don't know how you guys do this. Read those thick books lab for hours and then have to redo it again. Serious props to you gents. I burn out after one certification, I can't image going through that.

When I was younger I probably could of knocked a few out, but some of you all do 5-6 test within a year. WOW

ptilsen

phoeneous wrote: »

Sorry to hear that man. Are you going to keep trying?

Absolutely. I'm currently revisiting my study habits and strategies to see what I can do to be more effective. I'll take it twice more, and then MS won't let me take it for a year. I'll still probably take it in a year, if it came down to that.

Ch@rl!3m0ng

ptilsen wrote: »

Absolutely. I'm currently revisiting my study habits and strategies to see what I can do to be more effective. I'll take it twice more, and then MS won't let me take it for a year. I'll still probably take it in a year, if it came down to that.

Unlucky dude. It is a right pain in the bum that exam. I failed it once and then gave myself 3 months of studying before resiting it. The exam is hard if like me you find it boring/dry. I found that with this I had to take more breaks so that the information stuck in my head better.

With the 640 and 642 I actually enjoyed reading and studying it so I would read and lab for hours without a break. The 643 I had to force myself to take frequent breaks about every 20 mins or so. It may not help you but I hope it does.

Johnny Johnson

ptilsen wrote: »

Absolutely. I'm currently revisiting my study habits and strategies to see what I can do to be more effective. I'll take it twice more, and then MS won't let me take it for a year. I'll still probably take it in a year, if it came down to that.

I'm actually preparing for the 70-649 now. The more I read about it the more worried I get. May I ask what study materials you used? I've always had good luck with Transcender myself, and will probably use that for my practice exams.

ptilsen

I've used R2 Unleashed, MS Press, and Transcender.

Budzy

Johnny Johnson wrote: »

I'm actually preparing for the 70-649 now.

Good luck! I'm scared of this one (and even the 648 to a certain degree).

Being doing other certs such as the SBS 2011 and Windows7 exams to hopefully better prepare myself for the 2008R2 track. Think I may just do them individually starting with the 640.