MCSD Visual Basic 5 Study Guide [With Includes Exclusive VB5 Certification Testing...]

This book is really easy to read and not as big as New Riders, so it feels easier.The text is worth 5 stars but because you cant use the prep-test with vb5 installed - 1 star.You can use the software on the cd if you dont have vb5 installed. Not a good soloution but if you have dual boot or two pc it's one way to use it.

This is a good book that completes a well-rounded strategy. I personally used the Transcender exams and at the same time I took a full-time VB 6.0 class, where we applied a lot of the principals covered in the book. Lastly I used Evangelous' book "Mastering VB 6.0" on the side (Also from Sybex).A word of warning though, you can skip the questions in the book and do not even bother with the CD since the question/answers aren't accurate and the program on the CD that Sybex is promoting does not run after installation, it would start up and then freeze. I was disappointed as the two books that I purchased from Sybex were of good quality (Mastering 6.0 and this guide). I hope that in the future Sybex does not disappoint its users by rushing out a book with faulty answers and a non-functioning CD.

This nicely designed and well-written guide was a major factor in my passing the VB5 exam at the first time of asking, after less than 2 months as a VB programmer. All the topics that came up in the exam are covered and I wouldn't regard the fact that I had to use the "Programmer's Guide" and on-line help as supplementary aids from time to time as a criticism - just par for the course when using a study guide.My only real complain would be the bugs in the Test on the CD. The programmer(s) responsible could certainly learn something from this book!This book's calm, measured approach, is in complete contrast to the paranoid, trick questions-under the bed tone of the "Exam Cram" book. Personally, I found the exam itself to be refreshingly straightforward; particularly after the ambiguities of the (much tougher) Windows Architecture exams.As someone from a Visual FoxPro (VFP) background, I've loved VBs relative simplicity and well-designed IDE - but hated its lack of proper inheritance and centralised error handling. Finally, in my honest opinion, if you're using VB & Access to develop multi-user data-centric applications on LANS, rather than VFP, you don't deserve to get an MCSD!!

Explains the material in a short logical way right to the point. Background descriptions also very good. Unfortunately problems with the CD test preparation software (not the author's fault I guess). Much better book than New Rider's.

The assignments that force the reader to gain hands-on experience with the aspects of VB that must be understood for passing the test, along with the chapter tests, are exactly what is needed to study for the Microsoft test.