I've started studying for 70-306 --- got the Transcender test/study guide/CBT training. One think I've noticed is the statusbar/toolbar stuff in Transcender is related to controls that were in 2003 -- My experience is almost entirely with 2005 (status strip/toolstrip) --- granted, the controls are very similar, but I'm wondering if the real test focuses more on .V1 or V2 of the framework, or are the tests set up so to avoid places where there might be differences. Doesn't seem particularly fair to test someone working with 2005 on controls that are not part of V2 "standard", nor expect someone working with 2003 to handle things like generics. Of course, I'd also appreciate any general tips/hints etc.
Matt: Remember that when the 70-3xx exams were developed, there was no version 2 of Visual Studio. In fact, when Visual Studio .Net was first developed, it really didn't have a version number. If you want to take the .Net Framework version 2 of the exams, then you will need to take the 70-5xx exams. I can't give specific hints without violating the Non Disclosure Agreement, but generally here are a few hints I found on all Microsoft exams: 1. Study for the exam the same way the exam developers did - most likely this means only the features in version 1.0 or the last beta. It is not unusual to find items in the "skills being measured" section of an exam's preparation guide that were in the Beta, but removed prior to the final version of the exam. The 70-306 exam thus will not have any questions on features unique to the .Net Framework 2.0. 2. Speaking of the "skills being measured," concentrate your studies on that. Make sure that you understand each line before going into the testing session. For the 70-306 exam, that means the feature as it existed in 2003 or so, when the exam was developed. I honestly don't know if Microsoft has removed any questions from the 70-306 question pool because the answer in Visual Studio 2005 would be different (and if I did, I don't know if I would be allowed to tell you). Perhaps one of the Microsoft people monitoring this newsgoup could tell us - I'd like to know myself. 3. Use MSDN, Technet, and the product's help files as your main study tool. Remember that when the exam developers created their questions, they did not have any third-party books or MOC classes to refer to. I have only used the sample Transcenders, not the real thing [I'm basically a cheapskate]. But the sample for the 70-300 exam is what helped me pass it because it does give a good feel for what the question format is [which for that exam is slightly different]. Best wishes in your certification studies.
Larry, I've taken one of the sample tests from Transcender that supposedly matches format of test questions etc. pretty closely. Fortunately, I have both 2003 and 2005 installed so I can watch for differences while I study. Looking at the Skills Being Measured, it looks like there might be a few differences, but not too many. As for the 70-306 vs. 70-5xx tests --- I had looked at certification quite some time ago, realized I needed more experience before I had a chance of passing. Now that I've got the experience I went straight back to looking at MCAD and MCSD without realizing the MCPD certs were a possibility. I already spent the $$$ on the transcender stuff and also picked up the MS self-paced training kit, so 70-306 it is. That actually should work out well anyway, as I can get the MCAD which never expires and then take a single "upgrade" test and get MCPD certification if I decide I want that also. Thanks again....
