Exam Cram 2 Windows Xp Professional: Exam 70-270 - Softcover

Dan Balter is Chief Technology Officer for InfoTechnology Partners, Inc. and works as an independent consultant and trainer for corporate and government clients. Dan has authored more than 250 computer-training videos and co-authored several books.

Derek Melber is a technical writer, instructor, and consultant. He has co-authored five books and is working with Microsoft to develop the Certification Skills and Assessment Program for Windows 2000.

Ed Tittel, Series Editor of Exam Cram2 and originator of the series, runs LANWrights, Inc., a training and writing firm that specializes in networking, computer security, and markup languages. Ed has contributed to more than 100 books on various aspects of computing.

MCSA/MCSE 70-270 Exam Cram 2: Windows XP Professional

Introduction

Welcome to MCSA/MCSE 70-270 Exam Cram 2: Windows XP Professional! Whether this is your first or your fifteenth Exam Cram 2 book, you'll find information here that will help ensure your success as you pursue knowledge, experience, and certification. This book aims to help you get ready to take—and pass—Microsoft Certification Exam 70-270, "Installing, Configuring, and Administering Microsoft Windows XP Professional." This Introduction explains Microsoft's certification programs in general and talks about how the Exam Cram 2 series can help you prepare for Microsoft's Windows 2003 certification exams.

Exam Cram 2 books help you understand and appreciate the subjects and materials you need to pass Microsoft certification exams. Exam Cram 2 books are aimed strictly at test preparation and review. They do not teach you everything you need to know about a topic. Instead, we (the authors) present and dissect the questions and problems we've found that you're likely to encounter on a test. We've worked to bring together as much information as possible about Microsoft certification exams.

Nevertheless, to completely prepare yourself for any Microsoft test, we recommend that you begin by taking the Self-Assessment included in this book immediately following this Introduction. This tool will help you evaluate your knowledge base against the requirements for an MCSE under both ideal and real circumstances.

Based on what you learn from that exercise, you might decide to begin your studies with some classroom training or some background reading. On the other hand, you might decide to pick up and read one of the many study guides available from Microsoft or third-party vendors on certain topics, including Que Publishing's Exam Prep series. We also recommend that you supplement your study program with visits to http://www.examcram2.com to receive additional practice questions, get advice, and track the Windows 2003 MCSE program.

We also strongly recommend that you install, configure, and fool around with the software you'll be tested on, because nothing beats hands-on experience and familiarity when it comes to understanding the questions you're likely to encounter on a certification test. Book learning is essential, but hands-on experience is the best teacher of all!

Taking a Certification Exam

After you've prepared for your exam, you need to register with a testing center. Each computer-based MCP exam costs $125, and if you don't pass, you may retest for an additional $125 for each additional try. In the United States and Canada, tests are administered by Pearson VUE and Thomson Prometric. Here's how you can contact them:

• VUE—You can sign up for a test or get the phone numbers for local testing centers through the web page at http://www.vue.com/ms/.

• Prometric—You can sign up for a test through the company's website at http://www.prometric.com. Or you can register by phone at 800-755-3926 (within the United States and Canada) or at 410-843-8000 (outside the United States and Canada).

To sign up for a test, you must possess a valid credit card, or you can contact either company for mailing instructions to send in a check (in the U.S.). Only when payment is verified, or your check has cleared, can you actually register for a test.

To schedule an exam, call the number or visit either of the web pages at least one day in advance. To cancel or reschedule an exam, you must call before 7 p.m. Pacific standard time the day before the scheduled test time (or you may be charged, even if you don't appear to take the test). When you want to schedule a test, have the following information ready:

• Your name, organization, and mailing address.

• Your Microsoft Test ID. (Inside the United States, this means your Social Security number; citizens of other nations should call ahead to find out what type of identification number is required to register for a test.)

• The name and number of the exam you want to take.

• A method of payment. (As we've already mentioned, a credit card is the most convenient method, but alternative means can be arranged in advance, if necessary.)

After you sign up for a test, you'll be informed as to when and where the test is scheduled. Try to arrive at least 15 minutes early. You must supply two forms of identification—one of which must be a photo ID—to be admitted into the testing room.

All exams are completely closed-book. In fact, you will not be permitted to take anything with you into the testing area, but you will be furnished with a blank sheet of paper and a pen or, in some cases, an erasable plastic sheet and an erasable pen. We suggest that you immediately write down on that sheet of paper all the information you've memorized for the test. In Exam Cram 2 books, this information appears on a tear-out sheet inside the front cover of each book. You will have some time to compose yourself, record this information, and take a sample orientation exam before you begin the real thing. We suggest you take the orientation test before taking your first exam, but because they're all more or less identical in layout, behavior, and controls, you probably won't need to do this more than once.

When you complete a Microsoft certification exam, the software will tell you whether you've passed or failed. If you need to retake an exam, you'll have to schedule a new test with Prometric or VUE and pay $125.

Note - The first time you fail a test, you can retake it the next day. However, if you fail a second time, you must wait 14 days before retaking that test. The 14-day waiting period remains in effect for all retakes after the second failure.

How to Prepare for an Exam

Preparing for any Windows MCSE test requires that you obtain and study materials designed to provide comprehensive information about the product and its capabilities that will appear on the specific exam for which you are preparing. The following list of materials will help you study and prepare:

• The Windows XP Professional product CD includes comprehensive online documentation and related materials; it should be a primary resource when you are preparing for the test.

• The exam-preparation materials, practice tests, and self-assessment exams can be found on the Microsoft Training and Services page at http://www.microsoft.com/learning/. The Testing Innovations link offers examples of the new question types found on the Windows 2003 MCSE exams. Find the materials, download them, and use them!

• The exam-preparation advice, practice tests, questions of the day, and discussion groups can be found at http://www.examcram2.com.

In addition, you'll probably find any or all of the following materials useful in your quest for Windows XP Professional expertise:

• Study guides—Several publishers—including Que Publishing—offer Windows XP Professional titles. Que Certification includes the following:

• The Exam Cram 2 series—These books give you information about the material you need to know to pass the tests.

• The Exam Prep series—These books provide a greater level of detail than the Exam Cram 2 books and are designed to teach you everything you need to know from an exam perspective. Each book comes with a CD that contains interactive practice exams in a variety of testing formats.

Together, the two series make a perfect pair.

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