A Practical Guide to Passing the MongoDB Certified DBA Exam

I recently passed the MongoDB Certified DBA exam, and I want to share the straightforward, no-fluff study plan you can follow to do the same. This guide focuses on the official resources and strategies that actually work so no dumps, no guesswork, just a clear path to getting certified.

Quick Facts about the Exam

• Format: 66 MCQs
• Time Limit: 90 mins
• Cost: ~$150 USD (This can change, so check MongoDB University for current pricing).

Pro Tip: MongoDB often gives a 50% discount after you complete a designated Learning Path on MongoDB University. Students and educators may be eligible for even bigger discounts, so be sure to check!

What’s the Passing Score?
This is a very common question, and the official answer is that MongoDB does not publish the exact passing score. According to the official exam guide, the required percentage is determined through statistical analysis for each version of the exam and is not publicly shared.
The important thing to know is that you only need to achieve an overall passing score. You do not need to pass each individual topic or domain.

The Best Free Resources (Use These, In This Order)

1. MongoDB University “MongoDB Database Admin Path”: This is your single most important resource. Complete the entire path, including all the hands-on labs.
2. Official Associate DBA Exam Study Guide: Use this as your master checklist. If it's on the guide, you need to know it.
3. Official Practice Questions: These are pure gold. The style is very similar to the real exam. Do them multiple times, and don't move on from a wrong answer until you understand why you got it wrong.
4. MongoDB Documentation: The ultimate source of truth. When a course lesson feels light on details, go to the docs.
5. MongoDB Developer Community Forums: Perfect for asking specific technical questions. You'll often get answers from MongoDB staff.
6. Reddit (r/mongodb): Excellent for candid advice and real-world exam experiences from recent test-takers.
7. Helpful YouTube Channels: For visual learners, channels like the Official MongoDB channel, freeCodeCamp, Edureka, Bro Code, etc offer excellent tutorials that can help reinforce complex topics.

Key Topics to Master
The exam covers seven main domains. While you don't need to pass each one individually, focusing on the heavily-weighted topics like Indexing and CRUD is key to achieving a high overall score.
Here's a visual breakdown of the key topics:

• CRUD: (26%) Query patterns, update operators, and aggregation fundamentals.
• Indexes: (18%) Single-field, compound, and multikey indexes.
• Security: (15%) Role-Based Access Control (RBAC), authentication, and authorization.
• Replication: (14%) Replica set architecture, failover mechanics, and read preferences.
• Server Administration: (10%) Configuration, backups, and monitoring.
• Monitoring: (9%) Reading alerts, monitoring storage, and currentOp.
• Philosophy & Features: (7%) Core concepts of the document model and sharding.``
• Backup and Recovery: (1%)

Suggested 4-Week Study Roadmap
This is an aggressive but achievable timeline if you can dedicate a few hours each day. Adjust it based on your personal experience.

Week 1: The Fundamentals.

• Complete the first half of the MongoDB University Admin Path (M001, CRUD, and Indexing courses).
• Build and query a simple database locally. Get comfortable in the shell.

Week 2: Administration & High Availability.

• Focus on the Server Administration and Replication courses.
• Hands-On Goal: Set up a basic 3-node replica set on your local machine and practice initiating a failover. This was a game-changer for my own understanding.

Week 3: Advanced Topics.

• Work through the Sharding and Security courses.
• Review the Official Study Guide and dive into the documentation for any weak areas.

Week 4: Practice and Review.

• Take the Official Practice Questions daily. Aim for a consistent score of 90% or higher.
• Practice under time pressure. Give yourself 90 seconds per question to simulate the real exam environment.

Final Pre-Exam Checklist

• Completed the entire MongoDB Database Admin learning path.
• Read through every topic on the Official Study Guide.
• Scored 90%+ on the official practice questions multiple times.
• Performed hands-on labs for setting up a replica set, performing a backup/restore, and configuring a user with specific roles.
• Verified the exam price and used your discount voucher on the MongoDB University site.

Passing the MongoDB Certified DBA exam is completely achievable with focused study and hands-on practice. Trust the official resources, adopt a practice-first mindset, and you'll be well on your way.
Good luck and happy indexing! If you have any questions, feel free to drop a comment below. I'd be happy to help.