MCSE: The Core Exams in a Nutshell Second Edition, is the long-awaited update to the bestselling first edition. The second edition completely updates the NT exams and the new Windows 98 exam and covers the new adaptive tests. This dense and tightly written book is a must-buy in order to be well prepared for the exams.
Microsoft's MCSE (Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer) program is a rigorous testing and certification program for Windows NT system and network administrators. To achieve certification, one must pass four required exams and two elective exams. Close to twenty potential elective exams exist, although only nine of them are current electives covering the most recent version of a given product. Microsoft also has the MCSE+Internet certification, which requires passing seven required exams and two elective exams. There are four current elective exams to choose from to attain this certification.
MCSE: The Core Exams in a Nutshell, Second Edition, is a comprehensive study guide that covers the required exams for the MCSE certification. The companion book, MCSE: The Electives in a Nutshell, covers the most important and popular elective exams for the MCSE certification as well as the other required and elective exams for the MCSE+Internet certification.
The required exams covered in this book are:
- Networking Essentials
- Windows NT Workstation
- Windows NT Server
- Windows 98 (you must choose either the NT Workstation or Windows 98 exam)
Each chapter in the book covers one exam. It includes:
- A summary of the key areas covered by the exam
- A description of the format and difficulty of each exam and tips for passing it
- Definitions of key terms
- Sample test questions and answers, including multiple tests to prepare you for the new adaptive tests, which have proven to be more challenging to take
MCSE: The Core Exams in a Nutshell, 2nd Edition, is an updated edition of the bestselling first edition. It is a detailed quick reference for administrators with Windows NT experience or experience administering a different platform, such as UNIX or NetWare, who want to learn what is necessary to pass the required exam portion of the MCSE certification.
While no book is a substitute for real-world experience, this book will help you codify your knowledge and prepare for the exams. Any administrator who is serious about passing the exams required exams for the MCSE certification will find this book an invaluable tool.
With Microsoft Certified Systems Engineers (MCSEs) flooding the marketplace, employers can now afford to pick and choose among job candidates. As a prospective MCSE, this means you must use top-quality learning aids in your training.
MCSE: The Core Exams in a Nutshell approaches the five core MCSE exams (four of which you must take and pass) as just a
part of your total education in the ways of Microsoft Windows NT. The book contends that book learning must combine with experimentation and experience to yield a grade-A network technician. It's a reasonable philosophy that should serve its adherents well in the long term.
Because it's meant to fit into a larger regime of practice and experiment, this book is skinnier than pretty much any of its competitors. Don't let its compact size fool you, though. This is a thoroughly researched, carefully organized guide to everything Microsoft expects you to know for the four main MCSE exams. It's very dense--with lots of tables, lists of options, and procedures--but has enough commentary to help you get concepts like data-striping and database-sizing straight in your mind. Each chapter concludes with a sample test (with answers) and a "Highlighter's Index" that lists key facts in super-concise form. --David Wall
Topics covered: Everything in the published Microsoft exam objectives for Networking Essentials (70-058), Windows NT 4 Server (70-067), Windows NT 4 Server in the Enterprise (70-068), Windows NT 4 Workstation (70-073), and Windows 98 (70-098) exams. (You must pass the first three of those, plus either the Windows 98 exam or the Windows NT Workstation exam, en route to your MCSE.)
