We all know the importance of Microsoft Azure certifications and what benefits they can provide after earning one. Not just you get globally recognized but it will help you in mastering real-world skills. Moreover, Azure certifications allow us to demonstrate proficiency in keeping pace with technology. However, this all about earning a certification and then, start a career. But, what about maintaining that certification and checking on updates for the exam? This is important as well. In other words, Microsoft always keeps on updating its exam so that you can get advance and learn more about the latest technology. You must know that IT professionals who have achieved an updated role-based technical certification perform on average better than the one holding a certification that is expiring or will get expire. So, it is important to get upgraded in your career as well as for the certification you hold.
Related to this, in this blog we will explore the list of Microsoft Azure Certifications. This will cover the active exams, content changes, and the exams which are getting retired. Further, we will be talking about maintaining the certification and some useful resources for Azure exams.
Microsoft Azure: Active Certifications Exam List
Microsoft certifications are a great place to begin your career by exploring many types of certifications by role or by skills. You will get details for every certification exam on the Microsoft Browse certification Page. Moreover, here you can also learn about how many exams you need to pass for the certification you looking for.
Moving on, related to the exams, below you will find the list of Azure exams that are active and also the modifications that will be there in that exam.
| Microsoft Azure Certification Exam Updates | |
| Exam Name | Modifications |
| Exam DP-100: Designing and Implementing a Data Science Solution on Azure | The content of the DP-100 exam was updated on May 20, 2021. Updated Course Outline: Manage Azure resources for machine learning (25–30%) Run experiments and train models (20–25%) Deploy and operationalize machine learning solutions (35–40%) Implement responsible machine learning (5–10%) |
| Exam AZ-204: Developing Solutions for Microsoft Azure | The content of this AZ-204 exam was updated on March 26, 2021. Updated Course Outline: Develop Azure compute solutions (25-30%) Develop for Azure storage (15-20%) Implement Azure security (20-25%) Monitor, troubleshoot, and optimize Azure solutions (15-20%) Connect to and consume Azure services and third-party services (15-20%) |
| Exam MS-100: Microsoft 365 Identity and Services | The content of the MS-100 exam will be updated on June 2, 2021. Updated Course Outline: Design and implement Microsoft 365 services (25-30%) Manage user identity and roles (25-30%) Manage access and authentication (15-20%) Plan Office 365 workloads and applications (25-30%) |
| Exam AZ-120: Planning and Administering Microsoft Azure for SAP Workloads | The content of the AZ-120 exam will be updated on May 28, 2021. Updated Course Outline: Migrate SAP Workloads to Azure (25-30%) Design and Implement an Infrastructure to Support SAP Workloads (25–30%) Design and Implement High Availability and Disaster Recovery (HA/DR) (20–25%) Maintain SAP Workloads on Azure (15–20%) |
| Exam MS-101: Microsoft 365 Mobility and Security | The content of the MS-101 exam will be updated on May 25, 2021. Updated Course Outline: Implement modern device services (40-45%) Implement Microsoft 365 security and threat management (20-25%) Manage Microsoft 365 governance and compliance (35-40%) |
| Exam AZ-500: Microsoft Azure Security Technologies | The content of the AZ-500 exam will be updated on June 2, 2021. Updated Course Outline: Manage identity and access (30-35%) Implement platform protection (15-20%) Manage security operations (25-30%) Secure data and applications (20-25%) |
| Exam AZ-303: Microsoft Azure Architect Technologies | The content of the AZ-303 exam will be updated on May 25, 2021. Updated Course Outline: Implement and monitor an Azure infrastructure (50-55%) Implement management and security solutions (25-30%) Implement solutions for apps (10-15%) Implement and manage data platforms (10-15%) |
| Exam AZ-104: Microsoft Azure Administrator | The content of the AZ-104 exam will be updated on May 25, 2021. Updated Course Outline: Manage Azure identities and governance (15-20%) Implement and manage storage (15-20%) Deploy and manage Azure compute resources (20-25%) Configure and manage virtual networking (25-30%) Monitor and back up Azure resources (10-15%) |
| Exam AZ-304: Microsoft Azure Architect Design | The content of the AZ-304 exam will be updated on May 25, 2021. Updated Course Outline: Design monitoring (10-15%) Design identity and security (25-30%) Design data storage (15-20%) Design business continuity (10-15%) Design infrastructure (25-30%) |
| Exam DP-300: Administering Relational Databases on Microsoft Azure | The content of the DP-300 exam will be updated on May 25, 2021. Updated Course Outline: Plan and implement data platform resources (15-20%) Implement a secure environment (15-20%) Monitor and optimize operational resources (15-20%) Optimize query performance (5-10%) Perform automation of tasks (10-15%) Plan and implement a High Availability and Disaster Recovery (HADR) environment (15-20%) Perform administration by using T-SQL (10-15%) |
| Exam AZ-900: Microsoft Azure Fundamentals | The content of this exam was updated on November 9, 2020. |
| Exam AZ-400: Designing and Implementing Microsoft DevOps Solutions | The content of the AZ-400 exam will be updated on May 25, 2021. Updated Course Outline: Develop an instrumentation strategy (5-10%) Develop a Site Reliability Engineering (SRE) strategy (5-10%) Develop a security and compliance plan (10-15%) Manage source control (10-15%) Facilitate communication and collaboration (10-15%) Define and implement continuous integration (20-25%) Define and implement continuous delivery and release management strategy (10-15%) |
| Exam DP-900: Microsoft Azure Data Fundamentals | The content of the DP-900 exam was updated on April 23, 2021. Updated Course Outline: Describe core data concepts (15-20%) Describe how to work with relational data on Azure (25-30%) Describe how to work with non-relational data on Azure (25-30%) Describe an analytics workload on Azure (25-30%) |
| Exam AZ-220: Microsoft Azure IoT Developer | The content of the AZ-220 exam will be updated on May 25, 2021. Updated Course Outline: Set up the IoT solution infrastructure (10-15%) Provision and manage devices (15-20%) Implement IoT Edge (15-20%) Implement business integration (5-10%) Process and manage data (15-20%) Monitor, troubleshoot, and optimize IoT solutions (15-20%) Implement security (10-15%) |
| Exam MS-500: Microsoft 365 Security Administration | The content of the MS-500 exam was updated on March 23, 2021. Updated Course Outline: Implement and manage identity and access (30-35%) Implement and manage threat protection (20-25%) Implement and manage information protection (15-20%) Manage governance and compliance features in Microsoft 365 (25-30%) |
| Exam AI-900: Microsoft Azure AI Fundamentals | The content of the AI-900 exam was updated on April 23, 2021. Updated Course Outline: Describe AI workloads and considerations (15-20%) Describe fundamental principles of machine learning on Azure (30-35%) Describe features of computer vision workloads on Azure (15-20%) Describe features of Natural Language Processing (NLP) workloads on Azure (15-20%) Describe features of conversational AI workloads on Azure (15-20%) |
| Microsoft Azure Certification New Exam |
| Exam AZ-600: Configuring and Operating a Hybrid Cloud with Microsoft Azure Stack Hub |
| Exam AI-102: Designing and Implementing a Microsoft Azure AI Solution |
| Exam SC-900: Microsoft Security, Compliance, and Identity Fundamentals |
| Exam PL-600: Microsoft Power Platform Solution Architect |
| Exam AZ-140: Configuring and Operating Windows Virtual Desktop on Microsoft Azure |
We are now well familiar with the Microsoft Azure active exams and the changes that are going to happen. It’s time to get our exam feed refresh by knowing about the exams which will get retire soon. Moreover, this list also contains information about the replacement exam as well.
Microsoft Azure Certification Exam Retirement Details
We know that in this digital era, technology and its related job roles are upgrading fastly. In order to keep on going with this technology, Microsoft keeps on updating the exam and its content. The experts review the exam and certification regularly for ensuring they have the latest skills and Microsoft technologies. If not then, they mark it retired and bring a replacement for the exam. Microsoft believes in providing the latest skills through its certification so that, candidates can get a secure career with those skills.
Check out the list of the Microsoft Azure certifications exams that are going to be retired and the ones which will retire soon.
| Microsoft Azure Retiring Exams |
| Retiring on June 30, 2021 |
| AI-100: Designing and Implementing an Azure AI Solution |
| DP-200: Implementing an Azure Data Solution |
| DP-201: Designing an Azure Data Solution |
| Recently retired exams | ||
| Role-based | ||
| AZ-100 | Microsoft Azure Infrastructure and Deployment | 1-May-19 |
| AZ-101 | Microsoft Azure Integration and Security | 1-May-19 |
| AZ-102 | Microsoft Azure Administrator Certification Transition | 30-Jun-19 |
| AZ-103 | Microsoft Azure Administrator | 31-Aug-20 |
| AZ-200 | Microsoft Azure Developer Core Solutions (released September 24, 2018) | 3-Jan-19 |
| AZ-201 | Microsoft Azure Developer Advanced Solutions (released September 24, 2018) | 3-Jan-19 |
| AZ-202 | Microsoft Azure Developer Certification Transition (released September 24, 2018) | 31-Mar-19 |
| AZ-203 | Developing Solutions for Microsoft Azure | 31-Aug-20 |
| AZ-300 | Microsoft Azure Architect Technologies | 30-Sep-20 |
| AZ-301 | Microsoft Azure Architect Design | 30-Sep-20 |
| AZ-302 | Microsoft Azure Solutions Architect Certification Transition | 30-Jun-19 |
Registering for a Microsoft Certification exam
For scheduling the exam, you can register from any details page Microsoft. However, during the scheduling process, you will get an option to choose if you want to take the exam in a local test center or online. Both have their own benefits. That is to say, local test centers provide a secure computing environment to take your exam.
But, due to the current Covid-19 situation, it is better to take an online proctored exam. In this, you can take your exam at almost any time using your own computer, but it requires the installation of a secure browser and reliable access to the internet. Moreover, there will need for a system pre-check to ensuring your machine meets the requirements for the exam.
Above, we have got the list of both active and retired Azure certifications but what about managing the certifications and preparing for the exam. To help you with this, check out the below sections.
Managing Microsoft Certification
- Firstly, have access to your Certification Dashboard. This is the home for all of your personal certification-related information. Here you can:
- update your profile
- locate your Microsoft Certification identification number (MCID)
- get your Microsoft Certification transcript.
For accessing your Certification Dashboard:
You can access your Certification Dashboard from:
- Firstly, below the description on any certification or exam details page on Microsoft Learn.
- Secondly, there is a link to “Go to Certification Dashboard” on the Certifications overview, in the upper right corner.
- Lastly, in the Microsoft Learn Profile certifications section.
Managing Certification Profile
Microsoft Certification profile is a crucial source of data. While taking an exam, the proctor will match the information you provide at the time of taking the test to what is in your profile. Therefore, your profile information must be identical to your government-issued identification. However, if it is not, you will not be able to take the exam.
For accessing and updating your certification profile:
- Firstly, sign into the Certification Dashboard.
- Secondly, click on edit your certification profile.
- After that, select the pencil icon next to the “Certification profile”.
- Lastly, select “Save & Continue” at the bottom to save your changes.
Digital badges
After passing the exam, you will earn badges. This will refer to your achievements you can share with the world for showcasing your skills. However, the badge digitally displays your achievements. They consist of an image and metadata uniquely linked to you. And, when someone views your badge, they will get to learn more about your skills by verifying the badge’s authenticity.
Further, when sharing your digital badge on social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter. Then, anyone who sees your badge will recognize it as a trusted Microsoft validation of your achievement.
Microsoft Useful Resources
Microsoft offers free online training at your fingertips. This also includes interactive coding environments and role-based learning paths for helping you to understand a specific topic area. Let’s understand some useful preparation resources for the Microsoft exam.
1. Microsoft Learn
By using Microsoft Learn, anyone can master core concepts at their speed and on their schedule. This helps you in starting your journey to explore and learn about our technologies. Further, it offers:
- Firstly, step-by-step tutorials.
- Secondly, browser-based, interactive coding/scripting environments.
- Thirdly, task-based achievements.
- Lastly, instructor-led training options.
2. Understanding skills
- On every Microsoft certification and exam details page, there will be a section named “Skills measured”. This will have the lists of skills that will be assessed in that exam. Moreover, you can download the course outline from there.
3. Microsoft Learning Paths
Microsoft provides a list of online learning paths available on each certification and exam page. This will help in preparing for the exam using the modules on the product, based on role, or based on learning level.
4. Instructor-led Courses
Microsoft provides instructor-led courses consisting of in-classroom and on-demand training on Microsoft technologies, provided by Microsoft Certified Trainers. These courses will help you in gaining new skills and discover the power of Microsoft products with step-by-step guidance.
5. Take a practice test
Practice tests are important for having better preparation. With these tests, you will be able to assess yourself and you will learn about your weak and strong areas. But, what’s important is to get the best available practice tests. So, find the best source to get the unique exam practice tests.
Expert’s Corner
Earning a Microsoft certification will help you improve and expand your opportunities for hiring and promotion. With regular updates in the exam, Microsoft helps candidates to stand out with the latest technology and enhance their skills. We all know that the job market puts those on top who have the latest certification and skills. So use the list of Azure exams provided above to stay up to date with the exam you are preparing for. At last, prepare for the exam using the valuable study resources, training as well as practice tests for passing the exam.
