Back on the Road to MCSE

I’m sure everyone remembers my praise of Microsoft Certification Tests from last time I talked about them, but now I come with new found knowledge and an external pressure (having to get it done fully certified in one year).  For those of you that don’t know, I’m now an MCP (yes Nick and Jason, I can do the dance/handshake now).  Actually, I’m closer to being an MCSA than MCP, but who’s counting. 

Now, this may come as a surprise to those that I have worked with before, as I don’t hold the tests in very high regards.  This is mostly due to the people were MCSE Certified, and the messes they left me to clean up.  Plus there was the horrible taste in my mouth after I took my first test under a year ago.  Not to give myself excuses, but looking back, that first test wasn’t as bad as I made it out to be.  Yes, I don’t doubt that I should’ve passed, but just reading the book without taking any sort of practice test probably wasn’t the smartest thing to do.  Granted, I did pretty much the exact same thing this time, with minimal (read about 30 mins before each test) review for both the Windows Server 2003 and Windows XP.  Honestly, I don’t think it has anything to do with the amount of review time I put towards it, and instead how much I’ve actually used the product. 

Now after I’ve completed both of those tests, looking back, I realize it is a fairly decent test.  It shows if you really know the material, I guess.  I think the last time I took it, I was just so nervous, and when I started seeing the complex questions I paniced more than anything.  This time around, I knew that I knew the material, so it was much easier, and quite painless.  However, at the end of the test it was still hard to push the completed button. 

I’m just hoping the other tests I have go just as easily.  I know, though, that I’m going to have to spend more time on each of them instead of just flying off the cuff, as I don’t know as much intricacies with AD, networking, etc.  Actually, I tried with the Networking I test, and amazingly didn’t do that bad.  Unfortunately, much like the first time I took the Windows 2003 test, though, I failed, but by such a small amount that I’m sure if I would’ve taken it the next day I would’ve passed.  Oh well, such is life.

Four more in 9 months.  It sounds like a long time, but going home and studying is not what I call a fun time.  Hopefully I can mash out a bunch within a week to keep me from spreading it out too much.