The MCSE certification is still one of the top certifications out there in terms of popularity and job requirement. It is by far the most recognized certification as well. I often get emails asking for book recommendations for people who are about to write the exams and I have often recommended the 2000 version of this book.

William Stanek has recently completed the MCSE 2003 version of this book and did a fabulous job. What a great book, there is more information in the 736 pages of this book, than you'll find in most other books. On top of that, the author has a keen sense of what is important and manages to pack all this information into a book in a detailed, yet concise manner. There is a reason why he is one of the top tech writers in the business. Many of you having been working as network administrators and system engineers for years, never feeling the need, or being required to get certified. On the other hand, you may have just finished school and taken a number of courses on Windows 2003 and wish to get certified. In either case you should seriously look into this book.

The book covers the 4 core Windows 2003 MCSE exams. - 70-290: Managing and Maintaining a Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Environment - 70-291: Implementing, Managing, and Maintaining a Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Network Infrastructure - 70-293: Planning and Maintaining a Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Network Infrastructure - 70-294: Planning, Implementing, and Maintaining a Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Active Directory Infrastructure

Each exam is split into 3 chapters. - First Chapter is a summary of the exam - Second Chapter covers all the content for the exam - Third Chapter is a Q&A section to help you find your weak points The book gives an excellent overview of all the technologies each exam covers. It is very similar to the exam objectives published by Microsoft, but goes into far greater detail on the topics covered. If you have been working with the technologies covered by the exams and feel you have a good understanding of them, this book is ideal for you.

The nutshell series expects you to have a basic understanding of the technology it is covering. This book is for the person who wants to know in detail what each exam covers. It also gives you great insight on what to expect and tips on preparing for the exam. The Q&A allows you to find your weak spots allowing you to focus on the areas you need to know more about. Once you know your weak spots, you can back to the sections in the book and review them some more.

Have the education and/or experience to go write the test? Want excellent review materials to prep you? Want indepth information on what each exam covers? Want to determine your weak areas so you can focus on them? Well then, this is definatley the book for you! If you are working on your Windows 2000 MCSE there is also an edition covering the 2000 exams. (I used the 2000 version when I did my MCSE on Windows 2000). Both are excellent choices that will surely help in your quest to get certified.