Timelines – Overview of Power BI and the PL-300 Exam
Timelines
Microsoft has decided to make most of their role-based and specialty certifications valid for 2 years from the date of achievement. Six months before your certification expires, Microsoft will provide a link on your Certification Dashboard (https://aka.ms/CertDashboard) for you to take an assessment. Passing the assessment on Microsoft Learn is the only way to renew a certification. Renewing your certification will then become an annual requirement.
You will also receive an email telling you it’s time to renew.
This process ensures that you, and everyone else with the PL-300 certification, is up to date with all the changes in Power BI. As Power BI can change radically within a year, this is a good thing. The fact that renewal is free is amazing.
The best part is that you can retake the renewal test as many times as you need. You must pass it before your certification expires, but you have 6 months, unlimited retakes, and access to the internet while taking the renewal.
If you do not pass your renewal assessment, then you must pay for and pass the PL-300 exam again.
Strategies to get a passing grade
So, now we know what’s on the test, let’s talk about how to prepare to take the test. If you search the internet, you will find many slightly different strategies for studying for and passing Microsoft certification exams:
- Set a date – The most important step is the first one. If you set a date, it allows you to work backward from that date to plan your studying. Some people even go as far as to purchase their test voucher for a date in the future, thus committing them to that data.
- Buy a nice study guide – Might I recommend this one?
- Get hands-on – Most of the test is centered around Power BI Desktop, a free-to-use application; no license is required. You can download Power BI Desktop from https://powerbi.com or, as I prefer to do, install it from the Microsoft Store. The Microsoft Store version will get the monthly updates automatically.
- Learn the technology – This study guide is great, but nothing is better than getting hands-on with the technology. Create reports for your work, for yourself, and for your friends.
- Learn the vocabulary – Knowing what things are called will help immensely with the test. Many times, you can eliminate one or two answers from a multiple-choice question just by knowing the terminology.
- Know what to expect (again, a nice study guide is a good idea) – Look at the table of contents for this book. Review the previous Knowledge needed to pass section. Make sure you have at least a passing familiarity with each subheading.
Do not stress out! Power BI is intuitive and fun. Plus, Microsoft does not put a record of failed attempts on your transcript.