DP-600 is a brand-new certification for Microsoft Fabric that once you pass it you will receive the “Fabric Analytics Engineer Associate” certification. This exam came out on January 12th, 2023, and I was able to schedule the exam for January 14th and take it.
In this post, I will go over my preparation strategy, the resources I used, as well as the exam process.
Background
I had previously gone through majority of Microsoft Learn Fabric modules and had worked with Microsoft Fabric in private and public preview so I had a good understanding of Microsoft Fabric going into the exam; however, I used the Study Guide and Microsoft Learn Fabric modules to cover any gaps that I might have.
If you are new to Microsoft Fabric, you can get started with setting up a trial environment from this link and sign up for a 30 day Learn it challenge. The benefit of using these challenges is that they give you a very guided path, so you won’t get lost in Microsoft Learn.
Video
I also recorded a video that shows how I prepared for the exam as well as what the exam process was like, with some tips that will hopefully help future test takers, especially those who are first-time Microsoft test takers like me.
Preparing for the exam
Stop 1:
My first stop was the exam’s official page. This page gives you high level information about the content of the exam and has a link to the study guide as well as a test Sandbox. If you are a first-time test taker with Microsoft, I highly recommend you try the Sandbox. The actual exam had a very similar feel.
Stop 2:
My second stop was the exam’s study page. This page has a breakdown of the exam content by areas and percentages. I used this page to identify areas that I needed to study more, paying attention to the percentages helps where to focus if time is short. Anytime I came across a topic that I did not know well, I switched to Microsoft Learn to look it up. If Microsoft Learn did not produce the results I was looking for, I switched to Google and YouTube searches.
You have access to Microsoft Learn while you take the exam, so it is very important that you know your way around Microsoft Learn. You can even have multiple tabs open and ready to go.
One easy way to get to Microsoft Fabric Leard Modules is by using the new Fabric Community site as shown below:
For the many-to-many relationships and a review of basic DAX functions, I used the “The Definitive Guide to DAX: Business Intelligence for Microsoft Power BI, SQL Server Analysis Services, and Excel” by Marco Russo and Alberto Ferrari.
Stop 3:
While looking on YouTube for some technical videos, I came across an article and video by Liberty Munson from Microsoft Learn. https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/shows/exam-readiness-zone/what-to-expect-on-your-microsoft-exam This is a must-watch video if you are new to taking Micrsoft exams.
Thoughts after taking the exam
Checking in and waiting in the lobby
I was able to check in at 30 minutes before the exam. You cannot check in any earlier. Once you check in, you will be given a QR code to scan with your phone so that you can use your phone to take pictures of the room and your ID. I completed these steps and followed the on-screen instructions. I had to put my phone out of reach at this point then I entered a virtual lobby where I was told to wait until a proctor was ready to get me started. I could see myself on the camera on the screen and I was not allowed to leave the room. I was notified that there were 110 people in front of me! The counter started going down very slowly! I did not see or hear a proctor during that time. It took about 45 minutes for the counter to go to zero and then the exam just started. I did not get to see or talk to a proctor. This might not be a typical experience; I think this happened because they were very busy on Sunday morning at 9 am.
Exam itself
The exam itself was difficult. Some questions were a breeze for me, some others were tough. Do not take the exam for granted and make sure you study. Make sure you at least finish all the Microsoft Fabric modules that fall in the exam’s scope and make sure you review them close to the exam again. Note that the Microsoft Fabric learn modules get you started but there are some areas that you will be required to have deeper knowledge, for example DAX optimization and working with external tools for Power BI. For these, you have to jump out of the Microsoft Fabric Learn into the main Microsoft Learn section or do a Google search or use books.
Using Microsoft Learn during the exam
During the exam, you can open Microsoft Learn on the side in the exam environment itself. This will open the main Learn site, not the Fabric modules section. You can have multiple tabs open. I recommend you open a tab on Microsoft Fabric modules and generally know your way around before you take the exam.
For the exam, you have 2 hours and 50+ questions. You cannot afford to lose a lot of time searching Microsoft Learn. I was able to use it a couple of times for Syntax checks or remembering menu options from some of the screenshots. I am happy it was there because it helped me with a couple of questions.
If I were to take the test again, from the start even before looking at the first question, I would open up the Fabric Modules as well as a tab for SQL syntax, a tab PySpark/SaprkSQL syntax, a tab for Power BI, a tab for Lakehouse, and a tab for Warehouse.
Word of caution: Resizing the Microsoft Learn section in the exam environment, crashed the test; however, the test came right back up.
After the exam
Once I was done with the exam, about 2 hours, I was given an opportunity to leave feedback for the questions for Microsoft. After that, I made it to a grey screen that would not go way. I pinged the proctor using a chat option. It took a while to a get a proctor in chat. I explained the situation, but he could not help. I ended up rebooting my computer at that time and hoping that the exam was captured.
Final thoughts
Overall, I am happy that I took the test. The limited time discount code from the Community blog helped a lot. The discount code was available to the first 300 people who take the exam.
If you missed that window and are planning to take the test, make sure you check out the Community blog for Cloud Skills Challenges.
Typically, these Cloud Skills Challenges provide discount codes for the exam once you complete them.
References
Home – Microsoft Fabric Community
Online proctored exams: What to expect and how to prepare – Microsoft Community Hub
Just How Does One Prepare for Beta Exams? – Microsoft Community Hub