To Aspiring MCDSTs; Part 2

I put this post under "MCDST Studies" because I spend a majority of my time in the public Microsoft MCDST newsgroup and read the posts of individuals who have just learned about Microsoft certifications or the MCDST certification.

Here are some tips for anyone wanting to achieve the MCDST certification:

1.) Start. This may seem like an odd step, but how often have you said, "I will get around to it." How many times have you procrastinated in doing the things you actually want to get accomplished? So starting is a huge step -- one that many people fail to do. Ironically, you fail before you even get started.

2.) Research. As I said, I spend a good amount of time the public Microsoft MCDST newsgroup. Many new individuals post the same question day after day; "What do I need to do to get MCDST certified?" I do not mind answering these questions, but the question baffles me. Why? Because it is so much easier to find information on http://www.microsoft.com/learning than it is to post the question on the newsgroup. The answer to this question is; pass the 70-271 and 70-272 exams. Then the question changes to, "Yeah, I knew that. So how do I pass the exams?" And it just keeps going and going and going till they get around to asking specific questions about the contents of the exam. Do research before hand and then ask your questions to confirm your findings or if you cannot locate the information you are searching for. Another question that floods the newsgroups is, "What is the best study material?" Again, this is another question that is open to interpretation and opinion. What works for one may or may not work for another. Some individuals can read thru technical books without much effort, while others cannot get past one chapter without rereading it 3 times. While classroom instruction is always available; there is the issue of cost, time, and what institution to choose. Then there is the "virtual classroom" known as CBTs (Computer Based Training). Although you can normally take these on your own time, they can be the same cost as classroom training. Lets not forget the practice tests. It seems more and more acceptable for people to "study" from a practice test. I do not quite understand this concept. You are studying questions that you will not be tested on. And like everything else that you may come across; practice exams can be wrong too. This seems to surprise people. But many practice tests can be riddled with incorrect information. So to recap, if you are interested in technical manuals or study kits; check out http://www.amazon.com and look up those books. There you can read reviews and actually LOOK at the material in the book to determine if it is the right book for you. It would also be wise to go the the publishers website to check for erratas. An errata is a list of errors and their corrections inserted, usually on a separate page or slip of paper, in a book or other publication. Remember books have typos, misprints, misinformation and errors too. Normally publishers will post erratas on their websites for any particular book. Check them out. Also, stop into your local bookstore. Pick up a hand full of different books and flip thru them. See the differences between them. These study guides are not cheap. Choose the one that suits your needs and receives the most positive reviews at Amazon. Secondly, if you are interested in ILT (Instructor Led Training), check out your yellow pages and see what is in your area. Jot down all the CLC (Computer Learning Centers) and check out their website. Do a Google search on them. Stop by and talk to some of the students, instructors, and Account Executives. See if you feel comfortable with the environment. You can do all this and not spend one cent by doing this research. Do not allow AEs (Account Executives) is push you into a deal or contract if you do not feel comfortable. Third, if you want to check out CBTs (Computer Based Training), again Google is your friend. I understand that there are thousands of sites out there and you can become very confused trying to find the right one. If you have ever picked up a technical magazine such as Windows I.T. Pro or Redmond, flip thru them and you will see the major CBT providers. Visit their websites and check out their demos. If they do not offer demos, that is a good indicator that you may not want to spend your money on a product you cannot see. Fourth, for the sake of not repeating myself, follow the same advice with regards to practice exams. And use those exams to condition your mind and body for the actual exam; not to study with. 

3.) Plan. Achieving your MCDST will not happen over night. There is a lot of information to consume, remember, file, store, and process. Sure you can take the fast track. Sure you can "just get by". But why would you want to do that? Are you just interested in the title? I really hope not. I hope you want to be the best desktop support specialist you can be. So with that, take the time to sit down and map out your study schedule. Unless your employer has set a specific time limit to achieve your MCDST, there is no rush. The certification or exams are not in any jeopardy of being retired any time soon. So grab a calendar, open up Outlook, get out your day planner and map out a REASONABLE time frame to complete your studies. You might want to think about scheduling your exams at this time. This shows commitment, and puts you on a true time line to complete your goal. If you do not have an end point; how will you know when to stop studying and test out? You increase your odds of passing by 50% when you just schedule your exam. Think about that. 50%!!! So that means, at a minimum, you just need to devote 20% to pass by the skin of your teeth. Wow.

4.) Perform. Now that you have started pursuing your goal toward certification, you have researched your certification and planned a reasonable schedule; it is time to perform. This step involves executing your plan. You have mapped out your schedule, you know what needs to be done; now do it. One thing to remember about your plan is that it is fluid; meaning it can change. Allow for the change and adapt to it accordingly. There are going to be times when life just interferes. Situations will come up when studying is not conducive. This is where proper planning comes in. When your scheduled plan hits life's pot holes, do not toss out your entire plan; adjust to the changes. Keep moving forward. Keep performing.

5.) Finish. This is another step individuals do not perform. They start, research, plan and perform but never finish. One reason people never finish is because they are scared to. If you finish, that means you MUST be ready for the exam; and that is scary. This is where self doubt in ones performance and abilities comes in. You begin to doubt that you can pass the exam because you do not "know it all." Thus, you just keep studying. You keep performing. You adjust your plan and schedule to reflect your fears of sitting the exam. When this happens, you start thinking, "This sucks. I will never learn all of this. I might as well just quit." Here is the difference between quitting and finishing.

6.) Test. Now is the time. The big day. The event you have been working toward. What last minute advice do you need? Simply put: relax. Remember the Karate Kid,  "Win, lose. No matter. You make good fight." Here are the facts; either you will pass or fail. If you pass, great. Congratulations, pop the bubbly. But what if you fail? What then. Again, you need to "PLAN" for that. When planning, you need to consider that you may not pass the first -- and this is okay. You evaluate your score, find your weaknesses and perform again. If you planned properly, there is no need to go back to the beginning. Just pick up on step 4 and continue on.

7.) Evaluate. After all is said and done. You have STARTED, RESEARCHED, PLANNED, PERFORMED, FINISHED, TESTED; now you have to evaluate. Debrief. Sit back and reflect on things that went right and that went wrong. Learn from your experience and add that experience to your next goal. Again, this is another step individuals skip. They just go to the next goal and move on. How will you ever learn and digest if you do not EVALUATE?

I hope this helps you in achieving your goals. These steps are not just for those seeking certifications, it is for anything you wish to pursue. If you have any question, drop me a comment or email and I will be happy to assist you. Good luck and more to come.

Comments

[The IT Girl]

Paragraph 5 describes me down to a T! I put off taking 70-271 for weeks because I doubted my own abilities. I kept thinking I was bound to fail because I "didn't know it all".

Today, I took and passed 70-271 with a score of 916. I don't "know it all" (far from it!), and probably never will. I suppose the moral of the story is: take the exam when you feel you "know enough", not when you "know it all", because "knowing it all" never happens.

In the practice tests I was averaging about 75% - if you can do likewise I would urge you to take the test! Go on, you can do it!

IT Girl

[Andrew Cummings]

Just wanted to let you know that all of the posts i've read that you've posted have been friendly and helpful, just wanted to say thank you.

I'm just starting my certification process now(ordered some books yesterday) I am trying to build up my tradeset to match my company's current infrastructure so I can be more valuble to them, and also to prove to future employers that I have a certification to back up my claims.

Thanks again for your support to the community and I hope you stick around for a while :)

Andrew Cummings
Future MCDST(hopefully)