To ensure that Microsoft Certifications remain current, the certification program is continually reviewed to ensure that certifications reflect the latest in Microsoft technologies and associated job roles. Based on the reviews, changes to the certification program are made to best reflect market and business needs. Occasionally, this means retiring exams and/or certifications.
When an exam or certification is retired, our goal is to provide with you several months’ notice so that you can plan your certification journey accordingly. Based on a recent analysis of our Microsoft 365 certification options, we have decided to make the following changes.
Exam Consolidation – Microsoft 365 Certified: Messaging Administrator Associate
Effective June 2, 2020, MS-200: Planning and Configuring a Messaging Platform and MS-201: Implementing a Hybrid and Secure Messaging Platform will be consolidated into a single exam, MS-203: Microsoft 365 Messaging. You will earn the Microsoft 365 Certified: Messaging Administrator Associate certification after passing MS-203.
On August 31, 2020, the MS-200: Planning and Configuring a Messaging Platform and MS-201: Implementing a Hybrid and Secure Messaging Platform exams will be retired. You will continue to earn the Microsoft 365 Certified: Messaging Administrator Associate certification as long as you have passed both exams by August 31st.
While MS-203 is a consolidation of MS-200 and MS-201, you can still show that you have demonstrated competence in the skills that are unique to planning and configuring messaging platforms and/or implementing hybrid and secure messaging platforms that are not covered on MS-203.
Certification Retirement – Microsoft 365 Certified: Teamwork Administrator Associate
Effective August 31, 2020, the MS-300: Deploying Microsoft 365 Teamwork and MS-301: Deploying SharePoint Server Hybrid exams will be retired along with the Microsoft 365 Certified: Teamwork Administrator Associate certification. Please note that for certifications that have been earned but retired, those certifications remain on your transcript and can be shared as usual. A retired certification remains in the active section of your transcript for at least two years after its retirement.
If you are interested in acquiring a related certification in Microsoft Teams, please consider MS-700: Managing Microsoft Teams and earn the Microsoft 365 Certified: Teams Administrator Associate. Microsoft Teams Administrators configure, deploy, and manage Office 365 workloads for Microsoft Teams that focus on efficient and effective collaboration and communication in an enterprise environment. In order to prepare for the exam, check out the ‘Manage team collaboration with Microsoft Teams’ learning path where you’ll learn how you can use Teams to facilitate teamwork and communication within your organization, both on and off premises, on a wide range of devices—from desktops to tablets to phones—while taking advantage of all the rich functionality of Office 365 applications.
