70-536 My Tips for this Microsoft Exam

As you will now know from my previous post I recently passed my Microsoft exam for the .NET Framework Application Development section (70-536).

I would like to share with you a number of Books & Web resources that I used on my self-study path to taking this exam.

First of all I would like to point out that the Microsoft 2-3 years experience is only a recommendation. I have only been using .NET for under a year and lightly at that. Taking this certification is also a great way if you want to learn more about .NET

Depending where you are in both programming in general and using the .NET framework will depend how much time you need to spend studying.

It took me 3 months from starting to study for this exam, to taking and passing the exam. However this did include study time allowed during my working hours.

New Programmers:

If you are new to programming and looking to take this exam I would strongly recommend ignoring VB.NET and looking at C#.NET Although the syntax of C# is harder to get to grips with over the more “wordy” VB.NET I would still recommend taking a look at C# first.  There is a great range of books in the heads first series for C#, I would strongly recommend you read this as one of your first programming books.

VB6 or Similar Background:

I came from a VB6 background; I made the choice to ditch it once I finally moved to .NET last year. I would strongly recommend you do the same. One of the benefits is it forces you to learn a new syntax and use some of the features that would really benefit you rather then fall back on some of the legacy support they have put in for VB developers which is not as optimized as the .NET equivalent.

Experienced .NET developers:

At this point you will already know which language you want to use for .NET if you use both VB and C# you may wish to decide at this point which of the two language you would wish to take the exam in. You should start reading the Self-Paced training kit for this exam. There are known issues with this book however a lot of the issues have been resolved in the later releases. You may not need to read the book cover to cover however be aware that there may be several sections of the book that demonstrate parts of the .NET framework that you may not be currently using.

Are the books enough?

Despite the official self-paced training book weighing in at over 1,000 pages there are huge gaps missed that is required knowledge for the exam. Not only will you need to ensure you cover all the material in the book but also use reference websites to gain a greater knowledge of the subject. I have included a list of recommended websites and books below. Other reference books also help.

So should I use MSDN?

Yes – Either directly or via one of the links provided below. There is NOT enough information in the books along to cover the subject in enough detail. Get to learn the methods, their signatures and what they do.

The exception: If you already have a vast knowledge of the .NET framework then you should be okay, however if this is your first experience with .NET then it is strongly recommended that you use the MSDN website.

Software Included with self-paced 70-536:

The official Microsoft Press book for this exam comes with some software to help test yourself in spot weak areas to enable you to brush up before you take your actual test. A lot of people will recommend you can achieve 100% on this exam before you even think about taking the actual exam. However I found this wasn’t the case. I was passing Trancender questions with a good percentage however from time to time I was still failing at the included CD. Something about their format did not work well with me. Where as most the official questions I found did work well.

Test Websites & Braindumps:

Please be cautious when using test websites and of using Brain-dumps not only is this cheating the system but it is also cheating yourself.  A brain-dump is where actual exam questions are stolen and then published.

There are a number of trusted sites which I have listed below which have their own questions that are phrased like official Microsoft questions however these are not taken from official exams.

Watch out for sites that offer a pass guarantee as these often have tests that are almost exactly the same as the official exams. They also do contain errors and sometimes no explanation at all.

To top it all off if you are caught using any brain-dump you will get a lifetime ban from all Microsoft Certifications.

Recommended Test Sites:

Measure-up

Transcender

Useful Websites & WiKis:

MSDN [A must view website]

Microsoft .NET Framework 2.0 Application Development Foundation [Mostly an index of reverent MSDN pages]?This is a great WiKi resource with reverent links back to MSDN and further explanation & examples.

http://en.csharp-online.net/Preparation_Guide_for_Exam_70-536 Another great free reference that explains a lot of the key parts to the exam also well worth a look.

http://wiki.cumps.be/learning/exam70-536 a great site with key information, in sections and examples.

Useful Books:

Heads First C# [First Time Programming]

Visual C# Step by Step [Moving from VB or other Or need to Improve your C# Skills]

.Net Framework Application Development Foundation [Everyone]

Programming Visual C¢ 2008: The Language [Looking for greater detail then the above books]

Look at my page HERE for where to buy the above books online.

Other Useful references:

http://www.proprofs.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=13018 a forum post on the exam – it also includes some course work notes and details on the sections of the exam.

Blogs – 70-536 exam related:

http://www.particlewave.com/blog/2009/08/15/microsoft-exam-70-536/ – This guy is currently studying towards his exam and creating sectional notes as he goes (this was found after I passed my exam)

http://karolikl.blogspot.com/2009/08/how-to-study-for-70-536-microsoft-net_19.html – Posted after he took his exam.

http://www.zoroja.com/blog/2009/08/07/5-tips-for-acing-mcts-70-536-net-3-5-exam/ – 5 top tips for Acing the exam

http://devlicio.us/blogs/derik_whittaker/archive/2007/09/02/taking-the-mcts-test-70-536-that-sucked.aspx – Finally someone who didn’t like the exam

Test Sites & Booking your exam:

I have been getting a number of visitors to this page searching for information on booking the exam. Please look at the following blog post where I have covered this topic. Click HERE for more information.

I hope this has been useful for you, and helps you on your way to getting your MCTS.

Extras / Edits

I Don’t usually make the habit of editing existing posts, however I’ve decided If I come across blogs that might be helpful to you on this exam I would add them here.

http://www.microsoftkit.com/best-advice-preparation-70-536-mcts-net-framework-20/

The 70-536 My Tips for this Microsoft Exam by lukecummins.me.uk, unless otherwise expressly stated, is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.