I just passed the exam, after 50 minutes of battling against all PSI Proctor requirements. I was finally able to start the exam. The whole experience took me around 2.5 hours. If you are reading this, please launch the PSI application 30 minutes before the exam begins, it will save you a lot of struggle specially with the webcam.
Here are a few tips:
- Have a clean desktop. In my case I was using a Windows PC with a monitor, keyboard, mouse and mouse pad. They asked me to get rid of the mouse pad.
- Get your ID ready, they need to get an evidence of your ID, first name, last name, expiration date and more. This is the step that I struggled the most because I had to show my ID Card, Passport and Driver’s License so many times that I was about to drop the process.
- Do not try to attempt the exam using a webcam without autofocus. In my case, it was a Kinect v2 HD. Too late I discovered the device is not able to take macro photos. PSI people (proctor and support executive) couldn’t read my name from the snapshots. Get a good webcam or use a laptop with webcam, if you have one.
- But just in case you face the same issue as I did, get a glass of water handy. You can put it in front of the lens as a sort of magnifier. It worked for me.
- Remove any picture frames, posters, clean the whiteboard if there’s one. A simple white background is ideal.
Well, at some point I was able to start the exam with no distractions or roadblocks, the exam included 5 sections. The first and second sections, as far as I can tell, are a miscellaneous stage with 31 random questions. The next three are Scenario-specific type of questions. Please make sure you read all the information given as a Case Study, that will help you answer tricky questions or discard possible wrong answers. You cannot go back to previous sections. Once you reach the end of a section, make sure to tackle down any question tagged for review. When you are ready then click the End Section button and continue with the next one.
How to prepare for the exam?
There are several options, but you need to complete most of them to have a clear idea of the concepts, features and limitation of the different Azure resources and services (Event Hub, Storage Queues, Event Grid, Logic Apps, Web app, Containers, Virtual Machines and so on).
In my case, I’ve supplemented two years of working experience with:
- Udemy Az-204 certification course
- Microsoft Docs / Learn with Hands On lectures
- Watching Youtube videos always help.
- Whizlabs Az-204 Online course and practice tests
Bonus tip
Make sure No One passes behind you and get recorded on the video, same applies for the voice recording. You could be immediately disqualified.
The journey of a Software Engineer 