My Experience with Azure Certification Renewal: Key Topics, Sample Questions, and Tips

#azure #azure204 #certification #cloud

Introduction

Recently, I completed the renewal exam for my Azure certification, and I wanted to share my experience to help others prepare. The renewal process is free, online, and focuses on validating your knowledge of the latest Azure features and best practices.

In this blog, I’ll cover:

What’s included in the renewal exam
Key areas you should focus on
A few sample questions with explanations
Tips to prepare effectively

What’s Included in the Renewal Exam?

The renewal exam is scenario-based and tests your practical understanding of Azure services. It’s not about memorizing definitions—it’s about applying concepts to real-world situations.
Topics covered in my renewal exam included:

Azure App Configuration (feature flags, labels)
Application Insights (sampling, metrics, availability tests)
Azure Container Apps & Container Instances
Azure Functions (C#, Python triggers and bindings)
Azure Storage & Cosmos DB (soft delete, partition keys, consistency levels)
Identity and Security (Managed Identity, RBAC)

Sample Questions and Explanations

Azure App Configuration – Feature Flags

Question:

You need to implement a feature flag in Azure App Configuration. Which two properties are required?

Name
List of filters
Labels
Keys and values

Answer:

Name
List of filters.

Feature flags require a unique name and conditions (filters) to determine when the feature is enabled.

Application Insights – Reduce Telemetry

Question

Your app sends large telemetry volumes, and Application Insights is throttling data. How do you reduce traffic while maintaining statistical accuracy?

Sampling
Distributed tracing
Metric alerts
Log search alerts

Answer:

Sampling

Adaptive sampling reduces telemetry volume while preserving representative data.

Azure Container Instances – SMB Access

Question:

You need to access data from a container using SMB protocol. What should you use?

YAML file
Container group
Azure File share
Environment variable

Answer:

Azure File share.

Azure Files supports SMB and can be mounted inside containers.

Tips for Success

Focus on practical scenarios: Understand how services work together (e.g., Managed Identity with Azure SQL).
Review documentation: Microsoft Learn and official docs are your best resources.
Practice with real examples: Try configuring feature flags, enabling sampling, or mounting Azure File shares.
Don’t memorize—understand: The exam checks applied knowledge, not rote learning.

Final Thoughts

The renewal exam is a great way to stay current with Azure. It’s free, quick, and ensures you’re up to date with best practices. I’ve attached my result screenshot below to share my achievement and motivate others to renew their certifications.