How long did you study before taking your MS exams?

0ubliette

Just trying to get a general conscensus on this one here.
Im currently studying for 70-284 (exchange 2003). I've been studying for about a month now, but still getting pretty miserable scores (30% - 40%) on practice exams. This doesnt bother me too much tho as im still under halfway through the book! So still a good bit of studying to go. Im planning on taking the exam after about 4 months. Also its my first MS exam, so im wondering if maybe i shouldve picked something easier to start with! (tho ive worked with exchange for a year and a half now so i think ill be okay)
Just wondering how long other people took to go through exams of this kind?

far2gud

I studied two hours a day for two months each exam for the three exams I have. I recently failed 70-291 after 3 months study, IMO without testking these exams are tough.

Best of luck

Ginger

It depends on the exam

My normal plan of attack is to get a free MeasureUp exam and do that to get a benchmark. This will usually tell me when I should need to schedule the exam. If I score high, I take another one just in case I was lucky and take the average. If its still high, I schedule the exam close enough, otherwise it gets pushed out.

Once I know the level I am at, I tend to book my exam so that I have a point in time to work for. This allows me to pace myself and also if needs be just ramp up and do it.

Depending on the exam, it can take anything from a couple of days to 2 months. The MCTS Vista was a 2 week just quickly look over stuff whereas the upgrades from MCSD to MCPD were 2 month affairs with lots of revising and sweating trying to make sure I understood the subject matter.

Before doing the exam I am doing sample exams along the way to get used to the questions and the styles. This is quite important as it can very different between say server technology exams and development exams. They require a different eye for the specifics in each case.

In your case, I think I would have started with the Windows Server exam (70-290) as my base point as its a core exam towards a base MCSA/MCSE. You can always add the messaging speciality later. Its also an easier exam if you are familiar with Windows Server.

Doing MS Exams is a bit of knowing the subject matter while also knowing how to read the questions. A common technique is to read the answers first, then read the question while eliminating answers as you go along. Once you have finished the question you will usually have only 2 options left or 1 if you are lucky. It speeds up the process, as you are reading to eliminate rather than reading first, getting the answers and then reading again to remove possible answers. It also focuses your head somewhat to the question at hand as each question is on its own rather than relying on previous ones. This can be a problem when you get 2 questions that are similar back to back.

As for Testking, they were and still are a braindump site and should not be used. While MS settled with them and forced them to update their content, it only applies to the MS stuff and not the rest. At the risk of invalidating your certs you should not use them.

Best of luck in your exam and let us know how you get on.

0ubliette

I have the practice questions that come with the book, i think its measureup stuff, and tbh ive found them ball bustingly tough. Unfairly tough at times, the questions are so confusing that most of the time you cant help but get it wrong.
Tho i understand what you say about reading the answers first, ive found myself that usually theres 2 obviously wrong answers, and you can usually narrow it down to 2 answers.

Ginger

Yeah they are the biggest with a lot of sites under the umbrella of Certification Trendz. MS named 70 in their legal action.

MS settled with them in April 2007. There were certain stipulations and one of them was to reform their testing material for MS exams only by July 2007.

Quick summary here.

Tho that said whether they are in compliance is another thing.

I think CompTIA has a similar exam policy to MS on the use of these questionable materials.

NullZer0

I found them all to be very easy. I'm just going to sit my elective sometime in the next two weeks. I'm taking 70-620 Vista exam --- thanks to Ginger for letting me know I could take it

The hardest exams are 291 and 293 I found - Studied one month for each of these using VMware, on the job experience MS Pres, Sybex and Transender. They are both Network Infrastructure.
I found it easier to take 291 and 293 straight after. I think it was also a great help that I was studying for my CCNA while preparing for the 291 and 293 - it all kind of comes together in parts.

I didn't really study for the other exams - it was all on the job stuff.

Speaking of which I have yet to do my CCNA!