October 5, 2012 at 11:09 am
Thanks Robert, I'll take your advice. It's going to be a tough 6 hours so will need to be well on the ball. It was a relief to read in the yammer group that you can use BOL, all my prep was on the assumption we would have nothing but SSMS. I've been sleeping a little better since finding that out.
Thanks again,
Paul
October 5, 2012 at 11:22 am
BoL's there, it really doesn't help much though.
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
October 5, 2012 at 11:41 am
I've been getting intensely involved with service broker, for the 1st time really in depth, at work over the last few weeks. The documentation in BOL is actually pretty helpful with that. The syntax, and examples of Commands is useful. If I had to rely on memory or intelli-sense prompts, it would be a struggle. I copy command syntax for things like ssbdiagnosis from BOL to the query analyser, add !! And switch to sqlcmd mode and away you go. If you know what you are looking for its handy (at work) , if you don't know what you are looking for, it isn't much help in my experience.
October 5, 2012 at 11:48 am
If all you need is a 'is it WITH or SET' and 'are the brackets before the commas or after?', it's fine. There's no where near enough time to be looking through BoL trying to figure out how you need to do some wacky thing that you've never tried before.
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
October 5, 2012 at 11:59 am
Gail's point is important. There's probably a lot someone could get through on the lab exam by simply looking it up in BOL. But not with limited time. It's great for syntax and whatnot, but if you're looking up how to do things, you won't get very much of the exam finished. When I took the lab exam, I used BOL once to look up the syntax for something, and I still didn't get the whole thing completed. Came close though.
October 5, 2012 at 12:02 pm
I won't be trying anything wacky. From reading what others have said, the best approach seems to be to make a first pass through the entire exam answering what you know, then a second pass through answering what you suspect and finally, a third pass through working on things you are less sure about.
October 5, 2012 at 12:09 pm
Paul Brewer (10/5/2012)
I won't be trying anything wacky. From reading what others have said, the best approach seems to be to make a first pass through the entire exam answering what you know, then a second pass through answering what you suspect and finally, a third pass through working on things you are less sure about.
FWIW - those are good guidelines for all exams. At the very least -ensure yourself the opportunity to see all questions.
Jason...AKA CirqueDeSQLeil
_______________________________________________
I have given a name to my pain...MCM SQL Server, MVP
SQL RNNR
Posting Performance Based Questions - Gail Shaw[/url]
Learn Extended Events
October 5, 2012 at 12:51 pm
Paul Brewer (10/5/2012)
I won't be trying anything wacky. From reading what others have said, the best approach seems to be to make a first pass through the entire exam answering what you know, then a second pass through answering what you suspect and finally, a third pass through working on things you are less sure about.
I would not suggest that for the lab.
You get a set of things that need doing. Read through it all, carefully. Take half an hour, maybe more, make a plan, what order are you going to do things in, what does each require, what do you need to check or confirm before you start, what will be quick, what will take ages. Once done, implement the plan.
I had to use BoL 2 or 3 times, for syntax that I just didn't know at all. I finished, with 2 questions incomplete (I stuffed them up and couldn't get them right) with 15 minute spare.
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
October 5, 2012 at 1:38 pm
Thanks Gail, sounds like you nailed it.
October 5, 2012 at 10:19 pm
Good luck on your exam Paul!
I've manage to schedule my exam with Microsoft directly (not Prometric) by paying an extra $500 this coming Monday. Another 3 days to go. I'm very anxious because I havent been able to study at all in the past week due to on going support work :crazy:
Simon Liew
Microsoft Certified Master: SQL Server 2008
October 6, 2012 at 1:43 am
Good luck to you too Simon, hope it goes well Monday. At least during the exam your company won't be able to call you, definitely no phones in the exam room 🙂
October 6, 2012 at 8:52 am
Good luck to both of you!
In case anyone didn't see this and is interested in taking one of the MCM exams at the SQL PASS Summit, take a look at the announcement: http://blogs.technet.com/b/themasterblog/archive/2012/10/05/so-what-is-the-process-for-scheduling-exams-at-sql-pass-summit.aspx
October 8, 2012 at 9:00 pm
This is my experience on MCM 88-971 exam last night. I'm afraid I can only describe my experience during the exam, some tips and tricks that i think are useful as I'm not privileged to discuss anything about the exam content.
On overall, the exam was very smooth without any hiccup. My exam started 8PM until 1.30AM due to time difference between Australia and US. boB Taylor proctored my exam so he had to start from 5am 🙂
I did my exam via remote delivery via Microsoft Lync (not Prometric) which costs U$2500. I reckon the extra U$500 is worth the privilege as I can use my own keyboard, mouse, etc and have the luxury to take the exam from my home. Your proctor will organise the same setup few days before your exam i.e. checking internet connection, web cam and how to make sure you're the only person in room, making sure you can access the exam lab, some protocols for the exam, etc, pretty standard stuffs and your proctor will tell you whats expected of you. You'll also get some reading documents on the same.
I was working on some SQL corruption the night before the exam until 4am and got very bad migraine. A very bad day to start before the exam. So first tip is to get time-off from work if possible before the exam day. I dont have the privilege due to the recent restructure in my company, 9 resources and now down to 3. I only had 3 hours of sleep before back to work now. For those who live and work in US, I reckon this is a huge advantage of taking the exam via remote delivery.
The exam is tough as expected. I think most people who completed the exam will be thinking "what the hell just happened"!? I dont know if I pass\fail, but I've done my best and I agree that the lab exam is not for those who are faint hearted. If you only been doing either DBA admin or DBA dev, I'd suggest to start dwell into broader topic and try to get the better of both. I think the requirement for the exam is already stated by Microsoft, I'm merely emphasizing that its not there for fun.
I took about 20 mins to go through the questions, prioritise and get started. It was until i look more in-depth into the case study that i realise it'll take longer for me to complete. So, make sure you have some sort of ordering so that you can jump to the next question, and use whichever way you reckon is good to save your incomplete work to go back later. This is my approach but everyone's different, do what you reckon is best for yourself. I reckon the 5 1/2 hours is insufficient, albeit if it goes any longer you'll get to the point you're too exhausted. So, cant have it both way. I can feel at the end of exam if it goes any further, I'll break my shoulder (dont have an ergonomic chair at home). So very important tip is to make sure you've got a good chair. As simple as it sound, its not as easy to get one that quickly just for the exam.
I only found out today you might be able to get 2nd shot with MCM exam since its listed on the MCM page. I didnt know about this until today so it's too late for me 🙁 Best to check with Microsoft when registering
I have more than 10 years of DBA experience and have been an all-rounder. First dealing with database was at Intel as senior programmer, then had a career switch as BI developer, then as SSRS developer, then DBA admin, then DBA Developer and currently BI\SSRS\SSIS\DBA Admin\DBA Dev as a Solutions Designer. Of course, I would never claim to be master of SQL in any or all area, its just purely impossible because of the vast architecture. But I've spent mins, hours, days, years to hone my skill. In my opinion, I reckon the lab exam has provided valuable experience and money well spent. If you pass its a bonus, if you fail, its experience is priceless (sorry i made it sound like Mastercard advertisement, but its true). I'm very glad i did the exam, my first baby is due mid-Nov so now I can go back to some baby errand. boB told me the result will be out in 3-4 weeks. I'm not too excited because I think I'm already satisfied.
Simon Liew
Microsoft Certified Master: SQL Server 2008
October 9, 2012 at 11:35 am
According to the link, the MCM exams are not part of the 2nd shot.
Jason...AKA CirqueDeSQLeil
_______________________________________________
I have given a name to my pain...MCM SQL Server, MVP
SQL RNNR
Posting Performance Based Questions - Gail Shaw[/url]
Learn Extended Events
October 10, 2012 at 3:34 am
Hallo Simon,
when I read you post I have been catapulted back to my first shot in April this year (which was a technical disaster).
I can completely agree to your comments and experiences with the lab test. It is really just NO fun but really deep knowledge is required.
I have the second try (it's for free because of the technical problems in April) on 10/01/2012 in Berlin.
I please ALL here (Masters and future Masters) for your "crossing fingers" 🙂
Simon - i hope you get a perfect result!
All the best to you and your future career as a SQL Master !!!
Microsoft Certified Master: SQL Server 2008
MVP - Data Platform (2013 - ...)
my blog: http://www.sqlmaster.de (german only!)
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