Skills Required
The 70-461 exam comprise of questions from the below area:- Create database objects (20–25%)
- Work with data (25–30%)
- Modify data (20–25%)
- Troubleshoot and optimize (25–30%)
Practice Test
You can take the Microsoft Official Practice Test (not free), to help you prepare better for the actual exam. I was very satisfied with the quality of the questions in the Practice Test, and it helped me to identify areas where I had to focus upon. All the questions had detailed explanations for the answer options mentioned, which aided me in revising the skills required for this exam. Overall the practice tests did help me to prep up for the exam and gain confidence, but I must say that the actual 70-461 was a lot tougher than the practice exam. Microsoft provides special offers on the Certification exams – in the form of an additional retake or even a practice test. It might not be a bad decision to improve your exam odds, by adding an extra retake. It’s always a good feeling to have the cushion of an extra attempt to pass the exam. You can learn more about the certification and exam offers here.Actual Certification Exam
The exam is a good mix of multiple choice questions, rearrange statements to form the correct stored procedure/Function/Triggers, select correct options from the drop down lists, case studies and more. The toughest part of the exam will be questions where you would need to actually write the T-SQL Code – query, stored procedure, triggers, function etc. All your hands-on experience in SQL will come to play here. If you find these set of 8-10 questions though, I would suggest not to spend much time on it upfront and get discouraged. Mark them for review and come back to it later, once you have completed rest of the questions. You will always have few questions, which you would be able to answer right away. Knock them down first!
Type of questions and formats
Before appearing for the exam, it is always helpful to know the question pattern and be familiar with the exam interface. I am listing below the different categories of questions you will find in the 70-461 exam, to help you better prepare for the exam:
Study Materials
There are a lot of useful resources available online to prepare you for the exam: I would strongly recommend you to go through the book – ‘Training Kit (Exam 70-461): Querying Microsoft SQL Server 2012′. This book covers all the topics and skills which will be required for you to pass this exam. Make sure that you are simultaneously doing a lot of hands-on querying as well. Microsoft Virtual Academy has great content and detailed training material on the various focus areas required for 70-461 – Querying Microsoft SQL Server 2012 Databases Jump Start If you are new to SQL Server, then I would suggest you to go through this SQL Server Tutorial in YouTube. I found it very beneficial to recap some of the areas where I had minimal hands on experience. You can check out these Pluralsight Courses to get detailed walkthrough on the various areas:- SQL Server 2012 Querying (70-461) Part 1
- SQL Server 2012 Querying (70-461) Part 2
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There is lot of information about this exam in the Microsoft Learning Page. Make sure to check it out.
You can install SQL Server Management Studio 2017 here. It is an independent web installer and is decoupled from the underlying SQL Server engine.
Online Proctored Certification Exam
You have the option of taking the certification exam from the nearest Certification center or even from the comfort of your home or office. If you decide to take the Online Proctored exam, like I did, you will be monitored by an offsite proctor via your webcam and microphone. Make sure that you review the system requirements ahead of time and take the available system test from the same computer before the exam day. On the exam day, ensure that your room is distraction free. Keep in mind that during the exam you cannot leave your desk, or else your exam will be canceled. Make sure that you log-in 30 min before the exam scheduled start time so that you have 15 min for the initial verification and launch process by the offsite proctor. In my case, I was put in a queue for 10 min before I was able to get a proctor.Microsoft Certification Badges
Microsoft has partnered with Acclaim and will provide you a Certification badge after passing the exam. Acclaim provides an easy way to manage and share your Microsoft Certifications. Having a digital badge for your certification is always helpful since you can embed it in your resume, your personal website or even an email. Not to forget to share the badge online across different social media platforms.
Conclusion
Querying Microsoft SQL Server 2012/2014 validates the skills required to create database objects, work with and modify data, and finally troubleshoot and optimize queries. I had a great learning experience while preparing for this exam. There are numerous benefits of earning a certification and advancing your career by acquiring comprehensive technical knowledge tops the list. Good Luck on your certification exams and do let me know in case you have any questions. I would be happy to help.Latest posts by Samir Behara (see all)
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