MCSA/MCSE 70-291 Exam Cram: Implementing, Managing, and Maintaining a Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Network Infrastructure

I typically steer away from any "Cram" guides in favor of learning from an established book. However this guide was very informative and helped me prepare and pass the then Beta exam. It defiantly was worth the investment.

This book is a solid entry into the Exam Cram series. Good, concise information with just enough info needed. There are some printing errors in the sample quizzes that omit complete multiple choice answers in some cases, which should have been caught in the proof process. I used this plus a CBT and passed the exam.

I found that the book is a great study guide. I would not recommend it for someone who does not have any experience with the server software, but I found it beneficial as a refresher course and to help me in some of my weaker areas. Several people noted that the unique registration code is expired, mine was too, but all I had to do was send an e-mail to MeasureUp support and just explain the situation and they unlocked the code for me.

As the title of the book says, this is an Exam Cram book. Its intent, it's sole intent, is to teach you how to pass the Exam 70-291 test on Windows Server 2003 Network Infrastructure. It is probably best suited for a person with some experience running Server 2003 already but who wants to pick up all the messy little details that are going to be asked on the exam. To help you along, there are two practice exams, with answers and explanations. The book also has a Registration Key so you can go on line to MeasureUp and go through their on line questions as well. If you then want to take their test on line, there is a 20% discount off of the price. Don't start here if you've never worked with Server before, it isn't enough of reference book to do that, it's purely an exam cram, just like it says.

I bought the book and went through it in just over a week. The text did a great job breaking down the exam into sections and giving you the key information with regards to that section. I would not suggest this book to someone with little or no server experience because it does not go into great detail about any one topic, however if you've been working in a Server 2003 environment for a while and are used to using and administering DHCP, DNS, RRAS, and IPSec than this book is great for learning the intricacies that Microsoft asks on the test. The exam questions offered in this book are by no means brain dump questions but they did a great job covering everything I saw on the exam today and then some. The only thing it doesn't give you is practice with the simulations but I guess that's the whole point of the sims.