Well today is 1st anniversary of me taking steps to upgrade my certifications to Windows 2003 / Windows 2008. As many of you know I have blog about my experiences with all the exams. So this blog post is designed to talk about a few things.
- Which exam I write and pass?
- Which certifications did I achieve?
- What exam tips can I give you?
Which exams did I write.
With the exception of one exam, I have passed all the exams below. The only one I have not passed yet is the 70-403 exam which is still in Beta and the results have not been released yet. (crossing finger)
- 70-647 MCITP: Windows Server 2008, Enterprise Administrator 07-Nov-08
- 70-403 MCTS: MS System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2008, Configuring 21-Oct-08
- 70-646 MCITP: Windows Server 2008, Server Administrator 10-Oct-08
- 70-652 MCTS: Windows Server Virtualization, Configuring 24-Sep-08
- 70-649 MCTS: Upgrading MCSE on Windows Server 2003 to Windows Server 2008 24-Sep-08
- 70-640 MCTS: Windows Server 2008 Active Directory, Configuring
- 70-642 MCTS: Windows Server 2008 Network Infrastructure, Configuring
- 70-643 TS: Windows Server 2008 Applications Infrastructure, Configuring
- 70-298 Designing Security for a Windows Server 2003 Network 01-Aug-08
- 70-624 MCTS: Deploying & Maintaining Vista & Client Office System 07 Desktop 06-Jun-08
- 70-294 Planning, Implementing, and Maintaining a Windows Server 2003 Active Directory Infrastructure 30-May-08
- 70-293 Planning and Maintaining a Windows Server 2003 Network Infrastructure 30-May-08
- 70-291 Implementing, Managing, and Maintaining a Windows Server 2003 Network Infrastructure 04-Apr-08
- 70-290 Managing and Maintaining a Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Environment 08-Feb-08
- 70-431 SQL Server 2005 Implementation & Maintenance 22-Jan-08
- 70-622 Supporting and Troubleshooting Applications on a Windows Vista Client for Enterprise Support Technicians 03-Jan-08
- 70-620 Configuring Windows Vista Client 17-Dec-07
- 70-401 Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager 2007, Configuring 11-Dec-07
Yes that is 14 exams and one upgrade exam which counts are 3 exams. (17 exams)
Which certifications did I achieve?
- Microsoft Certified Systems Administrator Microsoft Windows Server 2003
- Microsoft Certified IT Professional Enterprise Administrator
- Microsoft Certified IT Server Administrator
- Microsoft Certified IT Enterprise Support Technician
- Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist Windows Server Virtualization, Configuration
- Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist Windows Server 2008 Active Directory: Configuration
- Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist Windows Server 2008 Applications Infrastructure: Configuration
- Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist Windows Server 2008 Network Infrastructure: Configuration
- Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist Business Desktop Deployment
- Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist SQL Server 2005
- Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist Microsoft Windows Vista: Configuration
- Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist Microsoft System Center Configuration Manager, Configuration
- Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer Microsoft Windows Server 2003
- Microsoft Certified Trainer
Yes that is 14 different certifications!
What exam tips can I give you?
- Find a local User Group
- Find a Study Group or create one
- Buy your books online vs at a book store
- Book the exam in advance, this is a great motivator!
- There are NO trick questions on the exams! I could write entire blog post on this subject!
- Write a review of the exam. Like I did for 70-298
- Be proud of the exams you passed!
- Don’t use brain dumps, this only hurt you!
The last question that might be asked is what is next for me.
Well, I still plan to finish the exams outlined in my blog posts System Center Configuration Manager Enterprise Administrator and System Center Operation Manager Enterprise Administrator. Which are 70-400, 70-122 and a packaging exam. I’m starting to regret adding that one to the list, mostly because it is hard to find CBTs for that one. On top of those, I might pick up 70-432 (SQL 2008) and 70-635 (MDT). Yes, it is a never ending battle.
Why did I do this? The biggest reason was to put my money where my mouth was! I was preaching to other User Group members about you should get certified but I was not doing it myself! Plus I always feel that I learn something new while studying for each exam!
So what are you doing about becoming certified?