Hello everyone! I recently completed the Microsoft Certified: Azure Fundamentals (AZ-900) exam, and I wanted to share my experiences and insights from this journey. The AZ-900: Azure Fundamentals certification is designed to validate foundational knowledge of cloud services, and how those services are provided with Microsoft Azure. It’s an excellent starting point for anyone looking to dive into the world of cloud computing, especially within the Microsoft Azure platform.
For me, it was a little more than just a foundational knowledge exam. It was the start to building up good studying habits for the long road that I’ve set ahead in my Learning Pathway
Study Approach
My approach to studying for the AZ-900 exam was multifaceted. I started by trying to figure out my most optimal learning style. At first I tried reading the Microsoft Learn modules, taking notes of my weaknesses to read up those specific modules. From there my greatest resource was videos from John Savill on YouTube. John helped me immensely and the thing that worked best for me was his Study Cram was invaluable!
Challenges Faced
One of the main challenges I faced was the concepts on Microsoft Learn reading a little sluggish. The next was balancing study time with other commitments, as I had recently stopped working full-time it was difficult not to kick my feet up. To overcome this, I set a strict amount of time I wanted to dedicate to studying , or daily objectives.
My biggest challenge came when it was time to book the exam. I discovered I lost my wallet, and therefore I had lost all my ID. This was obviously a larger issue but I was unable to book the exam for some time.
Key Learnings
Throughout my studies, I gained a deep understanding of several key areas, including:
- Core Azure services and architectural components
- Azure pricing, service level agreements, and lifecycles
- Fundamentals of cloud security, privacy, compliance, and trust
- Understanding of cloud concepts, such as high availability, scalability, elasticity, agility, and disaster recovery
Highlights
Though I feel I already had some basic knowledge of these concepts through my previous studies, it was nice to have a refresher and gain some insight in the cloud space. Ultimately, I came out of the AZ-900 with more knowledge on how to apply these concepts to Microsoft Azure specifically.
Exam Experience
The exam itself was less stressful than I originally thought. I had setup my dining room for this experience so it was nice to be in a familiar environment. At first I was very stressed about time and not spending too long on a particular question. However, I managed to get through the exam with enough time to review all my answers with plenty of time to spare.
The official exam and the Practice Exam offered on Microsoft Learn are quite different in presentation. To be honest, I was not expecting a complete parity of the official exam but the difference was shocking initially.
Tips for Future Exam Takers
For those planning to take the AZ-900 exam, here are a few tips:
- Set clear goals and objectives for your daily studies, keep the goals small and achievable.
- Find your best studying method. Be it Microsoft Learn, YouTube videos or taking notes from practice exams online.
- Although I had some experience in IT and cyber security prior to studying I feel like this certificate was easy enough that anyone with minimal knowledge could hit the books and pass quite easily.
Conclusion
Overall, earning the AZ-900 certification was a first step into a much larger journey that has set me up for success. It has laid a strong foundation for my future learning and career in cloud computing and security. I’m now looking forward to studying for the AZ-500: Azure Security Engineer Associate.
Stay tuned for more updates as I continue my journey in cloud technology, cyber security and anything else IT!