Review of MCTS Self-Paced Training Kit (Exam 70-528): Microsoft® .NET Framework 2.0 Web-Based Client Development (Pro Certification) (Hardcover)

This is a good book to use for preparing for the specific exam it covers. I read it for that purpose and passed the exam on the first try. The writing is clear and the examples and practices are relevant. The typos, errors and omissions are noticeable but tolerable (somewhat expected for the first printing of this type of book). I enjoyed the writing style and especially the first few chapters that covered conceptual topics. The later chapters are a little dry--I would guess that even the author was bored by the last chapter recounting the endless minutiae of deployment and monitoring.

If you're not planning on taking this exam--get a different book. There are no tips and tricks, no in-depth coverage of how to accomplish real-world tasks, no hand-holding for novices, and a whole lot of extra chapters covering what is likely miscellany to most developers. The book is exactly what it purports to be: a training kit for the purpose of passing this particular exam.



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Review of MCTS Self-Paced Training Kit (Exam 70-562): Microsoft® .NET Framework 3.5 ASP.NET Application Development (Pro - Certification) (Hardcover)

Well, I just took and passed the 70-562 exam. This book was my only written source for the exam. I also looked up things on MSDN once in a while. I found the book to be very well organized and informative, and will keep it as a handy reference on .NET Framework 3.5. I read the entire book and completed most of the exercises and answered all the questions at the end, though I didn't complete the suggested practices. If I had, I would have never finished the book.

As far as the test is concerned, if you use this book and nothing else, I can almost guarantee you will not pass the test. A lot of the questions on the test are mostly related to remembering which XML configuration tags to use for specific situations. The questions at the end of the chapters on this book are good but will not help you on the test. I honestly don't know why the authors do that, but I digress... My suggestion is that you supplement this book with Transcender or MeasureUp. I used Transcender and some of the questions on the test were similar to the questions on Transcender, but not many. I didn't use MeasureUp so I can't comment on how effective it is. I had previously taken and passed the 70-536 exam and Transcender was of great help, that amount of help did not apply to exam 70-562.

70-562 is way harder than 70-536. The former had 50 questions, whereas the latter only 40. They give you 3 and a half hours to complete the 70-562 test so that should give you some idea.

I wish you good luck because you are going to need it.



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