Starting MCDST soon, thought i'd say hello

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Hi i thought i'd introduce myself to the MCDST forum, Im Gary and im about a week away from taking my A+ essentials exam followed by the 602 a few days later. Instead of going to down the N+ route i wanted to self study MCDST as i have no I.T job experience and i wanted to get into desktop support then moving on and upwards from there. I thought this would suit me better as i would have a greater understanding on supporting users with XP.
I have just bought the 70-271 MS press book as well as buying the CBT nuggets videos, (Any reviews or thoughts on these videos before i get started would be great) as well as a pen, paper and a highlighter pen is there any tips, tricks or general help i need before starting my studies.

Cheers guys

 

I'm not sure how much the lack of N+ will impact on your studies. I'd already passed mine but I think I might have struggled without it.

There's a few things to note about the practice questions on the CD.
1) There's a huge gap between the objective review questions and the practice exam questions. It's extremely demoralising if you don't know that.
2) The practice exam questions are riddled with mistakes: wrong graphics, wrong answers, right answers marked wrong etc. Not to mention the typos.

I found it useful to break the task up into the domains and concentrate on those one at a time. The handy objective->chapter/section mapping at the front of the book makes this easy.

 

Are the review questions and practice exams questions all from the ms press book. If there are so mnay mistakes what about the rest of the book, is that also riddled with mistakes

I think ill buy my practice exams from boson, there very good quality

 

This will hopefully be my next project after i finish my network+. I have found that there is alot in the network+ that is just expanding on alot in the A+ books and this has made it a bit easier for me to grasp some fo the things. I done my A+ over a year ago so it may be even better if you have just came straight from it. I do work in a desktop job so some things i may just know from work and not realise it though.

 

I'm pretty sure Boson don't do the MCDST yet.
Apart from the practice exams the rest of the package, including the review questions, is up to the same standard as any textbook I've used. A few mistakes but nothing to worry about.

 

They don't ;)
I would suggest that you take a look at the N+ before doing the MCDST. It would be a lot easier with the N+ knowledge!
The MS book is pretty good, the measureup stuff it has on the CD more than prepares you for the exam.

 

It would be easier but NOT impossible, if you know how to network and share files/folder, have sound knowledge about TCP/IP DHCP....... confident about how these things work then I am sure you will be fine.
the important things are time and willingness.
good luck.

 

and DNS. And IE.

 

Cheers for the advice, i have a freind who has passed his N+ and has a few books so i think i will use this material for reference for my MCDST.

The reason why i want to do the MCDST first is because i think it will give me a greater understanding of troubleshooting problems and supporting users on systems if i want my first job in first line support. I am to get a job in 1st line half way though my MCDST. I will do my N+ after MCDST so either way for me im sure it will all fit together like a puzzle eventually

 

go for it whichever way you think would suits you. Do you mind me asking how you are getting a job half way through you cert?