Advice needed for MS certification self-study

May 25, 2006 7:35 AM

I'm about to self-study myself to an MCSA (Microsoft Certified System Administrator) and would like advice on certification guides, practice tests, e-learning, etc.

I'm unemployed in the Seattle area with nine years of Windows system administration under my belt. My former employer let me go because of my lack management training, not due to technical deficiencies, but too many potential employers are looking down on me due to my lack of Microsoft certification. I'm a not convinced of the value of certification, but potential employers want it and education is never a bad thing.

While the state might help me with funds for training if I go to school full time, it's almost summer and (with one exception) none of the local schools accepted by the state's employment security department offer programs that would fast-track me toward a certification before my unemployment benefits run out (in other words, I'd likely not be approved for a program that would allow me to receive benefits without searching for work while attending classes). My family and I are living on unemployment and savings, and I can afford books, time to study, and tests. My wife is totally behind spending the money on this, since showing potential employers that I'm working toward certification will probably help my job search, and self-study will leave me the flexibility to seek new employment (and perhaps a new employer help me out with whatever training and tests I haven't completed).

My current plan is to spend early morning on job search (online job postings, etc) and study if the house is quiet, hit the library when it opens at 10 to study until 1:00 or so, then either study at the library or at home for a few hours after lunch. I already have some study materials for the A+ and Network+ parts of the tests.

For those of you who have done this on their own, what books worked best to cover the tests? Did you use any sort of elearning tools, or invest in practice tests, and if so, which ones? Knowing these kinds of things vary from person to person, what kind of study regimen worked or didn't work for you?

posted by lhauser to Computers & Internet (5 answers total)

It's been a few years, but I used to work for a company that trained people for IT certification. We found that the most accurate training tests came from Transcender. (By accurate, I mean the practice questions accurately reflected the wording and content of the actual test questions.) I also found many of the Exam Cram series of books helpful, but the quality and comprehensiveness of the books tended to vary from test to test.

My regimen for test preparation was:

1) Read, read, read. I carted those books with me everywhere. Most prep books will have practice questions at the end of each chapter. I made sure I understood them before moving on.

2) Once I felt I had a handle on all the material, I would take a Transcender practice test. I would then print out the questions I missed and go back and read up on those areas in the books again.

3) Take the practice test again. Make sure that if you are getting questions right that you know WHY you are getting them right.

This method seemed to work for me. I found the practice tests invaluable. Hopefully someone with more recent experience can come along and verify if Transcender is still any good.

Good luck.
posted by Otis at 8:07 AM on May 25, 2006

The only thing that certification shows is you can pass a multiple choice tests about programming and/or networks.

Which, sadly, a lot of people applying for these jobs couldn't do. By only accepting people with certifications, a company is trying to mitigate the risk of hiring a complete bozo.

I've found the "Exam Cram" series of books to be a lot more useful than the giant thick hardcover textbooks. They tend to focus on what's actually going to be asked on the exam.

Also, look around to see if any testing centers are offering certification training classes. These are usually led by someone who's taken and passed certification exams in the past, and can usually point out some obvious "gotchas" and get you a few more points. The classes will cost you, but they often **include** the cost of taking the exam.

Finally, since you're in Seattle already, have you considered trying to get a temporary contract at Microsoft? Whether you're a blue badge or orange badge you can take certification exams for **free**. Even if you take a job that's slightly out of your field, being paid while taking exams for free beats burning up your unemployment. If you're interested email me off list and I can put you in touch with a recruiter.
posted by alana at 9:01 AM on May 25, 2006

Otis is one hundred per cent correct: If you can pass the Transcender tests, you can pass the real things. I'm an MCSE (NT) and that's how I passed. If the exams are anything like the way they were 7-8 years ago, I definitely wouldn't want to take them just based on experience - they ask you to make decisions based on very outlandish scenarios and you have to remember esoteric things about the operating system that you will likely never use (I didn't, anyhow). I would say don't bother with the books if all you want to do is pass tests, just buy the Transcenders, memorize those and you are pretty much guaranteed to pass.
posted by ostranenie at 9:06 AM on May 25, 2006

It's been years since I did my MCPs, but the 'braindumps' sites were often useful (and free) when I was revising. Googling the term brings up a plethora of them now, but I seem to remember mcsebraindumps.com being helpful. It's entirely possible to pass many of the exams by downloading two or three of the appropriate braindumps and cramming them, without spending a penny on books or practice exams. I suppose that in a sense it's cheating, but as you've got your doubts as to the value of the things (and rightly so, IMO - there are thousands of 'paper MCSE' guys who are certified to the eyeballs but without any real practical experience), you might not feel too bad about doing it. If you just want to get the damn things done and out of the way as quickly and cheaply as possible, that's the strategy I'd recommend. Good luck!
posted by boosh at 10:15 AM on May 25, 2006

Get to know the material, then get the testking.net answers with explanations. Knock it all you want, but knowing the material damned well doesn't always translate to doing well on the exam.
posted by adampsyche at 1:21 PM on May 25, 2006