Please consider moving this question as-is (no need to recreate) to the proper forum for maximum visibility.  Questions written to the users' own "Discussions" space don't get the same amount of attention and questions can go unanswered for a long time. 

You can do so by selecting "Move" under ACTIONS along the upper-right.  Then search for and select: "EMC Proven Professional" which would be the most relevant for this question.

Thanks for the link Deb, but was wondering if others have used "other" material to prep. On a few other non EMC forums I saw a few state they used the Information Storage Management ISBN 10: 1118094832 by Author EMC Education Services book, others used test software which I thought maybe a bit odd since I didn't expect the exam to be really intense.

Hello and welcome to the EMC Proven Professional community!  The practice test is a great way to gauge your readiness for an exam.  You can also view the exam description and recommended curriculum here.

You can view our Certification Framework here to understand how our program works.  The E20-005 is an associate level exam and satisfies the foundational requirements for several of our EMC Proven Professional certifications; the framework depicts these certifications.

Good luck on your exam! We'd love to hear how it goes.

Hi Avamar610,

If you're preparing for the Backup Recovery Systems and Architecture Exam E20-005 exam, you should look at any PDFs or material that was provided during the online course. There is a textbook that was designed for the Information and Storage Management v2, which you can find here: Information Storage and Management: Storing, Managing, and Protecting Digital Information in Classic, Virtualized, and C… (also available in Kindle format). The text covers the general concepts of Information Storage, and is not focused on EMC products, although some are used as demonstrative examples.

In addition to the course you have taken, there are also several eLearning modules that might help you. The E20-005 Exam Description can provide more specific information.

I would strongly recommend taking the practice exam, as you have already mentioned, and you can also browse our Student Discussions forum, where you'll find questions and answers from other people preparing for the exam. And if there's not an answer to a question you have, you can ask your own.

I'm unsure what you mean by "test software," but you should only be using EMC materials to prepare for the exam. Be wary of other sites claiming to offer test materials or practice tests for a fee--they are fraudulent. We provide practice tests at no charge.

Thanks

The ISM v2 book supports the Information Storage and Management (EMCISA) exam (E10-001).  EMC has not published a similar book for our other certification exams.

We understand that you are asking other Proven Professionals for advice on study materials but it is important to note EMC takes exam security very seriously.  Section 7.2 of the EMC Proven Professional Policies and Guidelines details appropriate vs. inappropriate study materials and this post by Denis Garcia provides more information regarding the measures EMC takes to ensure the integrity of our exams.

I however feel that the ISM book covers quite a lot of the material which is common to both E10-001 and E20-005.

Even better, my personal view is go for E10-001 (ISM) and then proceed to backup specialization on Networker, Avamar , etc....

Actually, have a EMC architect here this week that helped write the E20-005 and opinioned that the ISM V2 was the best source for review, also the practice exams.

I thought that one had a choice to either start with the 001 or 005, then if desired, an upper track?

E10-001, for Information and Storage Management v2 can serve as the starting point for various learning paths, such Data Center Architect, Storage Administrator, Technology Architect, Implementation Engineer, or Platform Engineer. If you're looking to focus on Backup Recovery, you can take E20-005, the exam for Backup Recovery Associate certification. E20-005 can be used as a starting point for certain Specialist Level certifications.

For a full overview of the learning paths that start with the e20-005 exam, please see our certification framework here:

https://education.emc.com/guest/certification/framework/default.aspx

In planning for any exam, the EMC Proven Professional: Certification Exams and Practice Tests resource page is an excellent way to test your current knowledge and identify areas you should review.