MS Certification
So, today was my first MS Cert test. I went in feeling pretty comfortable about it. I mean, it was test 70-290 (Managing and Maintaining a Windows 2003 Server Environment). I do this both at work and at home. I even read the MS Press book cover to cover, and took notes on it. I did fine with all the questions that were in the book, and the questions that I found online (forgot that the books I got had a CD with extra tests on it). Needless to say, I figured I wouldn’t have too much of a problem. Well, if you haven’t figured it out by now, I failed the test. To pass, you’re required to get a 700, I got a 689.
Now, after taking the test, I realize how retarded these tests really are. Now, all the tests I’ve ever taken usually make sure you know the general stuff. Well, wouldn’t that make sense, to actually test you on the stuff you’re supposed to know? Well, not according to MS. Apparantly you’re supposed to know the stuff that isn’t included in any of their material, and the most obscure crap. No wonder they’ve had such a hard time with websites such as BrainDumps. Well, the say I see it, is memorizing the answers (ala braindumps) is worse than wasting the $125 by failing it. This whole experience has definitely been a turn off to getting an MCSE. I still want to read all the material, and know the material. I just don’t think I’m a good enough guesser for passing MS tests, because that’s what it boils down to.
After takin the test, it really makes me worried about the types of places that always say that MCSA/E is required. Very worried…
March 11th, 2004 - 18:58
Actually, I like the current exams. I’ve taken them and been an MCSE since the NT 4.0 days. For NT4, you could read the books and pass the exams. For 2000, you could read and study and guess and pass the exams. Now, I think they’ve finally made the exams fit their criteria. By this I mean the “audience profile” section of the exam description on the certification website. If you haven’t done all the things it says in there, or at least almost all, one technically shouldn’t pass. It means a lot more to the credential when one needs a lot of experience to get it. I’m not knocking you personally at all btw… I was on the scoring panel that set the score for one of the MS exams and was flown to redmond to spend the day going through questions. We gave them each a rating of what % of people we thought should get them right given the audience, and they had an audience profile on a projector the whole time, and that’s what we used to judge it.
That said, I used to (a few years ago) have MCSE review sessions for particular exams. I’d be perfectly willing to do that again. I think I can give a pretty good perspective on them including what to know and what to not bother with… one of the best things about the exams though is that they make you know the product inside and out, and really set it up in a complex environment to fit their profile in order to learn all the features, instead of just reading.
I’ve failed exams… and the ones that I did, I deserved to fail, I tried to study and take it without really ‘knowing’ it. Then I spent a year on that one and worked with that product in my spare time and finally when I took it again I scored really highly.
March 11th, 2004 - 19:21
I guess, from what MS Press gives you, I was expecting something different. I mostly feel screwed out of the money I spent on the books. I did everything in the stupid books, and I failed. Of course, I didn’t take the practice exam(s) included with the books, so I really didn’t have any idea what to expect. I haven’t really, “given up,” but it makes me question my motivation to it.
The way I see it, MCSE studying is a back burner activity. And the way the tests seem to be, it can’t just be a back burner activity. I have way to many other projects that I see as being more important that taking the time to actually sit down and screw with something till I know every little thing about it. Plus, how does memorizing the exact way a dialog box looks, make you a better admin? The way I see it, the better admin should know lots, but doesn’t necissarily have to know every in and out by heart. Instead, he is able to act dynamically to problems, instead of statically. I can fix 95% of problems right now, just by sitting down and figuring it out, even if I’ve never seen it before. I guess that’s not what people want though, since my way my take slightly longer than knowing exactly what to do all the time. However, as an admin, you *should* be testing things before you deploy them, so you shouldn’t have to know things explicitly. But then again, that’s just me…
It’s no fun memorizing things, just to memorize them and take a test. It ruins IT admining to me. Figuring things out is what makes it fun. MCSE tests take the fun out of my job.
March 11th, 2004 - 19:40
Ah yes. I remember the memorize a dialog box questions. Those are indeed bad. You make good points. If it is any consolation, the questions I wrote aren’t like that
They are sincerely working toward more simulation type design exams, I think it was the one that you took which may have jaded you to it. The exams with the word “designing” in it have virtually all ‘solution/figure out’ type problems in it. The exams with “implementing” have about 70% ‘solution/figure out’ problems. The exams that are more like technician and maintenance exams are a lot of memorization. Some of the questions are quite obscure, and those probably stuck in your mind. They do have an annoying style sometimes.
As for the back-burner/front-burner stuff, as DS consultants we don’t allocate much time for training and study. But I don’t think our clients are willing to pay more to provide the time for it, unfortunately. I guess it’s a side effect of our environment.
I’d try a designing exam next if I were you.
March 11th, 2004 - 19:57
I honestly didn’t think I had done that bad on the test before I found out my results. It’s just hard because I don’t know which questions I missed, etc. I know why they can’t give it to you, it just makes it hard. It was just a severe ego bust. I felt decent, and then I got the score, and I felt quite bad. Especially since I’ve read on the web about how the test is easy, etc. And I figured I was knowledgable about the material since I had done everything they told me to. I don’t test well to begin with, and being stuck in a room by myself, for 90 mins isn’t the greatest thing in the world. Oh well.
March 11th, 2004 - 20:00
yeah, and the fact that i only missed it by 11 pts, makes me think that if i had sat down and taken another test right there, i would’ve passed. grrr
March 12th, 2004 - 12:42
Well I don’t know if I have seen you so bummed in a long time, and I feel for you. But on the other hand, when was the last time you really felt challenged academically? You need a good challenge, and should embrace it. Don’t give up. It’s just a minor obstacle in the big scheme of things!