some advice on MCDST and beyond..

Discussion in 'MCDST' started by panosd, Jul 14, 2008.

  1. panosd

    panosd Bit Poster

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    hey there everyone

    like I said in my 'intro' post, I'm working for a company that will pay for me to sit my MS exams (once each, anyway) so I'm going for the MCDST.

    I bought the MS Press books for 70-271 and 70-272 and at the moment I'm reading through the 271 book inbetween calls. So far (and from a cursory glance at the chapter titles) it seems to be stuff I have covered ground with in my previous work with an ISP (and also as unofficial tech support for every friend I have, member of mine and my partners family) and the work I'm doing now as desktop support... so would it suffice to say that I should get by OK with just the MS Press book and the on-the-job experience I have gained? Or should I look into something else to supplement it based on your own experiences with the book and how it compared to the actual exam?

    Also, I was considering getting the MCDST and then going on to getting my MCSA but the general opinion in here seems to be that its not worth getting without first having the Network Admin experience to back yourself up with. Well, I have many years of general IT experience and desktop support but I have never had a specific networks role. So should I avoid it? Should I be trying to transfer eventually to something in networks or systems? I'm still not completely sure that the life of a network administrator is the one for me!

    Anyway, at this stage it all seems very confusing. A bit of guidance would be lovely :)

    Cheers

    Panos
     
  2. Boycie
    Honorary Member

    Boycie Senior Beer Tester

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    Hi Panos,

    I would say that the MS Press books (don't forget the exercises :D), your work experience and exam preparation software would be fine for both MCDST exams. It focuses on XP, IE and Office Outlook.

    As for the MCSA, the 270 is a more in-depth version of the MCDST (in my opinion), leaving you with the server and network infrastructure (nightmare!) exam. I would say go for it. You may already be dealing with some of the content on a daily basis. IF not, grap yourself Virtual PC/ VMWare and work your way up to it.

    Good luck - let us know how you get on.

    Simon
     
    Certifications: MCSA 2003, MCDST, A+, N+, CTT+, MCT
  3. craigie

    craigie Terabyte Poster

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    I agree, with what Simon says.
     
    Certifications: CCA | CCENT | CCNA | CCNA:S | HP APC | HP ASE | ITILv3 | MCP | MCDST | MCITP: EA | MCTS:Vista | MCTS:Exch '07 | MCSA 2003 | MCSA:M 2003 | MCSA 2008 | MCSE | VCP5-DT | VCP4-DCV | VCP5-DCV | VCAP5-DCA | VCAP5-DCD | VMTSP | VTSP 4 | VTSP 5
  4. paradoxni

    paradoxni Nibble Poster

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    271 seems to be a subset of 270. I studied 270 first (had not investigated MSDST at the time) passed it and then thought 271 sounded quite similar, so I took it almost immediately with no further study and passed with a high score. 272 I found myself needing the MS pressbook and a few weeks of study as I wasnt that up to scratch with Office applications support.
     
    Certifications: A+, Network+, MCP, MCDST, CCENT
    WIP: Server+
  5. Finkenstein

    Finkenstein Kilobyte Poster

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    I think you are on the right track with the MCDST. I agree with Simon too, if you really work with it at home in a test environment, I'd shoot for the MCSA as well. Some of the issues you might not deal with, but I know most of what is covered on the MCSA set of exams are a lot of issues that our help desk deals with almost daily.
     
    Certifications: MCP, Network+, CCENT, ITIL v3
    WIP: 640-822
  6. panosd

    panosd Bit Poster

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    thanks for all your advice everyone, its a big help! I'll definitely be going for the MCSA after this although from the looks of it I might be stuck on the 'network nightmare' module for a few months :)
    so.. you recommend the 'measureup' practice exams? I've been taking a look at the Transcender ones but I'm guessing they're pretty close to eachother?
     
  7. Theprof

    Theprof Petabyte Poster

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    I find both transcender and measure up practice exams help a lot. They give at least an idea of what the exam is like, plus some people mentioned that transcender questions are harder than the actual exam so if you do well on transcender practice exams you will probably do well on the actual exam. Good luck!
     
    Certifications: A+ | CCA | CCAA | Network+ | MCDST | MCSA | MCP (270, 271, 272, 290, 291) | MCTS (70-662, 70-663) | MCITP:EMA | VCA-DCV/Cloud/WM | VTSP | VCP5-DT | VCP5-DCV
    WIP: VCAP5-DCA/DCD | EMCCA
  8. panosd

    panosd Bit Poster

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    great stuff..

    oh just one more question, if I 'upgraded' my MCDST to be Vista certified after I got it, would that count towards the MCSA at all?
     

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