Customer Reviews

Desktop Applications with Microsoft Visual Basic 6.0 MCSD Training Kit

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(19)
2 star:		(14)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

This Book is the ticket if you want to pass exam 70-176 Desktop Applications for VB6. I read the entire book and worked the labs in two weeks. I took the test today and passed.

I especially liked the "Using this Book to Prepare for Certification" section (which is a task by task outline of the certification requirements as they relate to different lessons in the book). The practice test that is included on the CD that comes with the book is very much like the real test and helps to give you a good feel for what to expect in the way of delivery of the exam. The CD also has a full VB 6.0 multimedia course "Learn VB 6.0 Now" that is very much like the MS Mastering Series in design.

The only problem with the CD is that you will have to hunt for each of the Setup EXE's to load these training aids on your computer. There is no master Setup EXE to step you through loading everything the CD offers.

I have read all the reviews and disagree with everyone who says this is not enough to pass the test. These exam books are for people who are developers. If you have never used VB 6.0 to develop client/server applications then do not expect to pass the test. This book provides a good overview necessary to prepare you for the test. There were some errors but I have found this to be common with every tech book I have ever bought. The only reason I gave a 4 of 5 stars is because I found the book a little expensive.

Bottom line, it should only take one week to study for this test. Read every word cover to cover and do every example and lab. In addition to this study guide I used the measureup.com test prep to get me familiar with how the test would be worded. I spent at least 25 hours preparing for this test and passed without a problem. If you have only opened VB 6.0 to write a little "Hello World!" program then do expect to pass the test.

You've heard all this before, if you've read any of the other reviews on this page. So I'll be brief about the book, and then tell you what you really want to know, and that's how to prepare for the test.

The book is, as per the MOC usual, a general foundation and overview of the technologies, but very much lacking in the detail needed for you to pass the exam.

The exam tests your knowledge of data types, default properties for controls (referencing "text1" is the same as referencing "text1.text"), focuses heavily on how to deploy solutions (to web server? To floppy? To CD-ROM? You decide...), and stresses data services as well (knowing which cursor types and locations to use).

Read this book for a good overall picture, but also read the following:

- VB6 Desktop Exam Prep

- VB6 Black Book

- VB6 Distributed Exam Cram (this will give you some cross-reference on data services and package/deployment)

Good luck on the test.

Since this book was a Microsoft Press book, I was under the impression that it is the best source to prepare for certification. I was totally wrong, I failed the test. The reason is that a large part of the concepts the test hit were not addressed by the book. For example, data report, some deployment issues (which is poorly covered). Never the less, I felt that the book provides an excellent point to take an overview of Visual Basic 6. The language is friendly and non technical. The book has some mistakes in code (addressOf in the Enum childWindows API), but the rest was OK. In general, I don't like books that give a single big project and work through the whole thing throughout the whole book. I think it is better to give small examples ( in a case study like approach) , and suggest the solution). I am not new to programming, my MCP is in Visual C++. Overall, I would recommend this book as a starting point, and a good reference to learn about Visual Basic in General, but not to pass the test.

As other people have indicated, this book presents a good review for the 70-176 exam. However, some areas that you might want an alternate source include: Deriving the Physical Design, Deploying the Application, Creating and Managing Com Components

This book alone is not enough to pass the exam. I did it using this book and Transcender. First I went through the entire book, did all the exercises, and took notes to use for study. When finished, I did the Transcender simulated exams. I took all of the simulated exams (flunked all the first time through), then went back and studied the answers and why the answer was correct. I passed the real exam the first time. A lot of material is not covered by the book, but the book exposes you to areas of Visual Basic that you don't use in your work environment. As one example, the exam covers Package and Deployment in much more depth than the book.

I bought this book to attempt to prepare for the VB certification. It is definately not the way to go. The questions at the end of the chapters are not focused on passing an exam at all. After studying the entire book, I was only able to answer 1/2 the questions on a simulated exam. (And I knew VB before I started)In contrast, I purchased "The Complete JAVA 2 Certification Study Guide" by Roberts, Heller and Ernest and was able to pass the JAVA certification in 2 1/2 months, even though I knew no JAVA when I started. This book is a good book to work through and learn some more Visual Basic. It has good labs, but as far as a preparation for the Certification Exam, you'll need to look elsewhere.

I must first admit that I have yet to take the exam. Although this book is very well written and very informative at a junior level, I bought it and within three chapters could tell that it was nowhere close to providing what I would need to know for the test (just download a few sample tests from the web and find out for yourself). I hate to sound as if I am implicating Microsoft of malicious publishing, but it seems that may just be the case (my apologies if not). This book seems to be the direct result of slick marketing rather than concern to help purchasers pass the exam. It and MANY others like it are short and sweet--which appeals to the harried nature of those who want to pass quickly. Microsoft knows that developers don't want to spend the next 6 months studying, so they create books like this one that look palatable, but if you take a close you will find them entirely lacking in what you really need to know. Think about it for a second...does Microsoft really want to certify people who are not experts with their products? Would that not reflect poorly on them? Of course it would! And after this book, unless you have been working with VB for A LONG TIME, you probably won't pass. Therefor, both objectives are satisfied, they get your money and don't have to worry about poorly trained people representing their stuff. Also, consider this, if they had been attempting to write a book that was meant to just give a glance at what to expect on the test, then why is the book aimed at such simple level? So, I recommend MCSD Visual Basic 6 by Howard Hawhee. It's thick (1300) pages, but if you really want to know VB AND pass the test--it's the way to go. I am three chapters into it and lots better off already. So from one developer who got let down (and I do blame myself for this) while looking for the quick grade...good luck with your choice.

To prepare for the 70-176, I used primarily this book and the Courseware from the Microsoft Course that covers most of the topics for 70-176. Between the two, and the little knowledge I have using VB, I passed the test on the first try. I found the labs very helpful as they showed the same concepts from the course that I attended but used MS Access as the datasource instead.

This book does not cover every single facet of Visual Basic. However, it gives you the main information you need to understand in order to grasp the essentials of passing the test. The best way I know of to pass this test or any programming test is to sit in front of the computer and type in code until your fingers start to bleed. Do the hands on labs in the book chapter to chapter. Get the Hawhee book and do all the excercises. Create your own programs. The main thing is to write tons of code and work with VB to pass the exam. Do not rely on this book alone. Rely on your hands-on programming experience.