r/microsoftcertified

Hi all,

Just looking for some advice. I recently passed MD-102 and was planning to study MS-102 next.
However, I’ve seen some information suggesting that MS-102 may be retired in October, so I’m wondering whether it’s still worth pursuing.
Would I be better off doing SC-300 or AZ-104 next instead?

I’m currently working in desktop/endpoint support and would like to move towards a more senior M365 / Modern Workplace / Cloud role.
Any advice on which certification would provide the best progression after MD-102 would be appreciated.

Hi everyone,

I’m looking for advice from anyone who has experienced a Microsoft certification exam restriction.

My Microsoft exam was revoked during the exam session, and Microsoft’s security team later confirmed that they had recorded evidence of me using a cell phone. I appealed the restriction, but the appeal was rejected.

One important detail is that the actual exam had not even started. The restriction happened before I could see or attempt Question 1 — I did not answer a single exam question.

The email I received from Microsoft says:

* The restriction will remain for 6 months.
* After 6 months, the restriction will be partially lifted and I can take exams at test centers, but not through online proctoring.
* After 1 year, the online proctoring restriction will also be lifted.
* The restrictions will automatically be lifted.

My situation is a little complicated because I newly joined one organisation and I am in the holding pool and I have a mandatory certification plan where I’m required to complete one role based certification within 2 weeks.

I can currently log into my existing Microsoft account and it even allows me to proceed with scheduling an exam. I obviously don’t want to assume that means the restriction has been lifted.

My questions are:

1. Has anyone had a similar Microsoft restriction and successfully taken a Microsoft exam at a Pearson VUE test center after the 6-month period?
2. Is there any legitimate way to complete Microsoft certifications during the first 6 months, or do I simply need to wait for the test-center restriction to be lifted?
3. Since I need to complete a certification within two weeks for work, what would be the best way to handle this situation?

I just need to understand my legitimate options because the certification requirement at work is time-sensitive.

Any advice from people who have actually gone through a similar situation would be greatly appreciated.

If anyone is planning to schedule any microsoft certification exam in few days can u plz dm me.

AZ-900 Passed Today !!!

Just wanted to share my experience for anyone currently studying.

I studied seriously for about 3 weeks using Microsoft Learn and TD. Both were really helpful, but don't expect the real exam to look like the practice questions.

I got 35 questions, and honestly, most of them were scenarios and details that I'd never seen before in any practice exam. They were much more detailed than I expected.

The good news is that Microsoft Learn and TD gave me the understanding I needed. Even though the questions were different, knowing the concepts helped me eliminate wrong answers and choose the best one.

My advice:

Don't memorize question dumps.

Focus on understanding why Azure services are used.

Learn the differences between similar services (RBAC vs Azure Policy, Front Door vs Application Gateway, Service Health vs Resource Health, etc.).

Microsoft is definitely testing understanding more than memorization.

Good luck to everyone preparing for AZ-900—you've got this! 🚀