Microsoft has made significant improvements to its certification program in recent years. In particular, it introduced role-based certifications in 2019. Role-based certifications are intended to help learners prepare for their careers by shifting the focus away from technology to the skills required for specific job roles.
Microsoft also announced last week that it is making changes to several Azure role-based exams to better align them with specific job positions and eliminate overlap between exams. The exam names will not be changing, but the associated exam numbers.
What’s Changing?
Here is a list of all the impacted exams we know about so far. Microsoft claims that there may be more changes.
Current exam: Exam AZ-103: Microsoft Azure AdministratorNew exam number: AZ-104 (Outline)New exam launch date: March 2020
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Start trainingCurrent exam AZ-203: Developing Solutions to Microsoft AzureNew exam number AZ-204New exam tentatively launched date: February 2020
Current exam: Exam AZ-300: Microsoft Azure Architect TechnologiesNew exam number: AZ-303New exam tentative launch date: March 2020
Current exam: Exam AZ-301: Microsoft Azure Architect DesignNew exam number: AZ-304New exam tentative launch date: March 2020
Current exam: Exam AI-100: Microsoft Certified: Azure AI Engineer AssociateNew exam number: AI-102New exam tentative launch date: March 2020
What Now?
Don’t worry if you’re currently studying to earn one of these Microsoft Azure certifications. Microsoft will keep the exams online for 90 days after new versions are released. Let’s take, for example, the AZ-103: Mircosoft Azure administrator certification. You have 90 days to earn your AZ103 certification if the new AZ104 exam goes live on March 10. You will need to take the AZ104 exams after that.
You might want to wait until the new exams are available before you start studying for the current exams. Microsoft offers many incentives to those who wait. Beta exams for the new exams will be available at a discounted rate of 80%. Your certification badge will reflect the updated skills you have if you pass the beta test.
If you have one of the listed exams and pass a beta exam, your certification will automatically be updated by two years.
Stay tuned to the SPOTO blog for more Microsoft certification-related news.
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