Resources to Study for Exam 70-461
Exam 70-461 is the SQL Server 2012 Querying exam. There's some aspects of T-SQL that I've not used at all like XML, and certainly a few that I will want to brush up on before heading to this exam. Here's a few places I found for studying:
Webpages
- Skills Measured list - pay particular attention to the web pages listed under "Preparation Resources" in each section (it's not a complete list at the time of this writing, but the URLs there are probably a good hint)
- New T-SQL functions and statements for SQL Server 2012 listed in TechNet
- Transact SQL reference for SQL Server 2012
- Katie and Emil's Exam Guide
Books
- The Microsoft Press Training Kit
- Search "70-461" on Amazon for more books (depending on your familiarity with T-SQL, you might want to look into the T-SQL Fundamentals book from Itzik Ben-Gan).
Videos
- Microsoft Virtual Academy (VMA) Jumpstart - series of modules focused on querying SQL Server 2012
- Pluralsight videos - currently there's about 8 hours worth of content divided into two parts
- Microsoft Learning prep video
- Series of YouTube videos from DBAChad
- Joes 2 Pros Training Tutorial
Practice Questions
- Transcender Practice Exam
- Exam 70-461 Bootcamp (200 Practice Questions) by Kalman Toth
Don't forget that Microsoft often offers the Second Shot program where you get an exam retake for free. Current offers are available here: http://www.microsoft.com/learning/en-us/offers.aspx.