I finally passed the 70-461 today. This is actually my 2nd attempt. I just realized how unprepared I was when I first took the exam back in November 2015. I remember feeling a little down for a few days after I got the "FAIL" that first time. But I think that first attempt helped me a lot because it gave me an idea of what the styles of questions were like. It also allowed me to really identify my problem areas. For me, it was writing the actual T-SQL codes. I knew the concepts back then but since I was not using SQL Server everyday, I sucked when it came to writing code.
So this is what I did to prepare for this exam:
- I looked at the skills measured and the feedback from my first exam, I highlighted all the topics that I needed to work on and made sure those were my top priorities every study session.
- Write T-SQL and write it everyday. (Since I was not using SQL Server everyday, I made it a habit of writing a T-SQL everyday. Especially those involving Creating UDF objects, Views, Stored Procs, and yeah...even that dreadful XML part!). I made sure I write the code without looking at the manual. I also did try to copy some of the code from the Microsoft Press book 70-461 Training Kit. I made sure I understood what the code is doing, then eventually write it down without looking at the code. The important thing is I understood each part and what was the purpose of it.
- I got an extra book. I already had the 70-461 Training Kit book but this was not enough. I think this other book was a great supporting reference: Murach's SQL Server 2012 for developers. (And yes...I also made sure I did the coding examples in that book.)
- Katie & Emil website. (www.katieandemil.com) - they got some nice sample questions that's by far almost similar to the styles of the questions in the exam. Drag and drop sql code around, hot spots. and fill in code..etc. You should check it out.
- And yes...did I forget to mention that I had to write some T-SQL code?
- Read MSDN documentation. Make sure you know some of the basic syntax for Creating the different objects. Don't ignore those optional parts of the syntax!!!
- Watch 70-461 videos on YouTube. There are some nice videos out there by Christopher Harrison.
- I blogged about some topics that I didn't understand. (datashizzle.BlogSpot.com) Even though I know no one reads it, but I was able to use them as notes for my study anywhere. I plan on continuing to add to the blog and keep learning.
So there ya go. I wish I passed this on my first take, but I guess I just was not prepared back then. So make sure you take advantage of that Free retake! And don't worry if you failed also, just learn from it and eventually you'll get it! Don't give up! Good luck.
