Dear 70-291...

Discussion in 'Network Infrastructure' started by delorean, Jun 12, 2010.

  1. delorean

    delorean Megabyte Poster

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    I hate your entire soul to the very core. Take my 871/1000 score and shove it right up your gearbox.

    Never, EVER come back in to my life ever again.

    Sod off.

    Thanks,

    delorean

    xoxo
     
    Certifications: A+, MCP 70-270, 70-290, 70-291
    WIP: 70-680, S+, MCSA, MCSE, CCNA
  2. UKDarkstar
    Honorary Member

    UKDarkstar Terabyte Poster

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    :D:biggrin:p:biggrin:D

    Nice one m8 !

    Congrats and well done !
     
    Certifications: BA (Hons), MBCS, CITP, MInstLM, ITIL v3 Fdn, PTLLS, CELTA
    WIP: CMALT (about to submit), DTLLS (on hold until 2012)
  3. craigie

    craigie Terabyte Poster

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    Well done mate!
     
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  4. JK2447
    Highly Decorated Member Award 500 Likes Award

    JK2447 Petabyte Poster Administrator Premium Member

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    Ha ha ha I had no doubt, I bet you felt like going crazy when you saw that score mate 8)
     
    Certifications: VCP4, 5, 6, 6.5, 6.7, 7, 8, VCAP DCV Design, VMConAWS Skill, Google Cloud Digital Leader, BSc (Hons), HND IT, HND Computing, ITIL-F, MBCS CITP, MCP (270,290,291,293,294,298,299,410,411,412) MCTS (401,620,624,652) MCSA:Security, MCSE: Security, Security+, CPTS, CCA (XenApp6.5), MCSA 2012, VSP, VTSP
    WIP: Google Cloud Certs
  5. Bluerinse
    Honorary Member

    Bluerinse Exabyte Poster

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    Well done that man. I bet you feel like you can now rule the world 8)
     
    Certifications: C&G Electronics - MCSA (W2K) MCSE (W2K)
  6. xmojo

    xmojo Nibble Poster

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    Yup, 291 is probably the most evil thing that Microsoft ever unleashed upon the world :twisted:
     
  7. Modey

    Modey Terabyte Poster

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    Well done matey, good score on a very tough exam!
     
    Certifications: A+, N+, MCP, MCDST, MCSA 2K3, MCTS, MOS, MTA, MCT, MCITP:EDST7, MCSA W7, Citrix CCA, ITIL Foundation
    WIP: Nada
  8. TommyTee

    TommyTee Byte Poster

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    that exam is a munter. I scraped throught so well done with that score.
     
  9. Mikeyboy

    Mikeyboy Kilobyte Poster

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    What's so hard about it? I will be doing it soon
     
    Certifications: VCP,MCSA, MCP, MCDST, MCITP, MCTS, A+, N+
  10. cyphertheory

    cyphertheory Bit Poster

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    ah well done fella, good work
     
    Certifications: MCDST, Network+ C&G NVQ lvl 3
    WIP: 70-682 I think :P
  11. delorean

    delorean Megabyte Poster

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    Thanks all! This exam unarguably deserves it's reputation as 'the beast'. I personally don't put it down to the difficulty of understanding the content. Well, not all of it anyway. Most of it is fairly logical in regards to IPsec, Kerberos, DNS zones and RRAS authentication.

    The main problem is understanding such a wealth of information that the 70-291 exam requires. I find self study difficult at the best of times, mainly due to self discipline. But for the 70-291 I really gave it my all. I've been putting in 4 to 6hrs or more of study per day, every day for the last couple of months. I actually went in to physical and mental meltdown towards the end. The exam actually consumed my entire life while I studied for it.

    Maybe my case is a more extreme example, but I tell you, when I clicked the 'end exam' button and completed the post-exam survey and clicked finish, the screen went blank for what felt like a lifetime. I actually almost got up out of my chair to tell the lady in the reception that I thought my machine had crashed. I was in utter despair, surely I wouldn't have to sit the whole exam again? I had visions in my mind of all the bad experiences other exam takers had had with machines crashing during exams and so on. I felt absolutely sick to my stomach.

    Then the screen finally appeared with the immortal words 'Congratulations you have passed'.

    The relief and sensations you'll experience when you see those words are indescribable. Sure, when I've passed other exams there is always a great feeling, but this one was special. It was the 70-291, 'the beast'.

    'The beast' is dead.
     
    Last edited: Jun 13, 2010
    Certifications: A+, MCP 70-270, 70-290, 70-291
    WIP: 70-680, S+, MCSA, MCSE, CCNA
  12. delorean

    delorean Megabyte Poster

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    I agree with you but I'd wager those that sat the 70-216 would beg to differ.
     
    Certifications: A+, MCP 70-270, 70-290, 70-291
    WIP: 70-680, S+, MCSA, MCSE, CCNA
  13. BosonMichael
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    BosonMichael Yottabyte Poster

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    Congrats!

    Just remember... 6 x 6 x 6 = 216. :blink
     
    Certifications: CISSP, MCSE+I, MCSE: Security, MCSE: Messaging, MCDST, MCDBA, MCTS, OCP, CCNP, CCDP, CCNA Security, CCNA Voice, CNE, SCSA, Security+, Linux+, Server+, Network+, A+
    WIP: Just about everything!
  14. delorean

    delorean Megabyte Poster

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    Thanks!

    Love that calculation, what a coincidence haha! Did you sit the 216? What was it like? I have read that that 291 is a pushover in comparison.
     
    Certifications: A+, MCP 70-270, 70-290, 70-291
    WIP: 70-680, S+, MCSA, MCSE, CCNA
  15. BosonMichael
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    BosonMichael Yottabyte Poster

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    No... I sat 70-240, the Beast's big brother. :blink It was a FOUR-hour, 100ish-question exam consisting of approximately 22-27 questions from each of 70-210, 70-215, 70-216, and 70-217. It was free... but you got exactly ONE chance to take it, and if you failed ANY of the four sections, you failed the entire exam... meaning, you had to go through the entire MCSE 2000 track from scratch.

    I passed... but from what I understand, most failed. I was one of only three people (myself, Josh, and a former co-worker from my first IT job) who passed it at the local test center the final month it was offered.
     
    Certifications: CISSP, MCSE+I, MCSE: Security, MCSE: Messaging, MCDST, MCDBA, MCTS, OCP, CCNP, CCDP, CCNA Security, CCNA Voice, CNE, SCSA, Security+, Linux+, Server+, Network+, A+
    WIP: Just about everything!
  16. Bluerinse
    Honorary Member

    Bluerinse Exabyte Poster

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    I have to say 216 was a real hurdle for me :eek:
     
    Certifications: C&G Electronics - MCSA (W2K) MCSE (W2K)
  17. delorean

    delorean Megabyte Poster

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    What was the 216 like? I'd love to hear from yourself and anyone else that sat that exam so I can draw up comparisons with the 291 in terms of sheer difficulty. If the 291 is 'the beast' then the 216 must be pure hell on Earth. :ohmy
     
    Certifications: A+, MCP 70-270, 70-290, 70-291
    WIP: 70-680, S+, MCSA, MCSE, CCNA
  18. delorean

    delorean Megabyte Poster

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    My God. As a 291 'survivor', I only know the 2003 track, but when I look in to the history of the 216 (and now the 70-240) I've developed a whole new respect for those that fought those wars and lived. And if you fought the 240 and the 216 you deserve a medal and a bronze statue of yourself erected in your home town.

    Fair play to you mate. :ohmy
     
    Certifications: A+, MCP 70-270, 70-290, 70-291
    WIP: 70-680, S+, MCSA, MCSE, CCNA
  19. Bluerinse
    Honorary Member

    Bluerinse Exabyte Poster

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    Well, I prepared hard for the exam, six months solid in fact, I attended the MOC course which was a 5 day instructor led course and studied hard for 6 months after that I built my own Lab and went through everything hands on using actual and virtual machines. I read the Sybex book and the MOC stuff over and over, numerous huge white papers on every topic that was being taught and was helped by Orin Thomas and Ian McLean amongst others on a daily basis to really understand the concepts. I must have done hundrerds of Orins, questions of the day at that time and they were tough. He was a tutor on certtutor.net and I was very active on there at the time. I also read Ian's TCP/IP Black Book which was the bible on TCP/IP at the time. And, also the Transcender test prep software of the day.

    I was well prepared and new my stuff. However, when I sat the exam.. OMG :blink

    The first 15 questions were intense, there was so much reading to do that, it was bordering on ridiculous. Half way through the exam I knew I was running out of time. I had under two minutes per question for the remainder of the exam, and things did not ease up. I ran out of time with four questions to go.

    At the end.. I saw.. you FAILED THIS EXAM.. No breakdown of weak areas or even a score and no second chance freebie. :cry:

    I was devastated and had to walk away not knowing what my weak areas were and feeling pretty sick because I felt I had been cheated out of a pass by the sheer amount of reading to do in the questions. They were by far the most wordy questions I have ever seen. Even though I am a fast reader and understood what was being asked, I felt it was an impossible task in the given time.

    So, I had to go back to square one and re-study everything, in the vain hope, that learning more might buy me a few more minutes to actually finish the exam.

    4 months later I re-sat the exam, and I was dreading it.

    Strangely enough, different exam, different day, a different hand of questions.. It was WAY easier than the first attempt, the questions were all much shorter and more straight forward. It was still hard but this time, it was doable.

    I passed on the second try but still walked away thinking.. WTF was that last exam all about :dry

    Of course ISA was harder :ohmy
     
    Last edited: Jun 14, 2010
    Certifications: C&G Electronics - MCSA (W2K) MCSE (W2K)
  20. xmojo

    xmojo Nibble Poster

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    100 questions in the exam? No wonder many failed - probably from sheer exhaustion. I thought it was bad enough getting 63 questions in the 293 exam.
     

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