MCSE Windows 2000 Core Four Exam Cram Pack (Exam: 70-210, 70-215, 70-216, 70-217) [Paperback]

Certification Insider Press (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1576107248 | ISBN-13: 978-1576107249 | Publication Date: October 9, 2000

Contains the MCSE Windows 2000 Directory Services Exam Cram, MCSE Windows 2000 Network Exam Cram, MCSE Windows 2000 Professional Exam Cram, and MCSE Windows 2000 Server Exam Cram guides. Covers exams 70-217, 70-216, 70-210, and 70-215 Features updated content 100% focused on the New Windows 2000 Core Four Exams. Includes three CDs containing 400 practice questions and selected Audio Review from the MCSE Core 4 Exam Cram Audio Review tape series. Each book includes two updated practice exams with questions designed to assess the reader's readiness to sit for the exam and answers and explanations that reinforce the reasoning behind the correct answers.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Anyone wishing to become a Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer has to pass four mandatory exams and two electives. Windows 2000 Core Four provides the certification candidate with review material that addresses the Windows 2000 operating system and its behavior on networks, which is what the four required exams of the MCSE battery are all about.

This boxed set comprises four books, each available separately:

• Windows 2000 Directory Services, for exam 70-217
• Windows 2000 Network, for exam 70-216
• Windows 2000 Server, for exam 70-215
• Windows 2000 Professional, for exam 70-210

Plus, the set includes a test simulator on CD-ROM.

The Exam Cram format is oriented toward a review of facts and filling in of details, rather than communication of new concepts from author to reader. If you work with a Windows 2000 network regularly, or if you have a lab system set up for experimentation, you'll get more out of these books than if you're trying to learn the facts from them ex nihilo. A typical section begins by defining a feature or technology with a few paragraphs ("A Windows 2000 dynamic disk is a physical disk that does not use partitions or logical drives...."), then listing relevant procedures (how to convert a basic disk into a dynamic disk, for example). Where they're needed, the authors list variations upon procedures as bullet points. Chapters conclude with questions in styles that are typical of the exams. Though the answers to the questions are generally explained well, the answers and questions appear together, making honest self-quizzing difficult.

Fie on Coriolis Press for not pricing this set better. The cover price on each of the books is $29.99; the boxed set sells for $119.99--actually a slightly higher price than you would pay for the books separately! Other than the convenience of one-stop shopping and the fact that you get the CD-ROM with the set, there's no real reason to buy this set rather than individual books that address the aspects of the test battery in which you're weakest. --David Wall

Topics covered: The subjects Microsoft says you need to understand in order to pass the required examinations en route to your Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE) certification. The four required exams--Server (70-210), Professional (70-215), Network Infrastructure (70-216), and Directory Services (70-217)--have to do with building and administering data networks with Windows 2000 products.

About the Author

Certification Insider Press (CIP) is a leading provider of self-study exam preparation products. With over 4 million guides in print, CIP offers a complete line of learning systems that cover the primary academic college entrance exams and all of the major technical certification programs. CIP authors have the experience, credentials, and insight to deliver the most effective and in-demand learning systems for self-study or instructor-led testing candidates.

Product Details

• Paperback: 1664 pages
• Publisher: Coriolis Group Books (October 9, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1576107248
• ISBN-13: 978-1576107249
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 7.6 x 4.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,837,398 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

45 of 47 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Perfect for its intended audience., January 22, 2001

By 

Carl C. Nelson (Thompson Station, TN USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: MCSE Windows 2000 Core Four Exam Cram Pack (Exam: 70-210, 70-215, 70-216, 70-217) (Paperback)

All the computer professionals taking certification exams know that there is a gap between what Microsoft expects us to know for the exam and what we know from our day-to-day job duties. The Exam Cram books are designed to cover that gap. They deliver "just the facts, man." They're not a guide to using Windows 2000, they're merely a guide for passing the Windows 2000 tests.

The Exam Cram series does not pretend to be a complete product overview or user's guide. They are not certified by Microsoft as being complete preparatory materials for their tests. But they're exactly what the professional with a day-to-day, hands-on knowledge of Windows 2000 needs to prepare for MCSE exams. After all, why buy the big honkin' book at two or three times the cost and required study time when the Cliffs Notes are sufficient?

If you're in the market for a quick guide to passing a test on stuff you use every day, pick these. If you're trying to gain an MCSE without much hands-on Windows 2000 experience, these books will not help you pass the exams--either go for coursework or buy a complete self-study guide.

The inclusion of the CD-ROM with questions makes the four-pack a better value than buying the separate books.

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great books, lousy software, July 11, 2001

By 

D. Duvall "tech hound" (Columbia, MD United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: MCSE Windows 2000 Core Four Exam Cram Pack (Exam: 70-210, 70-215, 70-216, 70-217) (Paperback)

I have been a big fan of the Exam Cram series ever since I started taking my NT 4.0 certifications a couple years ago. The editors are extremely adept at hitting the highlights that are great to have in those last couple weeks before sitting for an exam.

This series is not for someone wanting to "learn" this new operating system. I suggest classroom time or a more thorough book, there is a reason this series is called "Exam Cram".

Additionally, the software that comes with the book is full of errors and doesn't accurately simulate the types of questions you will see on the real exams. I suggest using Transcenders for any type of practice testing.

With a combination of experience, Transcender Practice Exams, and the Exam Cram...I don't see how you could fail.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Guide, July 3, 2001

By 

A. Valentine (Ardmore, PA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: MCSE Windows 2000 Core Four Exam Cram Pack (Exam: 70-210, 70-215, 70-216, 70-217) (Paperback)

I was able to pass all core MCSE exams with less than 10 hours of study per exam and with little experience administering NT/2000 networks. There is no reason to pay for classes when any reasonable intelligent person with a decent background in computers can pass the tests using just these books.