Microsoft Exams, what should I do?

[Ritzo90]

Helllooo. Hoping someone can help me here. I don't know what I should be studying for or what resources I require. I've done a crash course in MSCE provided by work, this was to quick and not in depth enough for my liking. I'd like to keep studying but I don't know what I want/need.

I support a XP OS environment, so I'd like to start with a desktop technician's cert(s) and then work on the Win 7 certs after.

So in summery what is the name of the cert I should work for and what resource books should I be reading.

Thanks guys.

[Knight Of Nih]

i would start with your win7 one. if you are really keen on xp then do the xp one 70-270 but i would suggest skip it and go straight to win7 70-680.
once you have done that then decide where you want to go next.
for study the books are by far the most through materials, well worth the investiment, i would recommend you read them and do every prac in them.

cbt nuggets are also worth watching but i would still go through the book and pracs.

i wish you luck and feel free to inform us how you are going with your studys. i have done 9 MS exams so far and enjoy helping/motivating others obtain theirs also.

[Joshuayu101]

If you know a mate that has a valid uni email. You can apply for a free cert exam

https://www.dreamspark.com/Products/Product.aspx?ProductId=24

But its likely work will pay for yours

70-642 wasnt a bad cert to try out apart from the annoying subnetting and ipv6 technologies.

[jimmy]

Basic desktop OS exams are a good place to start, but to become a quality Microsoft engineer you need to have a solid understanding of the server technologies. Active Directory, Exchange, Systems Mgmt etc

Start with your Windows 7 exam (70-680) and then work your way through the certs required for MCITP: Enterprise Admin. MCITP (Microsoft Certified IT Professional) | Training Courses for IT Professionals

[Ritzo90]

Thanks guys, I', having a look into all of that now. Looks like the stuff I wanted. Knight what book are you referring to? I'll start with 70-680 and 70-685, see where I go from there.

[morge]

Pretty sure he is talking about the books from microsoft press which the ones I've seen are good.
CBT nuggets is great once you know what is going on. They have some good subscription options from everything for $1500/year to some specific focus training at a cheaper price.
The online training from microsoft learning is good also you get a couple of courses with a technet subscription.

[Knight Of Nih]

yes the MS press self paced training books is the ones i recommend.
Amazon.com: MCTS Self-Paced Training Kit (Exam 70-680): Configuring Windows? 7 (9780735627086): Ian McLean, Orin Thomas: Books
amazon is the cheapest place to buy books too.

i think your on the right path with doing 70-680 then 685. just take once exam at a time mate and when you have done both come back into this thread and we can review where you want to go from there.