Microsoft Certification Exam Training Tips

This article I wrote first appeared on Born To Learn - Certification Exam Training Tips with MCT Sasa Kranjac and as a slightly modified version on my personal blog.

I would like to share certification study tips that - I hope - will help candidates in their studies. I strongly believe any kind of certification helps becoming better professional, more knowledgeable and raising employ-ability. Those beginning in Microsoft certification and learning endeavors will find useful starting points and tips coupled with links to fundamental topics. Seasoned professionals will discover potentially new entries for enhancing learning experience.

Study Tips: Blend your Learning Styles

When preparing for a certification exam, different people have different approaches. What works for one person may not work for another.

I would not recommend a single study resource or approach. Blended learning—combining different methods—seems to be the best for me. Both theory and practice are equally important, and to pass an exam you’ll need both.

It’s important to realize that you are not learning to pass an exam. You are learning to secure your future; to be successful at your job, to be knowledgeable, and to be an expert—you’ll need that knowledge throughout your career.

Think of knowledge as a pyramid. Why are pyramids so stable? It’s because of the wide base. As you go higher, the pyramid narrows. Theory is the foundation of your pyramid, and hands-on experience builds on top. You have to have solid theory knowledge on which to build your practical knowledge. You’ll probably pass an exam without reading a book or an article about underlying technology, but that won’t make you an expert and won’t benefit you in the long run.

Self-paced Study: My Preferred Learning Method

Self-paced studies are my preferred method because I can decide A) what I study and B) when I study. I read, listen and watch while going to/from work, not only when I’m studying for an exam. During these times, I focus on my weak spots to learn about the topics I don’t know so well.

Tips:

Instructor-led Training

This option is slightly more expensive but here is the crucial thing you need to be aware of: picking a class and a subject should be your secondary concern. Picking right instructor for a class you want to attend should be your primary concern. The instructor makes a difference and holds a lot of the value in the class you want to attend. Instructors can answer your questions and assist with his or her experience in your studies.

Online Learning

Just as with instructor-led, online classes are as good as the instructor.

My Most Valuable Resource: TechNet/MSDN Subscription

If I could pick only one resource that is MOST valuable to me, then TechNet/MSDN Subscription would be definitely the one I’d choose. With TechNet/MSDN Subscription you are in possession of almost all Microsoft products and operating systems, licensed for evaluation. That means that you get access to full-versions of software for 12 months with no feature limits. You also get other benefits, depending on the subscription level. Visit TechNet Subscriptions or MSDN Subscriptions to learn more about Subscription levels, benefits and prices.

TechNet Library and MSDN Library are competing for first place with TechNet/MSDN Subscriptions ;-)

I have already mentioned some of the important resources. There are numerous blogs, sites and places where you can read a lot about your preferred technologies, but I’ll mention some of the most popular and what’s most important, FREE, resources you shouldn’t miss. (You can also download the list at the end of the post.)

IT Pro Resources

Developer Resources

General Resources

Fundamental Technologies: Technical References on TechNet

The text below outline some of the most important fundamental topics. You should get familiar with how TechNet Library topics are organized; something that’ll happen once you start reading and exploring.  The resources below are not buried very deep in the library, but often are not easy to find. Although the core topics are placed under the “old” technologies/products section, they are equally important today.

*You can find links to the topics below in a document at the end of the article

If you need to learn the basics, don’t miss these:

Networking

Group Policy Collection

Storage Technologies
Windows Security Collection

Active Directory Collection

Print and Save TechNet Library Articles

I almost forgot to tell you about one really cool feature TechNet Library has. You can print and export multiple topics in PDF and HTML! Files you export retain links to selected topics; you don’t need to scroll much – just click on a topic in the Table of Contents and jump to sections.

Follow these steps to use the Print feature:

1. Navigate to your favorite topic in TechNet Library.

2. On the top right corner, below the Search bar, right-click on a downward-pointing arrow next to the printer icon and choose Print Multiple Topics. A brief introduction page loads.

3. Click STARTto begin selecting topics. After that, all you have to do is visit each page or topic you want to print/export and select it by clicking on + Add This Topic on the gray bar on top of the page. Once you add the topic you want, you can remove it by clicking – Remove This Topic if you do not want to export it.

4. When you have finished selecting all the topics you want to print, click Collection (x Topic(s)) where x is number of topics you have selected. On the Manage Collection page you can choose to export your collection to PDF or HTML, rename and rearrange collections, add more chapters or choose from Advanced options to refine and tune your selection.

5. Click Generate to export/print the topics.  If you aren’t already signed in, you will be asked to sign in to generate the page and print.

Taking Your Exam

I have to admit: I did not study for my first exam, only because I had a lot of hands-on experience and I passed it relatively easily. That does not mean that the exam was easy, but I had a good working knowledge of the product, and that helped me a lot.

After getting a few exams on my transcript, and passing all on the first try, I failed an exam. What a shock! I could not believe that I could’ve failed an exam, and was furious. After passing the exam on my second attempt, I realized that being overconfident and acting as if I was in some kind of race did not help at all. If I had read the questions more carefully and took all the time I had on the exam, I knew I would pass. And I did.

I would say, even if you know a product by heart, take your time to read questions carefully and be sure you understand what the question is about. If you are unsure about the answer don’t be afraid to mark the question so you can return to it later.

Good luck!
Learning-Links-by-SK.pdf