What should be your first exam for your MCSE?

This is not as straight forward a question as it might seem at first glance. How to answer this would depend on the IT Pro in question and what experiences he/she might have in the IT field. If the individual is new to the IT field and has minimal to no experience than you are looking at a different exam than if they do have some hands-on experience. There are simply too many concepts, confusing nomenclature, subnetting, pieces and parts to try and learn the IT field in a short of period and pass some of the more difficult tests. There is also the first-test nervousness that must be overcome as well.

It is too bad that the old NT4 70-058 (Networking Essentials) is long gone. This would have been the perfect “starter” exam for a person new to the IT field. It covered the basics of networking, equipment and concepts and then some. Now what should the first test be that a person new to the IT field should take? If you are pursuing a MCSA (Microsoft Certified Systems Administrator) certification, then you can use the CompTIA A+ exam and either the CompTIA Network+ exam or the CompTIA Server+ exam. Alternatively you could use the CompTIA Security+ exam. The A+ and Network+ exams are the perfect ones for a new person in the IT field as they test the base knowledge required. But these exams are not offered by Microsoft (but do count for the MCSA as the elective requirement) and the 70-058 exam is no longer available – so what exam does one take now?

We have our new entry to the IT Pro field. The new person should (at least hopefully) have some experience – or at least an understanding of the basic concepts, otherwise, the learning curve might prove to be too steep for many entrants. But what exam should the new person be encouraged to study for and take? If this is the first IT certification exam then there is the added pressure of not knowing what to expect. So what are we left with for exam options? The design exams are obviously out – they demand a great deal of background knowledge to even attempt which the newcomer doesn’t have - yet. The higher level networking and infrastructure exams can also be scratched off for the same reason as the design exams – too much background knowledge is required. So, this leaves us with the 70-290 (Managing and Marinating a Windows Server 2003 Environment) and 70-291 (Implementing, Managing and Maintaining a Windows Server 2003 Network Infrastructure). If I had to recommend one of these two, I would suggest the 70-290 as the first of the 2003 track exams.

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