Beta exams AI-102 & DP-203, Exam AZ-500, and more: Updates to Azure certs and exams – March 2021

Beta exams available now: Exam AI-102 and Exam DP-203

These beta exams are ready for you to take them before March 24, 2021. Check out the announcement blog posts:

• Great news for Azure AI engineers: Exam AI-102 (beta) is here
• Azure data engineers: Exam DP-203 (beta) now available

 

Is your Azure certification expiring soon? Renew it for free today!

We announced that 19 Microsoft certifications are now available to renew on Microsoft Learn. I’m pleased to share that eight of them are part of the Azure certification portfolio:

• Microsoft Certified: Azure Administrator Associate
• Microsoft Certified: Azure Developer Associate
• Microsoft Certified: Azure Solutions Architect Expert
• Microsoft Certified: DevOps Engineer Expert
• Microsoft Certified: Azure AI Engineer Associate
• Microsoft Certified: Azure Data Engineer Associate
• Microsoft Certified: Azure Data Scientist Associate
• Microsoft Certified: Azure Security Engineer Associate

If you already earned any of these Azure certs and its expiration date is within six months, you should’ve received an email notification. Did you miss the email or not sure if it’s your time to renew? Visit your Certification Dashboard to find more information about renewing your certification.

 

Get ready for the upcoming Windows Virtual Desktop Specialty certification

Azure certifications portfolio keeps growing, with the upcoming Windows Virtual Desktop Specialty certification. Check out this post for resources to start preparing for the Exam AZ-140: Configuring and Operating Windows Virtual Desktop on Microsoft Azure (beta) to be released late March 2021.

 

Is the Azure Security Engineer Associate certification being retired?

You’ve probably heard we’re introducing Microsoft’s new Security certifications. And you might wonder if this means we’re retiring the Azure Security Engineer Associate certification or its Exam AZ-500: Microsoft Azure Security Technologies.

 

The answer is no. The new Security, Compliance, and Identity certifications are focused on more discreet job roles and their exams don’t test the same objectives tested on the Exam AZ-500—although there may be some overlap. For example, 25% of the objectives in Exam AZ-500 are about identity and access management whereas the new Exam SC-300: Microsoft Identity and Access Administrator is entirely focused on this area.

 

So, if you’re preparing for the Exam AZ-500, keep on it and check out the Level up with Microsoft Certified: Azure Security Engineer Associate blog post for tips and resources. If you already earned your cert, be on the look out for the free renewal notification when it’s your time.