By now, if you are engrossed in the Power Platform, or Microsoft Ecosystem, you may have seen that Microsoft Exams will now offer the use of Microsoft Learn while taking Certified Microsoft Exams. I have seen a lot of buzz online over the last few days and wanted to really corral my thoughts. Before we get to that — here is a brief recap in case you, as the reader need to be informed.

Microsoft Learn Access During Exams

Microsoft announced that exam takers will have limited access to Microsoft Learn Documentation during Certified Exams. During the exam users will have access to everything in the learn.microsoft.com domain except Q&A and your profile. You will be able to access Learn though a split or full screen view.

Limitations

Users must keep in mind that the following precautions:

1. The Open Book format should not be thought of as a Free, “In-The-Bag” Certification. The use of Microsoft Learn should be saved for those head scratching questions, as the time limit for exams will not be altered. Per Microsoft here are the allocated times currently available for each exam type:

Exam type	Exam Duration*	Seat Duration*
Fundamentals exams	45 minutes	65 minutes
Associate and expert role-based exams without labs**	100 minutes	120 minutes
Associate and expert role-based exams that may contain labs**	120 minutes	140 minutes
Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) exams	50 minutes	60 minutes

2. Fundamental Exams will not include the use of Microsoft Learn

General Thoughts

After digesting information that is currently available, I have come to the following conclusion. Inclusion of Microsoft Learn on Exams is a step forward. I have read mixed reviews online stating that this will invalidate exams, make them less desirable to employers, and so on. However, let me tell you why I disagree.

As someone who has just about every Power Platform Certification you can acquire, I have always gone by the statement “Microsoft wants you to know what Microsoft wants you to know”. While I do find the exams to be extremely challenging, I take each question as an opportunity for growth vs failure. Enabling the use of Microsoft Learn within the exam structure is giving users an opportunity to continue to FOSTER their skill set and come out the exam feeling confident, regardless of their score – that they learned something.

Hand in Hand with this concept I also think of the phrase, “Repeat to Remember, Remember to Repeat”. The opportunity to research or validate is another opportunity to remember. Within my professional career, if I get stuck on a client question, I take the opportunity to reach and validate. And the neat think about this is once I find it and execute, I believe I am more likely to remember next time, and even educate others on the topic or solution. This is true for the open book exam features as well. It is a direct parallel to a professional role, where you often need to find a solution to real-world problem that your client faces in their day-to-day business executions.

If you have made it this far, I commend you! Overall, I think this change is positive and overall gives each user a:

1. Chance to foster growth in their skills
2. Decreased exam anxiety
3. Provides real-life application to providing a solution

By bridging the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical application, Microsoft is driving a transformative shift in education towards a more skill-focused and digitally oriented future.

Read more & see screen shots on Microsoft Learn

Along with these changes I wanted to briefly mention for those of you who are either new or veterans within the Microsoft Exam space:

Microsoft Offers Practice Assessments for many of their exams! This is an excellent resource to evaluate your skill set prior to your exam date. Here is the link (on Microsoft Learn of Course!) ;). As of this blog there are currently 29 assessments with more scheduled to come at a later date.

Overall, I am looking forward to the changes being made revolving exams! What do you think? Leave a comment below!!