MCSE Planning and Maintaining a Windows Server 2003 Network Infrastructure: Exam 70-293 Study Guide and DVD Training System

Taking the exam is a relatively straightforward process. Both Vue and Prometric testing centers administer the Microsoft 70-293 exam. You can register for, reschedule or cancel an exam through the Vue web site at http://www.vue.com/ or the Prometric web site at http://www.2test.com/index.jsp. You’ll find listings of testing center locations on these sites. Accommodations are made for those with disabilities; contact the individual testing center for more information.

Exam price varies depending on the country in which you take the exam.

Exam Format

Exams are timed. At the end of the exam, you will find out your score and whether you passed or failed. You will not be allowed to take any notes or other written materials with you into the exam room. You will be provided with a pencil and paper, however, for making notes during the exam or doing calculations.

In addition to the traditional multiple choice questions and the select and drag, simulation and case study questions introduced in the Windows 2000 exams, Microsoft has developed a number of innovative question types for the Windows Server 2003 exams. You might see some or all of the following types of questions:

• Hot area questions, in which you are asked to select an element or elements in a graphic to indicate the correct answer. You click an element to select or deselect it.

• Active screen questions, in which you change elements in a dialog box (for example, by dragging the appropriate text element into a text box or selecting an option button or checkbox in a dialog box).

• Drag and drop questions, in which you arrange various elements in a target area.

You can download a demo sampler of test question types from the Microsoft web site at http://www.microsoft.com/traincert/mcpexams/faq/innovations.asp#H.

Test Taking Tips

Different people work best using different methods. However, there are some common methods of preparation and approach to the exam that are helpful to many test-takers. In this section, we provide some tips that other exam candidates have found useful in preparing for and actually taking the exam.

• Exam preparation begins before exam day. Ensure that you know the concepts and terms well and feel confident about each of the exam objectives. Many test-takers find it helpful to make flash cards or review notes to study on the way to the testing center. A sheet listing acronyms and abbreviations can be helpful, as the number of acronyms (and the similarity of different acronyms) when studying IT topics can be overwhelming. The process of writing the material down, rather than just reading it, will help to reinforce your knowledge.

• Many test-takers find it especially helpful to take practice exams that are available on the Internet and with books such as this one. Taking the practice exams not only gets you used to the computerized exam-taking experience, but also can be used as a learning tool. The best practice tests include detailed explanations of why the correct answer is correct and why the incorrect answers are wrong.

• When preparing and studying, you should try to identify the main points of each objective section. Set aside enough time to focus on the material and lodge it into your memory. On the day of the exam, you be at the point where you don’t have to learn any new facts or concepts, but need simply to review the information already learned.

• The value of hands-on experience cannot be stressed enough. Exam questions are based on test-writers’ experiences in the field. Working with the products on a regular basis, whether in your job environment or in a test network that you’ve set up at home, will make you much more comfortable with these questions.

• Know your own learning style and use study methods that take advantage of it. If you’re primarily a visual learner, reading, making diagrams, watching video files on CD, etc. may be your best study methods. If you’re primarily auditory, classroom lectures, audiotapes you can play in the car as you drive, and repeating key concepts to yourself aloud may be more effective. If you’re a kinesthetic learner, you’ll need to actually do the exercises, implement the security measures on your own systems, and otherwise perform hands-on tasks to best absorb the information. Most of us can learn from all of these methods, but have a primary style that works best for us.

• Although it might seem obvious, many exam-takers ignore the physical aspects of exam preparation. You are likely to score better if you’ve had sufficient sleep the night before the exam, and if you are not hungry, thirsty, hot/cold or otherwise distracted by physical discomfort. Eat prior to going to the testing center (but don’t indulge in a huge meal that will leave you uncomfortable), stay away from alcohol for 24 hours prior to the test, and dress appropriately for the temperature in the testing center (if you don’t know how hot/cold the testing environment tends to be, you may want to wear light clothes with a sweater or jacket that can be taken off).

• Before you go to the testing center to take the exam, be sure to allow time to arrive on time, take care of any physical needs, and step back to take a deep breath and relax. Try to arrive slightly early, but not so far in advance that you spend a lot of time worrying and getting nervous about the testing process. You may want to do a quick last minute review of notes, but don’t try to “cram” everything the morning of the exam. Many test-takers find it helpful to take a short walk or do a few calisthenics shortly before the exam, as this gets oxygen flowing to the brain.

• Before beginning to answer questions, use the pencil and paper provided to you to write down terms, concepts and other items that you think you may have difficulty remembering as the exam goes on. Then you can refer back to these notes as you progress through the test. You won’t have to worry about forgetting the concepts and terms you have trouble with later in the exam.

• Sometimes the information in a question will remind you of another concept or term that you might need in a later question. Use your pen and paper to make note of this in case it comes up later on the exam.

• It is often easier to discern the answer to scenario questions if you can visualize the situation. Use your pen and paper to draw a diagram of the network that is described to help you see the relationships between devices, IP addressing schemes, and so forth.

• When appropriate, review the answers you weren’t sure of. However, you should only change your answer if you’re sure that your original answer was incorrect. Experience has shown that more often than not, when test-takers start second-guessing their answers, they end up changing correct answers to the incorrect. Don’t “read into” the question (that is, don’t fill in or assume information that isn’t there); this is a frequent cause of incorrect responses.

• As you go through this book, pay special attention to the Exam Warnings, as these highlight concepts that are likely to be tested. You may find it useful to go through and copy these into a notebook (remembering that writing something down reinforces your ability to remember it) and/or go through and review the Exam Warnings in each chapter just prior to taking the exam.

• Use as many little mnemonic tricks as possible to help you remember facts and concepts. For example, to remember which of the two IPSec protocols (AH and ESP) encrypts data for confidentiality, you can associate the “E” in encryption with the “E” in ESP.