Home Forums Article Discussions Article Discussions by Author Discuss Content Posted by Brandie Tarvin Certification Rumors and Tips RE: Certification Rumors and Tips

  • July 6, 2007 at 8:29 am

    #717710

    All,

    Sorry it took so long for me to respond.  Just got back from Rhode Island yesterday.  I'm glad you all enjoyed the article.

    Several people bring up some good points.  I'll definitely have to include the "Rescheduling in case of life events" comment in a future edition of the article.

    Microsoft actually did used to (in some exams) tell you what your exact score was and, I believe, the questions you got wrong.  However, it led to people memorizing the answers to those specific questions and passing the test on that merit instead of studying the whole topic and passing the test based on true understanding of the subject.  I believe that's why so few certification programs use that format anymore.  Yes, it is annoying, but I can understand the underlying situation.  Who wants to hire someone who memorized specific answers?

    Example:

    Interviewer: "How do you do a point in time restore for a database in Simple recovery mode"

    Memorizing Employee Canidate: "Open up SSMS, right-click Database and choose 'Restore Database'. "

    Well, the answer is half correct, anyway. @=)

    There are a few good indicators of questions you might have gotten wrong during the exam.  1) You changed your answer more than once, 2) You didn't actually understand the entire question, 3) You didn't recognize some of the acronyms or names in the question.  I specifically say question here because MS is famous for making up weird answers (T-SQL commands, object labels) that don't truly exist in SQL Server just to throw people off track. 

    While you are not allowed to take paper out of the testing environment, I do recommend writing down a word or two about the topic you're having trouble with during the exam.  Then after the exam, but before you leave the room, refresh your memory with the subject areas you were uncertain about.  Once you leave the exam, with those subject areas in mind, you can go back and study them if you didn't pass.  Your hand written note of "indexed views" will surely be a little more specific than the auto-generated topics list.

    Does that help?

    Brandie Tarvin, MCITP Database AdministratorLiveJournal Blog: http://brandietarvin.livejournal.com/[/url]On LinkedIn!, Google+, and Twitter.Freelance Writer: ShadowrunLatchkeys: Nevermore, Latchkeys: The Bootleg War, and Latchkeys: Roscoes in the Night are now available on Nook and Kindle.