Self Paced Studying - How do you do it?
-
Hello!
I am interested in studying for the MCTS SQL Server 2005. The Microsoft book has just been released for this. I want to study for this from home and I would love to hear from those of you who did it on your own or are working on it now.
How many hours a week do you set aside? I'm thinking a ballpark number should be 10-15 hours, in two to three hour increments.
I know that MS exams vary in complexity and that each user learns at a different pace, but I am wondering how many months it would take of studying before you are ready to take the test.
Thanks!
-
I've done it for several exams. The amout of time per week is pretty dependent on how long you have before you plan to write the exam.
For my SQL Admin exam I studied on and off for about 6 months before I write. I wouldn't recommend that. Fewer longer blocks are better than more shorter blocks. Maybe try for 2 3-4 hour stretches and see how that goes. Be careful that the studying doesn't take over your life. You will need some time to relax
What you need is a quiet place to study, somewhere you won't be interupted and you aren't surrounded by distractions. I don't recommend trying to study lounging on your bed or on the couch in front of the TV.
I find that writing notes on the material helps and gives me a set of summaries for last minute revision.
I also have that exam on my todo list. Got a link for info on the book?
Good luck with your studies. Let us know how it goes.
Gail Shaw
Microsoft Certified Master: SQL Server, MVP, M.Sc (Comp Sci)
SQL In The Wild: Discussions on DB performance with occasional diversions into recoverabilityWe walk in the dark places no others will enter
We stand on the bridge and no one may pass -
It has been my experience that the optimum study time is around 6 to 8 weeks. If you have no experience with the product (or the component of the product), it could be a few weeks more. You don't want to drag it out too long otherwise you'll find it hard to retain the concepts you learned at the beginning.
I think I've typically spent about 30 - 35 hours preparing. I read the material cover to cover, spend time on the product itself, supplement the studying with some practice exams (I've used Transcender and they are reasonable), and then do some final review of the material, focusing on areas I didn't fare so well on in the practice exams.
Good luck.
-
I try for a consistent schedule at a time when I'm rested. Always found I could study better at the beginning of the day. For several years I studied at Burger King from 6-7am while having coffee, was close to work and distractions were not too bad.
-
I am thinking about this as well. Is there any forum here dedicated only to MCTS 2005?
-
I am intrested too... i second the morning effort .I read about 45 on my commute on the train with my coffee.
looks like it will be a few weeks of hard work.
-
What material are you guys using? BOL?
-
Thanks for the responses. I feel very encouraged by your responses. I'm an at home mother right now and I have been out of the workforce for almost 3 years. I think the certification will help me to find a good position when I go back to work in the fall. Only one exam and you are certified with the MCTS- SQL Server 2005. I debated on going for the .NET certification seeing as to how I find it waaay more exciting than SQL. (of course!
) But seeing as to how I have real world experience with SQL, it'll help me more in finding a job. Plus you have to take two exams to get the .NET cert and I'd really be pushing myself to get them in time for the fall. Even though I'm at home, it's hard to find time to study when I'm taking care of the house and my 3 small children. I figure if I plan it out well, I can do it!For those who asked, I am using a book recommended by Microsoft - The MCTS Self-Paced Training Kit (Exam 70-431): Microsoft SQL Server(TM) 2005 Implementation and Maintenance (Pro - Certification) It was just released last week. It's an excellent deal. You get a 6 month free trial of SQL Server 2005 Enterprise Edition plus a 15% voucher discount on the exam. Cool, eh?!?
Here's the Amazon link:
Thanks again everyone!
-
Hi folks, Just received 70-431 Training Kit by Solid Quality Learning from AMAZON. Ordered on last friday night and received in Australia today!
Courseware look comprehensive and seems to suggest that you will be tested on an overall understanding of the beast.
Good luck to everyone studying for this one.ps l also study on the train commute in of a morning. But the idea of finding a quiet corner of Burger King or alike , will have to try.
-
I visit amazon today and why
Availability: This item has not yet been released. You may order it now and we will ship it to you when it arrives. Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
-
Definitely released...I received a copy 6/14/06. Go ahead and order it.
The quality of the book is pretty good from what I've read so far.
-
As far as books go, my college used MS Press for MS Server topics. A lot of people prefer MS Press because you get the "official" MS way of doing things. I try to use MS press books as the first book I read, mainly because I've never read a bad MS Press book, but I've recently tried a couple bad books from other publishers. Depending on the difficulty of the exam, I might then read an Exam Cram book for review. Exam Cram books are short, concise and focus on topics that are on the exams.
Make use of as many online resources as possible, especially Technet and anywhere that has labs. Certification sites like Cramsession will point out essentials, like exam summaries, difficulty of the exam, pointers of stuff to know inside out, & free practice tests. Sometimes they even have pretty comprehensive study guides to read or download for free or cheap.
I'd agree that long study sessions are best. I "try" to read an entire chapter in one session. Also, I might be the last person who still handwrites notes, instead of using a highlighter. Remember in grade school when they made us write vocabulary words 10 times? That's because simply writing something down often helps people remember their notes more easily. I usually take the exam when I've run out of study materials, and thoroughly memorized all my handwritten notes.
Lastly, I'd second the MS press book from Solid Quality Learning ISBN 0-7356-2271-X. Chapter One seems fairly great
. Bookpool.com has it in stock if amazon doesn't. -
Yes, saw the same message and ordered the book/s.
Arrived a couple of days later.
-
The trick that's helped me the most: just book the test.
Once I start getting comfortable with what will be on the test - but long before I'm ready - I'll register for the exam and set it for a month or two out, on a Tuesday morning. (more on the Tuesday morning later)
Once there's a spot on the calendar approaching outside of my control, I magically find the time and motivation to prepare. Heck, for the last few years I've set the test date before even looking at little more than the list of topics on the test description. Then I challenge myself to hit the target.
Let me repeat that: do not wait until you are 'ready' to book the test. Unless you are the type that can set a schedule and timeline, and stick to it (my wife is, I am not), it's far too easy to let the test slip another month, then another, while you tell yourself you're getting ready.
70-431 casts a pretty wide net; you may want to give yourself more time for that one if you're not actively using the new stuff in SQL Server, and haven't already passed 70-228 and 70-229 (SQL 2000 dev and admin tests).
I often choose Tuesday mornings or right after lunch (depends on my current client) for the appointment because you can re-schedule your exam on the provider's website up to the day before the exam. The Last Weekend Before The Test is crunch time. By Sunday night, I'll know if I'm in any shape to pass the test. If I'm not ready, there's enough slack time to re-schedule the exam for the following week.
If you actually intend to use any of the information you're working so hard to learn, then avoid any of the cram/prep/braindump/whatever stuff as long as possible, if not completely. (Note: the large learning texts, such as the 70-431 book mentioned earlier in this topic, are an exception to this rule. They have prep questions, but there's a lot of useful material as well.)
There's links to the free e-learning here:
http://www.microsoft.com/learning/mcp/mcts/sql/default.mspx Those classes are actually pretty good. You can blow through them in a few hours yet still learn quite a lot. The data availability one (2938), which covers the new stuff in SQL 2005 like mirroring, backup improvements, and database snapshots, should be required viewing for everybody. I got a little sleepy during the mirroring module, but it's still solid stuff.
BOL has a wealth of information. I'd suggest printing out the topic list page:
http://www.microsoft.com/learning/exams/70-431.asp
...and walking through it, looking each item up in BOL. In the process, you'll see a number of things that you will want to start using or dig into further, even though they aren't necessarily useful for the exam.
Now go book a test!
-Eddie
Eddie Wuerch
MCM: SQL -
Eddie, thanks for the great tip on how to get started and get prepared for the exam.
I am going to follow your footstep and see how it comes out in a month
Viewing 15 posts - 1 through 15 (of 19 total)
You must be logged in to reply to this topic. Login to reply