There are two required networking exams in the MCSA track.
The first one is "Managing and Maintaining a Windows Server 2003 Environment" (Exam No. 70-290).
Tip 1: Know how to work with physical and logical devices. MCSA candidates also must know how to work with users, computers and groups, plus how to access resources and work with disaster recovery operations.
The second networking exam, "Implementing, Managing and Maintaining a Windows Server 2003 Network Infrastructure" (No. 70-291) has a different set of objectives.
Tip No. 2: The MCSA candidate should know IP (Internet Protocol) addressing and how to resolve Domain Name System (DNS) names to IPs. DNS is like a phone book where you match a name to a phone number; with DNS you match a domain name, such as yahoo.com, to an IP address. Since this exam deals with networking operations, candidates must know about routing, remote access and network security.
These exams focus on different parts of the computer server; the first is on how the server is self-managed, and second on how the server manages the network. The candidate should understand the difference.
The MCSA certification also has exams for the client (workstation) level. A workstation is what all users use; it is their PC.
There are four client (workstation) exams, but the MCSA candidate needs to take only one. The four exams each deal with one operating system (OS): Windows 7 (the current OS release), Vista (2008), XP (2003) or 2000 Professional.
TIP No. 3: Forget about Vista or 2000 Professional; do not take those exams. The only question is whether take the Windows 7 exam (70-680) or Windows XP (70-270).
Windows 7 is the current OS release by Microsoft. However, many companies have not migrated to it because of software and hardware compatibility issue. Windows XP is still the prevalent OS used by many businesses.
Tip No. 4: The candidate should concentrate on Windows XP (# 70-270) since there is a lot of needed support for this OS. From a purely practical point of view, go where the support calls originate.
The MCSA candidate can choose from more than 24 elective exams. They range from Managing Business Servers (70-086) to Database Support (70-557). There are many other topics to study.
Tip No. 5: Select an exam covering a topic the candidate knows or is interested in learning.