Microsoft Certification Blog » MCITP

11 questions about Microsoft Certification

admin — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 03:18:00 +0000

When I read through many forums and blogs, I found many candidates to ask those questions about Microsoft Certification which have been answered for thousands of times.
Here I list the answers to those questions.

1.How to register MCSE/MCSA/MCTS/MCITP/MCPD exams ？
Firstly，you should login http://www.prometric.com/Microsoft/default.htm to choose your exams .And then locate a test site .Because the Microsoft Certification exams are not online ,and taken in a local institute. And then schedule an appointment including the test time which is convenient to you. Some Microsoft exams are taken every day. On the Prometric .com, you can find the global test sites and tests time. You just choose a test site and test time.
2. How much is the register fee for your MCSE/MCSA or MCTS/MCITP or MCPD exams? Will you pay by cash for your exams?
Also, you should login http://www.register.prometric.com/Index.asp and select your test country /state, then you should choose your Microsoft exams .Quickly you will know the register fee in your country or your test site. Or, you can contact your local prometric center as the exam prices are different around the world. Of course, you may be able to pay by cash at a local testing centre. Generally speaking ,the exams typically cost US $ 125,but are priced according to currency values in specific countries and regions .Certification exam prices are subject to change .In some countries and regions ,additional taxes may apply. Microsoft Beta exams are free.

3.How should we become a MCP member?
First of all, there are no specified exams for MCP, if you have passed a Microsoft Certification exam, you are a member of MCP community .You can enjoy the following benefits including:
1.access MCP member web site
2. A downloadable certificate of achievement for certifications earned
3. Your official Microsoft Certification transcript
4. A tool to create and download custom credential logos
5. Current news and offers for MCPs
6. The Microsoft Certified Trainer (MCT) enrollment tool
4. So, how much duration the email come for MCP ID and access code ,if not come ,what should we do？
Please note it takes Microsoft several days to send out the formal e-mail .But you must be sure you have set your mailing address and contact information correctly on your profile.
If not come, you should call your local Microsoft Regional Support Centre and explain the issue, and they will sort it out for you .Also, you can email your information to mcphelp@micorsoft.com

5. Some of us want to get the ordered MCSE or MCTS or other Certificates .So, how can we get an ordered Cert from Microsoft? How much does it cost for us to order MCPD or MCSA or MCITP or other certs? The following step will tell you everything.
Login into the MCP site -> Program benefits -> Download Certificates -> Log on to MCP Digital Certification tool -> Certification Manager -> Look at bottom right corner of page. https://mcp.microsoft.com/authenticate/ValidateMCP.aspx
About the cost of ordered certs: Shipping and Handling are $9.95 USD for the first certificate and $0.99 USD for each additional certificate up to 6 total certificates. An Express Shipping option is available for an additional fee. During Checkout, you can view the Express Shipping costs by selecting the Express Shipping option in the Shipping Method section.
6. Is there any visible difference between ordered and printed certifications such as MCSA, MCTS, MCPD and so on?
There is no relief print (the cert is smooth), there is no gold foil on the professional track of certs (gold foil is currently on the MCAS, the office 2007 certs).They both have the same information on them, however looks wise the ordered cert looks a lot better. The quality of the cert that you download and print out, will depend a lot on the type of paper and the quality of the printer that you use. Added to that, when I print out the downloaded certs there’s always a white border around them. If it’s for displaying, the ordered certs look better. However if you’re going to use it for an interview or online, then the downloaded ones coupled with your MCP online transcript and Microsoft’s VBC (when they release it) will suffice.
7. Will you get MCP card after passing Microsoft Exams?
Unfortunately I believe that the MCP cards have been discontinued, as people have reported that they do not received the MCP card anymore.
8. What are the passing scores for Microsoft exams? Total scores?
The new scale requires a minimum passing score of 700 on all exams. The maximum score on the exams will vary depending on the complexity of the skills being measured.

9. When the latest technologies and exams are born out such as Server 2008, Windows 7, will the old exams be retired such as MCSE /MCSA exams? Or when the Microsoft Certifications or exams are expired or retired?
Certification expires after around four to five years (when new and more relevant Microsoft products are released) .If the mainstream technology supports ends, some of Microsoft exams maybe expired.Take MCSE or MCSA for example ,if Server 20003 supports ends ,MCSE or MCSA expired.

10. how should we know the numbers of people who have held the MCSA or MCTS or MCITP or MCPD, and passed the corresponding exams?
This following thread will tell you:
http://www.microsoft.com/australia/learning/mcp/certified.mspx

11. Where I can get my MCSE/MCSA ，MCTS /MCITP or MCPD after the corresponding Microsoft exams ?
Firstly, you should receive an e-mail from Microsoft advising you that you passed and providing log-in information to the MCP website.
https://mcp.microsoft.com/authenticate/ValidateMCP.aspx
Secondly, Microsoft will send out the formal e-mail providing you a link to the MCP website to where you can print a copy.
https://mcp.microsoft.com/mcp/default.mspx

12.What is the passing score for Microsoft exams ?And what about total score ?(the latest update)

700 points is the amount of points needed to pass the test 70-433 ,also for all MS exams on the MCSE/MCTS/MCITP track .And the total mark is 1000.

MCITP/MCTS better than MCSE 2003 ?

admin — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 08:44:00 +0000

Long time ago ,we talked about the post : MCSE/MCSA has timed out ,which consider many of MCSE/MCSA exams have been retired and the new technology and server 2008 exams have been published .With the new technology more and more popular ,that post think MCSE/MCSA should move forward. However, MCITP /MCTS on server 2008 really are better than MCSE 2003 credentials? Many of windows XP users refuse to upgrade XP to Vista。Server 2003 users also maybe refuse to use Server 2008.
Recently, I have gone through many forums and MC site on this subject. I found that many people did not know they should choose MCSE 2003 or MCITP/MCTS, and whether they should upgrade their MCSE 2003 to Server 2008 credentials.

There are mainly two opinions about this.
Some people think MCITP /MCTS are better than MCSE/MCSA 2003 absolutely .The reasons are as follows:

First of all, we should keep pace with the latest technology and apply for the latest MCITP/MCTS on Server 2008.And many of Server 2008 exams have been born out for a long time .More important, they think the latest Server and client systems will be better than Server 2003 system that are 7-9 years old .And the technology is moving towards, and the corresponding exams or certification also is moving on. Only those grasping the latest technology well can keep up with the demand of the market and won’t fall behind the times.

Secondly, with the latest technology and MCTS/MCITP cert being published, many older exams in MCSE/MCSA track are discontinued or retired. But Microsoft official sites never publish the accurate day for the remaining exams to retire. Maybe tomorrow, in a few months, or in a year ,who know ?Yeah, it said that the MCSE/MCSA 2003 would never expire .However, if the main technology support ends, don’t the MCSE/MCSA 2003 expire? Even though the MCSE/MCSA 2003 exams are not retired, it will be useless to own a cert that the market don’t support.

Besides, So far, there has been a lot of applause to Server 2008.Since Windows Server 2008 is a success, it may be possible for Microsoft to stop support of Server 2003.So, following the market trends, it is safe to acquire certification for MCITP or MCTS .Because many companies will be looking for the person with the latest qualifications.

Others think it won’t be wise to upgrade MCSE 2003 or MCSA 2003 to MCITP /MCTS. Although Server 2008 technology and credentials have been born out for a long time, many countries or many companies or people don’t switch over to Server 2008, even, they don’t have plans of upgrading to server 2008 at the moment .Because Microsoft have a failure in Windows. It is known that most of people don’t migrate from Windows XP to Vista .And there are lots of complaints to Vista. Maybe Server 2008 is a failure too. If the latest technology –Server 2008 is not on the market, who will hire a person owning useless MCITP/MCTS credentials on Server 2008?However,the MCSE /MCSA 2003 maybe retired until the main technology support ends. So, between MCSE/MCSA 2003 and MCITP/MCTS, we should consider MCSE/MCSA 2003 firstly. Even though Server 2008 is a success ,and most of companies will upgrade Server 2003 to 2008 ,it will be ok for us to upgrade MCSE 2003 to MCITP /MCTS .If there are no upgrade path for Server 2003 ，or most of MCSE exams are retired, we can directly take Server 2008 exams.

Of course, the above opinions are right according their own existence.
However, I have my view. Should you choose MCITP or MCSE? Or Is MCITP better than MCSE? It’s difficult to generalize. Everybody’s different.

For those without any experience in IT field, when you start your exams to IT certification, you should look into your work environment. Is Windows 2003 or Windows 2008 main stream in the market? If Windows 2003 is still popular in your market, you should consider MCSE 2003 firstly .Then you can consider about upgrading your MCSE 2003 to MCITP. After all, Server 2008 is a good technology .And it would not better to own MCSE 2003 and upgrade it to MCITP when the demand rises. If Windows 2003 is on your market, and 2008 Exams will be popular too, you also can consider 2003 firstly .Because, it will give you of no experience a broader understanding to technology to upgrade MCSE 2003 to MCITP 2008.However, for those having some experience in this technology, maybe MCITP/MCTS is better for you .The company that you work for maybe only run on WinXp,but it doesn’t mean that leaning the latest technology (Server 2008/Windows 7) won’t be of benefit. If you understand Server 2008, to some extent, your knowledge is “backwards compatible” and you’d be able to handle Server 2003 in a working environment.

Of course, the above views are just for reference; maybe you will have different opinions.
Hope you can share your idea with us to help more and more people out .Thanks for your reading.

Best way to Upgrade from MCSA 2003 to MCITP SA

Mary — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 08:27:30 +0000

If you want to upgrade your MCSA 2003 or MCSE 2003 to MCITP, which upgrade path would you like to choose? Take the upgrade exams, or take MCTS server 2008 exams?
Maybe some candidates for MCITP SA don’t know how to upgrade their MCSA 2003 or MCSE 2003 to MCITP SA.So, we’ll list the upgrade paths to MCITP, if you have known these, and you can skip this.
If you want to upgrade MCSA 2003 to MCITP SA, you have two choices.
1. Upgrade exams for MCITP SA .You know ,if you pass exam 70-648 ,your MCSA on windows Server 2003 can be upgraded to MCTS credentials(MCTS :Windows Server 2008 Active Directory Configuration and Windows Server 2008 Network Infrastructure configuration).That is to say, upgrade exam 70-648 is combination of MCTS 70-640 and 70-642 .So ,generally speaking ,70-648 is harder .After your passing 70-648 or getting both of MCTS credentials ,only if you pass 70-646 ,you will get your MCITP :SA (Server Administrator on Windows Server 2008).
2. Take MCTS sever 2008 exams instead of the upgrade paths. That is to say, you can take any order of 70-640 and 70-642 exams to get the above two MCTS credentials. In my opinion, this way is easier.
Which way would you prefer?
Personally, the easier route would be to just do 70- 640 and 70-642 exams individually. Upgrade exams are always harder! The upgrade exam 70-648 is combination of 2 exams and far harder than the individual exams. Unless you have enough experience on the technology Windows Server 2008, you‘d better not take 70-648 instead of 70-640 and 70-642.So for me it wouldn’t have made a difference if I did the exams separately from a number of exams point of view.
There are several reasons below:
1. When you study the 70-648 upgrade exams, you can found most of materials including MS Press books for 70-640 objectives or topic area very vague and a bit lost.
2. To pass 70-648, you have to pass each section of 70-640 and 70-642,As each section is basically an exam on it own right ,otherwise you’ll fail the whole exam. Generally speaking, if you want to pass 70-648, you should have the ability to pass 640 and 642 exams. If you have trouble studying for basically those exams at the same time, you’d better give up the upgrade exam and study for the individual exams, which will help you concentrate on one set of objectives rather splitting you between the two.
3. To get MCITP :SA ,We can get to know it is unwise to take 70-648 ,from those who had experiencing on upgrade exams.Generally speaking ,Many of candidates with MCSA 2003 would try the upgrade exams three or more times to pass 70-648.
So, in my opinion, the easiest route to get MCITP is to take the exams separately for those with MCSE 2003 or MCSA 2003

How to Upgrade MCSE/MCSA 2003 to 2008 MCITP/MCTS

Mary — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 09:31:56 +0000

The certification on Windows Server 2008 system will use a new generation of certification system—MCTS and MCITP system.
It is known that the most concern of the candidates is how to upgrade MCSE 2000/2003 or MCSA 2000/2003 to credentials on Windows Server 2008 System. Here, to the best of my ability, I will give an enough detailed introduction.
First of all, you could not be upgraded directly to the new certification system, if you just have MCSE 2000 or MCSA 2000.However, you can do, only if you have credentials on Windows Server 2003.And if you have MCSE (MCSA) certifications on Security or MCSE (MCSA) on Exchange, you must know that there aren’t both of the certifications on security and Exchange in the new certification system any more, which are covered in the new subjects.
Besides, there will be separate MCTS or MCITP on ISA or Exchange Server.
If you want to upgrade your MCSA on Windows Server 2003 to Windows Server 2008, you can choose the following paths. Certification roadmap
1. To get MCTS: Windows Server 2008 Active Directory and MCTS: Windows Server 2008 Network Infrastructure, you are required to pass 70-648.
That is to say:
MCSA 2003 +70-648 = MCTS: Windows Server 2008 Active Directory, Configuring
                                             + MCTS: Windows Server 2008 Network Infrastructure, Configuring
                                             = 70-640 +70- 642
2. To get MCTS: Windows Server 2008 Active Directory, Configuring、 MCTS: Windows Server 2008 Network Infrastructure and MCTS: Windows Server 2008 Applications Platform, Configuring, you are required to pass 70-649.
In other words:
MCSE +70-649 = MCTS: Windows Server 2008 Active Directory, Configuring
                      + MCTS: Windows Server 2008 Network Infrastructure, Configuring
                     + MCTS: Windows Server 2008 Applications Platform, Configuring
                       = 70-640 +70- 642 +70-643
Notice: All of those upgrade exams could not upgrade you directly to MCITP.
So, if you have MCSA/MCSE 2003, you are required to pass the corresponding Pro exams to get MCITP.
1.If you want to get MCITP: server Administrator, you are required to pass both of 70-648 and 70-646.That is to say:
MCSA 2003 +70- 648 + 70-646 = MCITP: Server Administrator.
2.If you want to be upgraded to MCITP: Enterprise Administrator, you are required to pass four exams: 70-648, 70-643, 70-620 or 70-624 or 70-680, 70-647.
In other words:
MCSA 2003+ 648 + 643 + 620(or 624 or 70-680) + 647 = MCITP: Enterprise Administrator.
3.If you want to upgrade MCSE 2003 to MCITP Server Administrator, you are required to pass 70-649 and 70-646.
That is to say:
MCSE 2003+ 70- 649 + 70-646 = MCITP: Server Administrator.
4.If you want to be upgraded to MCITP: Enterprise Administrator, you are required to pass three exams: 70-649, 70-620 or 70-624 or 70-680, 70-647.
In other words:
MCSE 2003+70-649 +70-620(or 624 or 70-680) + 647 = MCITP: Enterprise Administrator.
My advice: if you are prepared for MCSE, and want to be upgraded to Credentials on Windows Server 2008, you’d better pass 70-620 instead of the popular exam 70-270 as MCSE exam on client operating systems client operating systems
Besides, I think it is necessary to know about Microsoft’s new certification on Windows Server 2008 system.
MCTS：Focused on configuring and troubleshooting key technologies
MCITP：Focused on advanced infrastructure design
MCTS credentials on Windows Server 2008 will involve the following aspects:
1、 Active Directory Domain Services AD
2、 Identity and Access Management
3、 Internet Services
4、 Terminal Services
5、 Networking Infrastructure
As was mentioned above, MCTS credentials on Windows Server 2008 systems have three exams, which aim to measure the skills on AD ,SA（System Architecture），application.
MCITP credentials on Windows Server 2008 will involve the aspects below:
1. Infrastructure Operations
2. Active Directory Design and Planning AD

NEWS：Microsoft released almost 15 exams toward MCTS

Mary — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 02:52:04 +0000

Microsoft is committed to offering certifications that are relevant, valued, and respected indicators of IT professional and developer technology skills. To fulfill this commitment, the Microsoft Certification team continually monitors industry trends and adjusts exams and standards accordingly, developing new exams to ensure that certification requirements keep pace with technology updates.
The following table lists new exams, beginning with those most recently released in 2009. We are tracking Newest Trends in Microsoft certification in this article.

The exams that Credit toward MCTS Certification:
1. Exam 70-691 TS: Windows HPC Server 2008, Developing (English)
2. Exam 70-690: TS: Windows HPC Server 2008, Configuring and Managing (English)
3. Exam 70-658: TS: System Center Data Protection Manager 2007, Configuring (English)
4. Exam 70-653: TS: Windows Small Business Server 2008, ConfiguringAr(Turkish)
5.Exam 70-671: TS: Designing and Providing Microsoft Volume Licensing Solutions to Small and Medium Organizations (Korean, Portuguese [Brazil], Spanish)
6.Exam 70-672: TS: Designing and Providing Microsoft Volume Licensing Solutions to Large Organizations (Korean, Portuguese [Brazil], Spanish)
7.Exam 70-673: TS: Designing, Assessing, and Optimizing Software Asset Management (SAM) (Russian, Chinese [Simplified], Portuguese [Brazil], Japanese, Spanish, Korean, German, French)
8.Exam 70-577: TS: Microsoft Windows Embedded Standard 2009, Development(English)
9.Exam 83-640: TS: Windows Server 2008 Active Directory, Configuring. This exams also credit to MCTIP: Enterprise Administrator/Server Administrator. (English)
10.Exam 70-505: TS: Microsoft .NET Framework 3.5, Windows Forms Application Development. English, French, Japanese, Spanish)
11.Exam 70-403: TS: System Center Virtual Machine Manager 2008, Configuring(French, German, Japanese)
12.Exam 70-655: TS: Windows Vista and Server operating systems, Pre-Installing for OEMs(English)
PS:
Exam 70-455: Upgrade: Transition Your MCITP SQL Server 2005 BI Developer to MCITP SQL Server 2008 BI Developer
Exam 70-453: Upgrade: Transition Your MCITP SQL Server 2005 DBA to MCITP SQL Server 2008

9 questions about 70-640 preparation

Mary — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 07:54:28 +0000

1.To be sucessful in Exam 70-640 ,we must know what is the relative weight of each major topic area on the exam.So ,the second question is What is the guideline for 70-640 ?or what technical tasks we should accomplish in the exams ?
(the percentages indicate the relative weight)
a. Configuring Domain Name System (DNS) for Active Directory (16 percent)
b.Configuring the Active Directory infrastructure (25 percent)
c.Configuring additional Active Directory server roles (9 percent)
d.Creating and maintaining Active Directory objects (24 percent)
e.Maintaining the Active Directory environment (13 percent)
f.Configuring Active Directory Certificate Services (13 percent)

2.when we prepare 70-640, we should know what is the pre-requisite for taking the test 70-640? The Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist (MCTS) on Windows Server 2008 is appropriate for you if you are working or want to work in a typically complex computing environment of medium-to-large organizations. There are no specific prerequisites for this test, although it is recommended that you should have at least one year of experience .The MCTS candidate should have a minimum of one year of experience in implementing and administering a network operating system in an environment that includes 250 and more users, three or more physical locations, and three or more domain controllers.
3. What is the best materials for Server 2008 exam 70-640,such as books ,training courses ?
Personally ,I recommend the three books below:
MCTS Self-Paced Training Kit (Exam 70-640): Configuring Windows Server 2008 Active Directory
MCITP Self-Paced Training Kit (Exams 70-640, 70-642, 70-643, 70-647): Windows Server 2008 Enterprise Administrator Core Requirements
MCITP Self-Paced Training Kit (Exams 70-640, 70-642, 70-646): Server Administrator Core RequirementsOf course ,some 70-640 braindumps or free resources site can provide the materials for free ,and you can free download the microsoft ebooks from those sites ,if you prefer ebook or pdf to the papers .
4.When I apply for the 70-640,in my opinion ,the most important problem is the type of 70-640 exam, which matters most for my grade !
Q. How many questions are asked in the exam?
A. You will be required to attempt approximately 55 questions.
Q. What is the duration of the exam?
A. Users are required to attempt all questions in 120 minutes.
Q. Which type of the exam is it?
A. This test consists of Multiple Choice, Hot Area, Drag and Drop, Build list and reorder, and Build a Tree questions. The test can be adaptive, and simulation questions might be asked. There are no Case study type questions.
5..The biggest concern of the candidate for MCTS :70-640 ,might be What is the passing score for 70-640?
You need a score of 700 out of 1000 to pass the exam.
6.Where can the test 70-640 be taken?
Microsoft exams may be taken at Prometric testing facilities.
7.I think each candidate for 70-640 will pay attention to the question that what is the cost for MCTS 70-640 or what is the 70-640 fee?
It depends on the region and country.The net price in American NewYork for taking test 70-640 is US$125.And In England ,It is 88 pounds ,In Brazil ,It is 80$. The net price does not include applicable taxes, vouchers, promotions or membership discounts you may have.Also you can the find cheaper vouchers for the exams from vendors that we will have a chance to obtain a Prometric Voucher Number to enjoy a 20% special discount .The exam is subsidized in India and China. The net price for taking test 70-640 in India and China is US$50.
8.Unfortunately ,we could not pass the exam the first time ,what is second shot or 2nd chance for 70-640 ? What is the exam retake policy?
We can retake 70-640 at any time when we don’t pass it the first time . If you do not achieve a passing score the second time, you must wait at least 14 days to retake the test a third time. A 14-day waiting period will be imposed for all subsequent exam retakes. If you have passed the exam, you cannot take it again.
9.when we sucessufully pass 70-640 : TS: Windows Server 2008 Active Directory, Configuring, we will complete the requirements for the following certification(s):
Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist (MCTS): Windows Server 2008 Active Directory, Configuration ,So ,if we want to go further for the certification ,what certification we can go forward ? There are two following certifications the exam counts as credit toward :
1.Microsoft Certified IT Professional (MCITP): Enterprise Administrator
2.Microsoft Certified IT Professional (MCITP): Server Administrator

Pass MCITP with 1000 high scores

Hannah — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 08:04:24 +0000

This is from my friend –Hannah ’s experiencing on passing MCITP .I asked her to share her experience here with us to help more and more people out .Hope you can get some useful information to help your MCITP preparation.

Hannah saying :

I’m extremely exhausted from taking MCITP.
First of all, let me show you my scores.
April 11, 620: 1000
June 12, 640: 962
June 12, 642: 1000
June 13, 643；1000
June 13, 646: 1000
June 15, 647: 1000
It was quite a long time ago when my company provided me a little training expense. At that time, I was so excited that I give all the money to a training center in order to get MCITP.
I took the exam 620 in April. And I took no other exams from that time on. Last week, I was quite free. Therefore, I plan to continue to take the exam. Since I have paid for it, why not take the exam? The result is that I have to learn the questions by heart so as to get a paper MCITP.
I signed up the two subjects 640 and 642 in the second day, for I want it to be ended sooner. I start to revise the questions from the afternoon. At the beginning, I type every correct answer in Microsoft Office Word, which give me a great impression, but with quite low efficiency. Therefore, I finish revising 640 till the midnight.
In the early morning of the second day, I went to take the exam. The questions on the test are almost all covered by the test question base. I finished answering the questions in 10 minutes. Therefore, I hand in the exam paper 40 minutes later. And then, I found a place to revise the test question base of 642. It is not very difficult. I change my method of revising. I find the key word of every true answer, and revise directly. The question is quite short, so that I can get the key word from the first sight. I finished revising 642 two hours later. And then, I take the exam in 3 PM. It goes on quite smoothly for the high coverage of the test questions base. I finished answering the questions in seven minutes, and handed in my test paper in 40 minutes. It is unbelievable that I choose every answer correctly. I believe that I have a lucky star above me. Therefore, I signed up two other subjects 643 and 646 the second day.
I start to revise in the Saturday morning. Because of the time limitation, I spend most of my time revising 643. The questions in 643 are quite short, which are easy to remember. However, the questions in 646 are much difficult, which are longer and hard to remember. I start to take the exam in 1:00 PM. On the bus to the examination hall, I revised the questions in 643 twice. I feel a little dizzy after finishing revising.
The examination process is also very smooth. The questions are all covered by the test questions paper. Then I have a short rest and continue to take exam 646. It is so lucky that I can pass it.
I take my last subject on next Monday. I start to revise from the evening of last Sunday. At the first sight I saw the exam, I am really scared for the questions are quite long, and the answers for these questions are too long. I meant to take the exam in the early morning. But I don’t have enough confidence. I revise the questions in the day at my company. And I go to take the exam in the afternoon. I hand in my test paper in 50 minutes for the questions are quite difficult. I check my answers three times. And I am quite satisfied with the results. That is the process that I finish all the exams.
As to the methods of revising the questions, you need to find the keywords. It is not very difficult to get the full scores. For instance, in 624 and 643, it is always correct to choose the answer which NAP, 802.1x and some capital abbreviations AD RMS, AD DS are contained.

How to Choose between MCITP and Oracle Database Certification?

Hannah — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 08:02:00 +0000

Many customers send emails to ask which certification should be taken: MCITP or Oracle certification. Which database is more wide and valuable?
This kind of questions, to some extend, seems like to ask you which chewing gum tastes better: mint or lemon flavor.
First, let me introduce the applications of Oracle and SQL Server.
Analysis on the market share:
Oracle is more suitable to the enterprise level, and it has requirements on the cross-platform, multi-users, and multi-layered structure.
Microsoft Database SQL Server is more suitable to the mid or small company. It is limited to the windows platform, but it attracts my users for its simple operations, practical usage, and cheap price.
Analysis on the operational mode:
The operation of Oracle is too complicated, and both graphical interfaces and command lines are provided by Oracle. The operation is the same in WindowsNT or Unix.
The operation of Microsoft Database SQL Server is very simple. But only graphical interfaces are provided by it.
Though Oracle is more suitable in the application of the enterprise level, the market share occupied by Microsoft is out of people’s expectation. The comparison rate of work amount between Microsoft Database and Oracle is at least 20:1. Therefore, SQL Server can provide more job opportunities, which is very important to these who begin or change their profession. But the salary is lower than Oracle.
The comparison between MCITP database and Oracle:
Analysis on the profession direction:
MCITP database mainly refers to the management and development of Microsoft SQL Server 2005.
OCP is Oracle database management design.
Analysis on the study cost：
MCITP: you just need to prepare 5 subjects for database management and development certification.
9iOCP: you need to attend four examinations (007 or 001, 031, 032, 033). Oracle requests these who want to get 9iOCP certification to attend an original training on one subject. The training expense is much higher than all that cost on MCITP.
Analysis on learning difficulty：
MCITP：database certification is with lower difficulty. In addition, the stand-alone experimental environment is easily achieved. And the recommended learning cycle is three to five months.
OCP is quite difficult to learn. The learning cycle is at least six to twelve months.
Analysis on employment environment:
At present, few enterprises employ specialized database administrator to manage the database. In the IT industry, the employees should do not only database design, but also database management and development. The most efficient method is to select a direction to learn, gain its related certification, and then, pursue the practical opportunities, at last, achieve the real knowledge and ability from the practice.
Therefore, we strongly suggest these who just start their position or change a new one to choose MCITP, which is much practical and expedient.

List of SQL Server 2008 Certifications and Exams

Mary — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 08:24:10 +0000

According to ITExamPrep.com, SQL Server 2008 has been released as well as detailed information of related MCTS and MCITP certifications and exams. MCTS cert8fication exams for SQL Server 2008 Implementation and SQL Server 2008 Business Intelligence have been issued while dates for other exams’ releasing have been draw up.

MCTS Certification Exams

70-432: TS: SQL Server 2008, Implementation and Maintenance
Released

70-433: TS: SQL Server 2008, Database Development
Releasing Date: December 10th, 2008

70-448: TS: SQL Server 2008 Business Intelligence, Implementation and Maintenance
Released

MCITP Certification Exams

70-450: PRO: Designing, Optimizing and Maintaining a Database Server Infrastructure using Microsoft SQL Server 2008

Releasing Date: November 12th, 2008

70-451: PRO: Designing Database Solutions and Data Access Using Microsoft SQL Server 2008
Releasing Date: November 26th, 2008

70-452: PRO: Designing a Business Intelligence Infrastructure Using Microsoft SQL Server 2008
Releasing Date: November 10th, 2008

Update Exams

1. MCDBA certifications based on the SQL2000 can’t be updated to the SQL Server 2008 MCITP certifications.

2. The following three exams correspond to different SQL Server 2008 MCITP certifications.

70-453: UPGRADE: Transition your MCITP Database Administrator Skills to MCITP Database Administrator 2008.
Releasing Date: November 11th, 2008

70-454: UPGRADE: Transition your MCITP Database Developer Skills to MCITP Database Developer 2008.
Releasing Date: 2008.12.09

70-455: UPGRADE: Transition your MCITP Business Intelligence Developer Skills to MCITP Business Intelligence Developer 2008.

NO upgrade path for MCSE: Security

admin — Sat, 23 May 2009 03:03:37 +0000

There is NO upgrade path that is specific for the MCSE: Security, however, there are upgrade paths for the MCSE certifications to the new MCTS and MCITP. You will find all details here: http://www.microsoft.com/learning/mcp/mcts/windowsserver/2008/transition/default.mspx

Also, if you have experience with Exchange and SQL, you can also go after the MCTS and MCITPs specific to those technologies.