So we have arrived at my last reason for failure and I think it is sometimes the most difficult one to deal with. So difficult in fact, that over the next few columns I will be trying to address examples so that you can better understand this problem. Many people fail because they simply don't understand what Microsoft is looking for.
Have you ever been involved in a conversation (or argument) where you realize that the person you are talking to is just missing the point? Either they misunderstood you or they are stressing the less important details and getting stuck there. I think this happens a lot in life and I have seen it happen on exams. There is a reason why most questions have at least a few paragraphs of information before they ask you anything. The exam is trying to test your "real" understanding of the subject. One of the ways to do that is to throw extraneous details at you and see if you can tell what information is truly pertinent to the situation. There are lots of ways that Microsoft can accomplish this. One of the most dangerous ways that sometimes catches me is when they include an obscure reference to something that I really am not fully comfortable with. Imagine a question about writing .Net programs and they throw a comment about COM operations. If you are new programmer, you may have no idea what COM is since it is an older technique. You will wonder what it has to do with the question at hand and possibly waste time or even worse, get the question wrong.
How do I deal with this? One of the things that has served me well is taking as many Microsoft exams as I have. You start to get a feel for what questions you may see by just reading the course material. Another thing you can do, which isn't always the safest idea, is if there is something in that question that you have no idea what it is, ignore it and answer the question as if that wasn't even mentioned. I know that doesn't sound like a good idea but if you honestly prepared yourself (studied, practice tests, redo lab exercises) you probably would have come across the subject if it was relevant to the exam objectives. If you are seeing something that you have never heard of then to me, I would think it is a red herring trying to lead you astray.
Now if you haven't prepared thoroughly, that doesn't hold true. Then you will see lots of things that you have no idea about and I figure it is time for you to think about Microsoft's Second Shot program and doing better the next time.
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Ron got his start with computing way back when he first started programming on his Atari 800 computer back in 1980. He decided right then that he computers woukld be his career. He has been working in the IT field for 18 years. For the last 12 he has been an MCT at New Horizons in New York City where he has taught over 500 classes to more than 3000 students. He is also an MCSE and an MCSD.
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The No. 7 reason smart IT professionals fail certification exams
When you take a Microsoft test, you have to look at the questions not only from a technical point of view but from a business owner and marketing perspective. I’ve taken a lot of MS test and a lot of the questions were based on Microsoft application marketing campaigns (how MS advertise the new product to business owners) and the type of decision business owners have to make to implement the right technology.
It’s clear that Microsoft wants us (technical people) to take owner ship of our client’s infrastructure and the only way we can do this, is by, having a sense of how to run a business, applying real business strategies to our IT implementation, troubleshooting and design.
Above all of this, you have to know and be very comfortable with the subject for the test you are taking. Get some hands on. Use Microsoft HOT (Hands On Training) resources. That’s what has worked for Me.
LBueno
Absolutely Right
I agree completely with what you are saying here. Microsoft seems to have a few goals in mind based on my experience with their exams. One is that they want us to be able to make their products look good. This isn't surprising but I think this is where the questions from "marketing campaigns" come from. They want us to show their stuff the way they want it to be shown.
I also feel there is the whole become an advocate idea. Again, not a surprise but Microsoft seems to want us to be the type that knows where MS products would fit well and can be used to their greatest possible impact. They want us to push for them.
Thanks for the reply
Ron
The incorporation of
The incorporation of marketing tactics in answers best left technical (and at the expense of older technology) is not doing the vendor a great deal of favors. There are a lot of us (large manufacturing/engineering/hospital/military concerns) that still use older technology, are happy with it, and know of the consequences in slap-dashedly adding newer technology without adequate consideration for impact on the existing configuration.
Hiring a MSCE consultant who is trained to push the latest gadget in the software world and does not know or care about older technology is not the person you want in such situations.
Marketing Tactics in Tech Exams is PERVERSE
"The Incorporation Of" comment hits the nail on the head. I need to say nothing more than, "DILBERT" lives in the Microsoft Training Plan.
I've survived very well in DP/IT since 1961 with a lot of reading, a few classes, and a couple of exams. Now, I have to go back and get A+ and Net+ just to get some "certs" so I can get past recruiters and be considered for a job. My old MCSE is worthless.