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70-680 Exam questions asked, not mentioned in the book? RRS feed

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    Hello,

    Today i made my first microsoft exam ever for the 70-680 / Configuring Windows 7 Exam.

    I learned the book many times, made all the questions twice and yesterday i exercised with 200 questions on the cd that comes with book. From that 200 question 89% was correct! So a definite pass.

    The first time i made a test with learning the book once i had a score of 69%, so yersterday and today i was with a lot of confidance when driving to the examn. But when i got there the way the questions are asked differs from how the practrice exams were and they were asking things i cannot remember i've seen them in the book anywhere. Therefore my score only 574 and clearly not enough. :(

    What can i do to even better prepare myself? Are there any more good practice exams to follow, besides the ones on the cd?

    Thanks.

     

    Monday, January 17, 2011 9:32 PM

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    Hopefully, you received a print-out of those sections you didn't do so well on.  Look at the sections you didn't do so well on and reveiw those related chapters.  Knowing which sections might help to provide a little more guidance.

    The questions on the exam will most definitely be worded differently than in the stuby book(s) or practice CD exams. 

    Also, did you do the lab exercises?  That is, did you have a computer with Win7 Ultimate to do the practice exercises on?

    • Marked as answer by Rubel Khan Friday, February 4, 2011 6:05 PM
    Monday, January 17, 2011 9:54 PM
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    The book material questions are model questions. Not actual.

    Go to this link & find the topics included in exams http://www.microsoft.com/learning/en/us/exam.aspx?id=70-680#tab2

    -Yoganathan- Lecturer, WinSYS Networks (PVT) LTD, Sri Lanka. www.winsysnetworks.net
    • Marked as answer by Rubel Khan Friday, February 4, 2011 6:05 PM
    Tuesday, January 18, 2011 3:06 PM

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    Hopefully, you received a print-out of those sections you didn't do so well on.  Look at the sections you didn't do so well on and reveiw those related chapters.  Knowing which sections might help to provide a little more guidance.

    The questions on the exam will most definitely be worded differently than in the stuby book(s) or practice CD exams. 

    Also, did you do the lab exercises?  That is, did you have a computer with Win7 Ultimate to do the practice exercises on?

    • Marked as answer by Rubel Khan Friday, February 4, 2011 6:05 PM
    Monday, January 17, 2011 9:54 PM
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    I found that they were asking it in a very different way then in the book.

    I luckely got a print which sections were the worst.

    I have Win7 Ultimate twice (running on VMware) and did all the practice test except for the Server ones. At least i assume with labtests you mean the tests in the book?

     

     

     

     

    Monday, January 17, 2011 10:12 PM
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    The book material questions are model questions. Not actual.

    Go to this link & find the topics included in exams http://www.microsoft.com/learning/en/us/exam.aspx?id=70-680#tab2

    -Yoganathan- Lecturer, WinSYS Networks (PVT) LTD, Sri Lanka. www.winsysnetworks.net
    • Marked as answer by Rubel Khan Friday, February 4, 2011 6:05 PM
    Tuesday, January 18, 2011 3:06 PM
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    Yes but i don't think that is fair not to me and not to other people. When you use all the practice question on the practice exams and you have 90% answered correctly then you normally may assume that you are doing well and ready for the exam. Now with this Microsoft exam, practicing isn't enough and the book doesn't cover enough. Imo this gives you the idea that you are ready for the exam, pay EUR 200,- and then when finishing the exam you'll notice that you aren't ready. They should supply better questions then and/or updated questions for free, to let someone prepare well.

    Tuesday, January 18, 2011 7:20 PM
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    So...what exactly WASN'T covered in the book that was on the exam?

    What areas did you not score well in?  These should be on the print-out you received.

    Tuesday, January 18, 2011 7:30 PM
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    Especially the 'Deploying Windows 7', 'Configuring Acces to Resources' and 'Configuring Mobile Computing' a little bit.

    They ask much more about all commands prompt then practiced in the book. It seems necessary to learn all the exact command on the techzine website i think.

    But i hope you can agree with the fact that when you practice all in the book, get 90% of the questions of the practice exam right, that you normally should qualify for the exam. What are the practice exams otherwise used for? Then they wouldn't mean anything at all!

     

    Tuesday, January 18, 2011 7:50 PM
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    Finally MS has wised up - I have seen soo many contractors come into our company that are MCP\MCSE'd etc - Basically studied the book, read the cram session but have no real world experience. They then effectively can't do the job - as what they are looking at was not in the "book"!

     It would be impossible to cram everything used in a real environment into a training session book - Ideally you should and work AND study to get the qualifcation.

    Otherwsie you just become a paper based MCSE\MCITP without any exepreience... WE now value experience over qualifations, but prefereably both :p...

     

    Wednesday, February 9, 2011 10:48 AM
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    I find that I know the answers after a couple of run through the test questions, so 90% may not be an accurate reflection of your knowledge.  Maybe purchase the MeasureUp questions and see where you are on some new questions.  For any questions you did not really know the answer to, read their explanation and read the links they give you (you can do same in Microsoft tests).  This should give you a better understanding.  The real questions are taken from the MSDN or TechEd not from your training guide, which is never going to cover all questions.  Also read the questions carefully, often a simple word like 'NOT' can be missed and (of course) can completely change the answer.

    You can also purchase exams with a Second Shot Offer so if you fail you can take a retake for free.

    Best of luck,

    Ozzy Geoff

    • Proposed as answer by Geoff Clark MCM Thursday, February 10, 2011 12:55 PM
    Thursday, February 10, 2011 12:54 PM
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    I found something similar with the 70-685 prep book and Exam.  There were several questions on the exam that were about topics that were not only not discussed, but not even mentioned in the book.  There were also several topics that were covered, in depth, in the book that did not appear on either of my attempts at the certification.  Seeing as how the books are made by the same company that administers the test, and is supposed to prepare you for the test, I kinda figured the test would be on the material covered in the book.

     

    My coworker who is taking the 70-680 test has said pretty much the same thing about that test/book combination.

    Thursday, February 10, 2011 8:32 PM
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    I havn't taken the 70-680 exam yet, but as a general guidelines based on my past success and failures I suggest to read a book (generally I prefer Sybex first then Microsoft book) do all the exercises. I also contribute to Wikipedia the free encyclopedia about the stuff I learned while preparing for the exam. This is a great way to share the knowledge and what we learned fro the book as well. As these days Atom based computers are quite cheap, so if you can afford to have another PC, then think about having atleast one of the video training like CBT nuggets, Trainsignal, TestOut, VTC, learnkey, Winstructor,  Kalliance (I am not sure all these provides CBT for 70-680 but as a general guidance I put them). Play the video tutorial on one computer and practice it on another computer. Practice exam are for preparations so do not just look for the correct answer spend some time to research the question to find out why that is the correct answer and why others are incorrect. If you don't understand anything just search and if still don't find what is required post that question to this forum. Do not discourage about the failures, they are natural. Remember when we were kids we fell down several times, every time we wake up so the same logic goes here. Best of luck for future endeavors.
    Umapathy (உமாபதி) MCITP: Enterprise Support Technician, Consumer Support Technician MCTS: Windows Vista - Configuration, BSc, MCP, A+, MCDST
    Friday, February 11, 2011 9:26 AM
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    I agree with what you are saying about the importance of real world experience, but I also agree with what some of the other folks here are saying about the significant discrepancy between the material covered in the Microsoft Press study books and what is actually presented on the exam.  

    If you are going to shell out upwards of $60 on one of their books on the claim that it will properly prepare you for the exam, and then pay even more than that to take the exam, there should be some consistency between what is emphasized in the book and what you are actually tested on.  If you studied for a test in American history, with an American history book, and the test questions asked about the Russian revolution most people would call foul.   I would have gladly supplemented the Microsoft book with other materials, but right now there is nothing else available.   Exam Cram doesn’t publish their Windows 7 book until March.   

    The only other study resource I had at my disposal was an online course that covered a great deal of useful info, but not in the detail expected on the test.   On the exam that I took their way too many esoteric questions based on the command line, and the most new features of Windows 7 (Direct Access, WDS, Branch Cache, WET, BitLocker) that were so emphasized in study were hardly covered on the test.

    Your lament about "paper based MCSE\MCTIP" is well taken also, but the purpose of the test is (supposedly) to test your knowledge of Windows 7, period, not your real world experience.   Many people take these exams to get their foot in the door of an IT career.   People who take the MCAT are not tested on their real experience as doctors.  They take the test because they are trying to become doctors.  

    Friday, February 11, 2011 9:06 PM
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    I agree with pretty much everything in this post.  I just wanted to make a point about the discrepancy between the prep book and the exam.

    I think the way the exam handles questions is a more accurate portrayal of real life.  You are given a problem, and asked the general solution to the situation.  After you know what to do, the actual steps can either be worked out on your own, through trial and error, or researched.  It's more important to know what the next step is than to necessarily know how to do it.

    I also noticed that the questions in the book seem to pay more attention to the command line and was more of a "All these solutions are almost right, which one is actually right" kind of question.  I wouldn't exactly call these bad questions, but I do think they're a little misleading as preparation for the actual exam.

    Monday, February 14, 2011 4:42 PM
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    Where can i find info reg 70-573.

     

     

    Thanks in Advance !!! Cheers !!! Praveen Mandalapu
    Tuesday, February 15, 2011 12:06 PM
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    Where can i find info reg 70-573.

     

     

    Thanks in Advance !!! Cheers !!! Praveen Mandalapu


    Did you try the Microsoft Learning website?
    http://www.microsoft.com/learning/en/us/exam.aspx?ID=70-573&locale=en-us

    In the future, you might want to start a new thread, considering 70-573 deals with Sharepoint Server, and this thread deals with the Win7 client exam.  They're totally unrelated.  Just sayin'....

    Tuesday, February 15, 2011 3:43 PM
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    I don't evenbother buying books, waste of time and money. i do a lot of stuff online for free and they are very comprehensive, i had no prob passing any of my exams after using them its www.careersaver.com for trainng and free prep work is at knowledgebuster.com  good luck!
    Thursday, February 17, 2011 5:03 PM
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    The man has a valid point. The 70-680 will get you a job as a level 1 technician, someone that has not got a lot of money to throw around, and does not have the experience to know that some topics need further research. This client exam is a big step up from previous MS client exams, and as such should be of real value to everyone that passes. The fact is that after investing time and money the MS Traning Kit, which is a substancial read simply does not prepare you properly. Dutboy is right about paper techs but that is a question for his boss. This is a grade 1 exam that shows you have the abillity to learn and can be considered a good prospect for your employer.This kit is just one more stick to beat MS with.
    Saturday, June 4, 2011 2:32 PM
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    I recently took the Windows 7 exam, 70-680 and I can think of two questions that were not covered in the book.  I realize I am responding to a post that is almost eighteen months old. 

    <removed>  It's somewhat disconcerting to me because I studied the right way to perform a process.  Now, I am expected to know the optimal way of recovering when something was done that shouldn't have been done in the first place!

    <removed>, I'll get enough of an understanding to where most of them are.  Had the question been done as an interactive task instead of a multiple choice single answer, I would be confident I would answer correctly.


    • Edited by Mr. Wharty Sunday, June 3, 2012 12:49 AM Removed content covered by NDA
    Sunday, June 3, 2012 12:29 AM
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    Onnaj

    I understand how you feel because I took the 70-642 3 times before I passed it. This is advice to anyone who is in the same situation or getting ready for a certification. If you do not use the technology for work or as a hobby then you must spend the time going beyone the material you are studying. The MS Press books are good but not enough if you do not have the experience. So what other material should you study? Technet Library. Everything you need to know is there. But you do not need to study everything. Take some time reading through scenarios and walk-throughs. Of course be specific as well. If a certification requires you to understand IPV6 then review it in detail. Ultimately what you will find is the extra knowledge gained in addition to studying books or other sources will help you answer the questions. Sometimes answering a question correctly is by eliminating the wrong asnwers.

    Good Luck.

    Tuesday, June 12, 2012 4:50 PM
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    I am sorry to say but, if your study was basically to learn the questions and answers from the practice exams then you will never pass.  You have to read the material and know it each way to sunday.  If you are not actively working with the technology and simply doing practice tests then you will not pass.

    For this reason I have had to change the tract I am currently following as did not have enough access to machines to do what i need.

    Mark Railton, MCTS, MCP

    Thursday, June 28, 2012 6:40 PM
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    I am sorry to say but, if your study was basically to learn the questions and answers from the practice exams then you will never pass.  You have to read the material and know it each way to sunday.  If you are not actively working with the technology and simply doing practice tests then you will not pass.

    For this reason I have had to change the tract I am currently following as did not have enough access to machines to do what i need.

    Mark Railton, MCTS, MCP

    "If you are not actively working with the technology and simply doing practice tests then you will not pass."

    So if someone doesn't have a job and wants to get the cert they're basically shit out of luck? I don't know about other people, but I don't have a small enterprise level network setup in my house full of enterprise level Win 7 machines and deployment tools to practice on.

    I did read the book, I read it cover to cover a few times. THERE WERE STILL TOPICS ON THE TEST THAT WERE NOT COVERED IN THE BOOK. Microsoft shouldn't be selling the books saying they will prepare you for the test when they don't cover all the material on the test.
    Thursday, June 28, 2012 7:45 PM
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    I am sorry to say but, if your study was basically to learn the questions and answers from the practice exams then you will never pass.  You have to read the material and know it each way to sunday.  If you are not actively working with the technology and simply doing practice tests then you will not pass.

    For this reason I have had to change the tract I am currently following as did not have enough access to machines to do what i need.

    Mark Railton, MCTS, MCP

    "If you are not actively working with the technology and simply doing practice tests then you will not pass."

    So if someone doesn't have a job and wants to get the cert they're basically shit out of luck? I don't know about other people, but I don't have a small enterprise level network setup in my house full of enterprise level Win 7 machines and deployment tools to practice on.

    I did read the book, I read it cover to cover a few times. THERE WERE STILL TOPICS ON THE TEST THAT WERE NOT COVERED IN THE BOOK. Microsoft shouldn't be selling the books saying they will prepare you for the test when they don't cover all the material on the test.

    First of all, calm the heck down, now, let me explain what you misread.

    Working with windows 7 means simply using it on your main machine or on a VM etc.  

    The MSPress books are not the be all and end all of the exam.  Yes they do HELP you with your prep, but should NOT be the only study material (practice tests from the book included).  Microsoft have provided a wealth of study material in different places, including technet.  They also tell you what areas you are likely to get tested on, looking on the Microsoft Learning site gives you all that information.

    When I took the 70-680 last year, I did not have a job and my previous jobs still used XP, so I had no enterprise experience of windows 7, simply I had a laptop running windows 7 and the course material provided here.  I then used that guide along with the book, technet and various articles found via google to prep for the exam, once I felt ready for it I took it and passed.

    The main lesson here, do not just learn the book and rely on that to get you a pass on test day, use ALL the resources available, and the best place to start is on Microsoft Learning and look at the "Skills Measured" section.

    Again, and this is for everyone, when you start studying for an exam, make sure and read the "Skills Measured" section for that exam on Microsoft Learning, otherwise, and quite bluntly, you deserve to fail if you can not take a couple of minutes to see what you might get tested on.

    Mark Railton, MCTS, MCP

    Thursday, June 28, 2012 8:06 PM
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    I didn't misread anything, you misunderstand the complaint.

    I bought a Microsoft Book, for a Microsoft Exam. The implication is that the book they sell to prepare me for the exam will prepare me for the exam. Not 60% of the exam, the whole thing.

    How would you feel if you paid for a movie ticket and 20 minutes before the climactic ending they killed the movie, flipped on the lights, and told you to get out?

    The complaint here is simple. The book is Flawed. This might be acceptable if the book was written by a company other than the one that wrote the test.
    Thursday, June 28, 2012 9:36 PM
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    I didn't misread anything, you misunderstand the complaint.

    I bought a Microsoft Book, for a Microsoft Exam. The implication is that the book they sell to prepare me for the exam will prepare me for the exam. Not 60% of the exam, the whole thing.

    How would you feel if you paid for a movie ticket and 20 minutes before the climactic ending they killed the movie, flipped on the lights, and told you to get out?

    The complaint here is simple. The book is Flawed. This might be acceptable if the book was written by a company other than the one that wrote the test.

    Whilst your complaint may be simple, your logic as to how you approached the exam is what is flawed.  You bought a book, read it through and took the practice tests and thought you were ready, correct so far?  You then went and took the exam and failed, correct?  When did you decide, "maybe i should look at the Microsoft Learning site and see what they say the syllabus for the exam would be covering? from what I am reading, you never did that.  

    Something I have noticed on the book, and you will too if you have read through it several times as you said.  At the bottom of one of the very first pages it says, and I quote "The exam objectives listed here are current as of this book's publication date.  Exam objectives are subject to change at any time without prior notice and at Microsoft's sole discretion.  Please visit the Microsoft Learning We site for the most current listing of exam objectives"  Therefore, when you say "The implication is that the book they sell to prepare me for the exam will prepare me for the exam.  Not 60% of the exam, the whole thing.", it just goes to show that you did not read ALL of the book or even look at the MS Learning site.

    When I took the 70-680 I was not using windows 7 in an enterprise environment either, it was on my home laptop, but I read the exam objectives and made sure I used all resources available to ensure that I was able to pass the exam, which I did by the way, first time with 970.

    Also, quoted from the Microsoft Learning page for the 70-680 exam, which you will have seen had you visited the site "To help you prepare for this exam, Microsoft Learning recommends that you have hands-on experience with the product and that you use the following training resources. These training resources do not necessarily cover all of the topics listed in the "Skills Measured" tab."  

    Think that covers it all really, your point that the book is flawed is moot, you simply did not do enough research and thought that the book was all you needed to prepare for an exam based on a technology that you were not working with.

    Mark Railton, MCTS, MCP


    Friday, June 29, 2012 4:42 PM
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    Heya,

    I am planning to soon make my first attempt at the 70-680 Windows 7 Configuration exam.

    I think from what I have read this my further help you; http://www.microsoft.com/learning/en-us/exam-70-680.aspx

    It lists everything you need to know about the example and what is covered more than others in terms of sections.

    Please do note that at the bottom of the page is does say:

    "This preparation guide is subject to change at any time without prior notice and at the sole discretion of Microsoft. Microsoft exams might include adaptive testing technology and simulation items. Microsoft does not identify the format in which exams are presented. Please use this preparation guide to prepare for the exam, regardless of its format. To help you prepare for this exam, Microsoft recommends that you have hands-on experience with the product and that you use the above training resources. These training resources do not necessarily cover all of the topics listed in the "Skills measured" section."

    So don't make the mistake of thinking that the book is Microsoft's great gift to use learners because there is so much more!

    Hope it helps!

    Friday, September 27, 2013 12:24 PM