How to pass the Microsoft Fundamentals exam in the shortest time
This is a gift I carefully prepared for everyone! Microsoft Fundamentals exams: Microsoft Azure AI Fundamentals, Microsoft Azure Fundamentals, Microsoft Azure Data Fundamentals. Today I will talk about three popular exam details: Yes, you heard it right, I spent two days sorting out a lot of useful Exam information. Yes! This is the latest new content. I wrote him as an exam guide.
I think people who read this article must be newbies and people who have been preparing for a while! It’s ok! From now on, anyone at any level of learning can gain a lot here!
I know that everyone will have a lot of questions: How should I take the exam? What is the Microsoft Fundamentals exam certification? Wait… Don’t worry! I will explain to you one by one.
What does the popular Microsoft Fundamentals exam represent?
The popular Microsoft Foundation exams represent a broad category of Microsoft Fundamentals exams. Microsoft Fundamentals includes: (There may be more exams in the future!)
- 62-193 – Technology Literacy for Educators
- AI-900 – Microsoft Azure AI Fundamentals
- AZ-900 – Microsoft Azure Fundamentals
- DP-900 – Microsoft Azure Data Fundamentals
- MB-901 – Microsoft Dynamics 365 Fundamentals
- MB-910 – Microsoft Dynamics 365 Fundamentals Customer Engagement Apps (CRM)
- MB-920 – Microsoft Dynamics 365 Fundamentals Finance and Operations Apps (ERP)
- MS-900 – Microsoft 365 Fundamentals
- PL-900 – Microsoft Power Platform Fundamentals
- SC-900 – Microsoft Security Compliance and Identity Fundamentals
But today I only talk about these three exams: Microsoft Azure AI Fundamentals, Microsoft Azure Fundamentals, and Microsoft Azure Data Fundamentals! I will explain to you the uses and learning methods of these three exams, of course, including the way to pass the exams!
Why get Microsoft Fundamentals certification?
The first reason — I recently moved into a new job, and the team uses Microsoft stack for everything. And since we work with data at scale, everything we do is in the cloud, i.e., Azure. Hence to me, it made sense to dive deeper and understand Azure once and for all. Most companies are moving into the cloud, and it would be useful for you to understand these concepts.
The second reason was just, why not. I prioritize the ability to get the work done over any form certificate. But it took me only 15hrs of preparation, spread across 5 days, and didn’t cost me a penny (I’ll tell you how to, in a while), so why not!
If you’re not sold with my reasons, Microsoft provides some researched statistics too.
- 91% of certified IT professionals say certification gives them more professional credibility.
- 52% of certified IT professionals say their expertise is more sought after within their organization.
- 93% of decision-makers agree that certified employees provide added value.
So if you want to understand cloud better, want to showcase value to your (prospective) employer, and got a few hours to spare, why don’t you get certified too? Especially since you’ve already gotten hold of my guide. 😉
This paragraph is quoted from my admiration for this veteran Azure worker: How I Passed the Microsoft Azure Fundamentals Certification in 5 Days
Microsoft Azure (AI Fundamentals, Azure Fundamentals, Data Fundamentals) Basic knowledge: everything you need to know
I don’t want to describe too many details too much! My title is to tell you how to take the exam and how to get Microsoft Fundamentals certification in the fewest words.
Microsoft Azure AI Fundamentals：
The content of this exam was updated on April 23, 2021. Please download the exam skills outline below to see what changed. According to the most updated exam, there are specifically 5 skills being measured for the examination with an approximate weighting (very important).
- 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 Fundamentals：
The content of this exam was updated on November 9, 2020. Please download the exam skills outline below to see what changed. According to the most updated exam, there are specifically 6 skills being measured for the examination with an approximate weighting (very important).
- Describe cloud concepts (20-25%)
- Describe core Azure services (15-20%)
- Describe core solutions and management tools on Azure (10-15%)
- Describe general security and network security features (10-15%)
- Describe identity, governance, privacy, and compliance features (20-25%)
- Describe Azure cost management and Service Level Agreements (10-15%)
Microsoft Azure Data Fundamentals：
The content of this exam was updated on April 23, 2021. Please download the exam skills outline below to see what changed. According to the most updated exam, there are specifically 4 skills being measured for the examination with an approximate weighting (very important).
- 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%)
These measured skills can be roughly regarded as an exam syllabus, with exam questions more or less following the weights shown. I will provide some reference materials later to help you practice!
Microsoft Fundamentals free online learning materials
Microsoft Azure AI Fundamentals (Free Practice)
Microsoft Azure Fundamentals (Free Practice)
Microsoft Azure Data Fundamentals (Free Practice)
You can click on the picture to get more exam practice questions! I believe that anytime you are familiar with the exam skills, you can definitely get the exam certification certificate
What should you expect during the exam?
Familiar with the test environment, the test time is about 2 hours, and divided into several sections in this order:
Now:
Due to the spread of COVID-19, global test delivery Pearson Vue. I won’t go into the details of how to take the exam in Pearson Vue! Here I provide a link to the details of how to take the exam
Original steps：
- 30 mins: Pre-exam setup, ID proof, surrounding check
- 15 mins: Short survey and understanding exam particulars
- 60 mins: Actual examination
- 15 mins: Feedback on questions and survey
The time remaining from each session cannot be carried forward, and in the end, you would only be evaluated in the 60mins of the actual examination.
Since I opted for the online proctored exam, I had to ensure that the system and other requirements are met. Please run the setup and check if it works well on your laptop. The exam cannot be taken from a Ubuntu machine, and it doesn’t work with corporate network/firewall settings. So, in the end, I had to borrow my sister’s personal laptop for the exam, so please be aware of such limitations.
We would need government-approved ID proof (Passport, Driving License, etc.) to match the certification profile name. In addition to that, we need to click photos of ourselves and the exam environment for verification. A real person would be on the other side, proctoring the exam, so you can always reach out if you need something.
As for the exam contents, I don’t want to spoil you with exact questions, but my whole intention of this guide is to encourage and support you to learn and acquire the skills and do well in the exam. Trust me; if you go through the resources I’ve listed above, you’ll be well and good.
You would be required to answer somewhere between 40–50 objective questions. The time was more than sufficient, so feel free to mark questions to review later on in your second round.
As you finish the exam, you would be prompted with the result instantly. “Congratulations, you have successfully passed the exam!” was the greeting on screen. I truly wish you receive the same!
And within an hour, the certificate (signed by Satya Nadella, oh yeah!) was waiting in my certification profile.
At last:
Microsoft Azure Data Fundamentals: core data concepts; how to work with relational data on Azure; how to work with non-relational data on Azure; and an analytics workload on Azure.
Microsoft Azure Fundamentals: cloud concepts; core Azure services; core solutions and management tools on Azure; general security and network security features; identity, governance, privacy, and compliance features; and Azure cost management and Service Level Agreements.
Microsoft Azure AI Fundamentals: AI workloads and considerations; fundamental principles of machine learning on Azure; features of computer vision workloads on Azure; features of Natural Language Processing (NLP) workloads on Azure; and features of conversational AI workloads on Azure.
I have answered all the questions and I believe this guide will help you! You will be very excited when you are certified! And you will get more opportunities! I guarantee that everyone around you will be happy for you!