Course study & exam taking method

---

I have just finished working through all the episodes for the 70-410 exam. My plan was always to take each of the three exams as I finished the course material for each.

My question is two-fold. First, what would you suggest is the best way to go about preparing for the exam now that I have finished the video course? I have no idea what to expect from this exam at all, how it is structured etc. When studying with the videos, I used a spare PC running Server 2012 trial and both Server 2012 and Windows 8 VM's to work through each procedure taught. I also took detailed notes and sought extra info where necessary.

I have the book "Exam 70-410 - Installing and Configuring Windows Server 2012" by Craig Zacker as a reference and supplement to the ITPro.tv course. Does reading through this and using the practice questions sound like it should be sufficient preparation for the exam?

Second, I recently read a suggestion here that it may be better to study for all three exams before taking any of the tests, as skills gained in the later courses helps with the earlier ones. Can anyone weigh in with an opinion on this? Take the first exam before beginning 70-411, or study for all three of them first?

Thanks!

darkmatta,
The Microsoft Exams assume experience. They test on experience with their product rather than just knowledge areas. So, for example, the Windows 2012 Standard versus Windows 2012 Data Center usage. It's not enough to know that there are some differences. You may need to choose to run Data Center Edition because of what you are planning for in the future even though you're not implementing it now. This is not something you would think about just by reading it but by using it. The same would be for configuring server roles. It's not enough to know what to configure but you must also know how to configure it best depending on the context given.
Here at ITProTV, the benefit you get is that you have hosts that explain and demonstrate every exam objective called out and not just talking about it.
Because everyone studies differently depending on experience. I would suggest the more experience you have (even with previous editions of Windows 2012) the more you can zero in on one exam easier. The less experience, the more you may need to see how they fit the big picture before zeroing in on a particular exam focus.
You'll be challenged on the exam with simple knowledge based questions at times as well as performance based questions that will require you know exactly how to configure. You'll also need to know the limitations of current configurations in terms what else you may need or not need to do.
I hope the above has helped.
Cordially,
Ronnie Wong
Host, ITProTV

Thanks Ronnie for your reply - very helpful.
Still not sure whether to move on to studying 70-411 and come back to this or take the 70-410 exam now. I will try a practice exam and see how that goes. How closely do these match the real exams?
Anyone else willing to weigh-in with their thoughts on study/exam taking methods or tips?

I may be a bit late to the party, but...
As someone who's taken the 70-410 recently, here's a few pointers:
1. Read things VERY Carefully. Microsoft loves to use tricky wording or specific phrases that may key you into the right answer. Two options may accomplish the same task the question asks, but it also may ask for the one that has the "Least Administrative Effort." Pay close attention to this type of thing.
2. Work with the OS. You mentioned you had a VM environment and played around in it, but do more than just what the exercises ask you to. I can't count the number of times I scrubbed my lab network and rebuilt it just to get more experience setting up and configuring the roles, features, and services on the test. I used the Datacenter evaluation, so I had no fear when it came to doing something that may potentially break the whole network just to see how things work. Get your hands dirty.
3. When I took the test, a lot of the information being tested on wasn't the obvious information that most other exams look for. I felt like the test assumed I had a good understanding of the core concepts and principles, and instead tested on more fine-tuned and very focused areas, instead of bigger, broader questions.
For me, I used the 70-410 book for 2012R2, ITProTV's videos, and my 3 Hyper-V hosts I used to create a virtual network which I could learn and wreak havoc on all I wanted. I'd honestly say that, above all, actually working with the OS and learning it helped me more than anything.

Brian,
This type of contribution is always appreciated and helpful to the whole ITProTV community. Like you implied in your response, getting into the product itself, whether it's 2012R2, Windows8.1, Cisco..etc is the key to mastery and passing the exam! Thank you for your help!
Cordially,
Ronnie Wong
Host, ITProTV

Hello,
My advise is .. in my experience is ... build and destroy your Lab. It has helped me out a lot. Also I would read more than one book. If I could suggest the Windows Server 2012 Inside Out by William Stanek or Windows Server 2012 Unleashed by Rand Morimoto, Michael Noel, Guy Yardeni, Omar Droubi, Andrew Abbate. Also go through Microsoft's Technet. Thank you for your time and have a nice day.
Kind Regards,
Paul