MCSE: The Core Exams in a Nutshell scores lots of points through its recognition of key facts about the "core four": there's lots of overlap among the exams. Rather than repeat the same information in multiple sections (or multiple volumes, as is becoming standard), Michael Moncur devotes a section of the book to what's unique in each exam, referring to other sections as needed.

Each portion of the book starts with an overview of the exam and a list of the chapters' objectives. The chapters conclude with a list of tasks to perform, a complete sample test, and a sort of condensed statement of key facts, suitable for last-minute cramming.

The author touches on all the topics that Microsoft mentions in its various Microsoft Certified Software Engineer (MCSE) exam specifications. However, readers should be warned that coverage in MCSE: The Core Exams in a Nutshell is less elementary than that of many other MCSE texts. You'll find hardly any step-by-step procedures, for one thing. If you're an experienced Windows NT hand and you have the ability to do a lot of experimenting with the procedures described, this book will be all you need. For anyone below an expert level, you may want to supplement this book with a text that wades through the exam material at a less breakneck pace.