Microsoft Certifications: Advice on Achieving Exam Success

Welcome back to The Tech Dive! It has been a while since the last blog as I spent the last few months of 2024 studying for two Microsoft certifications. I am now back in the blog space and thought my experience of studying for, and passing, two certifications in short succession would make an interesting first blog back.

Introduction

So what are Microsoft certifications? In a nutshell, they are qualifications offered by Microsoft that show that the holder is proficient in certain Microsoft technologies and technical skills. There are many different certifications and certification pathways (groups of similar certifications) for all different skill points.

Microsoft certifications are a great way to evidence your technical skills to your current or potential future employers. In fact many employers will fund the cost of Microsoft certifications for employees! It is definitely worth investigating this with your employer; you could save on the entry cost of between £60 and + £200.

This blog post takes a wide view of the skills needed to prepare for the full range of certifications, rather than specific advice on any one in particular.

So here are the tips!

How to prepare

Preparing for a Microsoft certification is simple, here are the resources I would recommend, listed in order of importance.

1. Microsoft Learn

Microsoft Learn is going to become your best friend whilst studying for a certification. Microsoft Learn is Microsoft’s official platform for learning and is where you can go to view the learning objectives, learning pathways and practice tests for your certifications. Each exam has its own Microsoft Learn pathway which covers all of the material that could come up in your exam.

If you have some tech experience, or are sitting one of the ‘fundamental’ Microsoft certifications, Microsoft Learn may be the only resource you need to visit. The learning pathways cover all the material in the exam and there are often ‘lab’ exercises that you can do which give you access to a sandbox environment to try out some of the software for free.

Microsoft Learn is a great resource if, like me, you learn best by reading and note taking.

An example of a learning pathway

2. Microsoft Learn Practice Assessments

Also on the Microsoft Learn site you can find practice assessment. This gives you 50 multiple choice questions to practice and test your knowledge on.

It is worth noting that in the actual exam some questions are more tricky than these practice questions. But they do give you an idea of the material you may be asked questions about nonetheless.

The thing I found most useful about these practice tests is that there is no limit on the number of times you can take the test. In the run up to my exams I took the test daily to track how I was improving and what topics I needed to study most on.

This resource is best for those who learn by doing and those who want practice what an exam might ‘feel’ like.

Find the practice test here

3. YouTube/Coursera/Pluralsight

I have to admit taht I did not use these resources in my study - I do not feel like I learn best from video content. However some people swear by videos so I am including sites like Youtube, Pluralsight and Coursera.

One thing to watch out for is making sure you are watching recent content - as Microsoft do update exam content periodically, so old videos may not cover the full scope of the actual exam.

If you have any recommendations of videos taht have helped you please do name drop in the comments!

Managing procrastination

Managing procrastination whilst studying can be a huge problem, especially if you are working an have caring responsibilities at the same time. Here are a few tips to beat the procrastination demon:

• Book the exam - I find having a deadline helps kick my brain into action mode.
• Set a timetable or target - Put time in your diary for when you will study, or alternatively set a daily study time target.
• Be realistic - look at your commitments and be honest with how much you can study. You are setting yourself up to fail if you target 2 hours of study an evening but also have to but two screaming toddlers to bed then!
• Split into small chunks - for example, before you log on at work why not complete a practice test or go over one topic?
• Timers - use timers to time block study time. Move distractions away whilst the timer is on.

Exam technique

Finally, I want to touch on something I am a strong believer in- exam technique. Sometimes people can know the content being examined, but exam technique lets them down when it really counts. Manage exam technique using these tips:

• Do the environment test - don’t let your laptop let you down. Make sure to do the environment set up test at least once on the device (and wi-fi network) you plan to sit the exam on. Be extra careful if using your employers network or equipment.
• Choose a time where you wont be nervous - will leaving the exam until the evening make you worry all day? Or maybe you are not a morning person, so evenings are better for you. Microsoft offer quite a wide selection of times; use this to your advantage.
• Moderator - be prepared for the questions the moderator will ask you - have your ID ready and your environment clear.
• Use the flag tool - the online system used by Microsoft allows you to ‘flag’ answers to come back to, this is such a good tool to help manage your time and your stress levels. If you are unsure of an answer, flag it and come back to it at the end. You never know, another question may allow you to figure out the answer to an earlier question!
• Rule out wrong answers and deduce final answer - and finally, if you still genuinely do not know the answer to a question - don’t panic. For multiple choice questions you can use the process of elimination to rule out wrong answers and make an educated guess from the remainders.

Conclusion

Hopefully at least one of these tips helps you in your journey. Remember to keep calm both whilst studying and during the exam, and good luck!

Share any tips or advice you have in the comments.