Customer Reviews

MCSD/MCP+SB FrontPage 98 Exam Cram (Exam: 70-055)

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

Of all the Exam Cram books I have read, this one is the most like an expanded set of exam objectives, and the least like a resource. Its greatest use is in providing a framework for studying elsewhere (online docs, other books). While that is an important and useful function of an exam preparation book, such a focus means that the exam candidate absolutely MUST learn from other sources -- another book and a lot of FP98 practice. So it's no surprise that the "Need To Know More?" sections at the end of this book's chapters are longer than those of many other Exam Cram books.

So, what is this book good for? If you have FP98 experience, and have studied a comprehensive book on the subject (I heartily recommend "FrontPage 98 Unleashed".) you are still left with the question, "Have I covered all the exam objectives?" While you can download the objectives from Microsoft, these are not explained in enough detail there to make one comfortable. Another value of this book to the exam candidate is in the "Need To Know More?" sections. When you stumble over a particular issue, the book gives you somewhere to begin your search.

WEAKNESSES: Content. Content. Content. There are just far too many subjects that are introduced but never explored in useful detail. You can compensate for this scarcity of content by using the book as a study plan, while sitting at your computer with FP98 running. But this combination will never provide you with the insights gleaned only from extensive on-the-job experience. The book is almost totally lacking in the many caveats that accompany development with FrontPage 98. Other books on FrontPage 98 are the only answer here.

Another problem rests in mistaken concepts provided by the authors. They assert that the programming languages used to develop a web site have no affect on performance. Just compare C++ components for data access with those written in J++. They repeatedly claim in test questions that FP98 has no 3 column page template, despite the fact that it appears in their own screen capture of the template dialog, and is described in their own text on the subject. Multi-site publishing is said to be a capability of FP98, even though their own italicized note on multi-site publishing explains that you must publish individually to each site.

STRENGTHS: Rather than a book with inadequate content, we may take advantage of this book's use as an extremely detailed listing of exam objectives. Its end-of-chapter bibliographies are valuable. The last two text chapters, "Web Servers, Server Management, And Server Extensions", and "Site Analysis, Design, And Maintenance", are more substantial than earlier chapters. The "Cram Sheet" included with the book is excellent.

CONCLUSIONS: Not the best effort of its talented authors or of Exam Cram (Coriolis). It does have a place as a final review, to help you identify weak areas in your knowledge of FP98. If you need to learn FP98, read the comprehensive, "FrontPage 98 Unleashed".

I purchased the book and found a great number of errors within. I contacted the primary author who advised me of the web site his company has set up to notify the public of errors within the Exam Cram series that he is involved with. There are so many that he offered to refund the money I spent on this book. He also advised me that the publisher is refusing to make changes in subsequent printings.

I would not depend on it primarily for passing the test.

This is NOT a study guide.

This book is for people who has already read a study guide and are very familiar with FrontPage 98.

It is a good book to use as the step between the study guide and the exam (70-055), but there is a couple of things in the exam, that are not documented very well, or not documented at all. I can mention database access and proxy server setup.

If you read the Official FrontPage 98 from Microsoft first, and spend a lot of time using the product and it's GUI, you should be ready to pass the exam.

All of you are right. This book has nothing to do with the test. Do not waste your money folks if your are planning to buy this book. Please!

I had no Frontpage experience before buying this book and managed to pass the exam after reading it. I did however, take quite a bit of time using Fp98 which helped a great deal. I'd recommend the book to people who already have an understanding of Fp98. I agree with most people that the sample questions in the book are much easier than the actual test questions. It also would have been nice for the Author to at least mention something about the simulation questions, they caught me totally off guard. Overall not a bad book if all you want to do is go over the essentials before the test.

I'd call this as the EXAM SCAM series rather than EXAM CRAM. The real exam is much harder than the practice questions covered by the book. Plus, there are an awful number of glaring mistakes in this book that someone who knows FP well will begin to unlearn some of the stuff. So, beware. I found this book totally useless. Microsoft online help is probably the best cost-free solution to prepare for the exam. I found it the hard way. Watch out for the 'simulation' traps in the exam. Also, there are a number of questions on user setup, server configuration, etc. that are not covered at all in this book. Do not even read about FP Editor. There are hardly any questions.

This book is the thing that put me over the top! After reading another book twice its size, I wasn't sure about passing. This book filled in all the gaps. This book shouldn't be used alone in preparation, but it says that in the beginning. It is well worth it to pay the $25 instead of $100 when you fail!

--Jonathan Corbett

The whiners on here who bemoan the culture of the shortcut should shut up and move on. (One know-it-all above referred to the MCSE not having any value anymore... what does the FrontPage exam have to do with the MCSE anyway??)

Get a life. This book is an excellent prep for the person already familiar with FrontPage or web authoring and who are looking to ensure they have covered all of the test objectives that will be covered on the exam. Get this book if you fall into this camp and want to pass the exam.

Unlike other reviewers, I found this book to be an excellent exam prep. tool for my first MCP exam. Do not rely on this book entirely - FP98 Unleashed is an excellent supplement - but for actual exam type questions, I found this book invaluable for passing the test.

I read and studied the exam cram Frontpage98 book and memorized it front and back. Then I took the test. I failed. You need a score of 702 and I got a 680. I was close, very close but not quite. Many of the practice questions were not on the test and the test was heavy on server types, fire walls and proxy's, and it just had alot on it that the book didn't cover. It had alot of database access questions via Frontpage.

I was dissapointed with the book. It had good content and I learned things from it - but it wasn't anything like the test. I will retry the test again in a couple weeks.

I would appreciate anyone writing to me who took the test also. I would like to share notes on it. And also, how about folks that failed the test using the exam cram book.