Prepare for the Microsoft Azure Fundamentals Exam
Public Cloud spending by enterprises across the world has been increasing by every passing year. The year 2018 was no different. Amongst various cloud services platforms, Microsoft Azure is a prominent one, and it witnessed a growth rate of 89% in the 4th quarter of 2018. These are encouraging signs for individuals willing to make a career or take advantage of ever-increasing professional opportunities in Azure.
Steps
- Understand the different levels. Microsoft offers Azure certifications for three different levels:
- Fundamentals.
- Associate.
- Expert.
- Understand the prerequisites. You don’t need to have a comprehensive understanding of the cloud, and one does not need to be a cloud professional. While it isn't mandatory, it helps to have some general IT experience and basic knowledge.
- Check whether you have the money. The exam costs $99.00.
- Get familiar with question formats. These may include:
- Case studies
- Short answers
- Build list
- Hot area
- Multiple choice questions
- Review screen
- Best answer
- Drag and drop.
- Learn the topic of the questions. They can be expected from the following 4 modules:
- Cloud Concepts. (15 to 20%)
- Core Azure Services. (30 to 35%)
- Security, Privacy, Compliance, Trust. (25 to 30%)
- Azure Pricing, Support. (25-30%)
- Remember how the exam is organized. There will be from 40 to 60 questions, with no penalty for wrong answers. You have 85 minutes to to take the exam. The minimum passing score is 700.
- If you don't pass the exam, you can retake it after 24 hours. If you don't pass it again, you have 14 days before being allowed to retake it. It's only allowed to re-take the exam 5 times a year.
- If you have to cancel or re-schedule the exam, you aren't charged if you do this at least 6 business days before the scheduled date.
- Go through all the details on Microsoft’s Learning Portal. It acts as a go-to page for details related to a variety of Microsoft’s certification and exams, including Microsoft Azure Fundamentals Exam: AZ-900. It also provides you with links to useful study material, study groups, exam policies, and structure.
- Stay in touch with essential updates using the Microsoft Documentation page. It lets you study concepts like Agility, Disaster Recovery, Elasticity, Fault Tolerance, High Availability, and Scalability. One can also learn Azure account creation and networking options.
- Consider taking a training course. This can be especially helpful if you don't like learning from the internet or books.
- Get into a study group or forum. You can use study groups or online forums to clear your doubts and have your queries answered through experienced professionals.
- Read about Microsoft Azure. The following books can be useful: “Microsoft Azure: The Ultimate Beginners Guide,” from Adney Ainsley, “Microsoft Azure Tutorial for Beginners,” from Kennan Bismar or “The Beginners Guide to Microsoft Azure,” from Dennis Hutten.
- Don't only read paper books. E-books also have useful content and inform you as good as paper books. You can read white papers to know standards and recommendations on Microsoft Azure.
- Take sample tests. This will help you understand what is required, and can increase your skills and competencies in a specific domain. One can choose such practice tests from many online sources.
