On January 8th Microsoft announced the first Exchange 2016 beta exam. The exam titled ‘Designing and Deploying Microsoft Exchange Server 2016′ (Exam # 70-345) is currently in beta and is proctored by Pearson VUE.
It’s currently uncertain what exams will be required to achieve MCSE Messaging in Exchange 2016. In 2013 there were two paths. One could first either achieve an MCSA in Server 2012 or Office 365. Then you had the two core Exchange 2013 exams to complete your MCSE. At the time of writing beta exam 70-345 is the only announced Exchange 2016 exam. I suspect it won’t be long until we learn more.
Beta exams differ from live exams in that they offer no score at the end. In fact, candidates often have to wait as much as twelve weeks after the conclusion of the beta period before they are notified of their score. You may wonder, why take a beta exam only to wait months on end? Simply put–to demonstrate early competency. Being one of the first to certify on a product can certainly aide career growth. Especially if you are a consultant.
The challenge of sitting a beta exam is the sheer lack of certification books and study material available. However, with the striking resemblance to its predecessor, a strong and well-rounded understanding of Exchange 2013 will provide a great head start. But it’s only a head start. Being an early adopter of Exchange 2016 is critical. It doesn’t have to be early adoption in your work environment, or, at your customer’s sites. The early adoption could be your own lab. A sandbox where you can build and break and play. It doesn’t cost must to get a lab going. My current lab costs a few hundred dollars on a popular auction site. Exchange MVP Jeff Guillet recently posted his specs for a few different lab servers depending on budget. Hosting a lab in Azure is also possible but may come at a bit of a steep price tag. Whatever you decide a lab is a brilliant way to learn and gain exposure to Exchange 2016.
But it doesn’t stop there. Without study guides and certification books the next best source for learning is Microsoft and the community at large. Whether it be the Exchange videos from Microsoft Ignite, PowerShell commands on TechNet, or, guides from Exchange MVPs, each day sees a growing list of content.
Here is some content from around the web to get you started. Let me know of any other resources I should add to this list!
- Exam Details and Skills Measured (70-345) – Microsoft Learning
- Exchange @ Ignite – Microsoft Exchange Team
- Exchange 2016 architectural changes – Ross Smith IV
- Exchange 2016 Preferred Architecture – Ross Smith IV
- Namespace Planning in Exchange 2016 – Ross Smith IV
- Load Balancing in Exchange 2016 – Ross Smith IV
- Exchange 2016 on TechNet – TechNet Library
- Exchange Team Blog – Microsoft Exchange Team
- Exchange 2016 on YouTube – Microsoft Mechanics Team
- What Ignite taught us about Exchange 2016 – STB
- Install Exchange 2016 in your lab (7-part series) – STB
- Exchange 2016 – Plan, Deploy, Migrate & Administer – Paul Cunningham
- Exchange 2016 articles and guides – Ratish Nair & Prabhat Nigam
In most cases sitting a beta exam costs the same as sitting a live exam. However, Microsoft also awards free seats to a small random pool of qualified subject matter experts (SMEs). For more information on what it takes to be considered a subject matter expert check the Microsoft Learning SME website. For more information on beta exams in general–and how they differ from live exams–I recommend checking this link.
Whether you decide to take the exam now or wait until it is live, I wish you all the best.
Good Luck!
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