The AZ-303 Study Guide for Azure Architect Technologies

This guide now accurately reflects the revisions to the new, enhanced curriculum that were made after the June 30, 2020, publication of the NEW AZ-303 exam (beta). Although the AZ-300 exam's predecessor is still available, it will be phased out at the end of September. This manual concentrates on all the crucial details required to pass the AZ-303 exam. Links to training programs, books, and other resources are also included for you to use as you refine your study strategy. Finally, we discuss common queries Azure students have when they start their first Microsoft Azure adventures and give links to practice examinations.

Check out our post on the exam approach if you have no idea where to start in your pursuit of certification.

What does the certification for "Azure Solutions Architect Expert" mean?

Many cloud professionals want the Azure Solutions Architect Expert credential more than others. The target audience for this certification is seasoned IT professionals with expertise in cloud infrastructure and services, including networking, storage, computing, governance, identity, security, data management, and DevOps. It is a challenging certification to obtain and requires extensive study and prior IT expertise.

You must be able to administer the Azure environment and give your clients direction based on their unique goals and business contexts to sit for and pass these examinations. This accreditation shows that you have the expertise to take customer requirements and turn them into solutions based on industry standards and past performance.

What tests do I have to take? The AZ300, 301, 303, and 304

Given recent developments, deciding which examinations you need to take could be challenging. The new tests are AZ-303 and AZ-304, replacing the previous ones, AZ-300 and AZ-301. The exams were divided into two main stages, and they still are. For each step, you must pass one exam to receive the certification.

MICROSOFT AZURE ARCHITECT TECHNOLOGIES, STAGE 1:

Options for Exams: AZ-300 (OLD) and AZ-303 (NEW)

This certification step focuses on ensuring you have the hands-on engineering expertise to work in an Azure environment. As a result, you will have a thorough understanding of how the various Azure services operate, which will assist you in making wise design decisions in the following step.

MICROSOFT AZURE ARCHITECT DESIGN AT STAGE 2

Options for Exams: AZ-301 (OLD) and AZ-304 (NEW)

As you architect solutions with your application teams, this step of the certification now shifts toward essential design decisions you will need to make in the real world. Here, the questions center more on actual-world scenarios than hands-on configuration.

You can obtain the certification badge by taking and passing an exam from stage 1 and stage 2. Be aware that you can presently combine the new and previous tests. Microsoft implemented this, which could be a little perplexing, to enable individuals who have already completed one of the older examinations to combine it with the more recent one. Take AZ-300 and AZ-304, or AZ-303 and AZ-301, as examples.

If you're just getting started, your most excellent option today is probably to choose the AZ-303 and AZ-304 combination. The remaining sections of this study manual will concentrate on the AZ-303 exam.

Exam Description for AZ-303

Before we get started, let's look at the exam description provided by Microsoft on their AZ-303 website.

Candidates for this exam should be subject matter experts in building and putting Microsoft Azure-based solutions, including computing, network, storage, and security, into place.

An Azure Solution Architect's duties include advising stakeholders and converting business requirements into scalable, dependable, and secure cloud solutions.

An Azure Solution Architect collaborates with clients, cloud DBAs, and administrators to implement solutions.

A candidate for this exam should have in-depth experience and knowledge of IT operations, including networking, virtualization, identity, security, business continuity, disaster recovery, data platform, budgeting, and governance. This role should be able to manage how decisions made in each of these areas affect a comprehensive solution. Additionally, this position should have experience with Azure development and DevOps processes and expert-level skills in Azure management.

How much time is required to prepare for the AZ-303 exam?

An EXPERT-level certification is the AZ-303. You should be ready to invest some time in your preparation because the curriculum has expanded significantly since its inception. Before we talk about scheduling, consider the exam's layout. As of June 2020, the AZ-303 test covers the following four areas in depth:

You can see how the test is divided from the above percentages. This indicates that you can anticipate your questions to describe the essential Azure services in about 50–55 percent of them. Note particularly Sections 1 and 2. Those sections alone could make up more than 80% of the total exam content.

Conclusion

The AZ-303/304 Exam certification is still necessary as long as businesses continue to rely on this technology and as long as federal government agencies maintain their partnerships with Microsoft. The time and effort invested in earning an AZ certification will pay off in the long run by creating opportunities for both short- and long-term success with more thorough AZ-303/304 training. Contact SPOTO if you have any inquiries concerning the certification.