Hurray! I passed my 70-762 exam! Passing both the 70-761 and the 70-762 means I am officially a Microsoft Certified Solutions Associate for Developing 2016 SQL Server Databases!
On March 3rd I posted my spreadsheet and study guide to the 70-762 which I followed. I also posted prior to my test exactly how I studied. So if you want to see how I used the spreadsheet study guide or want to read about how I studied, you can use the links below and read those pieces. Likewise, if you want to read about why and who someone should become certified, I have created a post on that as well!
This post is about my experience taking the 70-762.
I’m lucky enough to live really close to the testing center, so getting to the test is pretty low stress. I spent the weekend pouring over books, notes, test labs in SSMS, and the Measureup practice test. Come Monday morning, I’m reviewing my topics once more to try and make them fresh in my mind.
A short three minute bike ride later, I’m at the office handing over two forms of identification and showing them my phone is turned off as I place it in the locker. We go through the rest of the procedures at the testing facility and I’m finally ready. Here I am, sitting, taking the test.
I’d say there were 10 questions where I really wanted to pick one answer but felt the other answer was best. I finished with about 10 minutes left, so I spent those 10 minutes reviewing questions and trying to see if there were any hints or indicators that may lead to a better answer than the other answers. In the end, I submit the test with around a minute or so left. Who knows if finagling with the answers at the end helped, but it was still more than enough to pass.
The 761 took me right up to the last second, I didn’t have as much time and felt I could have used a little more. This test I felt pretty confident that regardless of those 10 extra minutes, I would have probably scored the same. So even though the 762 was barely faster, I felt it was significantly more difficult. I spent a definitively longer period of time studying for this exam than I did with the 761 and I performed worse on the 762 than I did the 761.
Even with the practice test and two free retakes, I felt a little stressed. I had my one year review with my company the day after the test, so I really wanted the passing grade first try for the next day! More than just wanting to pass, I wanted to pass with the highest score I possibly could as well. (I can get a little competitive like that, even if it’s only with myself.)
The nice thing about the exam is that it tells you your percentage score in the areas defined on the test, so afterward you know where to improve. These results were completely inverted from how I saw my proficiency when I studied, so that was a huge shocker to me. (My worst areas were now my best and my best areas were now my worst.) So I’ve been having a fun week pouring back over my books and trying to educate myself on the mistakes I probably made.
I felt the 761 test was fairer and less ambiguous than the 762, so you really need to know your stuff and what is covered on the exam. In the end, I felt the 762 was similar enough in format and how they ask their questions so I felt more comfortable. I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect when I took the 761, so there were no shockers this time. You can apply the same test taking skills you would in the 761 to this exam, so that was handy. I plan on making a test skills post someday, but if you want to read about my recommendations applying test taking skills to your Microsoft exams, you can read them on my passing 761 post.
I didn’t feel as prepared as I wanted to feel taking the exam, but I had a time crunch so I decided to go for it! My learning of course is never finished, so I’ll be working towards my MCSE next and aiming to take the 70-767 this fall!
Congrats, Jon on your achievement and thanks for sharing your experience! I’m preparing for both 70-761/2. How similar is the MeasureUp exam simulation, in terms of difficulty, to the real thing? Any key differences you can point out?
Thanks,
Hi Sid, I think the primary difference between the real exam and the MeasureUp exam is the quality. The questions are written better and I feel like they are all probably correct in the real exam. I found a few mistakes in the MeasureUp, but it was only around ~5 questions out of over 150. It’s really hard to tell if the real exam is more difficult than the practice exam because I don’t know what questions I got wrong, how much each question was worth point wise, or if my answers even counted. (They may or may not grade your answers on some questions, some questions could be a beta question that they are testing out for counting on future exams.) Overall though, I feel like if you can pass with 85% on the practice exam without memorizing the answers and you know why you are picking the answers you pick, you’ll probably have room to spare to pass the real exam. Just make sure to understand the topics listed in the curriculum and apply test taking skills. Good luck!
Very useful…. Thanks, Jon for the clarification! I actually surprised myself and passed with 910! The difficulty & depth of the actual exams turned out to be closely similar to Measureup, which I used along with Kaplan.
Congrats and thanks for sharing your plans Jon! Last month I passed the 70-761 with help from your study outline. I plan to use your path for the 70-762 as well.
I passed my 70-762 exam today. Thanks you for your help. I downloaded your study guide.
I know I don’t have much time but I’m going for the 70-767 Data Warehouse!
Any tips?
Thanks again,
Percell
That’s pretty good timing! I just passed my 767 on Monday. I’d recommend to get the package that comes with a retake, the exam, and the practice test. On my 767 post I have some resources there. I’d recommend the edx courses and then trying the practice exam. Those were my primary tools to study, minus a few one off articles on specific technology. You should be able to pass it with a 85 or higher in my opinion. From there, assess where you need to study and focus hard. The ability to pass would probably be based on your experience and how much time you can study. You should have until January 31st, so it’s achievable, but it could be cutting it close.
Thank you for your helpful information! With help from this blog post, and your post about Exam 70-761, I was able to pass both exams on the first try and earn my own MCSA! I actually took the second exam 2 days before Microsoft discontinued the exams and the certification 😦
It’s a shame they discontinued the cert, but I guess nothing stays the same! What are your thoughts on Microsoft discontinuing the MCSA and MCSE Certifications?
Again, THANK YOU!!!