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Entries in MCITP (5)

Sunday
Mar142010

MCITP: Enterprise Administrator

DateSunday, March 14, 2010 at 4:19PM

MCITP

It just occurred to me that while I had been posting udates as I took each Microsoft certification exam, I forgot to post a final update.  I passed.  That means I'm now certified MCITP: Enterprise Administrator.  What does it mean?  It means I studied my ass off and passed a bunch of tests that were mostly about Active Directory and DNS.  What does it mean beyond that?  I don't know.  I'm hoping that I can somehow incorporate that knowledge into my professional career... we'll see.

What's next?

I'm already thinking of getting some more certifications to demonstrate a broader knowledge base (and improve my marketability, of course).  I'm considering some Apple certifications, but I'm not even really sure where to start.  I'll have to do some research to see what feels like the best fit.  Right now, I think the next cert will be MCITP: Enterprise Messaging Administrator 2010.

Finally

And finally, my goal for this year is to get my CISSP.  Wish me luck.

AuthorR Keith Smith | CommentPost a Comment |
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Friday
Feb052010

I Guess I'm Ready

DateFriday, February 5, 2010 at 1:21PM

Today's the day. I scheduled my final MCITP exam for this afternoon. I was torn between today or sometime next week. Yesterday I knew I wasn't ready, but was hoping I could be ready by 2:15 today. The alternative of thinking about the test all weekend and studying every night until then to keep it fresh in my mind wasn't something I was looking forward to.

So. Here I am. I just finished my sushi (6 pieces of tuna nigiri) as part of what has become a pre-test ritual. I'm sitting in the cafe at Whole Foods staring out the windows into the cold rain. I'll get to walk in the cold rain... the test site is in a building just across the street. I'll walk from here rather than parking at the actual building. That, too, has become part of the ritual and I don't want to deviate from the plan.

Wish me luck. I guess I'm ready.

~keith

AuthorR Keith Smith | CommentPost a Comment |
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Friday
Jan292010

Four Down, One To Go

DateFriday, January 29, 2010 at 8:03PM

Wednesday marked the completion of my fourth exam in my ongoing quest for MCITP certification.  The test du jour was MCTS 70-643 Configuring Windows Server 2008 Applications Infrastructure.  Seriously... that's the name they came up with.  As I had done with the three previous exams, my primary study material was the Microsoft Training Kit.  This book was even more to-the-point the than those that I read for the other exams.  I think that's what I like most about this series of books; They're direct and focused, while still giving an overall broad view of the subject matter.

As of test time I was consistently scoring in the mid to hi 90's on the practice exams that came with the Training Kit as well as some 3rd party study guides I acquired online.  As such, my confidence was pretty high going into the test.  It was quickly shaken when the very first question threw me for a complete loop.  Of course, I signed an NDA when I took the exam so I can't discuss the question, but it was something that I had not encountered in my many hours of studying.  Fortunately, it got much smoother from there.  The next 4 or 5 questions were right in my comfort zone.  I marked 12 (of 40) questions to go back and review.  The others I was 99.9% sure I had right.  Of those 12, several were just oddly worded and I wanted to make sure I thought them through logically before committing to an answer.  And finally, there were about 5 questions that I was unsure of the answer for.  So, like before, I eliminated any ridiculous answers and tried to make an educated guess from the remainder.  It worked.  I passed the test with a score of 953/1000.

That means it's time to prep for my fifth and final exam... MCITP 70-647: Windows Server Enterprise Administrator.  I've got the Microsoft Training Kit sitting in front of me now.  Time to study.

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Thursday
Jan142010

Three Down, Two to Go

DateThursday, January 14, 2010 at 9:20AM

Tuesday I completed the third of five exams needed for my MCITP certification.  The exam was 70-642 Windows Server 2008: Network Infrastructure.  I didn't spend quite as much time studying for this as I had for the two previous exams (Active Directory & Windows Vista).  Instead, I took about a week to read the Training Kit from Microsoft (pictured) and then a few days hammering away at the practice tests included on the CD with the book. Fortunately for me, my confidence was higher with this test than with the previous two because of the material covered.  I was already familiar with the networking concepts covered from my previous experience so it was more a matter of learning what to expect on the exam.

Once I achieved a comfort level of consistently scoring on the high 90's on the practice exams, I went online to find more study resources.  I spent another couple of days studying with these third-party practice exams and then sat for the test.  I felt very well prepared and comfortable with the information on the test.  There were only a couple of "surprise" questions that I felt unsure of and I just did my best to eliminate the impossible answers and then take an educated guess from those that remained.

Next up is 70-643 Windows Server 2008: Application Infrastructure.  I plan to start studying this week...

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Friday
Nov132009

New Cert

DateFriday, November 13, 2009 at 9:33PM

Yesterday I added another cert to my résumé.  Now to my list of certifications I can add MCTS.  Or, more specifically... MCTS (Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist): Windows Vista Configuration.  You may ask yourself, "Self, why the hell did he get a Vista cert?"  Good question.  It's not because I'm a huge fan of Vista and just can't get enough of it... Quite the contrary.  But, instead, the answer is that it's just one of the five exams needed to complete my next goal of MCITP: Enterprise Administrator (Microsoft Certified Information Technology Professional: Enterprise Administrator).  I picked up a book from Microsoft last week and spent the entire weekend cramming it all into my brain.  It's a huge chunk of a book, but there are a lot of screen shots in its 800 or so pages, so it's not all dull text.  Then, finally, the day before test day I went online and "found" some practice exams.  These were enough to get me prepped.

I was a bit intimidated when I sat down and the test overview says that you have 200 minutes to complete 50 questions.  Yikes.  But, the book and practice tests were enough preparation and I was able to pass.

It's definitely a relief to not be spending hours of each day studying... but it's just a matter of time until I move on to the next exam.

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