McSe Tcp/Ip Prep and Cram Pack: The Most Popular McSe Elective Teams Up With the Most Effective Learning System

Rating:
Summary: The Cram book is the only one you need to pass the test.
Review: I have been very impressed with the Exam Cram series. The TCP/IP book within this pair keeps up with the standard. The focus is generally on the preparation for the test, with side notes and hints that keep it interesting. A well written explaination of the NT 4.0 implementation of the TCP/IP suite. There are enough details to clarify and reinforce the learning necessary. At the same time it is a good book to keep on the workshelf as a piece of reference material. Without question an excellent / accurate source for the concepts tested by Microsoft on the MSCE exam. For me personnaly and quite possibly anyone else who is volunteering to have their TCP/IP troubleshooting and configuration skills tested, the Prep book is less valuable. The information is presented within the familiar format, but the perspective seems unfocused (beginner, intermediate, advance level information all lumped together. Sometimes the details are extensive and other times basic material upon which the subject matter is based was ignored. The authors do include an excellent additional reading list, but I believe in some cases a reader can get easily lost and not know which book to turn. 4 chapters were all I could take, before I set it aside. For a beginner this format may add to the knowledge gained. I wish they had included some subnet tables to enhance the reference value of the books. There are errata notes for each book at their Web site. Very valuable changes that helped me on two test questions.

Rating:
Summary: Networking Essentials Exam Cram
Review: Recently I passed Microsoft's certification test 70-058 (Networking Essentials). I read Exam Cram's Networking Essentials preperation guide and found it to be much much too basic compared to the questions I had on my '30'question test. The plainness and out right simplistic verbage in the Exam Cram text would not have been enough to help those of us who are in a career transition pass the test. Test difficulty rating of 2 in the back of the book is extremely weak. Exam Cram authors should take the current Microsoft certification test 70-058, I'm sure they would notice the difference. Another note, chapter 1 discusses the test layout and design. This chapter is useless unless you go back in time and take a 50-65 question test. I know microsoft changed it testing requirements after publication date, however your product is only as good as you can back it up. Meaning, if it is known Microsoft has changed their requirements, you should mirror your writings to those changes.