Question - MCDST \ Exam 70-270

chriswoo · #1 25-Mar-2008, 11:53 AM

I have a question regarding MCDST exams (271 / 272) and exam 70-270. Last week i passed 70-271 to complete the MCDST as i did them the wrong way round!

How close is the 70-270 to the two MCDST exams? In other words as i'm all prep'd would i be able to book the 270 exam and have a reasonable chance of passing it or is it a different skill set meaning i would have to go through the process of preparing / studying again?

The reason i ask is that we have a small financial reward in our company for passing exams and if i could cash in it would be a good chance to do so!

If there is anyone out there who has done 270, 271 and 272 and could advise i would be grateful!

thanks for taking the time to read this.

BosonMichael · #2 25-Mar-2008, 02:37 PM

Quote:

“

Originally Posted by chriswoo

How close is the 70-270 to the two MCDST exams? In other words as i'm all prep'd would i be able to book the 270 exam and have a reasonable chance of passing it or is it a different skill set meaning i would have to go through the process of preparing / studying again?

”

70-270 is another step up entirely. It is NOT simply a combination of what you have learned with the 70-271 and 70-272 exams. You will definitely need to study for it.

Should you pursue 70-270? If you currently administer Windows XP workstations in a domain environment, then certainly! If not... well, it's passable, but it won't be easy. Since 70-270 is the first exam in the MCSA track, you should know that Microsoft recommends 6-12 months of admin experience before pursuing it.

Best of luck to you!

chriswoo · #3 25-Mar-2008, 03:37 PM

Thanks for the response, what i haven't mentioned is that i already have 70-620 pass so i don't need to take the 70-270 for the MCSA track. It's just for completness really (and the cash!).

BosonMichael · #4 25-Mar-2008, 06:01 PM

Quote:

“

Originally Posted by chriswoo

Thanks for the response, what i haven't mentioned is that i already have 70-620 pass so i don't need to take the 70-270 for the MCSA track. It's just for completness really (and the cash!).

”

Does your employer give you cash bonuses for passing certification exams?

I'd agree that 70-270 is worth taking, if for no other reason than learning things you might not have otherwise known or worked with in the past. XP will likely be around for many years to come, and it's important to know the ins and outs of it.

chriswoo · #5 01-Apr-2008, 12:36 PM

Yes, i get a little reward for passing an exam. It's an incentive so we retain out Microsoft Gold Partner status. I think i'm going to go for it anyway!

BosonMichael · #6 01-Apr-2008, 06:28 PM

Quote:

“

Originally Posted by chriswoo

Yes, i get a little reward for passing an exam.

”

Sweet! Good luck with the exam!

Lev Arris · #7 01-Apr-2008, 09:40 PM

I took the 271,272 then 270. I found it a much harder exam and also found it covered a lot of different topics that weren't in the MCDST.

Having said that I did a lot less revision for the 270 than the MCDST. I'd recommend hitting some practice exams and seeing how u fare. If u breeze those then go for it, if not brush up on those topics that you failed on.

chriswoo · #8 02-Apr-2008, 01:15 PM

Thanks Lev - i thought you may say that, anyway i have booked the exam for the end of the month so i better get stuck in to the revision. Are there any specific practice exams you would recommend?

Lev Arris · #9 02-Apr-2008, 08:21 PM

I revised from the MS-Press book (well I was meant to). The book is pretty big especially if your going to do the exam at the end of the month. Having said that the CD that comes with it is excellent and provides some mock tests. I tend to find these a little bit on the hard side but useful for finding out where you are.

I think the book is <£30 so might be worth picking up a copy for the practice test and also to have a look @ exactly what the exam covers. If anyone at your work has the book they'd probably lend you the CD as it just has the book in PDF format and the practice exam questions (not sure on the legalities of this)

I was quite lucky as our company use Skillsoft as an online provider. Which meant I could watch the videos for free (which is a lot easier and quicker than reading a book (on the negatives its also not as in depth).

Aside from that I went onto the MS recommended site for a practice test.

By the way if you have booked recently I think microsoft are still doing the second shot offer. So if you haven't already then use one of those. That way if you don't pass you get to try again for free :-D.

http://www.microsoft.com/learning/mc...t/default.mspx

BosonMichael · #10 02-Apr-2008, 08:30 PM

Quote:

“

Originally Posted by Lev Arris

I think the book is <£30 so might be worth picking up a copy for the practice test and also to have a look @ exactly what the exam covers. If anyone at your work has the book they'd probably lend you the CD as it just has the book in PDF format and the practice exam questions (not sure on the legalities of this)

”

You probably want to be sure on those legalities. Copying the PDF and practice exam from the CD to your hard drive would likely be a copyright violation. That said, that all depends on what their usage terms are. I'd be surprised if they would allow free distribution of the electronic version of their book - would this not damage their sales?

If it's sounds like it wouldn't be legal... it probably isn't.

paradoxni · #11 04-Apr-2008, 08:41 AM

What about an opposite situation.. if you pass 270 does this mean 271 / 272 should be no trouble at all ? or is it even worth doing after?

**dales** · #12 04-Apr-2008, 09:13 AM

if you did the 270 first the 271 should be reasonable (however the exam names give you a clue that they are different support (271) and administer (270). the 272 however revolves heavily around office xp/2003 so you need to know how that works (from sys requirements to what is in the tools/options menus. so you proberbly will need to study for that one.

Modey · #13 04-Apr-2008, 01:02 PM

Quote:

“

Originally Posted by dales

if you did the 270 first the 271 should be reasonable (however the exam names give you a clue that they are different support (271) and administer (270). the 272 however revolves heavily around office xp/2003 so you need to know how that works (from sys requirements to what is in the tools/options menus. so you proberbly will need to study for that one.

”

Good answer dales, totally agree. Rep added!

**dales** · #14 04-Apr-2008, 03:11 PM

cheers Modey!

BosonMichael · #15 04-Apr-2008, 03:41 PM

Quote:

“

Originally Posted by paradoxni

What about an opposite situation.. if you pass 270 does this mean 271 / 272 should be no trouble at all ? or is it even worth doing after?

”

As dales said, they both focus on XP, but different aspects of it. Thus, they're different, and should be studied independently. Don't assume that by learning one, you're studying for all three... it just doesn't work that way.