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| Chris Cubley 2002-11-09, 12:23 am |
| I took 71-300 today and found it to be quite a good test.
In fact, I think that this is probably the highest quality
MS test I've ever taken (I've done the VB/MCSD track and
some SQL stuff). I felt like you actually had to know how
do requirements analysis and system design in order to
pass the test. The case studies were very realistic (as
much as a case study can be) and for the most part
mirrored types of scenarios that you find in real-life
development work. I very much appreciated the fact that
not all of the case studies assumed the typical "unlimited
budget, unlimited developers" that you find in white
papers and sample apps.
I thought the test was a vast improvement over 70-100.
This test was similar, but you had to know more about the
software development process than just how to draw an ER
diagram. You had to similar judgements as to what you
would make in real life, dealing with similar problems.
After taking my MCSD tests, my cheif complaint about them
was that the entire series was too easy and that I would
like to see Microsoft increase the difficultly level of
the tests to correspond more directly with the challenges
that developers face day to day. I think this test is
major step in that direction.
That said, there were several things I disliked about the
test. Number one among them was that you only got 15
minutes for comments. Given that this was a beta exam, I
felt inclined to give MS feedback about the questions. I
ended up running out of time for comments. I would hope
that MS would increase the comment time period for beta
exams in the future.
Another problem I noticed with the test was that while
most questions were good, some seemed like they had been
written by Microsoft's marketing dept. For example, a
similar type question that may appear on a hypothetical
Coca-Cola Certified Soda Drinker (CCSD) exam (not a real
question, not even about programming...)
After a hard day of playing basketball, what solution best
satisfies your urge to obey your thirst?
A - Extra Virgin Olive Oil
B - Sea Water
C - Sprite
D - Black Coffee
E - Nacho Cheese Sauce
Just in case the answer isn't obvious, you must know that
Sea Water quenches your thirst unlike any Coca-Cola
product. :P
Not only were these types of questions the easiest and
most obvious questions on the test, I felt them
inappropriate on a certification exam. I understand the
intent was to asses knowledge of various Microsoft
products, but I believe that these questions did this
quite ineffectively because of the obviousness of the
answers. I think a far better way of acheiving the same
goal would be something along the lines of presenting a
case study and then asking "Which technologies are
relevant to this solution, choose all that apply." This
is not to say that these type questions didn't exist, I'll
neither confirm nor deny that, but rather that I think
that this type of question would more accurately assess
the knowlegde in question.
The hardest part was the length, which is due to it being
a beta. I found myself making a couple stupid mistakes
around question 85 just from having read and done so many
other questions. I guess that's just the price you pay
for the beta. Maybe the number of questions will mitigate
the damage.
In any case, hats off to Microsoft for putting together an
excellent test and congrats to all who took it. Also,
good luck to all those who are waiting for the live
test...you'll need it.
Chris Cubley, MCSD
www.queryplan.com
| |
| bbates 2002-11-09, 9:23 am |
|
I too took the test today. This is the best review I have seen too far.
Each case followed a basic structure of questiona at the end:
1) What are the requirements, features needed
2) what are the risks (thats a new one)
3) what is the network topology, authentication strategy
4) Deployment (GAC, signed assemblies, directories)
there were a couple of ORM questions thrown in. Know what an ORM
"fact" is and how it is structured (verbalized). Also parent and
child entities.
Reading Terry Halpin's Visio articles on MSDN is all you need to do
here.
I agree with you about the marketing influence in two of the questions.
One was what tools should you get for the developers?
a) Sharepoint
b) SQL Server 2000 (they have SQL Server 7)
c) Visual sourcesafe
d) Universal MSDN subscription (I made this up)
You should know the difference between SQL Server 7 and 2000.
The exam was the most comprehensive and superior to the first one
(70-100). I also took the MCSD/VB track (did all the exams in 6 weeks)
Bill Bates
MCSD, OCP, CPA
--
Posted via http://dbforums.com
| |
| Davin Mickelson 2002-11-11, 1:23 pm |
| Hi.
I took the test Saturday and found a glaring error where I was supposed to
assign methods and properties to three different entities.
The problem? They only gave me one entity and a list of methods and
properties for that single entity.
I could not do any assignments for the other two entities, as stated in the
exercise directions at the top. I hope the incomplete answer does not affect
my grade for this beta exam.
Davin Mickelson
MCP+SB, MCAD, MCSD
"Chris Cubley" <chriscubley@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:7b9901c287b1$ac22acf0$39e
f2ecf@TKMSFTNGXA08...
> I took 71-300 today and found it to be quite a good test.
> In fact, I think that this is probably the highest quality
> MS test I've ever taken (I've done the VB/MCSD track and
> some SQL stuff). I felt like you actually had to know how
> do requirements analysis and system design in order to
> pass the test. The case studies were very realistic (as
> much as a case study can be) and for the most part
> mirrored types of scenarios that you find in real-life
> development work. I very much appreciated the fact that
> not all of the case studies assumed the typical "unlimited
> budget, unlimited developers" that you find in white
> papers and sample apps.
>
> I thought the test was a vast improvement over 70-100.
> This test was similar, but you had to know more about the
> software development process than just how to draw an ER
> diagram. You had to similar judgements as to what you
> would make in real life, dealing with similar problems.
>
> After taking my MCSD tests, my cheif complaint about them
> was that the entire series was too easy and that I would
> like to see Microsoft increase the difficultly level of
> the tests to correspond more directly with the challenges
> that developers face day to day. I think this test is
> major step in that direction.
>
> That said, there were several things I disliked about the
> test. Number one among them was that you only got 15
> minutes for comments. Given that this was a beta exam, I
> felt inclined to give MS feedback about the questions. I
> ended up running out of time for comments. I would hope
> that MS would increase the comment time period for beta
> exams in the future.
>
> Another problem I noticed with the test was that while
> most questions were good, some seemed like they had been
> written by Microsoft's marketing dept. For example, a
> similar type question that may appear on a hypothetical
> Coca-Cola Certified Soda Drinker (CCSD) exam (not a real
> question, not even about programming...)
>
> After a hard day of playing basketball, what solution best
> satisfies your urge to obey your thirst?
>
> A - Extra Virgin Olive Oil
> B - Sea Water
> C - Sprite
> D - Black Coffee
> E - Nacho Cheese Sauce
>
> Just in case the answer isn't obvious, you must know that
> Sea Water quenches your thirst unlike any Coca-Cola
> product. :P
>
> Not only were these types of questions the easiest and
> most obvious questions on the test, I felt them
> inappropriate on a certification exam. I understand the
> intent was to asses knowledge of various Microsoft
> products, but I believe that these questions did this
> quite ineffectively because of the obviousness of the
> answers. I think a far better way of acheiving the same
> goal would be something along the lines of presenting a
> case study and then asking "Which technologies are
> relevant to this solution, choose all that apply." This
> is not to say that these type questions didn't exist, I'll
> neither confirm nor deny that, but rather that I think
> that this type of question would more accurately assess
> the knowlegde in question.
>
> The hardest part was the length, which is due to it being
> a beta. I found myself making a couple stupid mistakes
> around question 85 just from having read and done so many
> other questions. I guess that's just the price you pay
> for the beta. Maybe the number of questions will mitigate
> the damage.
>
> In any case, hats off to Microsoft for putting together an
> excellent test and congrats to all who took it. Also,
> good luck to all those who are waiting for the live
> test...you'll need it.
>
>
> Chris Cubley, MCSD
> www.queryplan.com
| |
| Davin Mickelson 2002-11-11, 1:23 pm |
| BTW - when I take exams I like to go back to the questions that I had
problems with.
Unfortunately, during this exam, there was a 4-5 second delay between each
question - whether going forward or back. Meanwhile, the clock keeps
ticking.
This can take a lot of time to navigate to the beginning to review certain
questions. Luckily, I marked the questions I needed to check and reviewed
them at the end.
I suspect this will even be an issue for test takers on the live version of
the exam, 70-300.
This exam was interesting and fun to take. The case studies were cool. If I
didn't pass the beta, I happily take it again when it goes live.
Best of luck to everyone.
Davin Mickelson
MCP+SB, MCAD, MCSD
"Davin Mickelson" <dmickelson@logicinfo.com> wrote in message
news:eAmHvHbiCHA.1688@tkmsftngp08...
> Hi.
> I took the test Saturday and found a glaring error where I was supposed to
> assign methods and properties to three different entities.
>
> The problem? They only gave me one entity and a list of methods and
> properties for that single entity.
>
> I could not do any assignments for the other two entities, as stated in
the
> exercise directions at the top. I hope the incomplete answer does not
affect
> my grade for this beta exam.
>
> Davin Mickelson
> MCP+SB, MCAD, MCSD
>
>
>
> "Chris Cubley" <chriscubley@hotmail.com> wrote in message
> news:7b9901c287b1$ac22acf0$39e
f2ecf@TKMSFTNGXA08...
> > I took 71-300 today and found it to be quite a good test.
> > In fact, I think that this is probably the highest quality
> > MS test I've ever taken (I've done the VB/MCSD track and
> > some SQL stuff). I felt like you actually had to know how
> > do requirements analysis and system design in order to
> > pass the test. The case studies were very realistic (as
> > much as a case study can be) and for the most part
> > mirrored types of scenarios that you find in real-life
> > development work. I very much appreciated the fact that
> > not all of the case studies assumed the typical "unlimited
> > budget, unlimited developers" that you find in white
> > papers and sample apps.
> >
> > I thought the test was a vast improvement over 70-100.
> > This test was similar, but you had to know more about the
> > software development process than just how to draw an ER
> > diagram. You had to similar judgements as to what you
> > would make in real life, dealing with similar problems.
> >
> > After taking my MCSD tests, my cheif complaint about them
> > was that the entire series was too easy and that I would
> > like to see Microsoft increase the difficultly level of
> > the tests to correspond more directly with the challenges
> > that developers face day to day. I think this test is
> > major step in that direction.
> >
> > That said, there were several things I disliked about the
> > test. Number one among them was that you only got 15
> > minutes for comments. Given that this was a beta exam, I
> > felt inclined to give MS feedback about the questions. I
> > ended up running out of time for comments. I would hope
> > that MS would increase the comment time period for beta
> > exams in the future.
> >
> > Another problem I noticed with the test was that while
> > most questions were good, some seemed like they had been
> > written by Microsoft's marketing dept. For example, a
> > similar type question that may appear on a hypothetical
> > Coca-Cola Certified Soda Drinker (CCSD) exam (not a real
> > question, not even about programming...)
> >
> > After a hard day of playing basketball, what solution best
> > satisfies your urge to obey your thirst?
> >
> > A - Extra Virgin Olive Oil
> > B - Sea Water
> > C - Sprite
> > D - Black Coffee
> > E - Nacho Cheese Sauce
> >
> > Just in case the answer isn't obvious, you must know that
> > Sea Water quenches your thirst unlike any Coca-Cola
> > product. :P
> >
> > Not only were these types of questions the easiest and
> > most obvious questions on the test, I felt them
> > inappropriate on a certification exam. I understand the
> > intent was to asses knowledge of various Microsoft
> > products, but I believe that these questions did this
> > quite ineffectively because of the obviousness of the
> > answers. I think a far better way of acheiving the same
> > goal would be something along the lines of presenting a
> > case study and then asking "Which technologies are
> > relevant to this solution, choose all that apply." This
> > is not to say that these type questions didn't exist, I'll
> > neither confirm nor deny that, but rather that I think
> > that this type of question would more accurately assess
> > the knowlegde in question.
> >
> > The hardest part was the length, which is due to it being
> > a beta. I found myself making a couple stupid mistakes
> > around question 85 just from having read and done so many
> > other questions. I guess that's just the price you pay
> > for the beta. Maybe the number of questions will mitigate
> > the damage.
> >
> > In any case, hats off to Microsoft for putting together an
> > excellent test and congrats to all who took it. Also,
> > good luck to all those who are waiting for the live
> > test...you'll need it.
> >
> >
> > Chris Cubley, MCSD
> > www.queryplan.com
>
>
| |
|
| "Davin Mickelson" <dmickelson@logicinfo.com> wrote in message
news:ufQMeSbiCHA.2480@tkmsftngp12...
> BTW - when I take exams I like to go back to the questions that I had
> problems with.
> Unfortunately, during this exam, there was a 4-5 second delay between each
> question - whether going forward or back. Meanwhile, the clock keeps
> ticking.
I normally do the same thing but also found the performance made this
impractical. I presume you used Prometric also? I do not remember any
performance problems when I took 70-100 with VUE. I'd recommend using VUE
for any case study style exams based on what I've seen. It's unforgivable
for the exam software to get in the way of how we want to approach the exam.
> > I took the test Saturday and found a glaring error where I was supposed
to
> > assign methods and properties to three different entities.
> >
> > The problem? They only gave me one entity and a list of methods and
> > properties for that single entity.
I got a question with that exact problem as well. MS does effectively remove
results of invalid questions from beta results, so assuming the question was
'corrupted' at some point (as opposed to both of us misunderstanding
something), I expect it will not factor into our scores.
| |
|
| I used Prometric for 71-300 and I had no issues and I didn't notice any
delays.
It's also true that I was finished after 2.5 hours.
I didn't have enough patience to spend the rest of the two hours going back
and try to improve my answers.
The same problem happened to me: there were suppose to be 3 items on the
left but only one was present.
"Tim" <spammers@begone> wrote in message
news:eEiuo6biCHA.1544@tkmsftngp09...
> "Davin Mickelson" <dmickelson@logicinfo.com> wrote in message
> news:ufQMeSbiCHA.2480@tkmsftngp12...
> > BTW - when I take exams I like to go back to the questions that I had
> > problems with.
> > Unfortunately, during this exam, there was a 4-5 second delay between
each
> > question - whether going forward or back. Meanwhile, the clock keeps
> > ticking.
>
> I normally do the same thing but also found the performance made this
> impractical. I presume you used Prometric also? I do not remember any
> performance problems when I took 70-100 with VUE. I'd recommend using VUE
> for any case study style exams based on what I've seen. It's unforgivable
> for the exam software to get in the way of how we want to approach the
exam.
>
> > > I took the test Saturday and found a glaring error where I was
supposed
> to
> > > assign methods and properties to three different entities.
> > >
> > > The problem? They only gave me one entity and a list of methods and
> > > properties for that single entity.
>
> I got a question with that exact problem as well. MS does effectively
remove
> results of invalid questions from beta results, so assuming the question
was
> 'corrupted' at some point (as opposed to both of us misunderstanding
> something), I expect it will not factor into our scores.
>
>
| |
| Al Manint 2002-11-11, 4:23 pm |
| I have an issue with the same question that you two do. I put it in the
comments.
I also found a 2-5 second delay between questions and it was a big pain in
the butt. I took it with Prometric but I had no 70-100 problems at the same
facility.
--Al
| |
| Davin Mickelson 2002-11-11, 4:23 pm |
| Yes, I took the exam with a Prometric test center.
Thank you all for the feedback concerning this issue potentially being
related to testing center companies.
Never tried VUE - maybe it's time that I do.
Davin Mickelson
MCP+SB, MCAD, MCSD
"Davin Mickelson" <dmickelson@logicinfo.com> wrote in message
news:ufQMeSbiCHA.2480@tkmsftngp12...
> BTW - when I take exams I like to go back to the questions that I had
> problems with.
> Unfortunately, during this exam, there was a 4-5 second delay between each
> question - whether going forward or back. Meanwhile, the clock keeps
> ticking.
>
> This can take a lot of time to navigate to the beginning to review certain
> questions. Luckily, I marked the questions I needed to check and reviewed
> them at the end.
>
> I suspect this will even be an issue for test takers on the live version
of
> the exam, 70-300.
>
> This exam was interesting and fun to take. The case studies were cool. If
I
> didn't pass the beta, I happily take it again when it goes live.
>
> Best of luck to everyone.
>
> Davin Mickelson
> MCP+SB, MCAD, MCSD
>
>
> "Davin Mickelson" <dmickelson@logicinfo.com> wrote in message
> news:eAmHvHbiCHA.1688@tkmsftngp08...
> > Hi.
> > I took the test Saturday and found a glaring error where I was supposed
to
> > assign methods and properties to three different entities.
> >
> > The problem? They only gave me one entity and a list of methods and
> > properties for that single entity.
> >
> > I could not do any assignments for the other two entities, as stated in
> the
> > exercise directions at the top. I hope the incomplete answer does not
> affect
> > my grade for this beta exam.
> >
> > Davin Mickelson
> > MCP+SB, MCAD, MCSD
> >
> >
> >
> > "Chris Cubley" <chriscubley@hotmail.com> wrote in message
> > news:7b9901c287b1$ac22acf0$39e
f2ecf@TKMSFTNGXA08...
> > > I took 71-300 today and found it to be quite a good test.
> > > In fact, I think that this is probably the highest quality
> > > MS test I've ever taken (I've done the VB/MCSD track and
> > > some SQL stuff). I felt like you actually had to know how
> > > do requirements analysis and system design in order to
> > > pass the test. The case studies were very realistic (as
> > > much as a case study can be) and for the most part
> > > mirrored types of scenarios that you find in real-life
> > > development work. I very much appreciated the fact that
> > > not all of the case studies assumed the typical "unlimited
> > > budget, unlimited developers" that you find in white
> > > papers and sample apps.
> > >
> > > I thought the test was a vast improvement over 70-100.
> > > This test was similar, but you had to know more about the
> > > software development process than just how to draw an ER
> > > diagram. You had to similar judgements as to what you
> > > would make in real life, dealing with similar problems.
> > >
> > > After taking my MCSD tests, my cheif complaint about them
> > > was that the entire series was too easy and that I would
> > > like to see Microsoft increase the difficultly level of
> > > the tests to correspond more directly with the challenges
> > > that developers face day to day. I think this test is
> > > major step in that direction.
> > >
> > > That said, there were several things I disliked about the
> > > test. Number one among them was that you only got 15
> > > minutes for comments. Given that this was a beta exam, I
> > > felt inclined to give MS feedback about the questions. I
> > > ended up running out of time for comments. I would hope
> > > that MS would increase the comment time period for beta
> > > exams in the future.
> > >
> > > Another problem I noticed with the test was that while
> > > most questions were good, some seemed like they had been
> > > written by Microsoft's marketing dept. For example, a
> > > similar type question that may appear on a hypothetical
> > > Coca-Cola Certified Soda Drinker (CCSD) exam (not a real
> > > question, not even about programming...)
> > >
> > > After a hard day of playing basketball, what solution best
> > > satisfies your urge to obey your thirst?
> > >
> > > A - Extra Virgin Olive Oil
> > > B - Sea Water
> > > C - Sprite
> > > D - Black Coffee
> > > E - Nacho Cheese Sauce
> > >
> > > Just in case the answer isn't obvious, you must know that
> > > Sea Water quenches your thirst unlike any Coca-Cola
> > > product. :P
> > >
> > > Not only were these types of questions the easiest and
> > > most obvious questions on the test, I felt them
> > > inappropriate on a certification exam. I understand the
> > > intent was to asses knowledge of various Microsoft
> > > products, but I believe that these questions did this
> > > quite ineffectively because of the obviousness of the
> > > answers. I think a far better way of acheiving the same
> > > goal would be something along the lines of presenting a
> > > case study and then asking "Which technologies are
> > > relevant to this solution, choose all that apply." This
> > > is not to say that these type questions didn't exist, I'll
> > > neither confirm nor deny that, but rather that I think
> > > that this type of question would more accurately assess
> > > the knowlegde in question.
> > >
> > > The hardest part was the length, which is due to it being
> > > a beta. I found myself making a couple stupid mistakes
> > > around question 85 just from having read and done so many
> > > other questions. I guess that's just the price you pay
> > > for the beta. Maybe the number of questions will mitigate
> > > the damage.
> > >
> > > In any case, hats off to Microsoft for putting together an
> > > excellent test and congrats to all who took it. Also,
> > > good luck to all those who are waiting for the live
> > > test...you'll need it.
> > >
> > >
> > > Chris Cubley, MCSD
> > > www.queryplan.com
> >
> >
>
>
| |
| Keith Harrison 2002-11-12, 12:23 pm |
| When I took 70-300 I noticed quite an annoying delay when
switching between questions as well. I took the exam with
prometric.
I also had the problem with there only being one entity
when there should have been three.
>-----Original Message-----
>I have an issue with the same question that you two do.
I put it in the
>comments.
>
>I also found a 2-5 second delay between questions and it
was a big pain in
>the butt. I took it with Prometric but I had no 70-100
problems at the same
>facility.
>
>--Al
>
>
>.
>
| |
| Danijel Arsenovski 2002-11-13, 10:23 pm |
| I had the same problem, but attributed it to archaic hardware at centre I
took test at.
Also noticed problem with missing entities, I guess that's why it's beta.
I was quite disappointed with test content, no OOAD questions (more ER
modeling, again! now that even VB is OO), similar to previous test, not to
mention more advanced concepts like UML or design patterns... Not that I
would like it to be too academic, but some "deeper" knowledge is necesary if
you pretend to be an architect...
"Davin Mickelson" <dmickelson@logicinfo.com> wrote in message
news:#0XH9#ciCHA.1308@tkmsftngp11...
> Yes, I took the exam with a Prometric test center.
>
> Thank you all for the feedback concerning this issue potentially being
> related to testing center companies.
>
> Never tried VUE - maybe it's time that I do.
>
> Davin Mickelson
> MCP+SB, MCAD, MCSD
>
> "Davin Mickelson" <dmickelson@logicinfo.com> wrote in message
> news:ufQMeSbiCHA.2480@tkmsftngp12...
> > BTW - when I take exams I like to go back to the questions that I had
> > problems with.
> > Unfortunately, during this exam, there was a 4-5 second delay between
each
> > question - whether going forward or back. Meanwhile, the clock keeps
> > ticking.
> >
> > This can take a lot of time to navigate to the beginning to review
certain
> > questions. Luckily, I marked the questions I needed to check and
reviewed
> > them at the end.
> >
> > I suspect this will even be an issue for test takers on the live version
> of
> > the exam, 70-300.
> >
> > This exam was interesting and fun to take. The case studies were cool.
If
> I
> > didn't pass the beta, I happily take it again when it goes live.
> >
> > Best of luck to everyone.
> >
> > Davin Mickelson
> > MCP+SB, MCAD, MCSD
> >
> >
> > "Davin Mickelson" <dmickelson@logicinfo.com> wrote in message
> > news:eAmHvHbiCHA.1688@tkmsftngp08...
> > > Hi.
> > > I took the test Saturday and found a glaring error where I was
supposed
> to
> > > assign methods and properties to three different entities.
> > >
> > > The problem? They only gave me one entity and a list of methods and
> > > properties for that single entity.
> > >
> > > I could not do any assignments for the other two entities, as stated
in
> > the
> > > exercise directions at the top. I hope the incomplete answer does not
> > affect
> > > my grade for this beta exam.
> > >
> > > Davin Mickelson
> > > MCP+SB, MCAD, MCSD
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > "Chris Cubley" <chriscubley@hotmail.com> wrote in message
> > > news:7b9901c287b1$ac22acf0$39e
f2ecf@TKMSFTNGXA08...
> > > > I took 71-300 today and found it to be quite a good test.
> > > > In fact, I think that this is probably the highest quality
> > > > MS test I've ever taken (I've done the VB/MCSD track and
> > > > some SQL stuff). I felt like you actually had to know how
> > > > do requirements analysis and system design in order to
> > > > pass the test. The case studies were very realistic (as
> > > > much as a case study can be) and for the most part
> > > > mirrored types of scenarios that you find in real-life
> > > > development work. I very much appreciated the fact that
> > > > not all of the case studies assumed the typical "unlimited
> > > > budget, unlimited developers" that you find in white
> > > > papers and sample apps.
> > > >
> > > > I thought the test was a vast improvement over 70-100.
> > > > This test was similar, but you had to know more about the
> > > > software development process than just how to draw an ER
> > > > diagram. You had to similar judgements as to what you
> > > > would make in real life, dealing with similar problems.
> > > >
> > > > After taking my MCSD tests, my cheif complaint about them
> > > > was that the entire series was too easy and that I would
> > > > like to see Microsoft increase the difficultly level of
> > > > the tests to correspond more directly with the challenges
> > > > that developers face day to day. I think this test is
> > > > major step in that direction.
> > > >
> > > > That said, there were several things I disliked about the
> > > > test. Number one among them was that you only got 15
> > > > minutes for comments. Given that this was a beta exam, I
> > > > felt inclined to give MS feedback about the questions. I
> > > > ended up running out of time for comments. I would hope
> > > > that MS would increase the comment time period for beta
> > > > exams in the future.
> > > >
> > > > Another problem I noticed with the test was that while
> > > > most questions were good, some seemed like they had been
> > > > written by Microsoft's marketing dept. For example, a
> > > > similar type question that may appear on a hypothetical
> > > > Coca-Cola Certified Soda Drinker (CCSD) exam (not a real
> > > > question, not even about programming...)
> > > >
> > > > After a hard day of playing basketball, what solution best
> > > > satisfies your urge to obey your thirst?
> > > >
> > > > A - Extra Virgin Olive Oil
> > > > B - Sea Water
> > > > C - Sprite
> > > > D - Black Coffee
> > > > E - Nacho Cheese Sauce
> > > >
> > > > Just in case the answer isn't obvious, you must know that
> > > > Sea Water quenches your thirst unlike any Coca-Cola
> > > > product. :P
> > > >
> > > > Not only were these types of questions the easiest and
> > > > most obvious questions on the test, I felt them
> > > > inappropriate on a certification exam. I understand the
> > > > intent was to asses knowledge of various Microsoft
> > > > products, but I believe that these questions did this
> > > > quite ineffectively because of the obviousness of the
> > > > answers. I think a far better way of acheiving the same
> > > > goal would be something along the lines of presenting a
> > > > case study and then asking "Which technologies are
> > > > relevant to this solution, choose all that apply." This
> > > > is not to say that these type questions didn't exist, I'll
> > > > neither confirm nor deny that, but rather that I think
> > > > that this type of question would more accurately assess
> > > > the knowlegde in question.
> > > >
> > > > The hardest part was the length, which is due to it being
> > > > a beta. I found myself making a couple stupid mistakes
> > > > around question 85 just from having read and done so many
> > > > other questions. I guess that's just the price you pay
> > > > for the beta. Maybe the number of questions will mitigate
> > > > the damage.
> > > >
> > > > In any case, hats off to Microsoft for putting together an
> > > > excellent test and congrats to all who took it. Also,
> > > > good luck to all those who are waiting for the live
> > > > test...you'll need it.
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > Chris Cubley, MCSD
> > > > www.queryplan.com
> > >
> > >
> >
> >
>
>
| |
| Ignacio Machin 2002-11-14, 5:23 pm |
| Hello.
I had no problem at all, I took it at prometric in the same centre I always
go. Nevertheless I had problems not related with the test itself but at the
hardware used in the centre, the mouse must had at least 10 years old and
the display were olds 14" display with an incorrect display frequency, at
such point that even I finished almost 2 hours earlier I did not check the
exam cause my eyes were killing me.
Cheers.
--
Ignacio Machin
Senior System Engineer.
Bitcore, Inc.
machin_remove_this@bitc
ore.com
ICQ:15883233
MSN:ignaciomachin2001_remove_t
his@hotmail.com
(786) 344 5163
----------------------------------
MCSD ( VB6 )
MCAD.NET ( C# )
"Danijel Arsenovski" <darsenovski@hhh.com> wrote in message
news:unjFL94iCHA.1652@tkmsftngp09...
> I had the same problem, but attributed it to archaic hardware at centre I
> took test at.
> Also noticed problem with missing entities, I guess that's why it's beta.
> I was quite disappointed with test content, no OOAD questions (more ER
> modeling, again! now that even VB is OO), similar to previous test, not to
> mention more advanced concepts like UML or design patterns... Not that I
> would like it to be too academic, but some "deeper" knowledge is necesary
if
> you pretend to be an architect...
>
> "Davin Mickelson" <dmickelson@logicinfo.com> wrote in message
> news:#0XH9#ciCHA.1308@tkmsftngp11...
> > Yes, I took the exam with a Prometric test center.
> >
> > Thank you all for the feedback concerning this issue potentially being
> > related to testing center companies.
> >
> > Never tried VUE - maybe it's time that I do.
> >
> > Davin Mickelson
> > MCP+SB, MCAD, MCSD
> >
> > "Davin Mickelson" <dmickelson@logicinfo.com> wrote in message
> > news:ufQMeSbiCHA.2480@tkmsftngp12...
> > > BTW - when I take exams I like to go back to the questions that I had
> > > problems with.
> > > Unfortunately, during this exam, there was a 4-5 second delay between
> each
> > > question - whether going forward or back. Meanwhile, the clock keeps
> > > ticking.
> > >
> > > This can take a lot of time to navigate to the beginning to review
> certain
> > > questions. Luckily, I marked the questions I needed to check and
> reviewed
> > > them at the end.
> > >
> > > I suspect this will even be an issue for test takers on the live
version
> > of
> > > the exam, 70-300.
> > >
> > > This exam was interesting and fun to take. The case studies were cool.
> If
> > I
> > > didn't pass the beta, I happily take it again when it goes live.
> > >
> > > Best of luck to everyone.
> > >
> > > Davin Mickelson
> > > MCP+SB, MCAD, MCSD
> > >
> > >
> > > "Davin Mickelson" <dmickelson@logicinfo.com> wrote in message
> > > news:eAmHvHbiCHA.1688@tkmsftngp08...
> > > > Hi.
> > > > I took the test Saturday and found a glaring error where I was
> supposed
> > to
> > > > assign methods and properties to three different entities.
> > > >
> > > > The problem? They only gave me one entity and a list of methods and
> > > > properties for that single entity.
> > > >
> > > > I could not do any assignments for the other two entities, as stated
> in
> > > the
> > > > exercise directions at the top. I hope the incomplete answer does
not[c
olor=darkred]
> > > affect
> > > > my grade for this beta exam.
> > > >
> > > > Davin Mickelson
> > > > MCP+SB, MCAD, MCSD
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > "Chris Cubley" <chriscubley@hotmail.com> wrote in message
> > > > news:7b9901c287b1$ac22acf0$39e
f2ecf@TKMSFTNGXA08...
> > > > > I took 71-300 today and found it to be quite a good test.
> > > > > In fact, I think that this is probably the highest quality
> > > > > MS test I've ever taken (I've done the VB/MCSD track and
> > > > > some SQL stuff). I felt like you actually had to know how
> > > > > do requirements analysis and system design in order to
> > > > > pass the test. The case studies were very realistic (as
> > > > > much as a case study can be) and for the most part
> > > > > mirrored types of scenarios that you find in real-life
> > > > > development work. I very much appreciated the fact that
> > > > > not all of the case studies assumed the typical "unlimited
> > > > > budget, unlimited developers" that you find in white
> > > > > papers and sample apps.
> > > > >
> > > > > I thought the test was a vast improvement over 70-100.
> > > > > This test was similar, but you had to know more about the
> > > > > software development process than just how to draw an ER
> > > > > diagram. You had to similar judgements as to what you
> > > > > would make in real life, dealing with similar problems.
> > > > >
> > > > > After taking my MCSD tests, my cheif complaint about them
> > > > > was that the entire series was too easy and that I would
> > > > > like to see Microsoft increase the difficultly level of
> > > > > the tests to correspond more directly with the challenges
> > > > > that developers face day to day. I think this test is
> > > > > major step in that direction.
> > > > >
> > > > > That said, there were several things I disliked about the
> > > > > test. Number one among them was that you only got 15
> > > > > minutes for comments. Given that this was a beta exam, I
> > > > > felt inclined to give MS feedback about the questions. I
> > > > > ended up running out of time for comments. I would hope
> > > > > that MS would increase the comment time period for beta
> > > > > exams in the future.
> > > > >
> > > > > Another problem I noticed with the test was that while
> > > > > most questions were good, some seemed like they had been
> > > > > written by Microsoft's marketing dept. For example, a
> > > > > similar type question that may appear on a hypothetical
> > > > > Coca-Cola Certified Soda Drinker (CCSD) exam (not a real
> > > > > question, not even about programming...)
> > > > >
> > > > > After a hard day of playing basketball, what solution best
> > > > > satisfies your urge to obey your thirst?
> > > > >
> > > > > A - Extra Virgin Olive Oil
> > > > > B - Sea Water
> > > > > C - Sprite
> > > > > D - Black Coffee
> > > > > E - Nacho Cheese Sauce
> > > > >
> > > > > Just in case the answer isn't obvious, you must know that
> > > > > Sea Water quenches your thirst unlike any Coca-Cola
> > > > > product. :P
> > > > >
> > > > > Not only were these types of questions the easiest and
> > > > > most obvious questions on the test, I felt them
> > > > > inappropriate on a certification exam. I understand the
> > > > > intent was to asses knowledge of various Microsoft
> > > > > products, but I believe that these questions did this
> > > > > quite ineffectively because of the obviousness of the
> > > > > answers. I think a far better way of acheiving the same
> > > > > goal would be something along the lines of presenting a
> > > > > case study and then asking "Which technologies are
> > > > > relevant to this solution, choose all that apply." This
> > > > > is not to say that these type questions didn't exist, I'll
> > > > > neither confirm nor deny that, but rather that I think
> > > > > that this type of question would more accurately assess
> > > > > the knowlegde in question.
> > > > >
> > > > > The hardest part was the length, which is due to it being
> > > > > a beta. I found myself making a couple stupid mistakes
> > > > > around question 85 just from having read and done so many
> > > > > other questions. I guess that's just the price you pay
> > > > > for the beta. Maybe the number of questions will mitigate
> > > > > the damage.
> > > > >
> > > > > In any case, hats off to Microsoft for putting together an
> > > > > excellent test and congrats to all who took it. Also,
> > > > > good luck to all those who are waiting for the live
> > > > > test...you'll need it.
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > > Chris Cubley, MCSD
> > > > > www.queryplan.com
> > > >
> > > >
> > >
> > >
> >
> >
>
>[/color]
| |
| Davin Mickelson 2002-11-15, 12:23 pm |
| I suppose it isn't cost effective for test centers to upgrade the hardware,
considering that they make less than $5.00 per exam.
Probably another $15.00 to $20.00 goes to the Exam provider (Prometric, VUE)
and the rest of the $125.00 goes to Microsoft.
Guesstimates, on my part, I'm afraid.
Lucky for me, Prometric has its own office (and testing center) here in the
Mpls/St. Paul, Minnesota area with acceptable new equipment.
There was an interesting assortment of flow charts in the exam, which I
though was cool.
However, I found it misleading to go the tabbed dialog using the Exhibit
button (each showing a different flowchart) with the Next button at the
bottom of the screen. I made the mistake once of selecting and showing the
tab I thought was the correct flowchart and then clicked the Next button.
You see, since the tabbed dialogs are an exhibit, I needed to go back to the
question and choose the radio button next the name of the tabbed dialog that
I thought was right. Luckily, I caught this and clicked on the right radio
button. Perhaps just a dumb mistake on my part.
Davin Mickelson
"Ignacio Machin" <machin_remove_this@bitcore.com> wrote in message
news:ejHpj2CjCHA.1688@tkmsftngp08...
> Hello.
>
>
> I had no problem at all, I took it at prometric in the same centre I
always
> go. Nevertheless I had problems not related with the test itself but at
the
> hardware used in the centre, the mouse must had at least 10 years old and
> the display were olds 14" display with an incorrect display frequency, at
> such point that even I finished almost 2 hours earlier I did not check the
> exam cause my eyes were killing me.
>
> Cheers.
>
> --
> Ignacio Machin
> Senior System Engineer.
> Bitcore, Inc.
>
> machin_remove_this@bitc
ore.com
> ICQ:15883233
> MSN:ignaciomachin2001_remove_t
his@hotmail.com
> (786) 344 5163
> ----------------------------------
> MCSD ( VB6 )
> MCAD.NET ( C# )
>
>
>
> "Danijel Arsenovski" <darsenovski@hhh.com> wrote in message
> news:unjFL94iCHA.1652@tkmsftngp09...
> > I had the same problem, but attributed it to archaic hardware at centre
I
> > took test at.
> > Also noticed problem with missing entities, I guess that's why it's
beta.
> > I was quite disappointed with test content, no OOAD questions (more ER
> > modeling, again! now that even VB is OO), similar to previous test, not
to
> > mention more advanced concepts like UML or design patterns... Not that I
> > would like it to be too academic, but some "deeper" knowledge is
necesary
> if
> > you pretend to be an architect...
> >
> > "Davin Mickelson" <dmickelson@logicinfo.com> wrote in message
> > news:#0XH9#ciCHA.1308@tkmsftngp11...
> > > Yes, I took the exam with a Prometric test center.
> > >
> > > Thank you all for the feedback concerning this issue potentially being
> > > related to testing center companies.
> > >
> > > Never tried VUE - maybe it's time that I do.
> > >
> > > Davin Mickelson
> > > MCP+SB, MCAD, MCSD
> > >
> > > "Davin Mickelson" <dmickelson@logicinfo.com> wrote in message
> > > news:ufQMeSbiCHA.2480@tkmsftngp12...
> > > > BTW - when I take exams I like to go back to the questions that I
had[c
olor=darkred]
> > > > problems with.
> > > > Unfortunately, during this exam, there was a 4-5 second delay[/color]
between
> > each
> > > > question - whether going forward or back. Meanwhile, the clock keeps
> > > > ticking.
> > > >
> > > > This can take a lot of time to navigate to the beginning to review
> > certain
> > > > questions. Luckily, I marked the questions I needed to check and
> > reviewed
> > > > them at the end.
> > > >
> > > > I suspect this will even be an issue for test takers on the live
> version
> > > of
> > > > the exam, 70-300.
> > > >
> > > > This exam was interesting and fun to take. The case studies were
cool.
> > If
> > > I
> > > > didn't pass the beta, I happily take it again when it goes live.
> > > >
> > > > Best of luck to everyone.
> > > >
> > > > Davin Mickelson
> > > > MCP+SB, MCAD, MCSD
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > "Davin Mickelson" <dmickelson@logicinfo.com> wrote in message
> > > > news:eAmHvHbiCHA.1688@tkmsftngp08...
> > > > > Hi.
> > > > > I took the test Saturday and found a glaring error where I was
> > supposed
> > > to
> > > > > assign methods and properties to three different entities.
> > > > >
> > > > > The problem? They only gave me one entity and a list of methods
and[c
olor=darkred]
> > > > > properties for that single entity.
> > > > >
> > > > > I could not do any assignments for the other two entities, as[/color]
stated
> > in
> > > > the
> > > > > exercise directions at the top. I hope the incomplete answer does
> not
> > > > affect
> > > > > my grade for this beta exam.
> > > > >
> > > > > Davin Mickelson
> > > > > MCP+SB, MCAD, MCSD
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > > "Chris Cubley" <chriscubley@hotmail.com> wrote in message
> > > > > news:7b9901c287b1$ac22acf0$39e
f2ecf@TKMSFTNGXA08...
> > > > > > I took 71-300 today and found it to be quite a good test.
> > > > > > In fact, I think that this is probably the highest quality
> > > > > > MS test I've ever taken (I've done the VB/MCSD track and
> > > > > > some SQL stuff). I felt like you actually had to know how
> > > > > > do requirements analysis and system design in order to
> > > > > > pass the test. The case studies were very realistic (as
> > > > > > much as a case study can be) and for the most part
> > > > > > mirrored types of scenarios that you find in real-life
> > > > > > development work. I very much appreciated the fact that
> > > > > > not all of the case studies assumed the typical "unlimited
> > > > > > budget, unlimited developers" that you find in white
> > > > > > papers and sample apps.
> > > > > >
> > > > > > I thought the test was a vast improvement over 70-100.
> > > > > > This test was similar, but you had to know more about the
> > > > > > software development process than just how to draw an ER
> > > > > > diagram. You had to similar judgements as to what you
> > > > > > would make in real life, dealing with similar problems.
> > > > > >
> > > > > > After taking my MCSD tests, my cheif complaint about them
> > > > > > was that the entire series was too easy and that I would
> > > > > > like to see Microsoft increase the difficultly level of
> > > > > > the tests to correspond more directly with the challenges
> > > > > > that developers face day to day. I think this test is
> > > > > > major step in that direction.
> > > > > >
> > > > > > That said, there were several things I disliked about the
> > > > > > test. Number one among them was that you only got 15
> > > > > > minutes for comments. Given that this was a beta exam, I
> > > > > > felt inclined to give MS feedback about the questions. I
> > > > > > ended up running out of time for comments. I would hope
> > > > > > that MS would increase the comment time period for beta
> > > > > > exams in the future.
> > > > > >
> > > > > > Another problem I noticed with the test was that while
> > > > > > most questions were good, some seemed like they had been
> > > > > > written by Microsoft's marketing dept. For example, a
> > > > > > similar type question that may appear on a hypothetical
> > > > > > Coca-Cola Certified Soda Drinker (CCSD) exam (not a real
> > > > > > question, not even about programming...)
> > > > > >
> > > > > > After a hard day of playing basketball, what solution best
> > > > > > satisfies your urge to obey your thirst?
> > > > > >
> > > > > > A - Extra Virgin Olive Oil
> > > > > > B - Sea Water
> > > > > > C - Sprite
> > > > > > D - Black Coffee
> > > > > > E - Nacho Cheese Sauce
> > > > > >
> > > > > > Just in case the answer isn't obvious, you must know that
> > > > > > Sea Water quenches your thirst unlike any Coca-Cola
> > > > > > product. :P
> > > > > >
> > > > > > Not only were these types of questions the easiest and
> > > > > > most obvious questions on the test, I felt them
> > > > > > inappropriate on a certification exam. I understand the
> > > > > > intent was to asses knowledge of various Microsoft
> > > > > > products, but I believe that these questions did this
> > > > > > quite ineffectively because of the obviousness of the
> > > > > > answers. I think a far better way of acheiving the same
> > > > > > goal would be something along the lines of presenting a
> > > > > > case study and then asking "Which technologies are
> > > > > > relevant to this solution, choose all that apply." This
> > > > > > is not to say that these type questions didn't exist, I'll
> > > > > > neither confirm nor deny that, but rather that I think
> > > > > > that this type of question would more accurately assess
> > > > > > the knowlegde in question.
> > > > > >
> > > > > > The hardest part was the length, which is due to it being
> > > > > > a beta. I found myself making a couple stupid mistakes
> > > > > > around question 85 just from having read and done so many
> > > > > > other questions. I guess that's just the price you pay
> > > > > > for the beta. Maybe the number of questions will mitigate
> > > > > > the damage.
> > > > > >
> > > > > > In any case, hats off to Microsoft for putting together an
> > > > > > excellent test and congrats to all who took it. Also,
> > > > > > good luck to all those who are waiting for the live
> > > > > > test...you'll need it.
> > > > > >
> > > > > >
> > > > > > Chris Cubley, MCSD
> > > > > > www.queryplan.com
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > >
> > >
> >
> >
>
>
| |
|
| "Davin Mickelson" <dmickelson@logicinfo.com> wrote in message
news:uMzKPJNjCHA.2580@tkmsftngp12...
> However, I found it misleading to go the tabbed dialog using the Exhibit
> button (each showing a different flowchart) with the Next button at the
> bottom of the screen. I made the mistake once of selecting and showing the
> tab I thought was the correct flowchart and then clicked the Next button.
> You see, since the tabbed dialogs are an exhibit, I needed to go back to
the
> question and choose the radio button next the name of the tabbed dialog
that
> I thought was right. Luckily, I caught this and clicked on the right radio
> button. Perhaps just a dumb mistake on my part.
No, I think that's a valid complaint, especially since the big Item Review
at the end looked like it offered no indication of whether or not you'd
answered a question. Mine just showed 6 characters for each 'item'
(including the non-questions) that seemed to be based on the case study
company name.
I did 70-219, an MCSE case study exam, with Prometric also, and it had a
couple of similar questions. But (I assume) it used an 'answer randomizer'
on them, I suppose to make cheating a little more difficult (answer A on
your exam is answer B on mine). But instead of switching around the
diagrams, they just switched the options with A, B, C, D. I kid you not, it
was something like:
A) Diagram B
B) Diagram D
C) Diagram C [tricky!]
D) Diagram A
Downright sinister! I complained loudly about that and was glad to see this
exam didn't do that.
|
|
|
|
|