Selecting right exam answer own MS exams (MCSA/MCSE)

Tavis Gardner

I hear that MS questions are misleading having you 2nd guess steps to accomplish exact process to complete a task. I don't know kaplan exams yet but hope they prepare for the misleading questions. So plan to learn starting with 70-740 exam powershell commands, gotchas with setting up technology, definitions, and info I can pull from test questions...Any suggestions for not getting tricked on exams and how to select right answers?

Mike Rodrick

@Tavis-Gardner ,

I will share my experience with Microsoft exams, other people may feel differently.

I don't believe the questions are misleading. Sometimes it may seem that way, but it usually means I don't know the topic well enough, or I didn't understand the question.

Here are some recommendations I have found helpful.

Read the question slowly. Do not try to skim the question, you will miss an important detail that could effect your answer.
Read all of the answers. Do not pick the first one that sounds right, even if you are sure it's the answer. Read them all.
Read the question again. Now that you know the possible answers, read the question again. This will usually help you discover any "gotchas", like that one down-level client that changes the answer.
Eliminate one or two answers that cannot be right, and then select the best answer from what remains.

Microsoft exams give you enough time, you shouldn't be in a rush. Spend enough time on each question. I don't like going back to a question. I feel like I gave it my best effort, and I don't want to start second guessing myself.

Pay attention to the order of steps used to accomplish a task. These are the ones that give me the most trouble. They will ask you to drag the steps in the right order. You might use a step more than once, and you might not use some steps at all. 🤦‍♂️ Look at all of the steps, they will help you remember. I try to visualize going through the process.

I think the best advice is to take your time. Associate and expert job role exams give you approx. 150 minutes to answer between 40-60 questions. That works out to over 2 minutes per question.

Hope this helps, maybe others will have some additional tips.