Rating: 
Summary: Excellent, passed both exams on first attempt
Review: I found this very thourough book exceptional but would agree with others that the software included is somewhat lacking though it does review exam concepts well
Rating: 
Summary: Insufficient for 70-175
Review: All in all, it was quite helpful and managed to convey enough information for me to pass, but my exam had questions that were not even remotely covered in this book. Specifically deeper COM and MTS questions, RDO options and VB project configuration were not covered in enough depth.Also, there were a number of inconsistencies between questions and the text (text was usually right), e.g. the IDispatch methods question. Also, in a couple of places the answers to the questions bore no resemblance to the questions. The book could have used a proofer.
Rating:
Summary: Great work with holes
Review: The book moves you much closer to the objective of passing the exam. I think it is an invaluable tool. However there are holes where the author could have spent more time. The strength of the book is the review questions, exercises and exam questions at end of each chapter. However I found a few of the questions to be ambiguous and I think one of them was even repeated (chapter 4 #16 and #22). You can't go wrong with this book, but you have to be good enough and attentive to read some of the material with a grain of salt. I don't want to take too much away from the book because it is excellent.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent format and content, but too many errors
Review: I loved the format and the content. There were too many errors though. If I didn't already have a strong knowledge of VB, I may have accepted everything this book had to say at face value, which may have resulted in examination errors. I recommend this book, but with caution.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent format and content, but too many errors
Review: The format and content of this book was for the most part excellent. However, If I didn't already have a good working knowledge of VB6, I would've probably accepted everything that was written in this book at face value. The word omissions, spelling errors, and technical errors made this book only deserve 3 stars. How can a book which has been technically reviewed have so many errors?
Rating:
Summary: Very helpful for 70-176. Slightly lacking for 70-175.
Review: The book is a good deal (money and time wise) because it provides everything you need to pass 70-176 (Desktop), and about 80% of what you need for 70-175 (Distributed). The Top-Score exam simulations where helpful, but I think Transcender does a better job of preparing you for the real exams. The labs at the end of each chapter were also very helpful. The authors' suggestions at the beginning of each chapter on how to study and prepare beyond what the material and labs provide were a nice touch (although I rarely had time to do the "additional" work). For the distributed exam, I felt that the book was a little lacking in some of the areas, such as ASP and some MTS concepts. Knowing the key concepts of ASP and the main objects that it exposes is very important for the test. For MTS, the book was a little too focused on the server administration side and not enough on the development and use of MTS objects. I had to find this information in other places. There were some minor errors in the book as well. For example, I found some conflicting information with other study material regarding what the different recordset types (static, keyset, etc.) can see when other users delete, add or change data. I bought an Exam Cram book for the 70-175 test which filled in the missing information. I would have definitely given this book 5 stars if there was just a bit more information on IIS (WebClasses, ASP) and MTS.
Rating:
Summary: The best of the lot by far
Review: I read the last book by Hawhee for VB5 and passed the exam on the first try. For the VB6 Desktop exam, I tried some other books while waiting for this one to come out. The Mezick-Hillier "All-in-One Guide" wasn't very good, I don't think. The MS Press MSDN Kit was better, but not specific enough. Finally, Howard's new book came out. Read it and passed the VB6 desktop exam today in the 900 range. I highly recommend this book. It has problems, though. One piece of the included software is missing. There are a number of mistakes both in the test software and in the book, some of which are transferred over from the last version of the book. That's why it only gets four stars instead of 5. If you are looking for the one book that truly offers value, I would without hesitation say this is it. I recommended it to a friend of mine who had been using the Transcender exams, and she credits the Transcender and Howard with her certification two weeks ago. Best of luck, everyone.
Rating:
Summary: Extremely good.
Review: This book is wonderful. I would say that between this book and the Books Online that comes with VB6 you should be well covered for the Exams. I am right in the middle of the book right now and 90% it gives me just the right information. This book is VERY consise. I'll view the Exam questions at the end of each chapter and I'll get it wrong and say 'It didn't cover that,' and I'll go back and re-read it and sure enough, in one sentence in the middle of a paragraph, there it will be. So, make sure your reading comprehension skills are good because the book doesn't waste space. There are a couple of times it's too consise (ADO and Components) and that's where the VB help comes in and fills in the gaps nicely. I have no problems recommeding this book.
Rating: 
Summary: The best I've seen
Review: I've read six study guides to prepare for the VB6 Desktop exam, and this book is better than the other 5 combined. It is the first I've seen with exercies at the end of each chapter. These exercises really help to give detailed and practical knowledge of how to use the product. The content is by far the most complete and extensive. I have already taken this exam once, and this study guide really focuses on important topics and doesn't provide too much irrelevant information like many other books. The sample test questions very closely reflect actual questions found on the exam and are similar in diffuculty. The CD is also much better than any other study CD I've seen. The sample test on the cd is the most realistic and extensive, and its format most closely matches that of the exam. I strongly recommend this book for anyone taking the Desktop exam. This book does contain a few typographical errors, and could do a better job of identifying what topics will be on the Desktop exam and which topics will be on the Distributed exam, but overall it is an excellent book.
Rating:
Summary: 1st impression is good but some software is missing or weak
Review: This book is very thick and seems to have lots of well orgainized and detailed information for both desktop and distributed VB exams. I think the CDROM is missing one of the four Top Score applications: the simulator software mentioned in the text of the book. Also, the practice exam questions seem much easier and less time consuming than the real exam. When Transcender comes out with a VB6 practice exam (currently in beta), I may have to buy it as the Top Score Practice Exams did not seem to have very many questions to select from their random question database.
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