What To Look For In A MCSA Boot Camp
If you are a computer technology professional or you want to work in information technology, you definitely want to get certified. Certification requires you to master a particular set of skills and then pass a comprehensive battery of exams to prove yourself. Most of the major computer companies have certification programs. Apple, HP, IBM, Cisco, and others have their own certification programs. But perhaps the most robust and well-known certification programs are from Microsoft. They offer certifications from the entry level Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP) to the Microsoft Certified Systems Administrator (MCSA) to the Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer (MCSE). Obviously, the higher the certification you get from Microsoft, the more studying, the more skills, and the more exams you have to take. One way to get up to speed is to attend an MSCA boot camp. At these boot camps, you will spend a lot of time studying for the exams.
In order to get your MCSA certification you must take and pass four exams. You will need to pass three core exams with two exams on networking systems and one client operating systems. You will then need to pass one elective exam that can be on anything from Exchange to SQL to SharePoint Services. These exams are extremely rigorous. In the past, Microsoft exams could be passed by most people, even those without any experience. These people became known as "paper MCSE's." This term referred to people who had passed the exams but had no real experience with Microsoft operating systems or Microsoft networks. In order to crack down on this, Microsoft has made the exams tougher and requires you to complete some complex simulations.
This is where the MCSA boot camps are worth their money. When you attend boot camp, you will spend a lot of time taking practice exams and going through different scenarios that you may see in the exam. This will better help prepare you to pass the exams. At boot camp, the instructor will also highlight and punctuate items and questions that they expect you will find on the exam. Since all the instructors have passed these exams and also have real world experience, they will be able to prepare you to pass the MCSA or MCSE exams.
MCSA boot camps are intense, so be ready to be immersed in all things Microsoft for two weeks or so. In a typical boot camp, you may be asked to read a large amount of material even before boot camp begins to bring you up to speed on the topics that will be on the exam. Some boot camps also require you to take some practice tests before you head off to camp. And some boot camps require that you pass some of the practice exams before you are admitted into their camp. This is so they can advertise that they have a 100% passing rate for their students. If you can't pass the practice exam, you won't be allowed to attend their school.
When you are looking at an MCSA boot camp, there are some important considerations to look for. Since you will be spending a lot of money on the school, you want to compare them carefully. Some things to look for in an MCSA boot camp are:
- How much does the school cost?
- What transportation fees are included?
- Is airfare included?
- Is transportation from the airport to the training center included?
- Is lodging included?
- What meals are included?
- What books and materials are included?
- How many exams will be allowed to take?
- How many retakes are included in the fee?
- How many hours can I spend in the computer lab?
- What hours is the computer lab open?
- How many students are in each class?
- What are the accommodations like?
As you can see, there are a lot of questions you need to ask when you are shopping for an MCSA boot camp. But if you are going to be spending 10 to 12 hours a day for two weeks in a training school, you need to be sure before you go that you can thrive in this environment and that distraction will be kept to a minimum. There is no doubt that MCSA boot camps are intense, but with good, real-world experience under your belt, and a positive attitude, you will be able to pass your exams and achieve your MCSA certification.
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