How I cleared AZ-900 : Microsoft Azure Fundamentals Exam in 24 hours
AZ 900 exam is Microsoft’s foundational cloud exam, it tests candidates for familiarity with the general cloud technology concepts (IaaS, PaaS, SaaS, Public, Private, Hybrid Cloud), including concepts of networking, storage, compute, application support, and application development. It is good for developers who are new to cloud based solutions or business folks who are in the business of buying and selling Microsoft’s cloud services.
I took this exam as I help large companies reduce IT costs by advising them on buying, improving utilization, and managing the demand of technology investments. In my advisory role, I often end up brokering peace between technology and finance teams (aka CIO and CFO). While I do not develop/configure cloud environments, I did the AZ-900 certification to develop my understanding of services where microsoft azure competes against amazon web services.
Here’s the link to the detailed LinkedIn post about my learnings after clearing AZ-900 Azure Fundamentals Exam.
Now, here’s how did I manage to clear the exam in 24 hours –
1. Registered myself for Microsoft Virtual Training Days
Microsoft Virtual Training Days helped in building my overall understanding the cloud topics covered in the exam. Microsoft was also kind enough to offer a FREE $99 Exam Voucher, just for attending the sessions.
2. Read Blog of Atul Kumar
Atul Kumar’s Blog on Everything You Must Know AZ-900 Microsoft Azure Fundamentals Exam helped me drill down into the concepts familiarized during Microsoft Virtual Training Days
3. Started with a sample test of 223 free questions from Exam Topics
From Exam Topics Questions & Answers on AZ900 , for each question, I took time to understand the meaning of all the suggested options, prepared my notes on topics that were not clear
4. Took 6 practice tests total 250 questions from Udemy
Enrolled in Udemy‘s Microsoft Azure Fundamentals (AZ-900). Practiced Tests by Exam Pass, Made sure to understand the reasons for why I got a question right (especially those for which I was not sure of answer) and those which I got wrong, ensured to get > 80% in each test.
5. Completed Microsoft’s official AZ-900 learning path
Exam AZ-900: Microsoft Azure Fundamentals from Microsoft was very useful in understanding the implications of real-life decisions on cloud service choices.
6. Took 2 more practise tests with 242 questions, from Udemy
Course by Alan Rodrigues, Microsoft Azure – Beginner’s Guide + AZ-900 -UPDATED 2021.
7. Kept updating my notes as I found a new term or got a question incorrect.
On the Exam Day –
It was an online proctored exam, I marked all questions in 20 minutes, flagging questions where I was not sure. Next 10 minutes I revalidated my responses for flagged questions. Last 15 minutes I re-checked all responses and ended the test.
It was over in 45 minutes, I scored 970 out of 1000 against the required pass percentage of 700.
Most questions were from the sample tests which I took. What helped me was that I ensured that I not only practices 675 sample questions but also took time to go back to concepts, keep notes and learn from mistakes.
PS: During the practice sessions, I found that some questions have wrong recommended answers, it is hence recommended that you look up the official Microsoft website and clear all ambiguities before writing the AZ-900 exam.
Wishing you All the Best !
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