Aspiring MCSA, 70-270 1st - Need study advise

[John Neerdael]

Hey guys,

I'm currently doing a 1 year study (day school) to become a system administrator. However we are not prepared for any certifications and the way our studies are setup our knowledge is rather limited. I'm currently the top of my class which made me realize I should aim higher and study further on my own. I wanted to start with the 70-270 exam (Windows XP) but I could really use help on what study material I should get and also some explanations on what that material consists of. For instance I have no idea what CBT Nuggets is and what it includes, or many of the other training materials. I'd love it if someone could give me a nice list of suitable learning material I can find on the net and what the material consists of.

From reading here it seems the best study books to get are the Sybex 70-270 book aswell as the MS Self-Paced book with a slight edge towards the Sybex book which I also ordered yesterday from amazon so I can start studying soon. So what other study material do you suggest or what is better and complete so I can make sure to pass my exam on the first pass. (Since I'm just stepping in this e-learning thing I have no idea what simulations, labs, etc are although I guess the lab is just a vmware setup with a few xp's and some servers)

Thanks for any help