This morning I sat and passed the 70-236 exam from Microsoft, which is titled TS: Exchange Server 2007, Configuring.

Passing this exam earns you MCTS: Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 – Configuration certification status, and also earns credit towards the MCITP: Enterprise Messaging Administrator certification.

I don’t like to dance around the exam NDA and give away too much about the exam content but I will offer the following advice and suggestions for training resources if you are planning to sit this exam.

• As with any Microsoft exam always review the Preparation Guide.
• In the absence of the official MS Press training kit I recommend Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 Unleashed. At 1200 pages it is not an easy read, but it will go a long way to preparing you for this exam, the design and deployment exams, many real world deployment and migration scenarios including integration with other products such as Sharepoint, and is a handy desk reference for your daily Exchange administrative duties.
• Make use of the Technet Virtual Labs.
• If you are new to Exchange and like webcasts, the 24 Hours of Exchange Server 2007 webcast series is a good start.
• If you prefer reading documents, the Simple and Standard deployment guides are excellent reading.
• Either the Exchange Server 2007 Virtual Hard Disk or the Exchange Server 2007 Evaluation software for hands on experience.
• Know your Exchange Management Shell commands. This is essential for passing the exam. If you know the Exchange Management Console back to front but have not learned the shell commands you will fail the exam. At least 90% of the questions I faced involved selecting the correct shell command or commands to achieve the desired result.

Good luck.