Microsoft Technology Associate Certification

[Excelsior1958]

I am looking for some good FREE study guides, tutorials, videos, etc to help me prepare for the MTA certifications. All responses are appreciated. I have Googled the topic and I am coming up with mostly expensive training resources.

 

[Lexluethar]

Most microsoft training courses are expensive. Your best bet IMO is to purchase the MS press book on the topic you are wanting to study then install the program or OS you are studying for.

I'm not sure which route you are planning on going, there are a few. If you tell us specifics we may be able to point you in the right direction.

Honestly though it's been my experience that you can't cheap out on Microsoft certifications. What i've found for free online is either horribly incomplete or really poor quality (IE giving wrong information, missing key steps, ect).

 

[StevieJoseph]

I have just completed 4 MTA exams and all of my assignments with distinction level marks. I can honestly say that the books they give you at the beginning of the course offer a substantial amount of informaiton, as long as you read that and take most of it in you will pass with flying colours.

However if you are like me and it takes you about a year to read it then you can look at training bodies such as "Juniper", they had a few training courses that really helped me out.
What MTA are you studying?

 

[Excelsior1958]

I have just completed 4 MTA exams and all of my assignments with distinction level marks. I can honestly say that the books they give you at the beginning of the course offer a substantial amount of informaiton, as long as you read that and take most of it in you will pass with flying colours.

However if you are like me and it takes you about a year to read it then you can look at training bodies such as "Juniper", they had a few training courses that really helped me out.
What MTA are you studying?

I plan to do all four as well:

349: Windows Operating System
365: Windows Server Administration
366: Networking
367: Security

 

[InfoTechNetworking]

Just got the Operating systems essentials books for 349, 365, 366, and 367.

I just past MTA 349 with a 76 and only read 2/3s of the Windows Operating System Fundamentals book by that Cody guy for my IT 108 class.

The entire class passed with 75-80 without trying. And we have four weeks of 10 left of our quarter. For those wanting higher scores they will just take it again on finals week.

But honestly, just go on Amazon and buy the $20 study guides for each one. They are very basic certifications, unless you have no experience at all, the only real things to worry about are group policy and the MMC.

 

[XGaia]

Most microsoft training courses are expensive. Your best bet IMO is to purchase the MS press book on the topic you are wanting to study then install the program or OS you are studying for.

I'm not sure which route you are planning on going, there are a few. If you tell us specifics we may be able to point you in the right direction.

Honestly though it's been my experience that you can't cheap out on Microsoft certifications. What i've found for free online is either horribly incomplete or really poor quality (IE giving wrong information, missing key steps, ect).

If microsoft's training is that expensive your better off with college,at least there you you have options to add to the experience

 

[Lexluethar]

It's not that microsofts training is expensive - its that the companies / schools providing the training gouge you.

Microsoft provides a TON of free resources and learning programs to allow people to learn for free or at least get a general understanding of the technology. Can you pass one of their exams with the free material they provide? Absolutely, you just have to know where to look. I've met a few people in the industry that don't purchase any books or go to any training classes and pass the exams (without cheating).

Microsoft and VMware (not sure about Cisco) provide all of their exam blueprints online, available to the public, free of charge. A simple google search on those topics covered in blueprint will net you dozens or even hundreds of quality articles (some dozens of pages long) on the blueprint topic you searched. Microsofts technet covers just about every single exam topic they would ever test you on.

Personally i purchase a book so that i have quick reference material and it gives me the studying flexibility to read / study away from my computer. With that said though in order to pass my MCSA i went through and bookmarked every quality technet article i found on the exam topics i was studying. I have a favorites folder on my Chrome bar full of about 35 articles for my 70-646 exam alone.

 

[XGaia]

It's not that microsofts training is expensive - its that the companies / schools providing the training gouge you.

Microsoft provides a TON of free resources and learning programs to allow people to learn for free or at least get a general understanding of the technology. Can you pass one of their exams with the free material they provide? Absolutely, you just have to know where to look. I've met a few people in the industry that don't purchase any books or go to any training classes and pass the exams (without cheating).

Microsoft and VMware (not sure about Cisco) provide all of their exam blueprints online, available to the public, free of charge. A simple google search on those topics covered in blueprint will net you dozens or even hundreds of quality articles (some dozens of pages long) on the blueprint topic you searched. Microsofts technet covers just about every single exam topic they would ever test you on.

Personally i purchase a book so that i have quick reference material and it gives me the studying flexibility to read / study away from my computer. With that said though in order to pass my MCSA i went through and bookmarked every quality technet article i found on the exam topics i was studying. I have a favorites folder on my Chrome bar full of about 35 articles for my 70-646 exam alone.

Then I misunderstood what you said if it isn't microsoft training that is expensive there where does the expensive come in? Is it the test or the license?

 

[Lexluethar]

Its the school. A Microsoft exam costs $150 to taken. A Microsoft published book usually costs $70.

Why do schools (tech schools and community colleges) charge $1,000 or more for one exam blows my mind. They do it bc people are willing to pay.

 

[XGaia]

Its the school. A Microsoft exam costs $150 to taken. A Microsoft published book usually costs $70.

Why do schools (tech schools and community colleges) charge $1,000 or more for one exam blows my mind. They do it bc people are willing to pay.

I think it all depends on what you are planning on doing, game design you need more then programming to know what you are doing.