Collaboratively developed and written by Java experts Hanumant Deshmukh and Jignesh Malavia, SCWCD Exam Study Kit is an extensive book and CD combination created especially to prepare for the Sun Certified Web Component Developer exam. All the exam topics are covered in depth, from exception handling to security, design patterns, and much more. 120 review questions and a quick prep section for a last-minute refresher round out this excellent study guide highly recommended not only for SCWCD exam takers, but for anyone intending to put their exam credentials to good use - the SCWCD Exam Study Kit doubles as a solid reference for dedicated programmers. If you are preparing for the SCWCD exam, then you need to secure a copy of the SCWCD Exam Study Kit from Manning Publications!

After reading the other Java books from Manning, we are hoping they will continue the trend of producing good technically focused books that are less bulky than the 1000 page tomes.

This is actually a study guide for the Sun Certified Web Component Developer (SCWCD) Exam. The authors re-iterate that this is a study guide so it will not cover all the topics that advanced JSP/ Servlet developers require. Ok, say for example you have passed the Java Programmer exam (SCJP) and now ready for another challenge. Even in the preface, the authors are giving useful information about resource you will require to pass this exam.

Chapter 1 presents the servlet container and a simple Hello World servlet. The authors make good use of diagrams and source code snippets. Chapter 2 covers the basics of JSP with a Hello User JSP example. Page 19 contains a good reference table that shows the JSP syntax elements, with the the exam objects next to each element and the book section number. Chapter 3 concludes the first section of the book with an introduction to HTTP. Developers getting ready to take the exam may think that this is all very basic stuff and not enough to pass the exam. Well they will be pleased because the next section adds the necessary acceleration. From chapter 4 to 10, the topics presented include the servlet model (and lifecycle), deployment (web.xml and war files), Servlet Context,Server-side exceptions, Session Management, security and thread-safety. Each chapter starts with the exam objectives and ends with a set of review questions in a similar style as the exam.

The third section is about JSP (chapters 11-16). They cover JSP directives, scriplets, comments and all the other fundametals. After the fundamentals, Javabeans and Tag libraries are discussed.

In the last section, the authors introduce design patterns (MVC, DAO, Front controller and business delegate) and filters (not in the exam).

In the Appendix, the end of chapter review questions are answered and explained.

The authors have done a great job at covering all the topics without dwelling too much on any one topic. Even if you are not going to take the exam, this book will help you understand many intermediate topics in a concise manner. This is another excellent Manning book.

The book is divided into 4 parts: Technology Overview, Servlets, JSPs, and Patterns and Filters. Each section s a detailed, in-depth examination of the technology, guided by the certification exam objectives. Also, a CD comes with the book that has everything you need in one place: all of the sample code presented in the book, the JSP 1.2 specification, the Servlet 2.3 specification, javadoc for all the JSP 1.2/Servlet 2.3 APIs, Tomcat 4.0.1, and a test engine with sample questions. Based on my experiences with my two previous java certifications, this test engine and the questions are very good approximations to the real test-taking experience.

Part 1 (28 pages) covers HTTP, JSPs, Servlets and the Servlet container from the 10,000 foot view in a scant 26 pages. You learn the basic architecture/patterns of web applications, the role of the web container according to servlets/JSPs and the lifecycle of a request. This the most concise, on-target explanation of Java web application development I've seen. You should tear out these pages (after having read them yourself) and give them to your manager to read. When authors don't have a strong grasp of what they're writing about, it gets very wordy. The fact that the authors can succintly capture the full picture of Java Web Applications in less than 30 pages is proof of their deep understanding of not just the APIs, but the underlying technologies and methodologies -- not just the how, but the why.

Part 2 (143 pages) covers the fundamental Java web applcation technology; the servlet. Since JSPs get translated and compiled into Java Servlets when they are exectued, a solid understanding of Servlet development and deployment issues are crucial. This section leads off with an examination of the request/response lifecycle, the servlet lifecycle (creation and destruction), and configuration. An entire chapter is spent on packaging and deploying servlets, focusing on the directory structure that must be present in the archive, and the accompanying deployment descriptor. From here, the book moves on to cover development activities including exception handling patterns, session management, application security and threading issues. The security chapters covers all of the built in HTTP authentication methods (Basic, Digest, HTTPS, and Form-based) and will save you from rolling your own authentication mechanism in your applications. The session management and threading chapters are required reading before moving on to JSPs. JSPs expose this functionality with a simplified interface, but it's very important to understand how your tools work to wield them properly.

Part 3 (170 pages) starts off with a chapter covering JSP syntax, lifecycle and features. Subsequent chapters move on to using/building web components. Java Beans are used heavily in JSP to allow the JSP to access member variables through reflection, so a crash course (3 pages) is offered to get you up to speed. Using Java Beans in all layers of the architecture, from servlets out to JSPs is discussed. In the latter chapters in this section, implmenting your own tag libraries is discussed and the major interfaces and classes are discussed. In the code samples in this chapter you start to make the connection between JSPs and servlets, and the problem that each technology is geared to solve.

Part 4 (53 pages) covers the one remaining topic on the certification exam, application patterns, and a new feature with the Servlet 2.3 API, filters. Filters aren't currently included in the exam objectives (the book notes this), but they are given the same treatment as the material that the exam covers. The patterns that are included in the exam, Value Object, Model View Controller, Data Access Object, Busienss Delegate and Front Controller.

To sum up, this book and it's CDROM are indispensable if you are studying to earn this certification or just getting your feet wet in the web tier of Java technology. This book is the perfect reference for the experienced developer that needs to learn the salient features of JSP/servlet technology quickly and without a lot of introductory "this is web programming" fluff.

This is the most clearly written technical book I've read in a long time. Mr. Neal has an ability to convey even the most difficult information in a way that makes sense. I bought the book because I needed to prepare for the Windows 98 exam, something that I could ready quickly. Because I'm studying for my MCSE exams and working, I don't have a lot of time. That's why I like this book. I got through the whole thing over a weekend and understood a lot of concepts I'd been having trouble with. Can you do a book on Server, Enterprise and Essentials? Thanks again.

Everybody needs to give this book to those people who can't/refuse to learn about computers. I know it's designed for the exams, but don't let that keep you from buying it. Here's why: We're installing a network at my job. I don't work with the computers, but I really wanted to understand what was going on so I wouldn't feel like a dummy when the "techies" were talking to me. I bought two of those big computer books, because I figured a big book would give me all the answers. Wrong. Then Dr. Joe gave me this book to read. Wow! What a difference. It was like somebody finally "turned on the light." This Windows 98 book is so easy to read! And there is so much packed into this small book (compared to those others.) I've read it once and actually gone back to some of the tougher concepts to re-read. But the point is...I'm getting it!!! Thanks!

I just finished Mr. Neals' "Liberalism and its Discontents" and I enjoyed it so much I thought I'd see if he could write about technical stuff as well as he writes commentary. I'm not disappointed. Although a little bit of the technical stuff was over my head, I was able to work through most of it by sitting down at the computer and following the instructions in the book. I think this one is definitely worth purchasing, especially if you want to understand Windows 98, networking and get a little commentary on the future of computers.

Alan Carter's book is a great learning tool and value. It really makes sense to put the three core NT 4.0 topics in a single book for an efficient and economical learning experience. I originally bought the book just to learn Workstation, but after passing the exam I realized that I had read 80% of the book and that the rest of the chapters would not take that long to learn. This book covers 98% of what you need to know to pass the three tests. I passed the three tests with high scores in just a few months and I had very little experience to start out. The topics are covered in a very thorough manner yet not too technical to scare a beginner. The book does not have all the practice tests that people want these days, but the Exam Cram series will do such and are excellent compliments to this book. You really do not need any more. In my experience Workstation and Server were covered 100% in Alan's book. Enterprise was not quite 100%, but Exam Cram covered anyhting else I came across on the test (a question on pulse was on the test). The sections on trusts, domains, global groups, and local groups were very understandable and are a very important part of the enterprise exam. The Key Point Summary at the end of each chapter is an excellent test review item, and the Instant Assesment will let you know if you know the material as well as you need to for the exam. What this book lacks as far as a practice exam it more than makes up for with the excellent and numerous Hands-on Lab Excercises. They may look long, but they really teach you hands on experience. It is important to have a practice lab with at least two computers on a network and with one having NT4.0 Workstation installed and the other having NT4.0 Server installed to make the most of this book or any study system if you really want to learn NT4.0 . You can obtain evaluation versions of these NOS from Microsoft for very little money, and you can get a second computer used for a couple hundred bucks. The progression of topics in this book makes perfect sense unlike some other books that tend to jump around and make assumptions of what you know. I may sell or give away most of my other computer books but not Alan's !

I recent purchased this book in order to prepare for the Windows NT 4.0 MCSE Core exams. I considered many other potential study guides. It took about 3 days to make up my mind. Boy, am I glad I purchased this one. If Amazon.com offered more stars, this book would rate them!

I read the book in about ten days. I took time out to start the labs, or I would have finished it in first week! The book is very well written, and reads easily. The lab exercises are well presented and offer a great opportunity to apply what you learned in the text.

Mr. Carter's presentation of the information as an all-inclusive manual rather than three separate texts reduces the redundancy found in most of the other guides I have reviewed. The lack of redundancy makes re-reading this book easy. This is important for the person studying for the MCSE exams. I would highly recommend this book, and Carter's soon to be publised Windows 2000 MCSE Study Guide for anyone intersted in learning more about the Windows opperating systems!

Keep up the GREAT work, Alan!

Alan Carter is one of the best MCSE instructor! I have study this book as well as the "MCSE Exam Notes" series (from Sybex) and have passed the 3 core exams.(NT 4 Server, NT Server 4 in the Enterprise and NT Workstation 4) this week. The explanations are clear and easy to understand, with hardly any errors. This book is definitely one of the best, both for beginner and for future reference. I have learned and understand much more than from attending all the Microsoft AATP classes. If you want to save your time and money - buy and study this book! Thank-you again, Alan, helping us to pass the NT 4 core exam. Thank-you!

This is definately one of the better exam prep books out there. I used it to prepare for both Network+ and Net. Essentials, and have done very well on both tests. It's not a particularly easy read, but at the same time the prose flows quite readily and the authors don't waste time with tangents and bad puns like some of the other books I've read (coughA+ExamCramcough. I was familiar with most of the material due to my networking background, and the book seemed remarkably error-free. I recommend this without any reservations whatsoever for anyone who's interested in not only passing the exam, but actually learning the material.

One caveat though: the sample questions are very mediocre, and are completely unlike the questions on the exam itself.

A lot of the study guides are excellent, but this one is one of the best I've ever seen. As a teaching tool, it is great because it organizes the material very succintly and very clearly follows the comptia subjects on the test. also, it tries to anticipate networking trends, especially Windows 2000 (one has to guess that the book was written in very early 1999). The hardest part about this certification is that because it is not vendor specific, an author is reluctant to get too specific about how to do things on each individual platform. This book solves this problem by presenting general information and then assigning "hands-on projects" at the end of the chapter in the respective NOS. These projects go over each specific steps for getting something done in a particular NOS. That is a very good idea even if the reader doesn't have access to the NOS. Perhaps these projects could be useful after taking the test when you do encounter a new nos and are too cheap to buy other books.This book is particularly nice because it gathers a lot of networking information together in a single book and contrasts their implementation in different os. Very useful after the test. A lot of the examples are NT, but it makes sense to do this from a market-share point of view. (I'm a Unix/Linux dude, so I am actually interested in the NT-specific stuff). One quirk that may or may not be good is that the authors put the answers to the chapter test on CD. That is good because it frees more pages of the book up to discussion of material. (sometimes these exam prep books seem to spend 20% of their pages just giving answers). On the other hand, it is a pain to refer to the answers on the CD. In short, this is a very well-written and informative book, both from a technical and pedagogical point of view.

I used this book for the exam preparation, but I supplemented my studies with the Network+ Exam Cram and the Network+ Exam Cram Practice tests. I also bought a couple of CD's with over 1000 practice test questions total.

This book was very informative and covered a lot of the material on the test. It gives the reader an excellent foundation on general networking knowledge. However, it is impossible for one book to cover every question that you'll encounter on the exam.

The reality check is, you need to take as many practice exams as you can before you take the actual exam. A lot of the questions that I encountered on my practice CD's were not covered by this book.

All in all, this is an excellent book for preparing for the exam. Buy this book, but don't use it as your sole source of information. Supplement your studies with as many practice questions as you can. If you can answer about 700+ different questions, you should be all right when you take the real exam. Good Luck!

This is an excellent prepatory source for the Cisco CCNA exam, and easily covers the vast majority of topics that are addressed on the exam. Like the other Sybex offering, as you might the book falls very short of being a useful guide to configuring Cisco routers in the real world, so don't study this book, pass the test, and assume you're a Cisco master! However, For those already reasonably knowledgeable abotu the fundamentals of networking, this book alone should be plenty sufficient to pass the exam.

Took the test about 2 weeks ago and missed it with 61% (68% to pass); took it again yesterday and passed with 87%. Wish I could have gotten my hands on this book earlier! Very concise and points out essential items to know for the exam. I also have the Study Guide (which is good), but I had a hard time studying with it (info overload). As I don't have much hands-on experience with routers, I also used CBTs and watched a couple CCNA prep videos (starring Mr Lammle himself). If you're familiar with routers and general networking, this book should be enough. If not, get your hands on some other training materials.

While not able to replace the full text versions of the CCNA study guides, this book is a perfect companion to all of the other references for this exam. It served as a great confidence builder, and a great way to brush up on the major points covered on the exam. The author of this book has taken painstaking care to ensure the accuracy of the material covered, and presents it in a very easy to read format. The author admits and cautions the reader that there is no replacement for hands on experience with Cisco Routers and Switches to be able to acquire the understanding necessary to do well on the CCNA exam. This book is absolutely essential. Five Stars ++ !

The author is right on the money as far as his advice concerning what to know in order to pass the exams. However, this book by itself will not enable you to pass, unless you already have quite a bit of experience with ActiveX. I got half way through the fourth chapter and realized I needed to get some actual coding experience with ActiveX if I wanted to understand what the author was covering in his ActiveX chapters. One thing I liked about this book is that it doesn't waste your time going over rudimentary concepts (unlike the 70-176 book published by Exam Prep). I recommend purchase of the Microsoft Visual Basic 6.0 Component Tools Guide and the Programmer's Guide. I know you can get the information on MSDN, but it's really nice to have hard copies of the documentation in front of you. And a lot of the information you need to know to clear the exams is in both of these books. Reading the MS documentation on developing ActiveX components will really help you in preparing for 70-176. The Transcender exams will give you a good feel for what the exam questions are like. Good luck.

This book and the Transcender courses help me pass both exams (70-176 Designing and Implementing Desktop Applications using Microsoft Visual Basic 6.0 and 70-175 Designing and Implementing Distributed Applications using Microsoft Visual Basic 6.0). Material in all of the chapters are on the exams but pay attention to Chapter 13 - Packaging and Deploying an Application and Chapter 14 Visual SourceSafe and the Visual Component Manager. My exams had an overwhelming number of questions about these subjects. The author indicates at the beginning of each chapter what material is covered on each of the exams. With the exception of Chapter 12 - Creating Microsoft Transaction Server Components, I found that any of material could be covered on either exam. When you combine this book with the Transcender courses, you will pass the exams. Good Luck!

I just passed the VB exam 70-176 and used this book extensively. I had read several others books but were thoroughly disappointed. They covered basic topics and only skimmed the surface neglecting most of the areas that you will be tested on. MCSD in a nutshell, on the other hand, thoroughly discusses each topic. If you are intending to pass the exams, this should definitely be in your arsenal. Combine this book with the transcender exams and you should have an excellent opportunity to pass the exams.

This book is written for experienced advanced users of visual basic. It does not cover basic visual basic information such as loops, lists, combo boxes, etc. The author expects you to have learned these topics previously. It instead concentrates on the complex concepts that you will be tested on. If you are a beginner, you will need to buy other books to become familiar with the Visual Basic language.

In addition, once you have passed the exams this book will not gather dust on your shelf. It is a great reference book that you will continue to use.

Don't let this book lull you into a false sense of security! A friend and I recently took the test after having studied this book and being able to pass its exam with scores of 95-100%. He failed; I passed by a small margin. This book is excellent and you will need it to pass the exam but it is weak in several areas. When you take the test, you get a print out of how well you did in each area. We correlated ours and rated how well the book covers exam areas. This is the result:

1. Language Fundamentals.................good

2. Operations & Assignments..............good

3. Declarations & Access Control.........poor

4. Flow Control & Exception Handling.....fair

5. Overloading, Overriding, Runtime Type, & Object Orientation..................poor

6. Misc. (don't know what this is).......poor

7. Threads...............................good

8. java.lang package.....................poor

9. java.awt: Components & Facilities.....good

10. java.awt: Layout......................good

11. java.awt: Event Handling..............fair

12. java.awt: Painting....................good

13. java.io package.......................poor

The books starts out strong but gets a little spotty later on. You will definately need it to get used to the type of question that the exam asks. It is a very tricky test. You must pay close attention and if you are unsure of yourself, you can easily get suckered into a wrong answer. This is expecially true on the multiple choice questions where you don't necesarily choose one answer, you choose all answers that apply. Get any part of it wrong and you get zero credit for the whole question.

This book provides exceptionally clear descriptions of the fundamental Java concepts covered in the Certification exam. If you treat it as a foundation for your preparatory study and, where necessary, find extra material to answer any other "aside" questions that arise for you, then you can't go wrong.

I took time off work and studied this book, along with "Java In A Nutshell" (to supplement the I/O material and to satisfy my mental meanderings), full time for two weeks. I downloaded the Java 1.1 Exam Curriculum from the JavaSoft Web site and, using these books, made thorough notes for every topic and sub-topic on the list.

I did the exercises and mock exam in the book (without ever looking at the solutions, but instead, re-reading my notes and referring back to the book for details) until I consistently got a score of over 90%.

I then took and passed the exam, first time, with an 88% score.

But, more importantly, this was my first venture into Java programming (and first "serious" step into professional programming) and the book really gave me the knowledge foundation, and confidence, I needed to move forward.

Thanks primarily to this book, I am now a successful, professional Java programmer - and have been for a year and a half.

I passed the java certification 1.1 exam last week for the first time.With no java work experience i could pass and thats only with this book.i had prepared for a month.Firstly i studied a java programming book to get to know about java fundamentals(i was clear about fundamentals) and then started with this book. But,do not just rely on the questions given after every chapter,exam questions are much more than those given at the end but, need to practice them too.Need to practice very much all simulation tests provided in few sites.I dont know about Barry Boone but,one test given on internet was good.So,need to practice on sample tests to know the type of questions and read every detail of this book.so to those planning to take java 1.1 exam you can go for this book.With this book also you can pass but if you take Barry and Boone tests it would be more helpful.About the authors they made up an excellent book.

I wasn't sure what to make of this book when it was offered to me as an advance copy at the book store where I work. I enjoy the Internet, I find it a vital tool for research and entertainment, even though I'm not nearly as consumed by it as many other people. But what I found in this book was a fascinating story of two outcasts in the boonies of Idaho who, on the surface, may seem like burnout stoners, but are actually extremely intelligent and insightful.

Journalist Jon Katz followed these two "geeks" as they gambled with everything they owned to trek out to Chicago with a U-Haul and find a place where their computer skills could mean something. Their story is a "fish-out-of-water" experience, full of humor, hope, and sadness. You'll find yourself rooting for Jesse and Eric as they go through the ups and downs of finding themselves in a strange new environment.

There are also some interesting testimonials from various other "geeks" (although the interminable analysis of Columbine gets old fast). Jesse's adventures while battling the odds and applying to the University of Chicago make for some riveting reading. A very good book and a keen insight on "geek culture."

Geeks: How Two Lost Boys Rode the Internet Out of Idaho is the best geek book I have ever read. I feel as if I have known all of Jon Katz's characters all of my life. Jesse and Eric are two fabulous characters that are described so well that I feel as if I am talking to them myself. Eric and Jesse are both wonderful computer geeks who can definitely find themselves with good jobs if only they had a better education and if they lived somewhere other than Idaho, the home of the spud. So they set off to conquer Chicago, Illinois and all of their fears that go along with the big city. When they finally reach Chicago, after a long and hard drive, they need a place to stay. Luckily, Jesse has searched on Yahoo and Alta Vista for apartment complexes near where they both hope to work. Right now their greatest fear is the apartment not having a proper cable connection or phone line. They end up moving to a different apartment closer to work. Their luck changes for the best from there. Jesse and Eric suffer many hardships but, with the help of their computers, and friend Jon Katz, they always come out on top. Geeks is a wonderful book that should be read by geeks and nongeeks alike.

I'm non-geek. But that doesn't mean that I didn't enjoy reading Katz's book. It features the lives of two roommates and their thoughts on life from the end of high school through college. Reading what Jesse (the main character) says about how poorly smart people are treated when compared to athletes, it makes me remember my horrible middle and high school experience. I thank Katz for book.

If you didn't pass the Server+ exam by using this book as your study resource, it was your own fault. I have been in the computer field for 6 months now. I started my career with the A+ certification and then followed up with the Network+ certification. It was only logical to go for the Server+ certification next. I do not have a lot of practical hands on server experience so I really needed a top notch study guide to get me through. This book actually delivered, and I passed
this exam with only 6 months computer experience
and not with the 2 years experience CompTIA wants you to have before taking this exam. The key is to understand each topic
and how to perform each task. It is not that hard if you use a little bit of your brain and memorization skills. The rest of the exam is common sense. This book points you in the right direction on what to learn for the exam and does it perfectly. What else do you need???

After seeing all the recommendations for this book, I knew I had to check it out. I was not disappointed with this book as it constituted the bulk of my Server+ study diet. Kay writes this book in an easy style allowing the reader to digest easily and quickly move through the book. His SCSI, RAID, troubleshooting and disaster recovery chapters were well done, though more diagrams throughout the book would have been appreciated. As it stands however, this is a quality book. The included CD has a good test engine, but a word of caution...the questions on the whole do not compare to the toughness of the actual Server+ exam. I was able to pass with an 81 with 75 being the minimum pass mark. I would recommend picking up one other book to supplement Kay's offering to flesh out your studies.

Since I started working with the beat process for Server+ I have tried to find books that take the exam part objective by objective and then give you the information you need. At the same time I also want a book that does more than spout out exam questions and answers this book seems to take care of these things.

The book is broken down into seven parts with part 1 taking on the installation, environment topics. Part2 covers the RAID area very well and also the operating systems like Windows 2000, Netware and Unix.

In part 3 is for the upgrade path for motherboards, hard drives, nics, ups and adapters. Part 4 is maintenance with backup, system monitoring and basic safety requirements. In part 5 you'll deal with security issues and different environmental issues like humidity, A/C and ventilation and filtration.

Part 6 is the section I was most impressed with, troubleshooting from hardware to software and the techniques and the right diagnostic tools to use. Finally is part 7 Disaster recovery and what it takes to back up and restore.

The book has a good pre-assessment questions and answer section with each chapter and the scenarios seems to reflect the normal work environment. Also include is a cd rom with hundreds of questions and the software is powered by Boson. Overall everything is here and the value seems fair.

I can't even begin to start on how much this book helped me for the Network+ exam. This book has great detail and explanations regarding networking and I would recommend this book 100% along with the Network+ Exam Cram book by Coriolis and the Network+ Practice Exams by Syngress/Osborne. These 3 books should guarantee you a passing score on the exam othewise hit the bookstore and start out with the A+ exam first. This book should be read from start to finish while going through all practice exams at the end of each chapter. Then hit the CD and practice all the questions on there while using the book as a reference until you get a clear understanding of the question. Finally after going thru the Book and the CD move onto the Syngress/Osborne book for the additional questions to give you a feel of how the questions will appear on the actual test. Last but not least read or skim through the exam cram book for last minute preparation and you should ace the test with no problems. Follow this way of studying and you will pass guaranteed. The best thing about the CD is the fact that it comes with an ebook which you can easily use on your work computer or a laptop. This is the best study guide for the Network+ exam.

I bought this book in preparation for my Network+ exam. I am A+ certified and used a computer based training program that cost me $500 (I was less than impressed!). I decided to try books for my network+ exam, I am not a big reader so I needed a book that was interesting and clear in it's explanations because networking can be a daunting subject. What I'm trying to say is that this book was EXCELLENT. I got 91% on my Network+ Exam today. It is excellent for beginners as well as those who have some idea about networking. The practice questions in the book as well as those on the CD are very good for exam preparation. Ensure that you get at least 98% on those practice exams before you attempt the actual exam. THIS IS THE ONLY BOOK THAT YOU NEED TO PREPARE FOR THE N+ Exam.

I decided to write because other people's review helped me a lot, hence "my turn now". I just passed the Netwok+ exam an hour ago with a score of 789 (minimum passing score 752). It's far from a record, but Hey! this is my first certification exam and i only past 10 hours at max on this book (not even a week-end!), so i'm satisfied.I really recomend that you go through it in depth though, and don't you worry you'll do just fine. Everything on the test was on the book, but you need understanding rather than memorisation to answer some of the scenarios on the test. In conclusion 5 very well deserved stars for Mr Groth... and anybody who's interested in taking network+, i advise you hurry before the new exam comes in, i read it's 147 questions instead of 65 (that's gotta be a pain) Good Luck eveybody !...