Review of the Boson ExSim Max for 70-622

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I have recently completed a review of this offering from Boson.

Unlike my review for the 620 Ex Sim Max, I had already taken and passed the 622 exam prior to the review, so I knew what the questions were like.

I have to say, it was excellent. The attention to detail and the quality feel makes this a joy to use.

Now, I know the 620 has changed recently, and I don't know if the 622 has too; regardless, this is a 'must have' addition to your 622 arsenal.

The questions, explanations and the links to extra resources definitely make this a worthwhile investment for anyone looking to take on the exam.

One thing: avoid the Sybex 622 book, IMHO. Go for the MS Training Kit to compliment the Ex Sim Max.

Job well done, gents...


Edit: Just realised this is in the wrong place in the forum... have asked for it to be moved.

 

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Thank you for the (as usual) excellent review, Giddy! And thank you for the praise!

 

I can't wait to see the new stuff coming through.

How long does it normally take, start to finish, to get an Ex Sim Max out into 'live'? The content that goes into them is amazing.

 

There's so many factors, it's hard to pin it down to a number... number of questions, difficulty level of questions (and length of explanations), different question types (multiple choice, drag-and-drop, sims, etc), number of graphics, number of available authors, experience level of authors, number of available editors (and the number of other projects they're working on).

Usually, it takes "a few months" to get a project done. Sorry I can't be more specific... but it's similar to asking how long it takes to study for an exam.

We're about to round up another batch of testers for another round of products we just released.

 

Don't panic. I moved the thread at Giddy's request. All is well. Carry on.

 

Heh heh... thanks Trip.

 

When are we getting the 70-291 update to current exam content please? Thanks for the heads up Giddy

 

Do you have people who are authors or who work for Boson who actually take the exams from time to time, to see if they've changed?

It must be difficult to come up with the type and quality of questions that in any way resemble the complexity of the MS ones. I'm thinking of the 620, where it has just changed to include sims, when you have no idea what those sims will be about. Mind you, I suppose that is where experience plays a major part.

Great!

 

Ooh... I am actually looking at 290 (reading through my MS Training Kit and my Trip's 'Windows Server 2003 Boys Own Manual' ) at the moment. Didn't think to check if Boson did the ExSim stuff, though I must have had a peek in the past.

I think the way it works is that if it ain't Max then Michael and Josh cannot say for sure what the quality is like... I had the same discussion about Sec+ from memory. Might be wrong though.

 

Unknown... the 70-291 is an ExSim product, developed before we got here. I don't know whether it covers current content or not, unfortunately. I assume it does... the live exams don't change that much, and when they do, the content is often already covered in our products, for the most part.

 

Thanks MB, so would you recommend it?

 

Yes, we authors go in and take the exams. How do you think I got as certified as I am?

As far as "from time to time" is concerned... no, we don't go in and take them every few months. If we hear an exam has changed, we'll have someone (who hasn't yet passed it, obviously) go in and take the exam to evaluate the changes. For example, if Microsoft were to put stuff related to XP SP3 on the exam, we will look to see what sort of SP3 stuff is covered.

We aren't given any insider information on the exams - none of the practice exam companies are, not even the ones Microsoft "endorses".

Yes, it is. But creating a good question and choices is only half the battle. The other half is crafting an excellent explanation, with research and testing before we write. Combine them together, and that's what makes a superior product. But they take time to craft.

Many companies create questions and answers, and some even create explanations. But how many do them well? If it were easy to do... there'd be no market for our product, because everyone could do it.

 

Exactly right.

 

I haven't seen the content, and I don't know who wrote it, so I have no idea whether it'll be good or not.

It is my hope that we will someday have an ExSim Max-quality product for the Server 2003 exams.

 

Oops... forgot to address this portion of your post. I would guess that none of the practice exam providers offer 70-620 sims. They're incredibly difficult to create, as you might guess... they have to be programmed from scratch, and programmers ain't cheap. For now, all of us will have to rely on good multiple choice questions to help you understand the content.

In any case, a practice exam is not designed to be a replacement for putting your hands on the OS itself. If you've worked with the OS before taking the exam (as you well should have!), then all that's missing from your training is being able to pass the multiple choice portion. The sims, in truth, aren't very difficult for a test taker who has worked with the OS.

 

Well, I just downloaded 70-290 ExSim #1. It was only $39.95, so what the heck?

 

I nervously await your review.

 

Heh heh... did a quick scan of 10 questions. Amazingly, I got 50% of them right, but that'll be from use of XP, prior knowledge and from studying for 271, 272, 620 and 622.

Got the review document set up already. The 200+ questions will take me a few weeks, but it'll be fun.

 

Thanks for the excellent review of 70-622, GiddyG!

 

I thoroughly enjoyed it. It's an excellent product (again, just like the 620) and, as I've said previously, anyone looking to take on 622 should definitely add it to their shopping list.

Cheers.