September 9, 2008 at 5:18 am
Has anyone taken this yet?
I'm looking for general impressions. Did it really take the full 4 hours? Is it seriously lab heavy? Did you pass or will you not know until after the beta is over? Etc, etc.
I registered for it at the last minute. I fully expect not to pass because there's a lot to BI I don't know yet. But I figured I'd test my knowledge of BI & SQL 2008 at the same time for free. After all, a free skill evaluation... who can beat that? Right?
Anyway, my thanks in advance if you have any thoughts & impressions you could post without violating the NDA.
September 9, 2008 at 6:28 am
Not that one, but I did write 71-450 a few weeks back. (2008 administration)
It took me about an hour and a half. I was seriously worn out by the end, there's more questions than on the release exams and there were still issues (spelling mistakes, typos, etc). It was hard, there were several questions I had to guess the answer to.
You don't get your result immediately. You'll get it (by post, they say), before the exam goes live.
PM me if you have any more questions.
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
September 9, 2008 at 6:41 am
Yeah, I wanted to sign up for the 2008 admin, but all the spots had already been taken. Oh, well. @=)
September 10, 2008 at 6:00 pm
Okay... That was an interesting experience.
Multiple choice & single choice questions only, 75 questions, not all are scored. 3 hours for the actual exam time limit (I guess the stated 4th hour was for review & comments). And the test wasn't quite what I expected.
What I can say (I think without violating NDA) is this:
Know ALL 3 platforms (SSAS, SSRS, & SSIS). You can NOT pass the BI exam on only 1 or 2. MS's website lists the expectations of each portion fairly clearly, and while the sections are as evenly distributed as I expected, there's enough of a distribution that knowing 2 out of 3 isn't going to get you your passing grade.
Also, if the test remains the same after the beta, you'd better know the basics of DB Administration & Security. Being a BI only person won't cut it.
There was a lot of behind the scenes stuff I didn't expect. IE, "know how the systems work" kind of things. Theory, strategy, performance enhancement. Data Mining & ETL theory (outside of SSIS & SSAS) is also used in the questions.
So... Bone up on EVERYTHING. The test might be dynamic, tayloring its future questions based on stuff you don't answer correctly. Download the list of objectives & goals from MS before you start studying, then learn more. @=)
The worst part of the experience was Prometric. At the testing center, they warned me the test might freeze up. They told me Prometric ADMITTED to having problems with Microsoft exams on its servers, but they don't know how to solve the problem. Especially as the only tests with the problem IS the Microsoft exams.
4 times the stupid thing terminated on me, twice during my review session. Always when I clicked the "next" button. Fortunately, it saved all my answers. Unfortunately, I think it was still counting down the clock, though I had plenty of time left. Worse, the comment field in Prometric's questionnaire (at the end) was only 100 characters long so I couldn't give them extensive details about the problems.
If you take a MS exam anytime soon, make sure to note down the following: What time you started, what time each freeze occurred, after which questions the freeze / termination happened, how many times and how many computers you may have had to change. If enough of us complain and give details, maybe Prometric can bother to have someone figure out what the heck is happening.
They tried telling my test center peeps that it was only the sim exams that this happened on. Not true for me. Multi & Single choice questions. No Case Studies, No Sims, no drag & drops.
Tomorrow I'm going to see if Prometric has a "contact us" form on their website so I can give them whatfor over the exam. It bites that this happens right when people are nervous and trying to concentrate, because it just ruins any mental groove you may be in.
Anyway, I hope all of you have a better exam experience than I did (4 TIMES!!!! ARGH!). And if any of you have taken the BI exams for 2005 & 2008 both, I'd be interested to know if they are similar in the types of questions they ask. You don't have to tell me details if you just say "Yea, 2k5's BI exam is lot like that" or "Nay, 2k5's BI exam is different" on my above observations.
Later!
September 10, 2008 at 11:17 pm
Brandie Tarvin (9/10/2008)
The worst part of the experience was Prometric. At the testing center, they warned me the test might freeze up. They told me Prometric ADMITTED to having problems with Microsoft exams on its servers, but they don't know how to solve the problem. Especially as the only tests with the problem IS the Microsoft exams.4 times the stupid thing terminated on me, twice during my review session. Always when I clicked the "next" button. Fortunately, it saved all my answers. Unfortunately, I think it was still counting down the clock, though I had plenty of time left. Worse, the comment field in Prometric's questionnaire (at the end) was only 100 characters long so I couldn't give them extensive details about the problems.
If you take a MS exam anytime soon, make sure to note down the following: What time you started, what time each freeze occurred, after which questions the freeze / termination happened, how many times and how many computers you may have had to change. If enough of us complain and give details, maybe Prometric can bother to have someone figure out what the heck is happening.
They tried telling my test center peeps that it was only the sim exams that this happened on. Not true for me. Multi & Single choice questions. No Case Studies, No Sims, no drag & drops.
Tomorrow I'm going to see if Prometric has a "contact us" form on their website so I can give them whatfor over the exam. It bites that this happens right when people are nervous and trying to concentrate, because it just ruins any mental groove you may be in.
Anyway, I hope all of you have a better exam experience than I did (4 TIMES!!!! ARGH!). And if any of you have taken the BI exams for 2005 & 2008 both, I'd be interested to know if they are similar in the types of questions they ask. You don't have to tell me details if you just say "Yea, 2k5's BI exam is lot like that" or "Nay, 2k5's BI exam is different" on my above observations.
Later!
Same thing happend to me three times, twice during 443 and once during 444 exam. And the worst part is that I had to reset the comp every time.
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September 11, 2008 at 1:02 am
Brandie Tarvin (9/10/2008)
4 times the stupid thing terminated on me, twice during my review session. Always when I clicked the "next" button. Fortunately, it saved all my answers. Unfortunately, I think it was still counting down the clock, though I had plenty of time left. Worse, the comment field in Prometric's questionnaire (at the end) was only 100 characters long so I couldn't give them extensive details about the problems.
Mine too. The test centre told me it started after Prometric 'upgraded' their software. I wrote in a small venue and it became apparent rather quickly that as soom as someone finished their exam and the results were sent to printer, all the other active exams terminated. Seems to be 'related' to the printing process.
I'm tempted to write nasty mail to Prometric. I had plenty time, but that may not be the case in the normal exams.
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
September 11, 2008 at 3:56 am
GilaMonster (9/11/2008)
Brandie Tarvin (9/10/2008)
4 times the stupid thing terminated on me, twice during my review session. Always when I clicked the "next" button. Fortunately, it saved all my answers. Unfortunately, I think it was still counting down the clock, though I had plenty of time left. Worse, the comment field in Prometric's questionnaire (at the end) was only 100 characters long so I couldn't give them extensive details about the problems.Mine too. The test centre told me it started after Prometric 'upgraded' their software. I wrote in a small venue and it became apparent rather quickly that as soom as someone finished their exam and the results were sent to printer, all the other active exams terminated. Seems to be 'related' to the printing process.
Really? Hmmm. That's strange. I wrote in a small test center too (only four cubes) and I was the only one there when my test bombed, so it couldn't have been a print thing for me. The test center I was at is a Flight Training School that does aviation & other certifications. Apparently none of the other certification exams have this problem. Just MS related ones.
September 11, 2008 at 4:43 am
Possibly related to general network activity. I know that every time someone else finished their exam, mine (and all others in progress in the room) promptly reset.
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
September 11, 2008 at 5:02 am
General network activity sounds about right. Especially since the timer seemed to still be going when I got my test back up.
September 18, 2008 at 5:39 am
I took 71-452 two weeks ago, and I agree with Brandies remarks.
You have to have good knowledge about SSIS, SSAS and SSRS, and indeed your knowledge should be a bit broader than just the BI products (which I think is good, as the exam is supposed to test your professional skills, not only your technical skills with SSIS, SSAS and SSRS).
To my surprise the exam only consisted of single questions, where the SQL 2005 exam had most case studies.
I'm not sure what is better, as the questions sometimes felt like a "micro-case".
Having worked with 2005 BI for a couple of years, and having passed the 2005 certifications, I found it not very challenging to take this 2008 beta exam. Of course there were questions about new 2008 features, but the balance with earlier existing features was OK.
Now I'll just have to wait to see if my score levels with my feeling about it :ermm:
PS: I finished the exam in about 2 hours time, by which I was getting bored by getting question after question (75 is quite a lot!)
Peter Rijs
BI Consultant, The Netherlands
September 18, 2008 at 5:52 am
Peter Rijs (9/18/2008)
To my surprise the exam only consisted of single questions, where the SQL 2005 exam had most case studies.I'm not sure what is better, as the questions sometimes felt like a "micro-case".
I had one question that was a full screen long, and that was just the question. The answer options were even longer.
PS: I finished the exam in about 2 hours time, by which I was getting bored by getting question after question (75 is quite a lot!)
I did 450 in just over an hour. Brain melting afterwards. 75 questions is very definitely a lot. By the time I got to around 60 I just wanted it finished so I could get out of there.
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 3, 2008 at 11:16 am
I took the beta exam 71-450 and my experience was the same as yours. Multiple freezes, computer changes, etc. It took me the full 4 hours only because the exam crashed and caused me to go sit in lobby for an hour while they tried to figure it out. Pissed me off because I was "in the mental groove", as was stated earlier, when the crash happened. Another thing that extended my time was how slow the exam was. You'd answer a question and it would take the system anywhere from 30 seconds to several minutes to load the next question! Now try to imagine that slowness, plus crashing halfway through the exam. Oh and to to top it off it crashed after I answered the last question as well. Luckily it actually saved my answers and let me go back in and finish. Like others have said the test center said they only have problems with Microsoft exams and the head tech guy at the center was so fed up by my problems that he said "screw this, we're not doing this anymore". Any idea how many weeks after the release of the exams they'll tell us our results? Also to clarify if we pass the beta and we don't have any prior certs, are we now MCP?
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October 3, 2008 at 11:22 am
Odd. While I had the exam crash and restart, it wasn't slow at all. At most a couple secs between questions.
I'm writing 71-433 next week. Will see if it's acting the same.
Passing the beta's like passing the actual exam. Only differences are the number of questions, the time and the wait for results.
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
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