SQL server exams - Questions -- first test

Author

Questions -- first test

jenlion

2001-11-01, 2:30 pm

I'm taking 70-029 next wednesday and there are a few things I'm still not sure about.

I use SQL server regularly and I've slowly worked through MS's exam prep software (in bits and pieces, when I have time). I consistently score 75% + on sample tests (though all the questions are starting to look the same to me). I really haven't studied much, though.

How does the scoring work? I can't seem to find out anywhere. Is there a practice test that will tell me if I'm scoring around 680, 800, whatever? I'd basically like to know if I actually need to put any more work into this or if I can just take the silly test....

Anything a first time MS tester should know?

Thanks

Nicole

2001-11-01, 6:06 pm

I just took the exam this afternoon. I was also rather confused by trying to figure out where I am in the learning curve... all of the exam prep materials I could find were pretty bad -- some failed to even address basic certification requirements. This was my first M$ exam, and I have to say that there are a LOT of study guides out there for MS, most of which seem to be garbage.

I finally bit the bullet and just took the exam to see how I would do. Not a strategy I'd recommend for $ reasons.

It wasn't that hard. There were no obscure stored procedure names to remember and not much in the way of trick questions. (Unlike the Oracle exams, which are chock full of trick questions.) Lots of those questions asking "which of the desired objectives do you achieve." I hate those. Some rather complex questions on triggers and nesting stored procedures -- actually having written functional code before will help a lot in that department.

Well, I passed. I would have liked to have gotten a better score, but no one gets any bonus points or a gold star for getting a high score, so I'll take it

Passing score is 693 out of 1000, so that's about a 69%. 49 questions does not divide evenly into 1000, so I have a hunch that you can get partial credit on questions which have multiple answers, but I don't know for sure.

jenlion

2001-11-12, 7:56 pm

I passed the 70-029 test today. I took it last Wednesday and failed with a 611. I only used the Microsoft test preparation and there were many questions that I was not at all prepared for. It barely touched on Profiler, did not show how the diagrams would be questioned, etc; it was really no preparation for the test at all.

I got a "fast track" book on the test from New Riders written by Thomas Moore. There were about 200 pages in the book. I read it twice over the weekend and took the test again today (Monday). I passed with a 714. Good book.

Now I have to actually decide which certification to pursue... :-)

Nicole

2001-11-12, 8:20 pm

Congratulations!

That's a pretty substantial score increase for a weekend of study! Your hard work paid some big dividends. I have heard so many poor comments about the MS study materials, that I'm resolved never to waste my money on them.

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