About This Book

If you're preparing for the 70-293 certification exam for the first time, I've structured the topics in this book to build on one another. Therefore, the topics covered in later chapters might refer to previous discussions in earlier chapters.

I suggest you read this book from front to back. You won't be wasting your time because nothing I've written is a guess about an unknown exam. I've had to explain certain underlying information on such a regular basis that I've included those explanations here.

After you've read the book, you can brush up on a subject area by using the Index or the Table of Contents to go straight to the topics and questions you want to reexamine. I've used the headings and subheadings to provide outline information about each topic.

Chapter Formats

Each Exam Cram 2 chapter follows a regular structure and includes graphical cues about especially important or useful material. The structure of a typical chapter is as follows:

  • Opening hotlists ” Each chapter begins with lists of the terms you'll need to understand and the concepts you'll need to master before you can be fully conversant with the chapter's subject matter. I follow the hotlists with a few introductory paragraphs, setting the stage for the rest of the chapter.

  • Topical coverage ” After the opening hotlists, a series of sections covers the topics related to the chapter's subject.

  • Alerts ” Throughout the topical coverage, I highlight material most likely to appear on the exam by using a special Exam Alert layout that looks like this:

    graphics/alert_icon.gif

    This is what an Exam Alert looks like. An Exam Alert stresses concepts, terms, software, or activities that will most likely appear in one or more certification exam questions. For that reason, any information offset in Exam Alert format is worthy of extra attentiveness on your part.


    Even if material isn't flagged as an Exam Alert, all the content in this book is associated in some way with test-related material. What appears in the chapter content is critical knowledge.

  • Notes ” This book is an overall examination of computers. As such, I'll dip into many aspects of Windows 2003 Server. When a body of knowledge is deeper than the scope of the book, I use notes to indicate areas of concern or specialty training.

    graphics/note_icon.gif

    Cramming for an exam will get you through a test, but it won't make you a competent IT professional. Although you can memorize just the facts you need to become certified, your daily work in the field will rapidly put you in water over your head if you don't know the underlying principles of application development.


  • Tips ” I supply tips that help you to build a better foundation of knowledge or to focus your attention on an important concept that reappears later in the book. Tips provide a helpful way to remind you of the context surrounding a topic under discussion.

    graphics/tip_icon.gif

    You should also read Chapter 1, "Microsoft Certification Exams," for helpful strategies used in taking a test and for additional tips on how to figure out the correct response to a question and what to do if you draw a complete blank.


  • Exam Prep Questions ” This section presents a short list of test questions related to the specific chapter topic. Each question is followed by an explanation of both correct and incorrect answers. The practice questions highlight the areas found to be most important on the exam.

  • Need To Know More? ” Every chapter ends with a section titled "Need To Know More?" This section provides pointers to resources that I found helpful in offering further details on the chapter's subject matter. If you find a resource you like in this collection, use it, but don't feel compelled to use all these resources. I use this section to recommend resources that I have used on a regular basis, so none of the recommendations will be a waste of your time or money. These resources might go out of print or be taken down (in the case of Web sites), so I've tried to reference widely accepted resources.

The bulk of the book follows this chapter structure, but there are a few other elements that I would like to point out:

  • Practice Exams ” The practice exams, which appear in Chapters 8 and 10 (with answer keys in Chapters 9 and 11), are close approximations of the types of questions you are likely to see on the current 70-293 exam.

  • Answer keys ” These keys supply the answers to the sample tests, complete with explanations of both correct and incorrect responses.

  • Glossary ” This extensive glossary defines important terms used in this book.

  • The Cram Sheet ” This tear-out sheet inside the front cover is a valuable tool that represents a collection of the most difficult-to-remember facts and numbers I think you should memorize before taking the test. Remember, you can dump this information out of your head onto a piece of paper as soon as you enter the testing room. This information is usually facts that I've found require brute-force memorization. You need to remember this information only long enough to write it down when you walk into the test room. Be advised that you will be asked to surrender all personal belongings before you enter the exam room.

    You might want to look at the Cram Sheet in your car or in the lobby of the testing center just before you walk into the testing center. The Cram Sheet information is divided under headings, so you can review the relevant parts just before the test.

  • The CD ” The CD contains the PrepLogic Practice Tests, Preview Edition exam simulation software. The Preview Edition exhibits the full functionality of the Premium Edition, but offers questions sufficient for only one practice exam. To get the complete set of practice questions and exam functionality, visit http://www.preplogic.com.

Contacting the Author

If you have any questions, comments, or even constructive criticism, please feel free to drop me a note. I have done my best to write this book following the Microsoft objectives and having the bulk of the text reflect a last-pass review for the reader, and I am interested in any feedback that is appropriate. I want to write solid technical articles and books that appeal to a large range of readers and skill levels, and I can be sure of my success at that only through your feedback.

Please feel free to email me with your comments at Jason@Zandri.net. Be sure to put "70-293" in the subject line (or something similar), as I filter much of my email because of an oppressive amount of unwanted "junk" mail.

Thanks for choosing me as your personal trainer, and enjoy the book. I would wish you luck on the exam, but I know that if you read through all the chapters and work with the product, you won't need luck ”you'll pass the test on the strength of real knowledge!



MCSE 70-293 Exam Cram. Planning and Maintaining a Windows Server 2003 Network Infrastructure
MCSE 70-293 Exam Cram: Planning and Maintaining a Windows Server 2003 Network Infrastructure (2nd Edition)
ISBN: 0789736195
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2004
Pages: 123

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