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Originally posted on my corporate blog at http://blog.avanadeadvisor.com/blogs/waynea The most difficult part about pursuing a Microsoft certification is the daunting step of taking your first one: you are effectively blind; you have never seen an actual Microsoft test. Searching the net, you find conflicting information on the experience, some people find the timer pressing, some less so, some find the exams difficult, some not so much, some people got this on their exam, others report seeing different content. Which is the real experience? Which is the one you are going to see? Step One: Relax. The first one IS the toughest exam to take; I will not lie to you. Realize that after you have your first exposure to the testing format, it will make it that much easier for you to focus and to study for each of your other exams. In the meantime, let us see if we can unravel some of those first-time-testing mysteries. The Testing Format With the Windows NT suite of MCP exams, Microsoft created a certification test where most of the questions were academic in nature, predominated with questions about the process and mechanism of implementing various features on a Windows NT network. As the credential progressed in a maturing industry and made the transition to the Windows 2000 infrastructure, the exam became a hybrid of questions including specific implementation scenarios along with the academically oriented questions regarding the implementation of various features with the Windows 2000 products. In the meantime, the industry of IT certification continued to mature and as thousands of professionals were certified in the Microsoft tracks, other vendors came out with credential examinations that immediately established a reputation for toughness based on implementation of features like adaptive testing, case study oriented material, GUI and command line simulations, and a few implemented lab time as part of senior credentials. The Windows 2003 track of system engineering exams was reconstructed to offer an exam experience which attempted to move away from the academic testing of the past and instead test core concepts in the context of a given situation. Questions were no longer to be academically drafted based on the best practice implementation of a given feature, but were rather to be answered based on the context of a specific customer situation. Depending on the exam, in the 2003 track you will primarily see two basic types of tests: Question and Answer (Q&A) tests, and Case Study (or Architectural) tests. Q&A The bulk of Microsoft tests, and particularly those covering implementation and maintenance of a given technology, are in Question and Answer format. In these tests, the computer will draft a manifest of test questions based on selecting a few from each subject area to be covered by the exam material, and then will present each test question one at a time in a timed environment until either you complete the test of time runs out. Those tests that have had more time to mature and develop (such as those covering highly visible technology information, such as implementing and maintaining Windows Server 2003 and Windows XP Professional) have been drafted to include some basic simulations. Generally, each question will be presented as a case study. A fictional company has an implementation infrastructure with some given details. In the context of the company with the information presented, you are being placed in the position of the decision maker for the infrastructure and asked to determine the correct direction in order to solve the issue presented. Sometimes these questions will be accompanied by a diagram or two providing relevant information about the situation such as a network topology map, a routing diagram, a screenshot of a log file or dialog box, etc. The answer selection varies depending on the structure for the question. The major question types are:
For multiple choices testing questions, there are really a few keys to keep in mind here. First, understand that the case presented is everything here. Take the time to read each question carefully. The correct answer out of several possible answers often hinges on some small phrase in the dialog. Further, some information presented in the dialog is intentionally superfluous as a real-world System Engineer will often have to filter out troubleshooting information that has nothing to do with what is actually going on behind the scenes. Reading the question is absolutely critical to understanding the line of thought to solve the question. Second, make sure that you understand the specific multiple choice scenario. I can tell you from my own experience that there have probably been a few questions that I look back on and have gotten partially wrong because the question was looking for each answer composing a complete solution and I chose an answer or two that would form only a partial solution but which together would offer a complete solution. Be careful, the people writing tests like to be tricky about how questions are phrased or what information is presented! Often some questions will include superfluous information in the dialog that would indicate a problem pointing to an incorrect answer that is conveniently provided to you in the answer set. Awareness and a full reading and understanding of the dialog will curtail these false trails. Much ado has been made over the addition of simulation questions in the Windows 2003 Server edition of the MCSE credential. I personally applaud their addition because you need to understand the specific UI of the system that you are supposed to have had some experience with. A simulation question will be one of two things. You will be presented with a simulated desktop and will need to navigate to a specific feature and enable (or disable) some option. Or you will be presented with a dialog box or some UI fragment that in the given scenario you are asked to modify in order to fix the situation. As with the regular questions, it is of great importance that you spend the time to make sure you read (and comprehend!) the question carefully. Second, make sure (and the test will force you!) that if any scrollbars are present on the simulation screen for the UI presented, that before making any selection you fully exercise each of the scrollbars to their limits to ensure you do not miss any options, even if it would appear that the substantial portion of the question area is already in your view. Finally, it is a great help to realize that the logic that drives these simulations is very simple. Accordingly, if the method of interface that you believe should answer the question is not present, it is not the path that Microsoft is looking for in the simulation. A reset button will be present on the interface and I would recommend that if you select the wrong thing or go the wrong way, you force the exam to “forget” what you did, just in case, by selecting the “reset” button and then determine a different path to the solution based on the interactive elements that are provided in the simulation. Case Study Case study exams are very few, they are constructed specifically to address the knowledge needed to execute the design of a given network infrastructure, for example a Windows Server 2003 environment, or Exchange 2003 environment. These tests assume that you have technical knowledge and experience with the subject matter underlying the exam sufficient that you may also apply best practices and architectural principles to a given situation in order to choose the right path for a customer to take. Accordingly, these exams are constructed to revolve around a given fictional customer case study. In each case study, an advance team will have worked with the customer in order to gather information for you: interviews with end-users and IT and business principals, snippets of IT and security policies, statements of customer pain, information about the existing server infrastructure, and sometimes information about the budget or available resources to accomplish the implementation/migration of the customer infrastructure. Generally the case study will be accompanied by 3-4 exhibits, each one somehow related to the existing environment or a customer envisioning document of a new logical infrastructure. These case studies are then followed by a selection of questions that relate to the specific implementation circumstance of the customer. Based on the presented information, how should you do XYZ? Or which technology should they implement for ABC? Or which of the following problems should be watch out for? These sorts of questions will predominantly have only a single answer but could potentially be any question type presented in Q&A format except for a simulation. To my experience thus far, I have not yet encountered a simulation question on any case study formatted exam. As with the Q&A format, a careful reading of what the question is asking for, as well as the ability to identify the relevant elements of the case study to determine the answer, are absolutely critical skills to ensure success with case study exams. Difficulty In years past with the Windows NT and Windows 2000 MCSE tracks, some technologists have indicated that passing the Microsoft certifications is easy, and this observation would be supported by the large number of MCSE certified professionals for each of those tracks. I have taken a few tests back in the NT days and can certainly tell you that the 2003 track is much more difficult as it has been constructed to be more practically applicable and is better geared to assess your depth of knowledge on Server 2003 technologies. It is imperative that you do not underestimate these exams as attitude can affect how well your mind absorbs your study material, based on the intensity with which you examine the information. In my experience with the 2003 track, the difficulty of the examination depends on the individual exam to be taken. Exams based on basic structures as Server 2003 and XP Professional I found easy, others not so much, and design exams quite difficult. In my experience both taking the tests and relating my experience to others, that each individual will assess an exam differently based on the individual background. The truth is that only you can know how much experience you have with a given subject area, and hence only you can determine the degree to which you need to compensate with additional study time. Study Methods I would like to preface my thoughts on study methods with the observations that the MCSE tests are primarily geared to provide a credentialing process for experienced system engineers on the experience and knowledge of a given system or subsystems. There is no substitute for experience although you can certainly pass some tests without any at all. If you have never worked with a technology, I would strongly advise firing up a Virtual PC or virtual environment of some kind to obtain some direct experience. That having been said, we continue… Studying is a practice which is highly individualized to the style of the learner and how the learner operates. Personally, my favorite method is general conceptual coverage by Computer-Based-Training. I find courses like CBT Nuggets, Microsoft e-Learning, and SkillSoft to be quite useful for me to make the primary thrust of my information gathering, particularly as these methods tend to have some interactivity to reinforce concepts inline with the training content and additionally have the capacity to display and review the interactive elements of configuring a given feature on a simulation of the UI. Personally, I then used MS Press and other texts to provide full reference and review coverage, finally followed up by taking Transcender tests to gauge my knowledge of the material and my readiness for the exams. For some, texts are required and preferred to absorb information well. Personally I tend to use them as references and obtain primary learning elsewhere. That being said, there can be no doubt that a text reference for the technology being tested is highly useful. For texts, there are generally two camps, one that shows preference for hard copies, and one that tends towards electronic books. While I will not get into that debate here, I will encourage you to use whichever method works best for your personal learning style. I cannot re-iterate enough that only you know how you learn best. Either way, be careful that you do not rely entirely on MS Press training kit books. These are hit-or-miss depending on the author and the author’s approach to the material. Some (like the Exchange Server 2003 training kit) are great reference materials but are absolutely useless for learning the material the first time around. Other MS Press published books like the Windows Server 2003 Active Directory Infrastructure training kit for 70-294 are excellent materials which can provide a good re-examination of concepts but are also written such that if you are being exposed to certain elements of the material for the first time, they are explained with sufficient focus and framework that you can learn quickly. If you are interested in other text or e-text materials, I would encourage you to examine the Syngress line of study guides and content texts. Further, for those that prefer hard-copy books, send emails out to local colleagues or management to find out who might have a copy of a certain book you could borrow. Costs pile up quickly if you make purchases to own of every single text you would like to study. Transcenders, and similar training tools, provide an invaluable preparation tool for taking the exam. Transcenders are a virtual environment which provides a simulation of the test. The situation and presentation is very close the actual exam experience however Transcenders are constructed specifically with deep material coverage and answer explanations to assist you in strengthening your skills on a given subject area. Understand that you should have the expectation that though you will always take a Transcender exam with the intention to pass, Transcenders are constructed generally more difficult than the actual testing experience. I have not yet passed a Transcender, despite having passed virtually every test on a first attempt. The general idea is that the Transcender provides multiple pre-constructed tests to provide an exam-experience simulation, you take one of the tests. Using your exam results and results on individual questions, you take the time to review the answers you were unsure of or the questions that you answered incorrectly. Detailed explanations are provided as to why the correct answer is correct. Take the time to study the explanations for these answers, researching or referencing additional materials as necessary to ensure you understand the underlying content in the context of the question. Once you are satisfied, complete another exam. Rinse and repeat until you are consistently passing a fair percentage of the questions. Though I will not cover the use of these, I would like to say avoid braindumps like the plague. First, realize that they are unethical and in most cases illegal as any content which was directly garnered from real test questions is covered under the Microsoft certification agreement and examination NDAs that each candidate signs electronically before beginning the exam. Second, realize that on a purely studying basis, that the temptation to memorize the test is very great. In such a scenario were you to pass the exam, you are not receiving an accurate assessment of your knowledge and experience. Finally realize that some information these braindumps is inaccurate. I have seen braindumps from several different providers and know for a fact that at least a few questions on each braindump I have seen have had incorrect answers on several different questions. I do not know if this is intentional to keep candidates from tipping Microsoft off that they cheated with a perfect score or not, but know that inaccurate answers are out there and if you are simply memorizing the material, you risk inaccuracies. Passing the Exam Congratulations! Passing an MCP exam on one of the 2003-track MCSE tests is an achievement worth being proud of. The pool of 2003 certified professionals is far smaller than those for 2000 and for the NT paths. These tests are difficult tests and you have made an achievement. After passing an exam, I would strongly advise that you continue to an exam of a related subject matter. For example, after passing 70-291, working on 70-293 might be a good choice. Or after passing 70-294, that might be the ideal time to work on 70-297. Failure on an Exam Failure is a part of any credentialing experience. Sometimes despite your attempts to study, you just do not make it. The MCP exams are engineered to be far tougher than those with previous products. I know several high level technologists that hold previous-round MCSE certifications, as well as a number of industry certifications, and have failed several Server 2003 exams. Use your exam experience and score report to help determine where the weakness in your study routine and knowledge lies. Use the questions that you remember where you were not quite sure of the answer to provide focus on areas for extra studying. Failure is not the end of the world. Pick yourself up, dust off the knees, spend some extra time on the material, and then carefully try again when you feel ready. I would caution you not to rush the re-attempt as a second failure on the same test can be demoralizing. Thankfully I have not personally had to go through that but several colleagues have had a rough time with it and it makes studying that much more frustrating and difficult when you are working on a third (or more!) attempt. Do everything in your power to study well and only have to take a test a second time. Boiling It Down The real key to passing your Microsoft test is to take the time and the effort to prepare correctly and to try to avoid methods that might make studying easier but do not actually teach you any thing. Remember that the 2003 MCP series is designed much more fully to evaluate your experience with a given technology than it is to assess your knowledge of how a technology works. Spend time with lab preparation, if you are not sure or have not used a given administration tool, fire up a domain controller at home and play around with it. Make sure that you have given yourself every advantage you can. The first test seems the most difficult at first but realize that once you hvae your first pass, it becomes much easier to study and approach the exams.
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