Customer Reviews

MCTS 70-640 Exam Cram: Windows Server 2008 Active Directory, Configuring

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This a very good book to prep for the exam. I'm surprised that there aren't more reviews for this book. This is one of the better IT books that I've read. If you have MCSA/MCSE-level knowledge of AD 2000 or 2003, this book is the only book that you'll need to prep for the exam. I'm talking about knowledge in actually designing and configuring AD, DNS, GPOs, and security; not simply managing AD. AD itself has not changed very much from 2000 to 2008.

The book does a great job of covering pretty much all the exam objectives in an easy to read manner. The only annoying thing about the book was that it put all the references at the end of the book in an appendix instead of at the end of each relevant chapter. I can see how that is a matter of preference, so other readers might like that. But overall, one couldn't ask for a better exam prep book.

I'm not sure what the other reviewer meant about some of the terms used in the book not matching up with MS terminology. I didn't run into this inconsistency at all. I also took the MeasureUp exam included on the CD and the terminology seemed to match. BTW, the MeasureUp exam is very easy to use and was pretty tough (it looks like you only get one 50 question exam on the CD, but can pay for the full version to get more). For the Exchange exam that I took last month, I actually bought a full Transcender exam and that was terrible. The Transcender interface looks like it hasn't changed in 15 years and for a paid product, I found a few errors. Anyway, I think if you really want to purchase a practice exam, use Measure Up (MS actually has them listed on the preparation materials section of the exam site).

The exam number is now 083-640 for English only. I had no indication that the exam number was renamed, and Prometric's site didn't have anything to alert me of this. So now I know why I couldn't select English as the language for 070-640. Duh!

Anyway, half of the exam consisted of two labs using fully functional VMs to do eight tasks each. I then had thirty regular questions for the rest of the exam. The lab caught me off guard because I didn't prepare for it, but it was actually easier than the questions after I got over the initial shock. The lab used real VMs, so you could actually go to the help system to find answers to the questions or browse the file system to look for a certain file name for a command or file if you couldn't remember the full name. I don't know if they deduct points if you use the help system. I'm not even sure how they grade the lab since I didn't get a breakdown of the scores for each section, but overall I got 916/1000, so I think the labs helped me a lot.

You definitely need hands-on skills and practice, not that you couldn't get by with some of the ridiculously easy lab tasks such as changing a group scope from global to universal. The keys to passing this exam are the following:
1.) Previous design and configuration experience with either AD 2000 or 2003. Can you set up AD from scratch and configure a child domain and DNS?
2.) Read all the chapters in this book and take the MeasureUp exam on the CD. I didn't take the big exam at the end of the book, but I did take each end-of-chapter exam.
3.) Set up a lab. I used Hyper-V and had 1 root domain with 2 DCs and one child domain with 1 DC. I also had 1 XP VM. I also installed a stand-alone CA on one of the DCs.
4.) Some supplemental materials on AD FS and possibly CA if you haven't worked with either before (which I think many sys admins haven't since these aren't the most common roles in use). You can just read a few short articles on MS on these topics--I don't think you'll need to go in depth and start reading white papers.
5.) Give yourself about a month to read the book and practice on your lab. I could have taken the exam in a month but I got real busy at work and then had an issue with scheduling with Prometric (BTW, this is one of the worst commercial Web sites. I consistently got the "Web site is down" messages on several occasions and navigating through to find a test center was not the most user friendly). Anyway, it ended up taking me 6 weeks from the start of reading this book to taking the exam, but I was pretty much ready in 4 weeks.

I just used the ExamCram 70-640 book to prepare me for taking, and passing, the Microsoft MCTS exam 70-640. It worked like a charm. What I liked about it was how quickly it got to the point about most things, that kind of thing works for me. This is different from the MS Press books I've seen that walk you through practice sequences, there aren't any here. I used VMWare Workstation to run a couple of servers and a couple of workstations and can't even come near to expressing how important that is. If I have one beef it's that some of the terms used in this book were different from what Microsoft, or MeasureUp, or Transcender practice tests would use but it's small matter. I've managed a fairly complex Windows network for eleven years so I had a good base to draw from. It's a leap from "real world" to "test" for me but once I found the groove i thought this book was quite good.

Positives: The book cuts out alot of junk that I did not need inorder to pass the test. I also felt that the book was easier to read and easier to continue reading unlike the other 70-640 book I was reading before I got this book. The 100 things to remember before taking the test was handy and easy to read when I had a few minutes to kill each day.

Negatives: The instructions and examples will show you how to install and setup your active directory but it does not give you the type of in depth that would be needed to answer some of the questions on the test. The book does not hit some of the finer points that are asked in the practice test.

Overall: I passed the test and felt confident going in because of the book but I felt I had to read the book a few times because my practice test were not high. If you need a book that easier to read than most study guides, and already understand the basics of AD, I would recommend this book.

Just took the 70-640 now 83-640 and passed. This book was of great help. Very well laid out and easy to understand. I feel like it covered about 95 percent of what you need to know to pass the exam. The questions at the end of each chapter were very useful and preparation for the exam. There is also a larger practice test at the end of the book that will let you know where you stand as far as being ready to take the test. As you read through the chapters there are little lab examples you can work through that really make it easier to retain the material. This was the first Exam Cram book I ever used, and was very pleased. I would recommend it to a friend.

I gave this book 4 stars (80%), because that's about what I scored (780). My primary job is as a Unix guy, but I see the writing on the wall, and to stay employable Windows training is a necessity.

This is the book you want, if your goal is to pass the test. The Microsoft Press book is an excellent reference book, but it's not focused on passing the test, like Exam Cram is. I took the test after reading the Microsoft Press book (and doing all the exercises), and it was not pretty. The first 5 questions, I had no idea what they were talking about, which is never a good beginning, so I have to say that I wasn't prepared after reading Microsoft Press's 70-640 book. But the Exam Cram book is shorter, more to the point, and it's available in Kindle form, which is super-handy. After reading it, I took the test a second time and scored a 780, which isn't bad for someone who has never been an active directory admin. The practice tests presented within the book itself were especially handy, as they were a bit tricky, and gave me a chance to practice the careful reading needed when taking the actual test.

Also, I was led to believe there wasn't going to be powershell questions on the test; there were actually 3, which in a 50 question test adds up to 6%. forewarned is forearmed, and I don't think mentioning this violates my agreement with MS not to reveal test questions, as I am just letting you know; you don't need to memorize the syntax of every powershell command, but at least see what they look like, so that you can be prepared for that 15%.

I don't believe that this book supply the knowledge you need to pass the 70-640 exam. I've been reading the Exam Cram 70-640 for some weeks and there are many test exam questions that it just can't give me an answer to. I just ordered the 70-640 Training Kit to be sure that I can answer these questions. But for MCSE's this book might be all they need.

I used this book along with the MS publications. This books gives you the main points to focus on. Do not make this your only source for training or studying. The read was quick and jam pack with tips. This book will give you the knowledge to speak knowledgeably about the topics however, the actual exam is more detailed. I would recommend this book as a secondary source after you have had read the primary materials and done hands on labs. It is very good.

I took the exam and passed on my second try. After my first try I picked up Element K and this book. They give great pointers on what to study and pay attention to.

Although this book is now outdated with the release of Server 2008 R2, it was still a very informative read. The information was presented in a clear and summarized style. The book was obviously written with care and edited closely. There were no spelling errors, missing paragraphs or pages, wrong answers to questions, etc, as other books from the ExamCram series tend to have. The book did go into detail on installation and configurations of many tasks, sometimes becoming mundane. Appendix A is a compilation of still working links for additional information that are above and beyond the scope of the exam. The two practice tests were 60 questions each with detailed answer explanations. The end of the chapter questions were also very well written. One thing I did not find very useful was the ExamCram Sheet located in the front of the book. If it would of included the different command-line syntaxes, it would of been more helpful.

This is a very good and thorough book and will explain a lot of the features in a simple way. That being said, I don't think you would pass the exam using JUST this book! You should read this one after studying a more in-depth book to get ready for the exam. The test exams and the questions at the end of each chapter are very good.

Overall, I'd recommend this book to anyone who wants to pass the test, as I did :-)

The book was well written and well organized. I have not tested on the MCTS 70-640 yet as I will review the book several times before I put the cash down for the cert. Although, there are a few 'how-to's', the book is not written to be an administrator's pocket manual.

The written practice exams at the conclusion of each chapter present well formatted questions that simulate actual exam questions. The exam tips provide insight on the topics that would likely appear on the test.

I would recommend it as a good study aide.