December 11, 2007 at 4:09 pm
I want to start preparing to take the tests at somepoint next year.
Starting with 431, then moving to the two requireds (443, 444) for the MCITP/DBA cert.
I tried a demo of a self testing software from selftestsoftware.com, and it seems like it could be beneficial. But before I go spending $300 for a three-pak of their practice tests, I want to see if anyone else has used this and what they thought, or what materials/software you would recommend in preparation for these tests?
I like the idea of practice tests since I haven't taken any cert tests before.
I've been administering my companies db for quite some time and would like to make it official with the cert. It'd also come in handy if/when I need to find alternate employment.
December 11, 2007 at 4:19 pm
After continuing to read through other threads it sounds like a lot of people recommend the MCTS self paced kits for those tests.
Any other sources would still be appreciated, but I am going to start there.
I have 2005 Developer running on my machine so I guess I should start using SSMS instead of Enterprise Manager so I can get used to the new layout and new features.
December 11, 2007 at 5:38 pm
Let us know what you think of them. I used Trancendors for my MCSE, but not the SQL stuff. They were pretty good.
Be sure that you practice with SSMS and go through exercises of adding objects, editing them, changing properties, permissions, etc. There are simulations that look like SSMS on the exam.
December 13, 2007 at 10:54 am
I just passed the tests (441,443,444), MCTS self paced kits is the best bet for you to try and the second shot that will end on Jan 31 st 2008 will give you peace of mind.
I like New Microsoft Exam, it will gear to experience in working with SQL server 2005 more than remember the Exam prep. But for your peace of mind you can check the cheaper one in the market ~ $100 for these 3 exams (Note please do not expect you will get answer for the exams, it will provide some example so you can extend your knowledge)
You need to read all info in MCTS self paced kit and test all the codes in that kits (It took me 2 months for each exam, I am lacy guy), 431 will have simulation part that mainly come from day to day experience.
Good Luck.
December 13, 2007 at 12:21 pm
I found the self-paced training questions to be a good grounding. 431 in particular seemed to have much harder questions in the book than on the exam. If you google around, you can get all sorts of free software to test yourself with, mostly a small sample of the for-sale offering, but they are useful for seeing the format in which the questions are posed. I also found that I got a nice diverse set of questions across 4 or 5 sample sets.
December 14, 2007 at 5:56 am
I prefer transceder myself. That's after using the Self-Paced training kits and their included practice exams.
December 14, 2007 at 11:04 am
Thanks Guys, I'll give the Transcendors a shot too. I picked up the self paced kit with all three books for $150 after taxes, so that seemed like a better deal anyway. I've already started reading them every spare moment I have. The good news is it doesn't feel like I'm studying, since I already know the material I'm going over. But maybe once I hit the 443 and 444 books I'll start picking up stuff I wasn't aware of.
And what's this deal of 'second shot' that was mentioned that expires in January? I haven't heard anything of it.
December 14, 2007 at 12:07 pm
There should be another thread in the Cerification forum about the Second Shot thing.
Basically, there are certain times where MS gives you a code that you can take the test a second time if you fail it the first time.
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