September 2003 - Posts

MCSD.NET

In passed my fifth exam today, so now I can label myself an MCSD.NET! I hadn't really intended to take more than a single exam, but I found a momentum building after I got started.

70-316 : Windows-based Applications with C#, taken on 8/29
This one was first, and certainly the easiest for me.

70-315 : Web Applications with C#, taken on 9/4
This one wasn't much worse than the first, and certainly repeated quite a few questions relating to ADO.NET.

70-320 : XML Web Services and Server Components with C#, taken on 9/9
This one was a bit trickier, as I didn't have much experience with Remoting. Still not too bad, though, and again repeated several ADO.NET questions.

70-229 : Designing and Implementing Databases with SQL Server 2000, taken on 9/18
No problems here. I've been using SQL Server for 5+ years, so other than brushing up on a few things I don't use daily there were no issues.

70-300 : Analyzing Requirements and Defining .NET Solution Architectures, taken on 9/26
This one scared me a bit. The change in exam format and question/answer styles made me nervous. Fortunately, this one still used the older style scoring format of a simple “pass/fail”. I don't think I want to know my actual score on this one!

To anyone considering taking some or all of these exams, I would definitely recommend scheduling them in the order you feel most confident of passing. Some might say it's better to get the tougher ones out of the way first, but I'm in the camp who thinks it's better to build-up your confidence as you progress into more difficult territory.

Posted by rlaneve | 10 comment(s)
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