Passed the Exchange 2007 MCTS Exam

I sat for the Exchange 2007 Configuration exam (70-236) on Wednesday and passed with a score of 718.  Not a great score, but a passing score none the less.  This was my second attempt after missing a passing score by 38 points back in March.

There were 66 questions with a time limit of just over three hours.  Time wasn’t a factor as I finished with over an hour to spare.  The difficulty came from the scope of the material covered in the exam.  Almost every topic is fair game, install, configuration, management, powershell commands, disaster recovery.  Lots of good stuff.

My primary study materials were the Microsoft Press Exchange 2007 Administrator’s Companion, Sybex MCITP Microsoft Exchange 2007 Messaging Design and Deployment Study Guide, and the Microsoft Press Exchange 2007 Administrators Pocket Consultant.  I also used a Transcender practice exam and set up a virtual Exchange 2007 environment in the lab.

I’ll admit that this exam was a lot more difficult than I expected, which is a good thing becuase it helped fill in some gaps in my knowledge of Exchange 2007.  After spending the last eight months completing my Cisco CCVP, I wanted to maintian the study routine I had developed, but needed some fresh material to hold my interest.  If you’re considering taking this exam, check out the Transcender practice test.  It’s not a brain dump, but gives you a feel for the type of questions that will be on the actual exam.  Set up some servers in the lab and practice installing and configuring the different Exchange server roles.  Get comfortable using the Exchange Managment Shell (powershell).  Everything that can be done in the Exchange Management Console can be done in Powershell.

Exchange 2007 Certification Path

After obtaining the Cisco Certified Voice Professional (CCVP) certification back in February, I decided I needed a break from studying Cisco material for a couple months.  I’ve been working with Exchange 2007 more and more over the last year, mostly migrations from Exchange 2003.  I figured an Exchange 2007 cert would be a good thing to add to my resume, not to mention I’ll no doubt learn some things in the process.

Microsoft offers two certification levels for Exchange 2007.

The Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist (MCTS) Exchange 2007 requires one exam (70-236).  The exam material covers topics related to install and configuration, server roles, clustering, monitoring, the exchange management shell, and disaster recovery.

The Microsoft Certified Information Technology Professional (MCITP) Exchange 2007 requires two additional exams (70-237, 70-238).  These exams cover material related to larger enterprise level design and deployment.

For now I’m focusing on the MCTS certification. I picked up two books, Microsoft Press Exchange 2007 Administrator’s Companion and the Sybex MCITP Exchange 2007 Messaging Design and Deployment Study Guide, the latter of which I found on eBay for $3.99!  In addition, Microsoft has a Second Shot promotion where you can retake a failed exam.  I started studying back in March and attempted the 70-236 exam after two weeks of reading over the material.  I missed passing by 38 points, bummer.  Well, at least now I know what areas I need to focus on.

I have a lab set up consisting of a DC and two Exchange 2007 VM’s running on my home ESX server.  I’ve been reviewing clustering, various powershell commands, client access, and permissions all of which were areas where I struggled on my first attempt.  I’m scheduling another attempt for late this week or early next week.