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The original was posted on /r/azure by /u/ElasticJester on 2023-10-01 06:28:55.
Just got my hands on the AZ-305 Microsoft Certified: Azure Solutions Architect Expert certification! And didn’t even have to pay for the exam! Interested in how I pulled it off? Here’s the rundown on my adventure, the resources I bumped into:
Alright, so here’s the deal - snagged a free exam by jumping into the Microsoft Learn Cloud Skills Challenge. It’s a shame it’s concluded for this year, but there’s another shot with Microsoft Ignite coming in November! Get the details here: Microsoft Ignite Free Certification Exam Offer.
On to the prep stuff, here’s what worked for me:
- Dug into the Microsoft Learning Path – Azure certification exams are now open book, with full access to MS Learn. Reviewing the materials thoroughly prepared me to search for answers to a few questions I wasn’t sure about during the exam in the short time I had.
- Ran into this top-notch A Cloud Guru Course and messed around with the labs in ACloud Guru and attempted the FREE practice assessment for AZ 305 Exam from Microsoft’s official website. None of these questions were in the exam, but it gave me a good grasp of the exam format in general.
Starting the exam, the case study felt a bit challenging compared to the rest. ACloudGuru provides some case studies to go about, which were super helpful! I felt like I wasn’t going to make it after going through the case study but the rest of the questions were pretty okay. It was a lot easier than the 104 exam.
A lot of questions were from SQL and Storage, Azure data factory, and some networking questions. I think there were around 5-6 questions from access management i.e conditional access, AD PIMs, AD enterprise applications, SSO, MFA etc. Various service tiers, encryption methods, deployment options, Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS), Azure Networking and Connectivity concepts, and Azure Security and Compliance concepts were discussed focusing on availability, scalability, cost-efficiency, and security. Know the difference between layer 4 and layer 7 load balancing solutions and azure traffic manager. As long as you get yourself familiar with the azure services and their usecases, you should be good for the most part!
Some advice?
- Microsoft exams are open book - so knowing your stuff is crucial.
- Don’t ignore the case studies - they help you nail the practical bits!
Got queries or just wanna talk? DM me directly!
This experience has been a roller coaster and totally enlightening! Hoping my journey sparks some interest and the resources I found come in handy for someone out there! If you find this information helpful, please upvote and share! I’m always open to connecting and happy to assist with any queries you might have. DM me if you wish to connect with me on LinkedIn :)
Cheers!