And specifically, we'll proceed into looking at
AZ‑801 in depth. Exam AZ‑801 Metadata.
Well, you can expect, because 801 is a garden variety Microsoft
computer‑based exam, about 50 questions spread over a couple hours,
2.5 hours or so, the passing score on all Microsoft certification
exams is 700 out of 1000, which is approximately 70%.
I would encourage you not to get hung up on your score.
In my opinion, I would be equally pleased with a 700 or a 1000. A pass is a pass.
It is a computer‑based exam.
You can either take it remotely from the comfort of your home or office, or
you could report physically to a Pearson VUE testing center.
I get into that in the prerequisite courses that I
mentioned at the beginning of this module.
If you're into immediate gratification like I am,
you'll be happy to know you get your score results
immediately after you finish the test. And the
certification has a one year validity, and again,
I get into that in great detail in the intro course to my AZ‑800
path. I want to run through the different item types that you can
expect to see not only on AZ‑801 and AZ‑800, but just about all of
the Microsoft exams nowadays.
Now don't pay attention to the content of what you're seeing
on the screen here because most of these practice questions
don't even have to do with Azure.
They do have to do with Windows Server interestingly.
But anyway, the point is not the content.
It's understanding how the questions will be asked, and I have some strategies
that I want to impart to you. By the way, I generated these screenshots by
going to the Microsoft learning YouTube channel.
They have a number of 1‑minute long videos where they
introduce each of their item types.
They don't give you strategy though like I do. Single‑answer
multiple choice is a pretty common type.
There's only one correct answer. Multiple‑answer multiple choice, you're
not going to see choose all that apply, and this is good.
You'll see what are two ways, what are three ways, and there's validation
built into the exam engine that if you were asked what are two possible ways
and you selected only one and then clicked Next, the exam engine would bark
at you and say you have to choose one more. Or if it said what are two
possible ways and you selected a third, the validation error would force you
to correct that error.
That's so you don't lose points unnecessarily. Repeated scenario items come in
clusters of anywhere from four to six, and as you see here,
if I jog the slide forward and backwards,
the main body of the scenario is the same, it's just a different
solution, and you're asked, does the solution meet the goal? The
reason why you can't go back and forth on these on your live exam
is to prevent you from using anything other than your skills to
answer them correctly.
There are a number of interactive item types on these exams. One is
select and place. It's basically a matching exercise.
What I want to draw your attention to here is in the
interface. See these ellipses here, horizontal and vertical
ellipses? Those are actually split bars.
So if you're taking the exam on a smaller monitor,
be aware that you can resize both horizontal and vertical panes
to make sure that you're not missing anything.
That's critical. Build list and reorder is one way for
Microsoft to verify that you know how to do work.
This is going to be for stepwise operations that do need to be
completed in a given order. And again, you'll be asked which X number
of actions should you perform in sequence, and then you can either use
your mouse with drag and drop, or you could use those buttons to make
your selections, and then you're going to reorder those selections into
the correct order.
Now I want you to understand that Microsoft Worldwide Learning
does award partial credit, so here's a big tip.
Never ever leave an item unanswered on your exam.
Always, even if you have to guess, complete every answer choice.
This is because if you submit unanswered questions,
you have a 100% chance of gaining 0 points for that item.
Even if you guess, you have a greater than 0% chance of getting at least
one point, okay? Very important. Partial credit is definitely something
to go after. The active screen type, you're more likely to see this
nowadays on Microsoft exams with code, with maybe you'll see a
PowerShell script on the screen.
But what's important here is that there are drop‑down list
controls, this is what makes the item active, where you
open in the code, for instance,
there'll be a drop‑down list box or maybe several of them embedded, and you're
basically completing the code by using those active controls.
This, along with the build list and reorder, are the two main item
types that Microsoft uses to simulate validating.
Well, it's not exactly simulating validating, they are validating
your ability to do hands‑on work, but I guess it's a simulation
because you're not actually doing the work.
Case studies can cause people problems,
but I want to give you some tips on solving these efficiently.
Number one, the case study is basically a test inside of your test.
You can't skip them.
When you come to a case,
you have to complete it then. And once you leave the case study, you
can't return to it, so it's just one of those things.
I would strongly suggest you not get hung up and waste
time trying to memorize the case.
Just briefly click through each of the tabs that describe the fictional
case study, and then when you look at each question,
each of those questions, without fail, is going to map back to one of
those tabs. It could be Technical Requirements. It could be Problem
Statements. There are different tabs for different cases. But what you
want to do for each question is map back to where in the case study that
bullet point that's going to give you your clue is. This means that by
scanning the case first you have an idea of where your keywords are, and
then when a question asks about such and so keyword, you realize, oh yeah,
I remember seeing a reference to that over on Technical Requirements.
You click over there, you see the bullet point, that gives you your clue
to answer the question correctly, and you're in business. Statement
analysis or code analysis is a way, and I guess the third way, to verify
your hands‑on skills, or at least your deeper analytical skills. This is
where you're going to see a topology diagram or code, and then you'll be
asked or just given statements that you're asked whether you agree with
them or not.
These different interactive item types are just different ways that Microsoft
has in its toolbox to measure your skills with the technology.
Please believe me when I say that Microsoft is not looking to see you fail.
Microsoft is not looking to trip you up.
They're looking to have you show off your skills in as realistic and accurate a
way as they can. The performance‑based items, first of all,
forgive the blurry picture here.
This is the highest res I could find.
The performance‑based testing environment has been offline for almost a
couple years now I want to say. Microsoft had an issue with their
performance‑based lab in their first six months when they started it, so
they just unceremoniously stopped.
But when the performance‑based labs were in the exam,
your interface would change. Similarly to how you
have a testlet with a case study,
there would be a test inside of a test with one of these, and your screen
would split into an RDP session going into the Azure portal on the left and
then a task list at right, and you complete the tasks in any order, they're
not dependent on each other, and this would be to truly demonstrate that you
know how to do hands‑on work.
I have no idea if Microsoft Worldwide Learning plans to bring back
performance testing. It's been offline a long time, like I said, but I wanted to mention it for completeness.