MCAD/MCSD Visual Basic .NET Certification All-in-One Exam Guide

Rating:
Summary: Great Detail.
Review: Anyone will tell you that one book alone can not prepare you for Microsoft Certification. And I have to agree 100%. With that said I found this book detailed(technically) in a way that other books that aim at being the only certification book you need. I started reading the books on the subject and while the language was warm and fuzzy and easily kept your attention, I really didn't get much in the way of technical detail. The examples in the All in One book helped me nail down the more complex topics like delegates and remoting that other books only lightly touched. The one negative to this book is you need some experience in order to understand it. If you lack experience then my advice would be to buy both the MSPress Study Guides and this All in One. Use the MS book to get a feel for the concepts and use the All in One to start coding examples.

Rating:
Summary: Great Detail.
Review: Anyone will tell you that one book alone can not prepare you for Microsoft Certification. And I have to agree 100%. With that said I found this book detailed(technically) in a way that other books that aim at being the only certification book you need. I started reading the books on the subject and while the language was warm and fuzzy and easily kept your attention, I really didn't get much in the way of technical detail. The examples in the All in One book helped me nail down the more complex topics like delegates and remoting that other books only lightly touched. The one negative to this book is you need some experience in order to understand it. If you lack experience then my advice would be to buy both the MSPress Study Guides and this All in One. Use the MS book to get a feel for the concepts and use the All in One to start coding examples.

Rating:
Summary: Good Idea ... bad execution
Review: This book was a great idea in concept but it lacks in in execution. It suffers from poor editing. The examples often lack some critical piece that would make it very difficult for a beginner to complete the excercises and have working examples.

Either the technical editor was sloppy or the proof reader/editor was a non technical person and so could not properly evaluate the logic of what was being written.

There is a published errors page on the publishers web site however the sheet only covers the first few chapters.

Its very frustrating when you are trying to learn something and the samples don't work and since you are learning you dont' know why?
I would NOT depend on this book as the only study guide for the exams.

There is a cd ,which comes with test questions, which is helpful however I'm not sure having taken one of the exams in question that the test questions prepare you for the level of difficulty of the actual exams.

Good Luck!!!

Rating:
Summary: A must have study guide.
Review: While it may be not the only study guide and resource you should read to prepare for the MCAD/MCSD exams, it is certainly a must have for your study and as a reference. Excellent book.