2 exams in a week

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Hi All

I'm just wondering if anyone has done two Microsoft exams in the same week? Here's why. I have been studying all of the Server 2012 MCSE material in in general, on and off throughout the year. I've been on one 2008 to 2012 Upgrade course and have the "implementing an advanced server infrastructure" course coming up soon. I've been a Server Admin for a few years now too.

I have only passed 70-410 this year, a good three months or more ago, so I figured I would dust off my prometric credentials and see what dates are available. Checking I found that a very local site has re-opened, but oddly only has two days in September free in the same week, nothing else for the rest of the year!

So now I am wondering..... should I I try and sit 70-411 and 70-412 in the same week to smash my 2012 MCSA out of the way. This way I'll have achieved one cert goal this year and it might even spur me on to get the full MCSE.

What do you guys think? Am I being daft rushing into this or would you consider doing what I might, get two out of the way in the same week. I'm fairly confident I can pass them. Not 100% but hopefully enough to get 700. Anything over that doesn't worry me too much.

Any advice would be much appreciated

Cheers
James

 

Hi Richy no thats great mate, I'm looking for peoples experiences good or bad. I hadn't even considered two exams in one day. That could be an option according to prometric. I think if all of my exams were on top of each other like this it would look very odd. The stage I am at now in my career with my experiences on my CV, I'm not too concerned about it, I'm just after an easy life. Ideally I should space these out, I might end up doing that because like you say, its more important I full absorb this information rather than pass an exam. I do feel like my certification section on my CV is looking a bit aged at the moment ha ha

 

To be honest, apart from the MCDST, I don't think I've done separate exams within the same week.

However I have done alot of upgrade exams, which is really a combination of 2 or 3 exams, so in theory I have

All I can really say is to go for it, after all, like you said, all you really need is 700 to pass...

Good luck mate.

 

Thanks very much Ken. Decisions decisions. I don't fancy the drive to the next closest testing site. I will probably try for the two exams in the same week I think. It will be a lot of pressure but looking over whats asked in each exam I feel like I know enough. There's always going to be more I could know but I think I know enough...... hopefully I'm right

 

Could be an option mate. Something to consider is if something comes up (either work or personal life) that means you can’t commit to as much study time as you would like before you take the exams. Might be a struggle to prepare for both in that respect however if it was only one exam then you could cram and get the pass you need.

I have considered the same thing tbh. At the moment I have books for Office 365, Server 2012, Sharepoint 2010, ITIL and CCNA sitting next to me as this is what I am working on at work just now. I am thinking my cert list is starting to look slightly tired so I will need to commit to doing the exams eventually!

 

Cheers Sparky, you're absolutely right mate, I'm in no rush. Similar to you I feel my certs need a dust off but I'm sure you are right. Rushing an exam never led to any good. I've booked the one and will see how I get on. I suppose the other thing that plays on my mind is the name. Server 2012. I'll be lucky if I get an MCSA in 2013. MCSE 2014. If all this new OS every ten minutes is true, I will give up on Microsoft exams....

 

Tell me about it. I was pi55ed off when MS retired the Exchange 2007 exams as I was studying towards it but didn’t have the time to take the exam. MS still hadn’t retired some of the Server 2003 exams at the time so I wasn’t too impressed with MS retiring Exchange 2007 certs.

In saying that it kinda broke the run of certs I was on. I had planned to try and get certified on Exchange 2003/2007/2010 but in reality there was just not enough time to do them all!

You have done the right thing booking one exam for now mate – best of luck with the studying.

 

Cheers Sparky. I'm not sure I get the point of retiring exams the way they do because we all know customers keep products like Exchange 2007 for a long time. By all means make the product end of life but how are they losing out letting people still take the exams so that they know they know their stuff.... uh I'm not a business person but I'm sure its probably all about making new cash each year, but I do think they could cut us admins a bit of slack every now and then.

 

Don't take what you see on the Prometric site as red too, matey. I think they book 6 weeks ahead only; certainly my closest exam centre (a ridiculous 70 miles away) only books 6 weeks ahead. They won't show availability ahead of that on the website, which is probably why you're only seeing to end of September.

Having said that, you're more than capable of sitting 2 exams in a week. It's not as if you're inexperienced at the job, or a dullard ;)

 

I don't, I just feel when I'm ready for a test, book it 6 weeks ahead... and spend 6 weeks alternating between stressing and studying like a demon.

 

Cheers Dawn you are a darling x I didn't know that about Prometric, which is kind of indicative of how out of touch I am with exams lately.

 

Another +1 on the Exam Ref books. People used to the training kits hated them initially, but they have cut out a lot of the waffle, and they fit in more with the CBT Nugget series.

 

Cheers guys, you just cost me twenty quid ha ha Much appreciated.

An update on my situation. I have booked 70-411 on Monday 2nd of Sept and 70-412 on Wednesday 4th of Sept. I've go time off before it so I've really got to focus on what is being measured for each. I've done a ton of general study, attended a course, rebuilt my lab on ESX5.1 with 2012 evals. I feel ready but I've been caught out before as can be seen on my posts on CF. Fingers crossed this isn't a fools errand.

 

Really bad idea this, I've got eye strain, my head hurts, I'm running out of time but..... I passed 70-411 today with 783! I thought I had failed it because the easy questions were easy but then they asked me a few things that completely threw me, things I haven't done in work yet, but a pass is a pass.

70-412 on Wednesday. I've been off work so far this week and studied for weeks for these but it is still too much. I will never do this again but these are still the only dates at my local testing centre. I will have to review what I need to brush up on at the weekend, I don't have the time right now

 

Good stuff mate - just think of the beers after the second exam!