How to prepare myself for MCP?

Finally got an email from the trainer rep with costs and dates of the courses.

For exam 70-270, the course related is 2272 and it costs $700! That's insane!! 35 hour course. I just began a new job, the course overlaps with my job schedule and after the job I go to school

It'll be a lot cheaper if I buy the book and retake the exam 6 times than to take theiscourse. I can take the exam here locally for $80. Unless you have to pay something extra but I couldn't continue further more without giving the credit card number.


Does anyone actually take these courses?

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Originally Posted by freedonX

Does anyone actually take these courses?

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I took some for free (was doing some work for the school at time time). That said, I wouldn't pay much for them (nowhere near what they cost, at least). A decent knowledge base is the best way to start. After that, most of the test-oriented books will get you through the areas you don't know so well.

Realistically (at least when I took mine a few years back), you could pass the tests by just reading/memorizing practice questions that were of the same type as the exams. I wouldn't know how much this has changed--I'm not about to take another one.

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Originally Posted by Spank_Me_Hard

Its also been my experience that there is no substitute for experience. I got my MCSE ready to conqueor the world and was humbled very quickly. The MCSE is valuable but in the real world the experience is most valuable.

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Very very true. I've learned a LOT since I first got MCSE certifed, if I had gone into situations and seen problems I've faced lately with only the studying required to get the cert, I'd be lost. Experience can't be replaced. Like any good musician, as a Sysadmin you still need to "pay your dues". That said, you'll still find that Google is your best friend and your cash cow if you know how to use it.

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Originally Posted by freedonX

Does anyone actually take these courses?

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Yes, I've been to many of the classes like you describe. The vast majority of the people in those classes have corporate sponsorship. The pricing structures of courses like that aren't put in place with the intention of drawing in individuals paying their own way, they're designed to bring in professional IT people that have a corp. (or Gov't in my case) training budget to spend.

Those same classes are often offered at community colleges, which are a LOT cheaper for individuals than private training providers. With a community college, though, scheduling can be a problem since they often stretch out the course over the length of a quarter or semester.

This may not be for you, but the way I did it back in the 80's was to setup a 2 computer lab at home and practice, practice, practice. MS has lots of on-line info and best practices white papers. You can get 180 day demo software for free or shipping charges only. I studied extensively for a week or two, took practice exams, re-studied the areas where I missed a question and took my first exam. I took the next exam the following week. It was much easier because of material overlap between the client OS and the server OS. The hardest are the elective exams such as SQL Server because there is no overlap.

You have supported your parents business computers for quite awhile. I'm sure you know more than you give yourself credit. Worst case is that you fail an exam and have to retake it. That is less expensive than enrolling in a series of $700+ courses.

I have yet to acutally take my A+, though I started to study for it again, last I heard the A+ exam has become Adaptive (UGH).

So besides the A+ anyone recommend certain Certs or exams to study for that are relative to the near future, and present work environments.

AND AND, do you really need to know programming????

I know there is Java, C++, etc.............just it doesn't interest me.

I really like the adaptive exams. When I did the Netware CNE adaptive exams, they rarely lasted more than 10 minutes when each question was correctly answered. I was able to take all the exams in a single morning.