It’s always rewarding to renew Microsoft certifications. We do not only get the opportunities to keep up with the new Azure services, but also to unlearn and relearn some key concepts because cloud technologies are rapidly changing and it’s important to keep our skills current.
Microsoft role-based and specialty certifications expire every year and thus we need to go through the corresponding renewal process every year too. Passing the free renewal assessment on Microsoft Learn is the only way to renew our certification.
The renewal test of Microsoft Certified Azure Developer Associate is straightforward. The assessment uses a scaled score model with a range of 0-100. The passing score is 60 and I received 80 in the test.
If you are worried that you might not be able to pass the renewal test, don’t worry! We are allowed to take the assessment multiple times before our certification expires.
Prepare for the Exam
I am notified to take my free renewal test in May, which is 6 months before my certificate expires. I am thus able to plan accordingly and complete the assessment online at a time that works best for me.
Unlike the first time of me taking the exam last year, the assessment only covers a few core topics. There are eight topics that I have to study before the test. The breakdown of my score is as follows.
Depends on one’s role, certifications are important. However if we only go through the materials without practicing what we have learnt, then certifications may not worth our time and money. Hence, instead of just reading the documents on Microsoft Learn, I also practiced the way recommended by Viktoria Semaan, as shown below. According to her, the best way to learn cloud skills is by getting our hands dirty. We shall practice as much as we can.
When I was preparing for the test, I also took the opportunity to practice what I had learnt. For example, in order to understand more about Microsoft Identity Platform, MSAL (Microsoft Authentication Library), and Microsoft Graph, I had created a simple web application with Mithril.JS and Bulma.
Bulma is a free, open-source, and easy-to-use CSS library introduced by my friend Rodelio Dahay. Since it is CSS only, it integrates in any JavaScript environment. Hence, with its frontend components, I can easily build a decent-looking SPA built with Mithril.JS. Developing this web app which integrates with MSAL and Graph Library, I am able to understand the given materials better.
Taking notes plays an important role in either the exam or the assessment. Effective notes enable us to capture the important points of the training materials. We then can focus our attention on what to study, make it easier to review material, and save our time. Currently, I am using Notion as the tool to take notes.
Conclusion
Certification or no certification, in the end what matters most is our actual ability to do the job.
Even though certification can be important and one should always aim for continuous learning, we need to be smart about it. Every certification exam is unique. Each certification requires a sincere commitment of time and resources. We should not simply get a certification without first figuring out why we should get it.
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