I Passed the Microsoft AZ-204 Certification Exam
Today, I took the certification exam for AZ-204 Developing Solutions for Microsoft Azure. Fortunately, I passed. In this article, I’ll share the scope of the exam and my exam experience.
I prepared for the exam for about a month – a couple of hours a day, thrice a week. I am a full-time developer, working 8 hours a day. After work, I was trying to make time for studying.
Here’s a bit about myself. I have four years of experience in software engineering and development. My experience in back-end development was C#/.NET. Take note that you should familiarise C# if not skilled. Honestly, I had a bit of experience using Azure and the last time I used it was roughly two years ago. I also took and passed the AZ-900 Microsoft Azure Fundamentals exam two years ago.
Prerequisites of the exam
My edge for this exam was that I already had developer experience and knew C# programming. The exam was also free because of the Microsoft Enterprise Skills Initiative (ESI). You could ask your employer if you also have access to ESI. My disadvantage was I had a little experience in Azure, so I had a hard time visualising some things.
So about you, you also need developer experience. You should know any of these programming languages: C#, Python, or JavaScript. You would also need to familiarise Azure CLI and PowerShell for running commands.
It was optional to take and pass the AZ-900 exam first, but it’s recommended. You would have an overview of the AZ-204 exam if you took first the AZ-900 exam.
Preparation for the exam
I purchased nothing for this exam. I did not buy courses or books. I used the free resources available provided already by Microsoft Learn. You could refer to the Microsoft AZ-204 learning paths if you're content with reading materials. These learning paths also provide exercises that will need to use the Azure interface or Azure CLI.
The exam will focus on some of the following Azure services:
- App Services
- Functions
- Blob Storage
- Cosmos DB
- Virtual Machines
- Microsoft Authentication Library
- Microsoft Graph
- and many more…
If you’d ask me if I finished all the learning paths, my answer would be “no”. I left a few units because I ran out of time. Lucky me for passing, I guess.
I also registered for a week-long free instructor-led training courtesy of ESI. However, I haven’t managed to attend and just cancelled my registration.
Approaching the examination time, I tried to look for sample questions for AZ-204. I did a simple Google search, and then voila! Some questions were a little identical to the exam proper. It was helpful for my review.
If you need other learning materials, you could give a try the paid Microsoft instructor-led, but it’s expensive. You might also try Udemy courses or the free YouTube course by freeCodeCamp.org.
The exam proper
I opted for an online exam through Pearson VUE. I checked in 20 minutes before the exam to run a system check and for identity and workspace verification. There must be nothing on your desk except the laptop/PC, computer peripherals like a keyboard and mouse, and government-issued IDs. I did a mobile check-in for verification, and then I put my phone away before the exam.
The exam consists of the following parts:
- Part 1: Questions with fill-in-the-blanks through dropdowns, drag-and-drop, and multiple choice
- Part 2: Questions to answer with yes or no only
In this part, you cannot go back to the previous question and change them. - Part 3: Case study
This part has a given scenario which could be about a certain organisation’s needs. As a developer, you need to identify what Azure solutions would be needed and how to fix some issues.
You need to score 700 and above to pass the exam. At the end of the exam, there would be a score report that consists of:
- A numeric score for overall exam performance
- Pass/fail status
- A bar chart showing performance in each skill area assessed
- Detail on how to interpret your results
My score report indicates that Azure storage was my strength. I call it fair because I had experience using Azure storage.
This exam also has a validity of one year only. You can renew it for free before it expires.
Is it worth the try?
For me, yes. Because it’s offered free by my organisation through ESI. I could also use it in future projects as I work in a fast-paced environment. It’s also good in CV for clients.
But if you’re going to pay for this exam, I recommend that you have a strong experience in Azure services. It would be worth it if you use it on a daily basis and plan to use it in the future. This is also one of the prerequisites of an Expert level exam of AZ-400 Designing and Implementing Microsoft DevOps Solutions.
If you’re planning to take this exam or have scheduled it already, I hope I have given you an overview of the exam. Good luck!
