Posts Tagged ‘MCTS’
70-620: TS: Configuring Microsoft Windows Vista Client – Passed.
The 70-620: TS: Configuring Microsoft Windows Vista Client exam is the first of the exams I have on the roadmap towards the MCITP: EA certification, and one that I am thankful to have out of the way. This exam by no means is very difficult, but there are some areas on the list of objectives that a lot of people simply don’t really use. Having used Vista for a long time now at home and work, I was comfortable with a bulk of the core content while some of the extra features built into Vista such as Meeting Space, Calendar, Fax and Scan, Tablet PC features, and Mobile device features were not very familiar to me since I’ve never had a reason to use them. Furthermore, aside from perhaps the Tablet PC and Mobile Devices features, I don’t see the other areas really being of much benefit since I have yet to see an organization that uses the other features.
This is what led to the problems with preparing for this exam, it took a lot of perseverance to actually study for this exam. When it comes to studying, I encounter a hard time staying on track unless the material is either something I find interesting, or something that there is much use out of understanding the material. This is not to say that if something isn’t interesting that I won’t study it at all, because I have studied many dis-interesting topics through my classes extensively – but many of those proved to have value in some aspects of my life or career. The portions of the 70-620 exam that I found problems to motivate myself to devote time to and study were both dis-interesting and content that I firmly believe will never really benefit me, and should I encounter those items in the real world at some point (unlikely) – it will be incredibly easy to work through regardless.
That being said, I did study for the exam in it’s entirety anyways since the topics could be brought up and I wasn’t about to fail an exam because I was ill prepared. I just had to buckle down and work through it, regardless of how boring the content was. Study materials used for this exam included the MS Press MCTS Self-Paced Training Kit, Configuring Windows Vista Client as well as the TestOut LabSim 70-620 – Configuring Windows Vista Certification Suite computer based training (CBT). The book was difficult to work through because of the issues discussed previously, and as a result I only read the first 3 chapters of the book. The bulk of the study time was spent watching the TestOut CBT through in it’s entirety once and then completing the full practice exam at the end of the training 4 or 5 times. In the end it turned out to be adequate and a pass was made.
Next up in the MCITP: EA track… 70-640, but only after the Windows 7 Beta (71-680) and the CompTIA Server+ 2009 Beta which are coming up in the next several days.
Till next time…
Microsoft Beta Exam 71-680: Windows 7, Configuring Study Materials
Long time since the past update, been exceptionally busy. The good news is my car is running and my prior round of classes is finished up. The month ahead looks to be another busy month. Up and coming for this month are several MS exams; 70-620 (MCTS: Windows Vista Configuration), 71-680 (MCTS: Windows 7, Configuring), and 70-640 (MCTS: Windows Server 2008 Active Directory). Yep, I was fortunate enough to land a spot in the 71-680 beta exam that filled up extremely quick. I also begin classes this week for my final semester to finish off the requirements for my Bachelors of Science in Technology Management, I cannot begin to express how excited I will be to have this finished off. I’m not sure what I’m going to be the most happy about, the fact that I’ll have finally earned the degree, or the fact that I’ll have all of this extra free time to devote towards other studies and family time… but that is a whole other post in itself.
The real reason for this post is to share some resources that some of us might overlook when trying to determine what to study for the 71-680 exam with. First and foremost, one should take a good look through the official Microsoft 70-680 exam overview (while the exam is in the beta period, it is labeled the 71-680 – the official exam designation will be 70-680 upon release). In the exam overview you will find a comprehensive list of all of the skills being measured within the exam, a good overview of everything you’ll want to know well for the exam. There are also several resources within Microsoft’s website which will be helpful study aids.
Windows 7 Technet Library:
Windows 7 Technical Library Roadmap (Beta)
Windows 7 Springboard Site:
Windows 7 Beta | Support, Deployment, Resources
Windows 7 Learning Portal:
http://www.microsoft.com/learning/wi…7/default.mspx
What’s New in Windows 7 Beta Guide*:
http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=143723
Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 Networking Enhancements Executive Overview*:
Download details: Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 Networking Enhancements Executive Overview
Windows 7 Manageability Overview*:
Download details: Windows 7 Manageability Overview
* – These documents are just links to Word documents of their prospective areas within the TechNet Library that MS made available.
I plan to go through as much of the materials listed here as possible, as well as continued exposure to the latest Windows 7 beta release. I must say that I’m refreshed to see the skills being measured on this exam. I haven’t sat the 70-620 exam yet, but from the overall feedback from the community, it sounds as though the Vista client exam is far too easy for a requirement for a certification such as the MCITP: SA or EA. I’m glad to see that the Windows 7 client exam seems to be more tuned to an enterprise environment rather than a traditional end user. Should be an interesting exam, definately looking forward to it! Best of luck to all of you who got a spot in the beta!