The Microsoft Azure DevOps Solutions, also called AZ-400, is part of Microsoft’s certification program. This exam intends to measure the candidate’s ability to design a DevOps strategy and implementation of DevOps development processes, dependency management, application infrastructure, and continuous integration, delivery, and feedback. After passing the AZ-400 exam, the aspirants who have either Microsoft Certified: Azure Administrator Associate Certification (also called AZ-104 exam) or Microsoft certified: Azure Developer Associate certification (also called Exam AZ-204) can get the Microsoft Certified: Azure DevOps Engineer Expert certification. For this, they have to complete the AZ-400 exam. The cost of the AZ-400 exam is around $165. The passing score is 700 out of 1000marks.
AZ-400 is a professional-level Microsoft Azure certification and requires rigorous focus and preparation. Aspirants intending to earn this certification should have the expertise in working with people, processes, and technologies to deliver business value continuously. The prospective aspirant should be familiar with Azure administration and development and must have expertise in at least one of the two domains. Passing the exam of AZ 400 and getting its certification would surely add growth prospective in terms of better pay and better job opportunities in the market. As it is a Microsoft certified Certification course, the demand for the people who have passed the exam is high.
Skills required acing for the AZ-400 exam
To pass any exam, some basic knowledge or skill set is required to ensure the probability of success. The course outline containing the weightage of each topic in the exam provides the candidate starts of his preparation in the right direction. Following are the topics and weightage of each subject in the exam-
| S.No. | Description of the topic | Weightage |
| 1 | Developing an instrumentation strategy | 5-10% |
| 2 | Developing a Site Reliability Engineering (SRE) strategy | 5-10% |
| 3 | Developing a security and compliance plan | 10-15% |
| 4 | Managing source control | 10-15% |
| 5 | Facilitating communication and collaboration | 10-15% |
| 6 | Defining and implementing continuous integration | 20-25% |
| 7 | Defining and implementing continuous delivery and release of the management strategy | 10-15% |
The exam intends to measure the capability of a candidate to perform the above-mentioned technical tasks.
Preparing for the AZ-400 exam
One of the essential steps in starting the preparation for the AZ-400 exam is understanding which skill to prepare more and what the weightage is assigned to it. Further, there are also various Azure training options available to help a candidate prepare for the exam. The Microsoft training options are flexible and helpful in clearing the exam with good marks. The two options available are Self-paced learning on Microsoft Learn, which is free and Instructor-led training which is a paid option.
- Self-paced learning on Microsoft Learn-It contains free online learning resources depending on the learning level, the type of exam, and the role. It offers access to interactive tutorials and modules required to build requisite technical to develop the ability to provide solutions. The candidate can complete these at his own pace.
- Instructor-led training-It being a paid option, involves in-depth instructor-led training and provides personal attention to candidates from experts. They are up to date and are conducted online or in person. These pieces of training are taught by Microsoft certified trainers provided by various Microsoft learning partners.
Tips to pass the AZ-400 exam with flying colors
To pass the AZ-400 exam, one needs to have a proper strategy and plan. Along with hard work, smart studies are also very essential to succeed. The candidates must also possess basic technical skills to implement strategies for collaboration, code, infrastructure, source control, security, compliance, continuous integration, testing, delivery, monitoring, and feedback. Before appearing for the exam, one should consider the following tips to ace this Microsoft course-
1) Prepare a detailed Study plan– The first step in preparation is preparing a road map for practice depending on the weightage provided to various topics. Based on the weightage, you should allocate appropriate time to the issues and subtopics. As it is a competitive and challenging exam, a proper strategy should be formulated and implemented to pass.
2) Chose right study material– One should ensure that the material he refers to is as per the exam format and updated. Studying reliable material is essential to scoring good marks on the exam. You should not ignore the resources provided by Microsoft in any case. The candidate can also avail of the benefits of free online courses or paid instructor-led training to ensure success in this Microsoft Azure certification exam.
3) Practice test papers– Before appearing for the final exam, one should familiarize himself with the exam pattern and exam format by practicing many mock test papers. Therefore, as it is a duration-based exam, time management is crucial. The types of questions you can expect in the exam are scenario-based case studies, single-choice questions (yes or no questions), and multiple-choice questions.
4) Exam day tips– Following things should be noted on the day of the examination-
- Study essential contents of AZ-104, AZ-204, and AZ-303 to get acquainted with Azure exam content and format.
- Revise the entire content in a summarized manner.
- Keep calm and avoid anxiety and nervousness.
Takeaway
It takes rigorous hard work and practice to pass an exam like AZ-400, but you can achieve the goal with the right direction and consistency. Adding this certification to one’s career will provide a person with enormous growth opportunities for better jobs with high pay. It is an excellent opportunity for those who want to have a career in the domain of Microsoft Azure.
