Preparing your SCOM and SCCM exam

4 Weeks ago i sat for the offical Microsoft exams SCOM and SCCM. If you want to know more about SCOM & SCCM including passing the exams you want to read this post.


You'll probably know that there are two ways of passing Microsoft exams.

• Get the exam questions and answers in your head, pass, know nothing and get reveiled occasionally when a client askes an in-depth question.
  

or, better,

• Get a book, do the Virtual Labs from Microsoft, setup your own test environment, practice lab questions and actually know what your doing. Practice some exams and then pass the actual exam.
  

Important topic areas

SCOM

• Know how to configure and maintain SCOM
• Configuring Management packs including MOM 2005 MP's
• New features in R2
  

SCCM

• Know about the new features compared to SMS 2003, because a lot has been added to Systems Management from MS!
• Deployments in different test environments (desktops, offsite notebooks, OSD-deployments) with service windows and baselines.
  

Materials

Here's a list of the best materials for studying for SCOM exam 70-400 and SCCM exam 70-401.

SCOM

Book: System Center Operations Manager 2007 Unleashed link

I really like the unleashed books. For MOM 2005 I also used the unleased book. Very complete and explained in depth.

Virtual Labs: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/virtuallabs/bb499680.aspx

Microsoft info (including practice tests): http://www.microsoft.com/learning/en/us/exams/70-400.mspx

SCCM

Book: System Center Configuration Manager 2007 Unleashed link

Yes, another Unleashed! For SMS 2003 I read a Microsoft Press book. It was OK, but this book for SCCM gives just more in-depth information.

(If you're familiar with other good SCCM books of which you think should be listed here, let me know)

Virtual Labs: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/virtuallabs/bb499680.aspx

Or http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/virtuallabs/bb539977.aspx

Microsoft info (including practice tests): http://www.microsoft.com/learning/en/us/exams/70-401.mspx

Studying

Do theory and practices. Write down things you don't understand. Search the internet for blogs like this one for possible answers. But this is just basically what you always should do when studying techninal areas.

.... oh.... I passed both exams. :)