[RESOLVED] Microsoft Exams

Hi,

Today during my intermediate C# class I was asked if I would like to do one of the Microsoft Technology Exams. Since, my school is thinking of adding it to the course next year I thought I might as well be a test subject "Guinea Pig" and I put my name down.

Now, how did those of you who have done the Microsoft Exams find them, easy, hard, etc? I'm a bit concerned about some of the stuff that might be in the exam such as Java since I am having a hard time trying to understand it and I'm only studying beginner level Java.



Nightwalker

How difficult is any exam?

It is very hard if you don't know the material....not so bad if you do.

Like any exam, you will need to study for it. Also, you will be asked questions concerning scenerios that, in all likelyhood, you would probably never face in the real world...again....like any other exam.

(On a side note: I didn't even know Microsoft had an exam for Java)

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Originally Posted by Hack

On a side note: I didn't even know Microsoft had an exam for Java)

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I didn't think so either but my lecturer said Java would be apart of the exam.

Edit:

Asked my lecturer again which exam it is and he said it is the Fundamentals of Software Development exam.

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How difficult is any exam?

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Yeah, I guess I can just hope I am able to recall you the information needed in-order to achieve the correct answers.

Can't say what these exams will be like but the "Administering Windows XP" MS exam I did a few years ago for work was way harder than I was expecting... I got the exam study book (which was like 700 pages... I didn't think there was that much to write about managing Windows XP!) and I was already pretty familiar with the basics of supporting and managing XP machines but the exam went into a lot of stuff I had never even heard of. The test itself was multiple choice and there was a variety of different question types - some where you had to place things in a certain order, some where you had to just choose from 4 different answers, some where you had to select a few answers from a large list, and more. Anyway, I passed but I think that was because I re-read all 700 pages of the book the night before the exam lol

Of course the exam you are doing might be nothing like that, its hard to say. All I would say is that if there is an official MS study book for that exam then get it (or try to persuade your school to get it) because that should give you everything you need to pass the exam.

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Originally Posted by chris128

Of course the exam you are doing might be nothing like that, its hard to say. All I would say is that if there is an official MS study book for that exam then get it (or try to persuade your school to get it) because that should give you everything you need to pass the exam.

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Well, I tried the "Are you certifiable" game and only scored 50% on the first episode. There may even be some questions on asp.net even though I don't learn it until next year. Yeah, I will ask my intermediate C# lecturer about the exam study guide when I need have the class on Thursday. Although, until then my C# 2008 text book and web development textbooks will hopefully give me some answers.

Are you sure it wasn't JavaScript rather than Java?

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Originally Posted by dilettante

Are you sure it wasn't JavaScript rather than Java?

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Well, they would probably both be covered! However, it was Java that my lecturer said but maybe he said that suggesting both java and javascript were being covered.

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Originally Posted by chris128

I didn't think there was that much to write about managing Windows XP!) and I was already pretty familiar with the basics of supporting and managing XP machines but the exam went into a lot of stuff I had never even heard of.

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And this is where these exams will get you.

I distinctly remember the very first VB certification exam that I took (VB3 or VB4 - I can't recall which).

On more than one occasion I sat in my chair, staring at the screen a bit bug eyed, and thinking to myself "I didn't even know you could do that with VB".

I passed it, but only by the proverbial hair on my chinny chin chin.

This is where exam study guides come in handy as they will go into aspects of the technology you are about to be tested on, but don't know about because you never use it (and may not use it after the exam).

The MS Certifications are designed with the intentions that it should be passable by those who are in the field. The intent is to reflect the reality of what we do every day... and not by what we learned from a book. That's where the value of the certifications came in... you knew that if someone passed the certification, they knew their stuff. Today though... there's bootcamps and this and that... I hope that the certifications just haven't gotten to the point of being watered down into "papered certifications".

-tg

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Originally Posted by techgnome

I hope that the certifications just haven't gotten to the point of being watered down into "papered certifications".

-tg

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I thought they had already got to that point years ago... I used to know several people that were MCSE qualified (which means they have passed 7 specific system admin related MS exams) that didn't have a clue when it came to real IT issues. Plus everyone always says experience is far more valuable than certification when it comes to job interviews etc.

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Originally Posted by techgnome

you knew that if someone passed the certification, they knew their stuff.

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That is why my school is looking at adding the exam to the cert IV part of the course. I'm just glad I'm doing cert IV this year instead of next.

That's the part that annoys me... it's being turned into paper cert... when I said "know their stuff" ... I didn't mean from a book. You know it because you DO it... day after day after day. The nuances of having used something every day. Problem is that everyone had to have one, and thus sprang up the bootcamps and other training courses designed specifically for getting the MS Certs... which makes them useless. And is part of the reason my last cert was 11 years ago.

-tg

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Originally Posted by techgnome

That's the part that annoys me... it's being turned into paper cert... when I said "know their stuff" ... I didn't mean from a book. You know it because you DO it... day after day after day. The nuances of having used something every day. Problem is that everyone had to have one, and thus sprang up the bootcamps and other training courses designed specifically for getting the MS Certs... which makes them useless. And is part of the reason my last cert was 11 years ago.

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It's almost getting to the point where every man and his dog is a Microsoft Cert. Maybe they need to have one for people who want to work at Microsoft? :rolleyes:

Spoke to my lecturer and he said there are no study guides for the Microsoft Exam. He suggested I do the exam next semester instead of this semester since there are a few areas I haven't studied such as asp.net which, I learn next semester.

Sounds like a good plan :)

Just received an email from my lecturer with more information on the exams! The information below is part of the email I was sent.

Developer
 Exam 98-361: Software Development Fundamentals
 Exam 98-362: Windows Development Fundamentals
 Exam 98-363: Web Development Fundamentals
Database
 Exam 98-364: Database Administration Fundamentals
IT Professional
 Exam 98-366: Networking Fundamentals
 Exam 98-367: Security Fundamentals
 Exam 98-365: Windows Server Administration Fundamentals
See below links for additional information on the MTA certification and the “Are you certifiable” website for practice quizzes for exam preparation.
http://www.microsoft.com/learning/en...ation/mta.aspx
http://www.microsoft.com/click/areyo...e/default.aspx

Edit:
Learning Plan for Software Development Fundamentals (Exam 98-361)

Well, I am going to sit for a couple of the exams on the 14th of June, 8 days away! Will let you know how I get on.

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The intent is to reflect the reality of what we do every day...

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And that's what they always failed to achieve IMO. I remember sitting the database development one (can't remember the exact name now) years ago and lots of the question had nothing to do with development. There were questions like which version of sql server (pro, premium, developer etc) supported indexed views. There were questions on the licencing model for sql server.

Those aren't questions for a database developer, they're questions for a sys admin and/or a db admin. In truth, of course, they were testing how big an MS fanboy you were, not how good a developer you were.

I failed it once by less than a percent and passed it the second time by 2 or 3 percent. I'm pretty sure the difference was pure chance.

Well, it's not a good start to the exams! The system for the MTA exams is not working. :(

Sounds like a snow day in June, to me.

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Originally Posted by Shaggy Hiker

Sounds like a snow day in June, to me.

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Yeah, I hope they reschedule them. :mad:

Edit:

I received an email and they rescheduled them for Thursday 28/06/2012. Hopefully this time everything works well.