Over the last few years, Microsoft has moved away from multiple choice questions in favor of scenario-based questions. These scenario-based questions are essentially case studies that you need to follow. What they tend to do is set up a fictional business and fictional characters like executives and IT staff. The exam will present interviews that you’ve done with these characters and present the needs and wants that the characters have expressed. You’ll be presented with the existing environment for the fictitious business and you’ll be expected to build a solution for the business that fits the business needs while taking into consideration the information provided by the fictional characters.

After choosing solutions that fit the business (which you are graded on), you’ll be asked questions about the deployed solution. You’ll face multi-select questions, drag and drop questions, fill-in the blanks, and even simulated task questions, where you’ll have to actually perform tasks in Azure. The types of questions you’ll now see on a typical exam are no longer the basic multiple choice type questions you might be used to seeing. As such, it’s critical that you prepare for these exams quite differently than you have in the past.

In years past, it was possible to memorize answers to dumps and get by with that method. Because the new exams are scenario-based, dumps are becoming less and less effective. The best way to prepare for these new exams is to watch experienced engineers perform the tasks that you’re likely to encounter – and to PRACTICE performing those tasks. Instead of reading how to create a VM and memorizing what pieces you’ll need to configure, DO IT.

Fire up an Azure subscription and just do it. Deploy VMs, deploy scale sets, deploy virtual networks. Do all these things until you are comfortable doing them – and can explain how to do them to another person. For this reason, courses like this one offer LOTS of “stick time” and assignments. By focusing on demos, courses like mine actually SHOW students how to perform the tasks that they will need to perform on the exam. By watching the demos, reading the articles, and reviewing recommended Microsoft documentation, students are far more prepared for these types of exams than they would be if they just listened to a bunch of lectures.

So, with that said, pay attention! And complete the assignments! And for the love of Pete – read the Microsoft documentation that I’ve provided links for. Don’t try to sit the exam if all you plan on doing is watching the videos. It’s not going to work.