sql server 2005 exams. are the study books any good?

  • has many of you guys done the sql server 2005 exams? i wana go down the line of database developer. anyway the first exam is standard for all paths , it is the implementation and maintenance exam. ive been working with sql server forr about 6months, doing standard sprocs, backup/restores etc. all i know ive learned by messing with the server. i was thinking of getting the book to help you study for the exams. has anyone got it and is it worth getting?i just wana know, as it is almost 70 euros in ireland ( thats 80-85 dollars id guesstimate) and that is an amount of money i dont wana waste!!!

  • I was intending to use lots of practise and the book

    Implementing and Maintaining Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Exam: MCTS 70-431 Exam Cram (Exam Cram) (Paperback)

    by Thomas Moore

    its going for £16.49 on amazon. considering how much you will gain by doing certification I think 70 euro will be a drop in the ocean.


    Everything you can imagine is real.

  • dont get me wrong, im not trying to cheap out on the book, i just wanted to know was it worth it, or could i easily learn enough without the book.think il get the book though. thanks

  • I think you can learn enough without the book, but one nice thing about the books (any of them) is that the authors take the tests and so can focus their work on what the exam covers.

    I wrote the 441 book and took the exam twice and used what I'd seen to try and ensure the book covers the material. There was some extra material in the book and I'm sure I didn't see all the questions, since onyl some of them repeated, but it does help you to get focused once you have the knowledge.

  • I'm also using the Exam Cram for 70-431. I started with the Sybex book but there are many typos.

  • I studied for the TS exam using just books online and the pocket admin's guide. Got around 930, first attempt. I haven't seen any of the study guides, but they're not essential.

    It's not a hard exam. If you work with SQL 2005 on a regular basis you could probably get by on what you know from your work.

    441's the next one I need to write. How difficult is it compared to 431?

    Gail Shaw
    Microsoft Certified Master: SQL Server, MVP, M.Sc (Comp Sci)
    SQL In The Wild: Discussions on DB performance with occasional diversions into recoverability

    We walk in the dark places no others will enter
    We stand on the bridge and no one may pass

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