My name is Rachel Hagerman, and I’m yet another newbie trying out blogging here at Falafel Software.  Recently I spent a few weeks preparing for the MS70-315 Exam:  Developing and Implementing Web Applications with Microsoft Visual C#.NET and Visual Studio.  Since I had no real ASP.NET experience, nor had I ever taken a Microsoft exam, I was a little apprehensive about how to study, how to get set up to take the test, and of course the test itself.  This blog is for anyone in that same situation.  To give you a sense of the time frame here, I started studying in mid-February and took my exam on March 31, 2008.

Exam Preparation

Preparing for the exam, I had 2 goals in mind:  1) I wanted to pass the exam, of course, and 2) I wanted to use my study time and materials to familiarize myself with Visual Studio 2008, and gain some general knowledge of web applications, since that's what I will use here at Falafel.  Goal #1 turned out pretty well, as I passed the exam on my first try with a score in the mid-900s.  I think Goal #2 worked out also – I feel more confident in my knowledge of web apps and in using the new edition of Visual Studio.

MCAD/MCSD Training Guide (70-315): Developing and Implementing Web Applications with Visual C# & Visual Studio.NET by Amit Kalani

• This is a really hefty book, and it covers in detail all of the exam objectives, with lots of step-by-step examples, review questions, and sample exam questions.  I pretty much went cover to cover, working the examples that looked useful and answering the end of chapter questions.  I also kept a little set of notes on sections that were confusing or seemed hard to remember.
• The book’s only issue is that it assumes you’re using Visual Studio 2003, and a few of the examples won’t work properly in the later versions – mostly the drag-and-drop from the toolbox or from server explorer.  The exam itself is over the same version as the book, so just make sure you understand the steps in the book, and then work as necessary in whatever version you have.
• I kept a list of questions that I didn’t understand so I could go back at the end – this really helped for my night-before cram session.

CramSession Exam 70-315 Free Study Guide

• This was a nice little review sheet that helped re-enforce what I learned from the book.  I liked this because I could print it off (double-sided) and carry it with me.  I picked this up and did mini-review sessions while riding in the car, waiting at the dentist, or getting my oil changed.  The Kalani book is just way too big to carry anywhere, so this plus my own notes were my “travel version” to study.

TestKing Practice Test Questions

• The test questions here were much harder than those presented in the book, and I used them as my final study prep just a few days before the test.  Any sooner, and I don’t think I would have remembered a single thing – I would have just been blown away by the really long code segments and detailed questions.  Some of the best information was in the answers and explanations, both the correct and incorrect ones.

Registering and Taking the Exam

Registering for the exam was actually really simple.  I just went to http://www.prometric.com/ and found the nearest test site, picked a day and a time – it was totally up to me – and paid with a credit card right then.  You can change your day or time up to a day before your test, so I wasn’t worried about losing my exam fee ($125.00) if I had to reschedule.

Taking the exam turned out to be simple as well.  The block of time scheduled is 3 hours, but there is no way it will take that long.  The test itself allows 2 hours, and the rest of the time is for filling out your forms, taking the “Example Exam” to learn how the testing system works, and answering the survey at the end.  I arrived about 9:30 and was out at 11:15.  I read a lot about the new adaptive or interactive test formats, but this was just simple fixed format – I’m not sure about other exams.  You get your score right after you finish, and a printout showing your score and how you did in each of the 7 sections.  Then a few days later you get an email with your Microsoft Certified Professional ID, assuming you passed with a score greater than 700.  It took about 10 days to get my email, but I've heard it can take much longer.

So that’s it!  I’ve noticed that this exam is set to be retired in March 2009 and replaced with a more current version.  This will eliminate the issues with VS2008 vs. VS2003.  I read here on the Microsoft Website that an earlier certification will not expire, it will just be marked as retired on your transcript.  I also saw an email saying that if you wanted to pursue an MCAD or MCSD you are encouraged to finish before March 2009 since so many exams are retiring.  

Hopefully this will take some of the mystery out of the process for any first-time exam takers and give you a better idea of what to expect.  I had such a good experience, I plan on taking 2 more tests this year to get my MCAD certification!  Good luck to anyone taking this test, or any other test for the first time!