LEARN WITH PREPAWAY: What Is the Skillset You Need for MCSA: Windows Server 2012 Certification and Microsoft 70-412 Exam?

Being one of the biggest software providers in the world, Microsoft company aims to provide a decent level of services for their products. That’s why the company created a wide certification program for interested IT professionals. With the certification from Microsoft, individuals can prove that they possess the skills on the entry, associate, expert and developer level. In this article, we will discuss one of the associate-level certifications which can surely boost your IT knowledge – PrepAway.

MCSA: Windows Server 2012 certification
If you ever considered working with Windows Server 2012 and want to reduce IT costs for the company you are working in, MCSA: Windows Server 2012 certification is a great solution for your career. If you are Microsoft certified, you can qualify for the position of a network specialist or systems administrators expect a salary increase in the current position. This credential requires passing of three compulsory exams: 70-410, 70-411 and 70-412. Below we will concentrate on the last exam in this credential path – 70-412: Configuring Advanced Windows Server 2012 Services and its specifics.

70-412 exam
Microsoft 70-412 exam is the third and last test on your way to MCSA: Windows Server 2012 certification. This test is designed to check whether you have skills in the fieldof advanced configuration. If you passed 70-412 exam, it means that you can professionally manage, maintain and deploy a Windows Server 2012 infrastructure and handle the tasks related to certificate services, identity federation and fault tolerance.

Topics of 70-412 exam
The exam will test your knowledge in the following areas:

1. High Availability: configuration and management
To answer all the questions in this unit successfully, the candidate should know how to configure failover clustering and NLB (Network Load Balancing) as well as manage VM (Virtual Machine) movement and failover clustering roles.

2. Storage and file solutions
Questions in this section are dedicated to the configuration of advanced file services, implementation of DAC (Dynamic Access Control) and storage optimisation.

3. Disaster recovery and business continuity
To clear this section, the candidate should be well familiar with the configuration and management of backups and site-level fault tolerance as well as know how to recover servers.

4. Network services
To answer all the questions in this unit, you should be able to implement advanced DNS solution and DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) solution. Some of the questions are also dedicated to the deployment and management of IPAM.

5. Active Directory infrastructure
This part of the test covers the configuration of sites and trusts. To clear this section, you should also be able to configure a forest or a domain and manage SYSVOL replication and AD.

6. Information protection solutions and the configuration of access
This unit covers the implementation ofAD FS, installation and configuration of AD CSand AD RMS and certificate management.

Exam structure
In order to be prepared for your 70-412 exam, you should be familiar with its structure. Normally, Microsoft does not disclose the exact specifics of the exam. However, according to feedback from previous candidates and approximate data from the Microsoft website, 70-412 exam will last about 2 hours and will comprise of 40-60 questions. We can also assume that there will be multiple-choice, hot area, drag-and-drop, best answer, case study, active screen, build list, other question types.

The fee you need to pay for the registration is $165 (in the US). If you are living in another country, please check the information on the official Microsoft website. The price ofthe exam in your country may be higher or lower. Passing score for 70-412 exam is 700 out of 1000 marks. If you failed your test, you can reschedule the exam, pay the fee and try to take the exam again.

Exam 70-412 prerequisites
This exam does not require any prior certification, but if you want to pass it successfully, you need to have some hands-on experience in the field. Practical skills will help you considerably during the exam.

Preparation options
If you want to pass 70-412 exam at your first attempt, you need to conduct research and choose quality training material in the form that is most convenient for you. The first option for dedicated candidates is to enroll in the instructor-led course. Here you will be able to communicate with the seasoned Microsoft experts and ask them questions if necessary. The instructor-led training course will surely help you to boost your knowledge and learn all compulsory topics, which in its turn will increase your chances of success. Instructor-led courses are not cheap, however, they will certainly make you more knowledgeable and self-confident.

If you prefer to learn at your own pace, there is no better preparation option for you than books. Official Microsoft study guides are easily found on the Internet. The main advantage of these guides is that they are written by experts in the field. You can buy either paper or e-book and build your study schedule around the topics mentioned in it. Make sure that you buy the official Microsoft guide that is updated to the current version of the exam – you can do that by reading the reviews. One more good thing about books is that they may contain practice questions for you to evaluate the level of your preparedness for the exam.

Conclusion
So, now you are all set to start your 70-412 exam preparation. With the list of the topics, you can be sure that you will be ready for each and every question you can encounter during the exam. You can also rest assured that the concepts you’ve learned will be useful to you in the future at work. And one more thing: upon completion of our MCSA: Windows Server 2012 certification, you can move straight to the expert level! Yes, you can apply for MCSE: Core Infrastructure credential and enter the world of unique specialists. Good luck!