Revising for Technical Certifications

[gl3nnym]

Hi All

I am in the process of studying for my MCITP:SA but finding it hard to study from the MS Press books. I am enjoying the subject but those books bore me to death!

My question is, how do you guys revise for your certs? Do you use a different set of books, books and videos or just videos? How do you give yourself the time to do it whilst working and juggling family life? Also what do you think is the best method to really make the information stick?

Thanks
gl3nnym

[kernewek-sam]

I'm self-studying and using an MS Press book, the books can indeed be boring sometimes but I'm persevering with it. I've also been using these TechNet Virtual Labs which are free (I've been using the Windows 7 one's) there not bad for a free service. The best way to make things stick I've found, is to actually do some of the stuff in the books for real, perhaps in virtual machines or the labs. And do it a couple of times, it seems to stick better then.

[GREED]

Practice exams. There are a few out there (some not so ethical!) and I generally practice these. Exams/certification doesn't mean you are good with the tech, it means you have theory knowledge and are good at exams.

[mrbios]

How you learn best depends entirely on you as an individual, personally i'm a doer, i learn far easier, quicker and it sticks longer if i'm doing something. Reading books = in the eyes and out the back.

I'm going to start doing my MCITP:SA soon as well as the exchange 2010 one, though i only really want to do it for the sake of my CV looking a bit better. (that and the fact it's paid for by work) Might wait until windows server 8 is out though as, if i've read it right, they should be bringing out a new set of exams not long after that's released, can fill my time with the exchange one for now though

[Chris_Cook]

As others have said, try out what is in the course ware/practise exams that you have on a virtual pc. You can get free evaluations copies of windows and windows server off the microsoft site

[gl3nnym]

Thanks for the replies so far. I too an a doer and learn by practising things so I have been working through the practises in the press books on a Server 2008 R2 VM. I have been using Windows Server 2003 for years so just looking to brush up on 2008 R2 and the associated tools that come with it for example Powershell, new AD functionality and getting to know more about Certificate Services and the such.

I know I can do the work but for me it's knowing the particular command switches and terminology that MS exams like to use on their questions.

[GREED]

And that is the key for the exams, answering the 'Microsoft' way whereas we all know there are better, quicker, easier ways to reach the same goals, even just using different methods with the same tech.