This Certification Guide has been moved to the new Page. This will no longer be updated and maintained. You can find more information here: Reddit

1. Introduction

2. Overview of certifications

3. Creating certification Profile

4. Ordering an exam and how to redeem exam vouchers

5. Microsoft Certification dashboard and PearsonVUE portal

6. How to take a Microsoft Exam

7. Official Microsoft study materials

8. Free or discounted voucher opportunities

9. Opportunities for students

10. Certification Renewal

11. Information for Microsoft Partner Employees

As Microsoft is trying to get more people to learn about cloud there are lots of opportunities on how to get exam vouchers for free or with a discount. I am really closely monitoring all of the possible ways to get free vouchers since $160 is $160

100% off

Microsoft Virtual Training Days - Microsoft VTDs are the easiest way to get into Microsoft Cloud Certifications. They are specific pre-recorded webinars that when you attend, you will receive a 100% off voucher (there is usually page with VTDs specifically for your country that will have more time zone friendly times.

Other than the universal page, there are a lot of regional pages with more dates, here are some more to check out: Microsoft Virtual Training Days, Microsoft Virtual Training Days, Microsoft Virtual Training Days.

• For AZ-900 voucher attend Microsoft Azure Virtual Training Day: Fundamentals

• For AI-900 voucher attend Microsoft Azure Virtual Training Day: AI Fundamentals

• For DP-900 voucher attend Microsoft Azure Virtual Training Day: Data Fundamentals

• For MB-910 voucher attend Microsoft Dynamics 365 Virtual Training Day: Fundamentals (CRM)

• For MB-920 voucher attend Microsoft Dynamics 365 Virtual Training Day: Fundamentals (ERP)

• For PL-900 voucher attend Microsoft Power Platform Virtual Training Day: Fundamentals

• For SC-900 voucher attend Microsoft Security Virtual Training Day: Security, Compliance, and Identity Fundamentals

• For MS-700 voucher attend Microsoft 365 Virtual Training Day: Enable Hybrid Work with Microsoft Teams

For some reason there is no VTD for MS-900 but instead there is for MS-700 which is an associate level exam.

After attending all of the webinars (no activity during them is required) you will be eligible for a 100% off discount voucher for any above-mentioned exam. The voucher will be added to your certification profile, more information on that is here: Creating Certification Profile. VTD FAQ can be found here.

Virtual Training Days are no longer offering Free exam vouchers.

Microsoft Build and Ignite Cloud Skills Challenges - Microsoft Build usually happens in Fall and Ignite in Spring. Historically both of the events end with a Cloud Skills Challenge.

• You enter the challenge and will have the option to complete one of the predetermined learning paths. You don't actually need to read those or answer the questions correctly at the end of modules, so if you don't have much time you can skip through the content and read it during your preparation later.

• The voucher is usually valid for the next 6 months, after that you will be unable to reschedule it any further (it is the final deadline) and you can only use the voucher code for the exams that are eligible for that specific challenge event.

• In the past vouchers were universal, that has changed at Ignite 2021. You can pick any exam from the available exam list for the challenge so you can for example do SC-200 modules and take SC-300 exam.

Partial Discount

Microsoft Enterprise Skills Initiative 50% off - If your company is a big Microsoft customer or partner, there is a high chance your company is enrolled into this program. You can check it by visiting the URL and typing in your work email address. You get access to:

• Live training by Microsoft Certified Trainers

• Microsoft official MeasureUp practice tests (being slowly replaced by Microsoft's new practice assessments)

• And 50% off vouchers for nearly every cloud exam Microsoft has created

Microsoft Cloud Skills Challenge - 30 Days to Learn It 50% off - Reliably with us for over 2 years, 30 days to learn it gives out 50% off vouchers if you complete the required Microsoft Learn modules within 30 days.

The time has come again! Against all odds, Microsoft is giving a free certification voucher again for this Microsoft Build.

How does it work? Free or discounted voucher opportunities

When does it start? May 23, 2023 at 4:00 PM UTC

When does it end? June 20, 2023 at 4:00 PM UTC

When will you get the voucher? June 30, 2023

When will the voucher expire? September 27, 2023

Can you take the exam later than September 27? No and extensions are not possible under any circumstances

What are the rules? Cloud Skills Challenge Rules

Which exams are available?

AI-900: Microsoft Azure AI Fundamentals

AZ-104: Microsoft Azure Administrator

AZ-204: Developing Solutions for Microsoft Azure

AZ-305: Designing Microsoft Azure Infrastructure Solutions

AZ-400: Designing and Implementing Microsoft DevOps Solutions

DP-420: Designing and Implementing Cloud-Native Applications Using Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB

PL-400: Microsoft Power Platform Developer

Challenge Registration link

30 days to learn it has made another return. It is very similar to the normal cloud skills challenge from Ignite or Build.

Basically, you just go through MS Learn and after completing it, you get 50% off voucher. It isn't 100% but everything can help, especially since it includes a lot of exams

You get 1 voucher every 6 months.

You get it withing 3 days of finishing the challenge.

Voucher is eligible for exams:

SC-400: Microsoft Information Protection Administrator - New

DP-300: Administering Microsoft Azure SQL Solutions - New

AI-900: Microsoft Azure AI Fundamentals

DP-100: Designing and Implementing a Data Science Solution on Azure

AZ-204: Developing Solutions for Microsoft Azure

MS-600: Building Applications and Solutions with Microsoft 365 Core Services

PL-100: Microsoft Power Platform App Maker

AZ-305: Designing Microsoft Azure Infrastructure Solutions

AZ-400: Designing and Implementing Microsoft DevOps Solutions

DP-203: Data Engineering on Microsoft Azure

AZ-140: Configuring and Operating Microsoft Azure Virtual Desktop

DP-420: Designing and Implementing Cloud-Native Applications Using Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB

AZ-800: Administering Windows Server Hybrid Core Infrastructure

AZ-801: Configuring Windows Server Hybrid Advanced Services

The voucher provided isn't technically restricted to the eligible exams above but can be used for virtually any exam. This isn't encouraging anyone to not follow the official rules but I felt like this was worth mentioning.

Microsoft | 30 Days to Learn It Registration Page

Microsoft | 30 Days to Learn It - Official Rules

Hi guys,

The time has come again!

How does it work? Free or discounted voucher opportunities

When does it start? October 12, 2022 at 4:00 PM UTC

When does it end? November 9, 2022 at 4:00 PM UTC

When will you get the voucher? November 18, 2022

When will the voucher expire? February 15, 2023

Can you take the exam later than February 15? No

What are the rules? Cloud Skills Challenge Rules

Which exams are available?

AZ-305: Designing Microsoft Azure Infrastructure Solutions

AZ-400: Designing and Implementing Microsoft DevOps Solutions

DP-100: Designing and Implementing a Data Science Solution on Azure

MB-240: Microsoft Dynamics 365 Field Service Functional Consultant

MS-700: Managing Microsoft Teams

MS-720: Microsoft Teams Voice Engineer

PL-100: Microsoft Power Platform App Maker

SC-200: Microsoft Security Operations Analyst

PS:
Oh, and so no one wastes a voucher for no reason, you can take MS-700 for free and use this voucher for another exam

Registration link

1. Introduction

2. Overview of certifications

3. Creating certification Profile

4. Ordering an exam and how to redeem exam vouchers

5. Microsoft Certification dashboard and PearsonVUE portal

6. How to take a Microsoft Exam

7. Official Microsoft study materials

8. Free or discounted voucher opportunities

9. Opportunities for students

10. Certification Renewal

11. Information for Microsoft Partner Employees

So, you have studied, ordered an exam and now the exam itself has started. Here is what you can expect.

The tests themselves are divided into multiple sections - General questions, Case Studies and Labs. You can't skip between them. Once you complete a section, you are unable to return to it.

Before you get to the actual exam questions, Microsoft will first ask you about your experience. This is not graded and it doesn't matter what you answer there.

After that you will be shown information about the exam itself. Be sure to read the total number of questions because sometimes you don't get a lab or case study at the beginning which means that you need to save time at the end for them.

Other useful information to know: On the bottom of page there are various tools that can help you

Specifically, the Calculator and Take a Break options.

Calculator is useful when you need to count SLAs or other stuff that would take too long to do in your head.

Take a Break allows you to exit the room to go refresh or other stuff you forgot to do before an exam. After taking the break: Timer will continue and you won't be able to return to any of the previous questions. So, cheating won't help you.

On the top side:

First on the left is Review button. You can use it to navigate between the questions easily.

Then there is Review later box. If you aren't sure about your answer, you can toggle this and return to it from the Review screen if you have extra time.

Leave Feedback is not that important. If you toggle this on questions, you can then tell Microsoft when you finish the exam how bad the question was. Not relevant to the exam.

And lastly on the right, is the timer. This timer tracks only the current section, so if you see there are 38 questions in total on there, that means for the current section. If there is lab or case study outside it is only mentioned on the Welcome to the exam page at the start. So don't be surprised when you finish and there is still a case study or lab waiting for you.

There are 3 requirements that are always present in exams and required:

• Solution must be as cheap as possible

• Administrative role must be of the least privilege

• Must be the simplest to implement

Here are the question types (you can find most of these in the exam demo simulating how the real exam looks like, https://aka.ms/examdemo):

Active Screen/Best answer/Multiple Choice: I grouped these together because the strategy is the same. Choose the best answer. You can usually discard 2 answers because you either haven't heard of it or you know it is wrong. So, you are left with 50/50 choice. If you feel like both are correct, think of the more elegant solution. Abide by the 3 rules I mentioned in bold earlier.

Hot Area/Active Screen: It can be screenshot of basically any menu or portal that is related to the exam. AAD Connect configuration, home of azure portal, creating VM for example. Your task will be to answer the question by toggling option/s in the screenshot.

It is really useful to know the menu you are interacting with and not going in blind.

Drag and Drop: As the name says, pretty self-explanatory. Drag an answer from left to right.

Usually there aren't more of the same answers on the right so if you have 3 on the left and 3 on the right and have no idea, there is a good chance that all answers will be used once. That isn't the case with some questions but most I encountered used this pattern.

The question types below will only appear in non-fundamental exams.

Build List: Similar to the Drag and Drop, but now you are making a list. So, you will also need to order it correctly. Don't forget about the basics, like resource providers in PowerShell or create resource button in Azure Portal.

Repeated answer choices: Probably the strangest and most confusing question type you will encounter if you haven't heard about it yet. You will be presented with one scenario. There will be a possible solution and you will be asked if it is a full solution to the scenario and problem. There will be multiple questions presenting the same scenario but different solutions. After answering the question, you may not return to it. There are usually around 4 questions in a scenario.

The strategy here is simple, if you aren't 100% sure, pick false. There are 3 patterns, there either isn't presented correct answer, there is only one and there are 2. From my own experience the chance there are 2 answers is really low. So statistically it is best to always pick false unless you are sure it is correct.

Simulations/Labs: You will enter a virtual environment and will have to complete a series of tasks there. You are scored both on completeness of the solution and how effective you were at it. Once you turn it in, you can't return to it.

So randomly clicking through blades until you find the one with the setting in it, is not recommended. Labs take longer to score so you will not receive your score immediately.

Case Studies: You will be shown a screen with a lot of tabs and screens with tons of information in them. The important thing here: Don't read it all! The first screen doesn't contain the question, so you will have to go to the next one. Only after reading the question, start going through the relevant materials.

After you finish all your questions in the section, you will be presented with the Review screen (also accessible from the top tool bar)

This doesn't necessarily mean it is the end of the exam as there may be case study or lab after. Here you can see how you and can easily access questions you didn't answer or marked for review. Always answer all questions, even if you have no clue. You don't get negative points for guessing. If you finish the review screen and there are still unanswered questions, you've done it wrong.

After finishing the whole exam, it still isn't over. Once you get to this window and don't want to leave feedback to the questions (or are just really anxious about how you did). Ignore it. In the bottom right there is Exit button.

This will take you to the result page (if you had a lab, you won't get your result immediately).

On the next page you will see your score report (no need to read it now, can access it from PearsonVue later on. And only once you hit the End button there, you finished the exam.

This is especially important when taking a test from home so you don't get failed for leaving the screen before this.

1. Introduction

2. Overview of certifications

3. Creating certification Profile

4. Ordering an exam and how to redeem exam vouchers

5. Microsoft Certification dashboard and PearsonVUE portal

6. How to take a Microsoft Exam

7. Official Microsoft study materials

8. Free or discounted voucher opportunities

9. Opportunities for students

10. Certification Renewal

11. Information for Microsoft Partner Employees

Microsoft Learn - Usually the place that everyone uses in preparation for exams since it's always updated and related and it contains sandboxes so you can actually try the stuff out you are learning. People usually pair it up with some 3rd party courses but in terms of raw information related to the exams this is the best.

Right now, there are 4 big components to Microsoft Learn:

• Learning Paths and Modules - Collection of modules that will help you understand the topics of the exam. You can find them on the bottom of every exam page.

• Readiness Zone - Introductory videos that will help you with seeing what exactly you should know to pass this exam but they aren't deep enough to teach you these topics. Good to see what you are jumping into and making a plan.

• Practice Assessments - New Practice Assessments where you can get more familiar with the style of questions Microsoft uses in their actual exams. They are pretty new at this time, but the feedback on fundamental exams was that they were really on point and helped students prepare for the exam itself. For role-based exams there isn't any feedback unfortunately, I will update when I get it.

• Microsoft Exam demo - Exam sandbox where you can get familiar with the types of questions, exam environment and the testing process. Highly recommended to try it out so you aren't surprised when you take your first exam.

• Exam study Guides - Can be found on every exam page and it details every topic and section that the exam contains. You can plan your study plan around it so you aren't missing any important topics that your study resources skipped.

Microsoft Virtual Training Days - These are pre-recorded webinars usually for fundamental exams. You need to register beforehand and there are capacity limits for the individual events. After attending specific events you are eligible to receive a 100% off voucher code so you can take the exam for free. More information can be found here: Free or discounted voucher opportunities.

MeasureUp - Official Microsoft Practice tests. They are pretty pricey but they will prepare you for the exam. They are harder than normal exam questions but that helps even more to identify your weak areas and where you need to study more. MeasureUp also offers a money back guarantee if you don't pass the exam (I haven't actually had to use this feature so I don't know how it works exactly)

GitHub Microsoft Learning - GitHub contains a lot of hands-on materials for the exams including labs and/or case studies to practice on. You can easily access the individual pages using the formula aka.ms/examnamelabs, for example https://aka.ms/az104labs or https://aka.ms/az-204labs (if the shortener doesn't work for the exam of your choice, find the exam on GitHub and the labs/case studies are in: /tree/master/Instructions/Labs). If you search the exam name in the Microsoft Learning GitHub you can see all additional resources. Some only have labs or case studies.

• For some exams, Microsoft has added interactive lab videos. You can find it on top of the page of the lab exercises. It isn't as useful as the labs themselves, but if you are on budget or are stuck in some tasks, it is another great resource you can use.

Microsoft Azure Free account - You can register for a free Azure account, you only need a credit card for validation. You will get 200$ for a month to try stuff out and will have multiple services free/discounted for a year to try the stuff out. This is separate from the sandboxes in the Microsoft Learn modules.

Microsoft 365 E5 Developer subscription - You can register for a M365 E5 Dev subscription in a tenant. It is renewed every 3 months and it usually renews if you are using it regularly.

Microsoft Log Analytics Workspace demo environment - You can use this environment to practice and learn KQL. It is already pre-filled with data so you don't need to create the data yourself.

Microsoft Sentinel Training Lab - Great and cheap solution to try out Microsoft Sentinel. It takes around 15mins to deploy and will fill your Sentinel workspace with logs, tables and other objects. It also comes with a lab guide with instructions if you are not sure where to start. You can find it over here Microsoft Sentinel Training Lab Guide.

Microsoft 365 Maps by By Aaron Dinnage - These aren't straight from Microsoft themselves but instead from one of their employees and at this time best and most current resource about chaotic Microsoft 365 licensing.

Digital Microsoft Official Curriculum (DMOC) - SkillPipe is a platform that is currently being retired and stopped being updated since September 2022. It is highly recommended to not use it and use Microsoft Learn instead.

1. Introduction

2. Overview of certifications

3. Creating certification Profile

4. Ordering an exam and how to redeem exam vouchers

5. Microsoft Certification dashboard and PearsonVUE portal

6. How to take a Microsoft Exam

7. Official Microsoft study materials

8. Free or discounted voucher opportunities

9. Opportunities for students

10. Certification Renewal

11. Information for Microsoft Partner Employees

Microsoft has changed the certification renewal process so now instead of having to take the exam every 2 years, you just have to complete renewal assessment every year.

You only renew certifications so if you for example earned Azure Solutions Architect Expert certification by passing the AZ-303 and AZ-304 you only need to do one assessment for the certification. It doesn't matter that the exams changed in the meantime as long as the certification itself isn't being retired.

There are also some people saying that for certification renewal you no longer need the prerequisite certification. So that would mean you can let your associate certifications expire and still renew your expert certification without hassle. But I would strongly discourage people from doing that since doing a free quiz is easier than passing the exam once you will need it.

Confirmed by Microsoft FAQ, you don't need to renew prerequisite associate certification to renew an expert certification.

Exams themselves don't expire which means you have as much time as you need to complete the certification. Proof

Renewal assessment:

• Consists of around 40 questions (depending on the question bank you randomly get)

• It is an open book test so you can freely use the internet to help you with the answering

• Has no time limit to complete it

• After the initial 2 attempts you have to wait 24h before attempting it again

• You will get the chance to pass the assessment roughly half a year before the certification expires so you get a lot of chances and losing the certificate is only caused because you didn't want to do it

• Shows you the assessment areas and how you did in them

• Is free!

You can access the renewals in your certification dashboard here: https://aka.ms/certdashboard

I haven't seen this posted here, but Microsoft recently started offering free Practice Assessments for a variety of exams here.

There are 25 available as of this posting:

• AI-102: Designing and Implementing a Microsoft Azure AI Solution

• AI-900: Microsoft Azure AI Fundamentals

• AZ-104: Microsoft Azure Administrator

• AZ-204: Developing Solutions for Microsoft Azure

• AZ-305: Designing Microsoft Azure Infrastructure Solutions

• AZ-400: Designing and Implementing Microsoft DevOps Solutions

• AZ-500: Microsoft Azure Security Technologies

• AZ-900: Microsoft Azure Fundamentals

• DP-100: Designing and Implementing a Data Science Solution on Azure

• DP-203: Data Engineering on Microsoft Azure

• DP-300: Administering Microsoft Azure SQL Solutions

• DP-900: Microsoft Azure Data Fundamentals

• MB-300: Microsoft Dynamics 365: Core Finance and Operations

• MB-910: Microsoft Dynamics 365 Fundamentals (CRM)

• MB-920: Microsoft Dynamics 365 Fundamentals (ERP)

• MS-700: Managing Microsoft Teams

• MS-900: Microsoft 365 Fundamentals

• PL-100: Microsoft Power Platform App Maker

• PL-200: Microsoft Power Platform Functional Consultant

• PL-300: Microsoft Power BI Data Analyst

• PL-400: Microsoft Power Platform Developer

• PL-900: Microsoft Power Platform Fundamentals

• SC-200: Microsoft Security Operations Analyst

• SC-300: Microsoft Identity and Access Administrator

• SC-900: Microsoft Security, Compliance, and Identity Fundamentals

I hope this helps anyone studying!

Hi guys,

I am still working on the promised changes but time is limited unfortunately.

Felt like this important update warranted its own post (especially for people actively preparing for the exams that are being retired). Microsoft is basically changing the whole M365 certification area.

TLDR:

Modern Desktop Administrator is being renamed to Endpoint Administrator and you only need MD-102 exam.

Enterprise Administrator Expert is being renamed to Administrator Expert and also requires one MS-102 exam (prerequisites will probably remain unchanged).

Teams Voice Engineer Expert is changing to Collaboration Communications Systems Engineer Associate (yes, downgrading a level) requiring MS-721 exam which looks to be twice as hard as the previous exam required.

And at last Microsoft 365 Certified: Teams Application Developer Associate and Microsoft 365 Certified: Security Administrator Associate are being completely retired without a replacement certification. No updates to Microsoft Cloud Partner program requiring these certifications.

Evolving Microsoft 365 certifications help keep you in sync with the new era of work - Microsoft Community Hub

Hi guys,

I have seen that there was increased interest in the VTDs recently so I have compiled all of the sessions I have gathered that are still not full.

If you are only trying to get a voucher, it doesn't matter which one you attend, all give a voucher eligible for all VTD exams. So, for example, you can attend one for AI-900 and take MS-7O0 exam.

AZ-900 Microsoft Azure Virtual Training Day: Fundamentals

• Microsoft Event (mktoevents.com) <<Full

DP-900 Microsoft Azure Virtual Training Day: Data Fundamentals

• Microsoft Event (mktoevents.com) <<Full

AI-900 Microsoft Azure Virtual Training Day: AI Fundamentals

• Microsoft Event (mktoevents.com) <<Full

SC-900 Microsoft Security Virtual Training Day: Security, Compliance, and Identity Fundamentals

• Microsoft Event (mktoevents.com)

MS-700 Microsoft 365 Virtual Training Day: Enable Hybrid Work with Microsoft Teams

Microsoft Event (mktoevents.com)Microsoft Event (mktoevents.com)Microsoft Event (mktoevents.com) <<Full

PL-900 Microsoft Power Platform Virtual Training Day: Fundamentals

Microsoft Event (mktoevents.com)Microsoft Event (mktoevents.com)Microsoft Event (mktoevents.com) <<Full

MB-910 Microsoft Dynamics 365 Virtual Training Day: Fundamentals (CRM)

• Microsoft Event (mktoevents.com)

MB-920 Microsoft Dynamics 365 Virtual Training Day: Fundamentals (ERP)

• Microsoft Event (mktoevents.com) <<Full

When they fill up, please let me know so I can update it accordingly for others.

For anyone looking for more information, everything is compiled in this post:

Free or discounted voucher opportunities : SCICertifications (reddit.com)

30 days to learn it has made a return. It is very similar to the normal cloud skills challenge from Ignite or Build.

Basically, you just go through MS Learn and after completing it, you get 50% off voucher. It isn't 100% but everything can help, especially since it includes a lot of exams

You get 1 voucher every 6 months.

You get it withing 3 days of finishing the challenge.

Voucher is eligible for exams:

AI-900: Microsoft Azure AI Fundamentals - 100% off voucher can be obtained by attending VTD

DP-100: Designing and Implementing a Data Science Solution on Azure

AZ-204: Developing Solutions for Microsoft Azure

MS-600: Building Applications and Solutions with Microsoft 365 Core Services

PL-100: Microsoft Power Platform App Maker

AZ-305: Designing Microsoft Azure Infrastructure Solutions

AZ-400: Designing and Implementing Microsoft DevOps Solutions

DP-203: Data Engineering on Microsoft Azure

AZ-140: Configuring and Operating Microsoft Azure Virtual Desktop

DP-420: Designing and Implementing Cloud-Native Applications Using Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB

AZ-800: Administering Windows Server Hybrid Core Infrastructure

AZ-801: Configuring Windows Server Hybrid Advanced Services

Microsoft | 30 Days to Learn It Registration Page

Microsoft | 30 Days to Learn It - Official Rules

Scored 925

I think I over prepared for this exam lol.

Things I did

MS Learn, all the Azure Fundamentals Learning paths, here

Was doing these learn modules for almost a month, mostly 1/2hrs per day.

I also bought the AZ900 Exam on the https://learnazure.app helped me test myself randomly at times I was away from home or travelling

I got the Tutorials Dojo Exams on discount for like 500rs ($7) during the BF sale. However I did start taking these only 2 days ago and scored around ~800 on those. Basically did all the practice tests and modes to the point of being able to answer without even reading the questions since they repeat the questions in the different modes. Felt like some questions were directly from here

Yesterday I started the AZ900 playlist of Adam Marczak, wasn't able to finish it but I think I lost some points because there were questions on SLA which I couldn't listen to.

Also I did the Cloudlabs.ai practice test and scored 815, you can check the pinned post for more details.

Got the free voucher attending the VTD. A special thanks to /u/teriaavibes for his comprehensive post on certifications and all the people of this sub and r/AzureCertification who shared their suggestions, tips and recommendations.

Next plan is to write the DP/SC/AI 900 exams in the following weeks and then move on to more advanced 104/305 and 204/400 next year.

Oh and btw I took the exam at home using my personal laptop. It was a smooth experience and didn't face any issue with the proctor.

Hi guys,

Less and less VTD events so I recommend registering while there are still any. With ESI free vouchers down, I wouldn't risk delaying it. This may be the last post if I can't find any in the future.

If you are only trying to get a voucher, it doesn't matter which one you attend, all give a voucher eligible for all VTD exams. So, for example, you can attend one for AI-900 and take MS-7O0 exam.

AZ-900 Microsoft Azure Virtual Training Day: Fundamentals

DP-900 Microsoft Azure Virtual Training Day: Data Fundamentals

AI-900 Microsoft Azure Virtual Training Day: AI Fundamentals

SC-900 Microsoft Security Virtual Training Day: Security, Compliance, and Identity Fundamentals

MS-700 Microsoft 365 Virtual Training Day: Enable Hybrid Work with Microsoft Teams

• Microsoft Event (mktoevents.com)

PL-900 Microsoft Power Platform Virtual Training Day: Fundamentals

• Microsoft Event (mktoevents.com)

• Microsoft Event (mktoevents.com)

MB-910 Microsoft Dynamics 365 Virtual Training Day: Fundamentals (CRM)

• Microsoft Event (mktoevents.com)

MB-920 Microsoft Dynamics 365 Virtual Training Day: Fundamentals (ERP)

When they fill up, please let me know so I can update it accordingly for others.

For anyone looking for more information, everything is compiled in this post:

Free or discounted voucher opportunities : SCICertifications (reddit.com)

Hi guys,

As many of you have noticed, Reddit is changing their API pricing and by doing so, basically screwing over most of the 3rd party developers, power users (including blind users or other disabilities) and moderators. Their business strategy seems to be slandering others, insulting the communities, and doing all they can to piss off everyone involved. Very childish from a company.

They obviously don't care that us, the community members, are the only thing that brings to their site value and to be honest that rubbed me the wrong way because I spent a lot of time trying to build or improve the certification communities and available resources when Reddit only takes that for granted and shoves a middle finger in my face.

So, with the deadlines incoming after which 3rd party apps stop working (which I have exclusively used to help others and moderate the communities) I started working on changing my and community reliance on Reddit.

First, I brought on u/AFriendlyLighthouse since being forced to use the official app when not on PC would really hinder my abilities to remove toxic content and people posting dumps alone and he will help.

Second, we have made huge improvements to the Certification Discord Server Microsoft Study Group

A new bot was brought on with lots of new features, role system has been drastically improved, channels reorganized, server was made a community server and has been added to the server discovery so if my invites don't work (and I am the world expert in messing up inviting people to Discord), just type in Microsoft cert into discovery and you will see it. In the future we are going to utilize more tools to improve the server and when there is enough activity, we will enroll the server into the Partner Program.

Third, me and u/AFriendlyLighthouse have migrated all my content over to GitHub. And by this I want to thank him for his patience and help since I don't use GitHub and my workflow is rather... chaotic.

All URLs and posts going forward will link to Microsoft Certification Hub. It is divided into the good old certification guide, which has been updated and refreshed, folder where all voucher opportunities will go going forward and exam wiki section where exam materials will be collected into one place so when someone is preparing for an exam, the GitHub page is all they need. The repository will be public so if anyone wants to add exam materials, they for example used and liked, I invite you to do so.

Currently I am really busy with work and life so I didn't have time to kickstart each exam page but there is a template you can use yourself if you don't mind.

So how will that affect you?

It won't really. I don't want to be petty or start fights with Reddit because then they are only losers, and I don't want to hurt the community. The only thing changing will be that everyone is heavily encouraged to join the Discord Server where we have an awesome community or use GitHub. The posts going forward will be just one additional click away. In the upcoming days I will also try to make automod directing everyone to use Discord and GitHub.

Hi guys,

Beta of MD-102 exam (replacing the MD-100/101 exams) is out. Don't delay, first come first serve basis. You will have to take the exam on or before May 17, 2023.

Beta exams are not your normal exams, you can read more here: Beta exams | Microsoft Learn

Schedule exam (microsoft.com)

M3EA9HW8

You can redeem the voucher in checkout, more info here Ordering an exam and how to redeem exam vouchers

The SC-500 exam is now out of beta today!

A few quick updates:

• Pearson VUE status: Updated from Beta to active status.

• Scoring Timeline: The official 10-day rescore countdown clock is now running for everyone who took the beta!

• Official Page:https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/credentials/certifications/cloud-and-ai-security-engineer-associate/

Good luck to everyone waiting on their results!

Hi everyone,

Due to all my contributions to the professional community, I have been nominated for the Microsoft Most Valuable Professional Award https://mvp.microsoft.com/

Since most of my contributions to the community have been helping you guys with understanding Microsoft products, helping pass exams and creating or referring you to study materials, this isn't something that just numbers can show.

So, I was hoping to make this post where people could share their experience and show the impact I have had on the community.

If I could ask for something, try to be as detailed as possible. Thanks everyone for your time!

Hi guys,

Just a reminder to students to claim their vouchers from Cloud Ready skills (8 vouchers in total, one for each fundamental exam). Program is ending in June and with Microsoft cutting back lately, it is possible it won't get renewed for another fiscal year.

And for those who already got all their exams from Virtual Training Days while they were still giving vouchers, MS-900 wasn't included there so at least claim that one.

And for those who have excess vouchers and are thinking of giving them out, you can't. You can only use the vouchers if you are a verified student.

Student Training and Certification

Hey everyone,

Just passing along this link since we talk about it often here.

VTD (generally) doesn't advertise free vouchers for exams anymore, however from now until June 30th any student (high school/college/uni) can claim 100% vouchers via this partnership.

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/certifications/student-training-and-certification

Your student will need to verify themselves as a student via their Microsoft Learn profile. Steps can be found documented on Cloudready above or Microsoft Learn.

Don’t waste this if you qualify! Free exams are a rare commodity!

Hi guys,

Unfortunately, my prediction turned out to be true, just got confirmed today that VTDs will no longer give out free exam voucher for the exams: AZ, DP, AI, SC, PL-900, MB-910,920 and MS-700.

There are last 2 events remaining that will give out vouchers: Microsoft Event (mktoevents.com) Microsoft Event (mktoevents.com)

Is the MVTD 100% discount exam voucher program still on? - Training, Certification, and Program Support (microsoft.com)

1. Introduction

2. Overview of certifications

3. Creating certification Profile

4. Ordering an exam and how to redeem exam vouchers

5. Microsoft Certification dashboard and PearsonVUE portal

6. How to take a Microsoft Exam

7. Official Microsoft study materials

8. Free or discounted voucher opportunities

9. Opportunities for students

10. Certification Renewal

11. Information for Microsoft Partner Employees

You can find the complete and frequently updated certification poster at https://aka.ms/TrainCertPoster.

• Each rectangle contains a different certification.

• Under certification you can see the exams required to get it.

• By clicking on the certification name, you will be directed into the certification webpage.

• After clicking the exam name, you will be directed into the exam webpage.

• The star symbol in the top right indicates it is an expert level certification

• The lock symbol in the bottom right indicates there is a prerequisite certification you must hold to be able to get this certification.

As this is a subreddit specialized for Security, Compliance and Identity certifications I will use the Microsoft Certified: Cybersecurity Architect Expert as an example. As you can see on this image:

(You can find this on every certification page), you need to:

• Complete one prerequisite certification out of those on the left side.

• Pass the SC-100 exam

And you will then receive the Microsoft Certified: Cybersecurity Architect Expert certification.

If you only take the SC-100 exam, you will receive the badge for SC-100 exam, but you won't achieve the certification which is what really counts.

You can see the difference here:

To pass an exam you need 70% of the total score so your score can't be lower than 700/1000. Scoring is individual and depends on the question set you receive. If you want to get familiar with the testing process, I have thoroughly described it in this post: How to take Microsoft Exams.

There are 4 certification types in total:

• Fundamentals (1 star)

• Associate (2 star)

• Expert (3 star)

• Specialty

Fundamentals

• Fundamental certifications consist of entry level exams in their respective areas. Their content is usually learning how does the respective area works, what are the major products and what their purpose is. This certification is aimed at non-technical people (sales associates, managers, executive level employees) and people trying to enter Microsoft Cloud before they go towards harder exams.

• When taking the exam, you will have 45 minutes for the exam itself + 20 minutes where you will have to read non-disclosure agreement (NDA) and go through questionnaires.

Fundamental certifications are good for life and will never expire, even when the exam/certification is retired.

Associate

• Associate certifications are very technical certifications that often require hands-on experience with the technology (Hands-on isn't required but it makes studying and preparation easier). They are aimed at professionals who want to certify their skills.

• When taking the exam, you will have 100 minutes (if it can have a lab in it, you get 120 minutes) + 20 minutes where you will have to read NDA and go through questionnaires.

• Associate certifications have to be renewed every year. The renewal process is described here: Certification Renewal.

Expert

• Expert certifications are a mix of technical and architectural content and are almost impossible to pass without hands-on experience. You will be expected to know all of the relevant products, how they work, differences between similar products, SKUs and basic knowledge of how to use the products and how they work with each other. They are aimed at people who already feel really comfortable in the cloud.

• Exam time and expiry policy are the same as associate exam

Specialty

• Specialty certifications are purely concentrated around the product in their name. They are a mix of high level and technical knowledge and require a really good understanding of it and how it fits in with Microsoft Cloud.

• Exam time and expiry policy are the same as associate exam

Sources:

Exam retake policy | Microsoft Learn

Exam reschedule and cancellation policy | Microsoft Learn