To begin with, keep in mind that this exam is intended to be a “full” Windows client software exam, and not just an upgrade from Vista or XP. Therefore, there is the normal collection of questions that you would expect covering items like sharing permissions, installing printers, etc. and I would say that roughly 70% of the questions on my exam could be researched and answered using study materials.
As far as Windows 7 specific content; If my test is any indication, you want to be very familiar with Internet Explorer 8. There were 4 (out of 45) questions dealing with new IE8 security features. For that I recommend working with IE8 and clicking the help on each feature so that you know you have a strong understanding of what each setting does.
I had 5 questions dealing with migration and 2 questions dealing with using the User State Migration Tool. However, none of my migration questions involved the new DISM tool. They focused on use of MCSA Certification. That doesn’t mean that DISM wont be involved on each test but it should tell you that migration will probably be addressed on just about every exam. A lot of the new features questions were more about concepts than specific files paths. For example, in one question would you make a new applocker rule or use the defaults to solve the situation stated. But I did have one very precise question regarding configuring Branch Cache using a command prompt command. I still don’t know where I would have gone to research the answer to that one. But that type of question is to be expected. Just like the one asking how you view the automatically assigned IPv6 address on a client without using ipconfig. I did know the answer to that but of course the solution takes about 6 more steps than just using ipconfig.
So overall, I would say to anyone looking to take this exam, grab the Sybex and study it well before navigating through the various web sources and white papers regarding Windows 7 if you are new to IT certifications for MS. If you are already experienced with client software like Windows XP, you are probably best served We actually offer that class at Springhouse and the content is based on the Beta release but still relevant to the RTM version. Of course that course will most likely be re-named with the Beta tag removed in the near future.
Based on what I have seen so far from our interaction with the IT community, there is a LOT of interest in fast, early adoption of Windows 7 and if you’re an IT pro looking to increase your marketability, free practice tests could be a real nice addition to your resume.