In July 2021, I have published a write-up about passing the AZ-104 exam. This time I want to talk with you about the AZ-500 exam. I have taken the AZ-500 exam today and passed the exam with 827/1000 points.
AZ-500: Microsoft Azure Security Technologies
The AZ-500 exam focuses on the security side of the technology in Microsoft Azure. After passing the exam, you will get the Azure Security Engineer Associate certification. The questions in this exam will come from the topics below:
- Manage identity and access (30-35%)
- Implement platform protection (15-20%)
- Manage security operations (25-30%)
- Secure data and applications (25-30%)
The percentages give you an idea of how the topics are distributed in the exam. For example, 30% – 35% of the exam questions are about Manage identity and access’ on the Azure platform. And that 15%-20% of the questions cover the ‘Implement platform protection’ and so on. With this knowledge, you have a good chance that a large portion of the exam will be about managing identities and access in the exam.
The Exam
In the exam, I got 44 questions. Two case studies, each case study had five questions. I had one simulation in this exam, with ten tasks. A lot is talking about simulations during the exam. From my experience, I can tell you that you can be sure that you have at least one simulation. I’m an intermediate in Microsoft Azure, and this exam was challenging. I have needed 2 hours and 15 minutes to complete this exam. Especially the simulation tasks can take a lot of time. This is also partly caused by the slow operation of the simulation environment.
Many questions in my exam were going about:
- Azure Key Vault;
- Azure Storage Accounts;
- Microsoft Defender for Cloud (former known as Azure Security Center);
- Microsoft Sentinel (former known as Azure Sentinel);
- Networking with Network Security Groups (NSG) and Application Security Groups (ASG).
I have done the AZ-104 exam before, and I experienced some overlapping with the AZ-104 exam. The understanding and relation with VNets, network peering and NSG’s are also in the AZ-104. Also, storage accounts.
How I studied for the AZ-500
AZ-500 book needed?
No, I bought the book but did not use the book.
Use a lab
Because you have a high chance that you get simulation questions during your exam. It is highly recommended that you use a lab to get familiar with the Azure platform.
You can register for a free Azure account. You get \$200 credit for 30 days to spend. It should be enough to do the practical exercises. Or you can use an Azure MPN subscription if your company is a Microsoft partner. I have used our Visual Studio Enterprise – MPN subscription from the company I work for. With this subscription, you get \$150 credits for 30 days to spend on Azure for personal use, like testing and training. The credit will refresh each month. For more information about the MPN subscription: https://azure.microsoft.com/en-us/pricing/member-offers/credit-for-visual-studio-subscribers/.
Udemy
I have used the AZ-500 Microsoft Azure Security Exam Certification 2021 from Alan Rodrigues. His course is very informative and clear. Alan understandably explains the topics very clear. The course videos are short, and therefore it is easy to divide the learning into small learning moments in a day.
Free courses on YouTube
Who is not liking free content? Although I have not used any free course material on YouTube for the AZ-500 exam, maybe you will! I know a good reliable source on YouTube for course material is from Susanth Sutheesh. You maybe like this playlist: AZ-500 Exam // EP 01 // Azure Security Technologies AZ500 Course Introduction by Susanth Sutheesh
Microsoft Learn
Microsoft has an amazing AZ-500 learning path on Microsoft Learn. This learning path is totally free and contains text, questions to test your knowledge, and practical exercises.
| Objective | Microsoft Learn |
|---|---|
| Manage Identity and Access | https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/learn/paths/manage-identity-access/ |
| Implement platform protection | https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/learn/paths/implement-platform-protection/ |
| Secure your data and applications | https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/learn/paths/secure-your-data-applications/ |
| Manage security operation | https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/learn/paths/manage-security-operation/ |
Practice Exams
I have done a lot of practice exams to test my knowledge. I highly recommend doing practice exams. If you are searching online, you can find some sources, such as Udemy or Whizlabs.
I hope you can your advantage with my write-up, good luck with your AZ-500 exam! :-)