Recently I passed the the AZ-204: Developing Solutions for Microsoft Azure exam. It was quite difficult and there were several times I thought to myself that I won’t pass. Luckily I did and I can pass on my tips on how to successfully complete this certification.
The structure of the exam:
It was a total of about 48 questions.
- 5 Questions were final question that could not be reviewed
- 10 Questions from different scenarios
It took me about 2:30 hours to complete the exam and you are given 3 hours to complete the exam.
The exam covered all aspects from the outline and the parts I found challenging were: Azure Functions CLI, .NET and Powershell commands AD APIM App Insights - Funnel, Impact, Retention
1) Tips
Create a study plan based on how you will be studying: I used Josh Duffney’s Blog Post to create a study plan for one month
Questions to ask yourself
- How much time will you dedicate towards studying?
- When will be the best time for you to dedicate toward this studying?
2) Suggested Resources
- WhizLabs - 4 Tests
- WhizLabs Online Course - Useful for Powershell /CLI / .NET commands
- Microsoft Learning Website - Don’t spend too much time learning the extra information provided and stick to the Outline.
3) My Approach
Set Learning Goals:
Divide up the requirements according to different sections that you want to complete in a day. Follow the requirements of the exam.
The requirements does a good job of outlining the key phrases and essential things you need to know for the exam.
Match those to the Microsoft Learning Modules and learn exactly as required.
For additional help:
Refer to the CLI/ Powershell commands on the WhizLabs course videos.
Then proceed take the 4 WhizLabs exams which are quick similar to the exam and help to fill in additional gaps in knowledge.
I was asked about about AD Application registration during the exam which luckily I had learned from the Whizlabs exams:
Exam Experience
Due to COVID, I took the exam online instead of at a test center. I assumed the experience would be smooth but I was definitely wrong. I made sure to run the System Test tool that is also used during the exam to check the webcam and if the system can run the test software.
On the day of the exam, I logged into the Azure Exam website and patiently waited for the exam link to be open 30 minutes prior to the start time. My first bottleneck was when the software asked me to upload the pictures of the room at all angles, luckily they provide a URL which you can navigate from your phone to upload the photos and continue again on the laptop.
After struggling for 20 minutes, I managed to make it to the stage where all I needed was for the proctor of the exam to ensure that they can see me through my webcam. However, I never imagined that this would the challenge that this turned out to be. The proctor on the other line was never able to see my webcam and after struggling for another 1 hour we finally scheduled the exam for the next day.
The next day, I tried to follow the same steps and used a different laptop this time and was able to finally start the exam. At this point, I was just exhausted from jousting with the software itself and was looking forward to completing this certification finally. Luckily, everything turned out fine and the rest is history.
To note:
- You can’t talk to someone or cover your mouth during the exam
- Make sure to take the certification in a quiet room where you can sit for 3 hours.
Good Luck!