Tips & Tricks to Prep for the Azure Solutions Architect Certification
After months of preparation, I finally earned the Azure Solutions Architect Certification in July 2021. Naturally, I had to write an article to share my learnings.
To kick things off, let me describe how much time I had spent properly working in the Azure cloud before writing the exams for this certification. I don’t mean following tutorials; I mean actually building solutions with Azure. This amount of time is: none.
Having some practical, hands-on experience would have definitely helped to speed up the preparation process. I share this information with you so that you have some context around my timelines as well as the resources I leveraged.
Table of Contents
· The Azure Solutions Architect Certification
· AZ-303 and AZ-304 Exams
· Resources Used in Exam Preparation
· A Retro on my own Preparation & Exam Experience
· That’s all Folks!
The Azure Solutions Architect Certification
According to Microsoft,
“Candidates for the Azure Solutions Architect Expert certification should have subject matter expertise in designing and implementing solutions that run on Microsoft Azure, including aspects like compute, network, storage, and security.”
This certification tests your knowledge across the domains outlined in the above quote: compute, network, storage, and security. Not only should you understand what the services do, but you should also be able to:
- Identify the correct service for a given use case
- Recognize the correct/incorrect settings to leverage a service for a given use case
- Understand service-level agreements (SLAs) and costs of different products and service tiers
As the above quote also indicates, candidates must also be able to design and implement solutions. These aspects are actually covered in separate but closely-related exams.
AZ-303 and AZ-304 Exams
The Azure Solutions Architect Certification requires candidates to pass not only one, but two exams. Each of these exams requires a minimum of 70% (700/1000) to count as a “pass.” The exams are multiple choice, and for questions with multiple response sections, part marks are available. (Praise be!) Candidates have a total allotted time of 150 minutes to write each exam.
The AZ-303 and AZ-304 exams were formerly the AZ-301 and AZ-300 exams, respectively. AZ-304 is all about design, while AZ-303 is focused on implementation. It is generally recommended to prepare for and write the AZ-304 first, as this exam requires an understanding of the various Azure services. Thus, it also helps in preparation for the AZ-303, where candidates must also be able to recognize the correct commands for certain services and applications.
With that being said, I actually wrote AZ-303 and then AZ-304. Fortunately, there is a large overlap in content between the two. If you are well-prepared for one, you are likely prepared enough for the other. The only discrepancy I noticed was that the AZ-303 required some knowledge of PowerShell and Azure CLI commands (while AZ-304 did not), and AZ-304 seemed to cover a slightly wider set of Azure services.
Resources Used in Exam Preparation
I leveraged a variety of resources in preparation for the AZ-303 and AZ-304 exams.
Udemy AZ-303 Azure Architecture Technologies Exam Prep 2021
The first resource I used was Scott Duffy’s AZ-303 Azure Architecture Technologies Exam Prep 2021 Udemy course. Scott explains concepts clearly and concisely, and talks about the relevance of course content to both the exams and real-world work.
Even better, when the AZ-300 and AZ-301 exams were retired and replaced, Scott updated his course to reflect the new content. As of this writing, Scott had actually last updated his course in June 2021 (which is after I completed it). Suffice it to say, there is little concern for stagnant content.
This course contained both informational videos and hands-on labs. Note: the labs require access to an Azure environment, and you will be paying out-of-pocket for any resources you spin up and utilize. PSA: delete everything at the end of a hands-on lab!
I completed most of the labs, and took notes while watching the videos. Note-taking is something I personally like to do, as it keeps my attention engaged and helps me remember lecture content. However, if you have no issues focusing and retaining content just by listening, there’s no need for notes!
If you are brand-new to Azure, as I was, I would recommend taking Scott’s Udemy course. It will provide you with a slightly-more-detailed-than-high-level overview and assist you in beginning to familiarize yourself with Azure concepts and services. That said, I do not feel that this course alone would have prepared me to pass the AZ-303 and AZ-304 exams. Even though it covered the vast majority of services candidates are tested on, I did not find the content detailed enough to match the level of detail in the tests.
Microsoft Learning Paths
The second resource I used was Microsoft’s Learning Paths for the AZ-303 and AZ-304 exams. The same nine learning paths for AZ-303 are also recommended for AZ-304, so you can effectively study for both exams at once. Again, this is due to the high amount of overlap in content between the two exams.
Each learning path consists of multiple modules, with the number of modules varying across learning paths. A module is effectively a certain area of focus within the learning path domain. Each module consists of units, which are basically the reading sections or pages within the module.
Content in the learning paths is mostly text-based, with lots of assisting diagrams. There are some videos, but they’re mostly supplemental to the text. Some modules also contain Knowledge Check units, which are quizzes on the module content. In other cases, there will be knowledge-testing questions at the end of a unit.
There are also hands-on tutorial units in some modules of the learning paths. These are prefixed with Exercise and require access to an Azure sandbox environment to complete. There are a limited number of sandbox environments for a given timeframe provided by Microsoft, and to leverage these you must log into Microsoft Learn. Otherwise, you can follow along with the labs in your own environment—and pay for the resources yourself. Again, don’t forget to delete everything after the lab!
The Microsoft Learn content provides some level of mental comfort as it’s recommended and provided by Microsoft itself. I must say, I was impressed with Microsoft’s level of effort in creating and maintaining their documentation. It’s well-organized, clearly and concisely written, and contains links to relevant external, official product documentation.
I used the Microsoft Learn content after completing the Udemy course described above. Thus, it’s difficult for me to clearly separate my foundational understanding from the Udemy learnings and the reinforced/further developed knowledge from Microsoft Learn. However, I will say that I think people who are brand-new to Azure could probably go straight to the Microsoft Learn content, instead of doing Udemy first. On the flip side, if you are brand-new to the cloud (and not just to Azure as a cloud platform), Scott Duffy’s Udemy course may be a better starting point as the Microsoft Learn resources assume a certain level of cloud proficiency for candidates pursuing this certification.
In fact, Microsoft also assumes a certain level of Azure proficiency for candidates pursuing this exam. More on that, later.
Similar to Scott Duffy’s Udemy course, I definitely feel the Microsoft Learn resources were worth my while in not only preparing for the AZ-303 and AZ-304 exams, but also in helping me understand Azure from both a theoretical and hands-on perspective. However, unless you read through and memorize every service’s documentation or perhaps you have lots of experience with Azure, relying solely on these resources will likely not provide you with the level of detail required to pass these exams.
Whizlabs Practice Tests
All roads lead to Whizlabs. Or at least, that’s how it seems to feel when it comes to my own preparation for certification exams. If I recall correctly, I ended up purchasing the Whizlabs practice tests after a pathetic attempt at the free test for AZ-303. It was in this humbling moment I realized that, despite my understanding of Azure, I did not possess detailed-enough knowledge to schedule my exam certification.
This is the point at which my preparation for the exams technically “split.” I first focused only on the AZ-303 exam, so I purchased the Practice Tests for Whizlabs’s Microsoft Azure Exam AZ-303 Certification course.
If you have used Whizlabs for, say, the AWS Solutions Architect Associate certification and are expecting the same amount of content: drop your expectations. There are not as many practice tests, nor as many (or in the case of AZ-304, any) section tests. However, the questions asked will help you to prioritize certain topics as well as get you in the right headspace for the types of questions on the exams.
After passing the AZ-303 exam, I shifted my focus to the AZ-304 exam. Naturally, this meant purchasing the Practice Tests for Whizlabs’s Microsoft Azure Exam AZ-304 Certification course.
One disappointing thing was the number of incorrect answers contained in the Practice Tests. I noticed more of these in the AZ-304 set, although there were some in AZ-303. Upon reviewing Practice Test results, you can select the “Queries” dropdown at the bottom of the question review. These queries are actually from other users of the Whizlabs Practice Tests who have questions/issues/concerns with the question and/or answer. I found myself checking these a lot more than I would want to. There were a lot of cases in which a Whizlabs employee responded saying they would correct the question/answer, but this had not yet been done. Needless to say, it can be tough to feel confident in your own level of preparedness when the resource you’re leveraging is actually misleading you.
For what it’s worth, the majority of questions did have correct answers. Even in cases with queries submitted, a Whizlabs employee was able to explain why the answer in question was correct, and even linked external documentation to their response. This is one of the major positives about Whizlabs in general, and not just in the queries section: the Practice Tests have answers with screenshots and/or links to the official documentation explaining why the answer is what it is. This greatly helps to deepen the candidate’s detailed understanding of the content.
It may be tempting to jump straight to Whizlabs, and skip going over content such as Scotty Duffy’s Udemy course, or the Microsoft learning paths. If you are already an Azure Wizard, then go for it.
However, in the case that you are not already an expert, don’t be a hack. You owe it to yourself to take the time to actually learn the material and the platform, instead of just memorizing questions and answers. Please only leverage Whizlabs when you have actually built up a solid-enough foundation to give the practice tests a proper try.
Furthermore, the less-exhaustive practice test banks for these courses do not completely cover the AZ-303 and AZ-304 exams. They may get you 60% of the way (if that), but you need a minimum mark of 70% to pass each exam. This means you actually do need to know your stuff to get this certification (or have an ample supply of horseshoes — but I wouldn’t bet on that).
TL;DR
Scott Duffy’s AZ-303 Azure Architecture Technologies Exam Prep 2021 Udemy course is a great resource for people of all experience levels with Azure (especially beginners!). If lecture-style learning with hands-on labs works for you, this is your course! However, it is likely not sufficient on its own for passing the exam; I’d also recommend doing some practice tests. My chosen platform for this was Whizlabs, but there are others (ie: MeasureUp).
Microsoft’s Learning Paths for the AZ-303 and AZ-304 exams are a great resource for someone new to, or experienced with, Azure, but who are also already proficient in working with cloud technologies. If you prefer reading through material at your own pace along with some hands-on labs, I would recommend this resource. Again, similar to above, this alone probably won’t help you pass the exam. Practice tests are really helpful as a final form of preparation.
Only use Whizlabs when you actually know what you’re doing! Once you’ve actually put enough effort into learning Azure, check out the Whizlabs’s Microsoft Azure Exam AZ-303 Certification and Whizlabs’s Microsoft Azure Exam AZ-304 Certification courses. These will get you into the right headspace for the types of questions you’ll be asked, as well as the level of detail of the exam questions.
A Retro on my own Preparation & Exam Experience
Time to get candid.
Timelines
I spent roughly six months of study time (while working full-time on unrelated “stuff”) preparing before I wrote the first of these two exams. This means that I did not study every single day, at least for the first five months and two weeks. Nor did I study for the same duration of time, each time I studied. I really worked preparation into my schedule, instead of working my schedule around studying. (I guess these are what we call priorities.) The point being, if I had prioritized my preparation more, maybe I wouldn’t have taken six months to prepare.
Also bear in mind that I had no prior practical Azure experience in preparing for this certification. Perhaps someone who is well-versed in the ways of Azure would not need half of a year to prepare. I am not that someone.
I wrote the second exam exactly a month after the first one. Honestly, it didn’t feel like a month between writing. It felt more like two weeks. I don’t know what happened for three of the four weeks of that month, because I spent about a week (maybe a week-and-a-half) going over the Whizlabs AZ-304 material before deciding on a Thursday evening that I would write the exam the next day at lunch.
Actually, I think I remember what happened: I gave myself a few days after the first exam to decompress before jumping into the second one. I failed my first AZ-304 Whizlabs Practice Test (after just passing the AZ-303!) and hit “snooze” for about two weeks. Then I couldn’t take it anymore, and had to get the second one “over with”.
Resources & Comparison to AWS
To be honest, I had expected these exams to be a lot more like the AWS Solutions Architect Associate exam I wrote almost two years ago. I personally felt that I struggled more with this certification, and had less confidence in actually attaining this cert.
Yes, I had ample prior working experience with a variety of AWS services before writing the Solutions Architect Associate exam (as described in this post I wrote after attaining that certification). That definitely helped.
Whizlabs was a much greater help in the AWS exam prep. On principle, I always advise candidates to actually learn the platform before turning to Whizlabs. Take the time to actually build your knowledge base and skillset.
Order Matters… or does it?
I believe that people usually complete the design-based exam before the implementation-focused exam. In theory, the design-based exam makes more sense to do first as it is at a slightly-higher level of detail, and the implementation-based exam is more detailed (due to the requirement to know actual Azure CLI/PowerShell commands and settings).
All that to say, I did the implementation exam first. Why? Honestly, it wasn’t on purpose. To be even more (embarrassingly) honest, I didn’t even realize I’d written the implementation-focused exam until after the fact, when I went to prepare for the second exam. Part of the reason for this is that I had expected anything implementation-focused to at least have short-answer components, as opposed to being purely multiple choice. The real (and much greater) reason for this is that I wasn’t really paying attention.
In my feeble defense, before the re-labelling, AZ-300 was the design exam and AZ-301 was the implementation exam. This made sense to me as people typically do the 300 before the 301. Welp, Microsoft went and replaced the AZ-300 with the AZ-304 and the AZ-301 with the AZ-303. For anyone who didn’t notice, 304 comes after 303. And for anyone who didn’t pick up on this, I can’t say anything because I spent six months preparing and somehow missed it.
Regardless, it clearly doesn’t make too much of a difference.
My Exam Experience
By the time I booked each of my exams, I was ready to write. Maybe not in an actual preparedness way (although it happened to be the case here), but definitely in an emotional way. If not ready to write, I was ready to be done with the preparation material.
My rationale around the right time to book your exam is that if you have hit this point of “I don’t know how much longer I can bear studying this stuff and I’ve done every practice question and I’m passing the practice exams no problem,” it’s the right time to book your exam. I also reason that if I think to myself, “well maybe I should book it for five days from now” and I instead book it sooner, if I fail, I can rewrite soon enough—with the knowledge and experience of having already written the exam.
As I stated above, these exams were difficult. While writing, I found myself cursing Microsoft for making this certification require two exams. The only perk of this was getting to have two exam badges on my LinkedIn profile, instead of one (and you can bet they’re up there).
Is this the certification for me?
Great question! My highly-qualified consulting answer for you is: it depends.
If you have ample experience in working with a variety of cloud technology services (but not necessarily with Azure), you could probably pursue this certification. This is the position I was in. If you have worked on a variety of Azure services, I have even more confidence in your success with this certification. These exams really do prove that you know your way around Azure.
For those who want to be Azure-certified, and have experience working with cloud technology, but maybe don’t have much utility in being tested across such a wide spectrum of services so rigorously, I would recommend an Associate-level exam. These exams assume some level of cloud proficiency, but definitely are not as challenging as the Expert-level Architect exams. These are probably the best value for your time, in that they will almost certainly help you perform better in your job function, but they also likely won’t take half a year to prepare for.
Finally, for anyone new to the cloud, or who wants to test the water with Azure, I would recommend a Fundamentals exam. These help candidates quickly ramp up on foundational Azure concepts, and also serve as valuable prerequisites to the Associate-level exams. Another great thing about the Fundamentals exams is that they don’t require as much technical expertise, and so they can be used to introduce non-technical candidates to the cloud.
Cloud Academy has a really great comparison article for the 12 Azure certifications. If you’re unsure as to which certification you should pursue, I would highly recommend taking a look at it.
Even though I only have the Solutions Architect certification, my impression is that the Associate-level certifications are the goldilocks solution. As mentioned above, they’ll prove that you know your stuff while not requiring you to know detailed information outside of your domain expertise.
That’s all Folks!
If you’ve made it this far, thank you. If you’ve skipped to this part of the article, thank you still. I appreciate you dropping by!
If you have any questions, concerns, or disagreements with anything I’ve said here, please leave a comment so we can discuss further! If you’ve found anything here helpful, please leave a clap.
For those of you preparing for a certification, I wish you the best of luck!
