power bi certification exam study preparation materials

Preparing for Microsoft Certification Exam 70-778: Analyzing and Visualizing Data with Microsoft Power BI

Late last month Microsoft released the certification exam for Power BI, 70-778: Analyzing and Visualizing Data with Microsoft Power BI. The exam is currently in beta and will likely remain that way for the next eight to twelve weeks. If you were lucky enough to snag one of the 300 uses of the voucher code, you’re already registered for the exam. If not, you’ll be waiting until the certification exam’s beta period is wrapped. And then everyone will be able to complete the exam. Thankfully I was able to take the exam a couple of weeks ago but am still waiting on the results for the next few weeks.

If you’re fairly new to Power BI or don’t have much experience with the Power BI ecosystem, I’d recommend starting with these helpful self paced learning options. This will give you a pretty decent introduction to Power BI and are self-paced or free training resources.

  1. Guided Learning section on Power BI.com: https://powerbi.microsoft.com/en-us/guided-learning/
  2. EdX.org Analyzing and Visualizing Data with Power BI: https://www.edx.org/course/analyzing-visualizing-data-power-bi-microsoft-dat207x-6
  3. Lynda.com Learning Microsoft Power BI Desktop: https://www.lynda.com/Power-BI-tutorials/Up-Running-Microsoft-Power-BI-Desktop/445425-2.html
  4. Pragmatic Works also has a lot of free webinars regarding Power BI on their website. Just do a search for Power BI on this page: http://pragmaticworks.com/Training/Courses#type=Free

The Skills Measured (which can be found at the bottom of this page) in the Power BI certification are broken down into three topics with each topic including three to size subtopics. Each subtopic has a description, which I’ll include here for reference, but under each subtopic I’m including links to the pages on powerbi.com/documentation and a few other places that I think might help you prepare. This list is not meant to be exhaustive but to serve as a ramping up point for you to begin your studies and also to serve as a reference.

Although the exam is still in beta, there’s no hurt in studying and preparing now. Unfortunately there are no available study materials for the certification exam. But the good news is that I’ve compiled the skills measured and linked to pages within the Power BI documentation to allow us to prepare. This is by no means an exhaustive list, but I’ve done my best to put together a good starting point for your to begin your studying. Good luck!

Consume and Transform Data By Using Power BI Desktop

20-25% of the exam questions are on these topics.

Connect to data sources: https://powerbi.microsoft.com/en-us/documentation/powerbi-desktop-data-sources/Connect to databases, files, folders; import from Excel; connect to SQL Azure, Big Data, SQL Server Analysis Services (SSAS), and Power Query

 

 

Getting Data w/ Power BI Desktop (video): https://powerbi.microsoft.com/en-us/guided-learning/powerbi-learning-1-1-overview-of-power-bi-desktop/

    • Connecting to databases
      • SQL Server
    • Connecting Azure SQL
    • SQL Server Analysis Services

Model and Visualize Data

45-50% of the exam questions come from these topics.

Configure Dashboards, Reports and Apps in the Power BI Service

25-30% of the questions in the exam are on these topics

I hope you find this page useful for your preparation useful for passing the exam. One thing I’ll say here about this particular exam is that the Power BI ecosystem changes very, very quickly. For instance, the Power BI Desktop is updated at least once a month and the Power BI service and Data Gateway are also updated multiple times a year. I mention this fact in order to say that the topics covered in the exam will most likely change often. So when preparing for the 70-778 exam, use the materials but don’t forget to review the official list of Skills Measured on the certification exam page so you know what’s covered.

18 thoughts on “Preparing for Microsoft Certification Exam 70-778: Analyzing and Visualizing Data with Microsoft Power BI”

  1. I was able to take the test yesterday. I would say that the EdX course covers the majority of the content from the skills measured and is a great way to get you prepared for the test. There were still some items that you will need to do on your own though;) Unfortunately I can’t be any more specific since it is all covered under NDA! Good luck to anyone that is taking the course!

    1. Hello,

      Appreciate if you can give little insight about Edx course. It seems, the course has some items which are out of scope in the context of this 70-778 exam, Is that fair to say ? In general, for learning the course is a great thing to complete.

      Thanks,
      Avinash

  2. What value will the certification have? I can see for personal education purposes. Are employers asking for this?

    1. The answer to that question is for debate. Some employers do value them and others less so. I think at the least it can serve as a differentiating factors between you and other job candidates. I don’t think it will necessarily land you a job, tough.

  3. Thank you for putting together such a comprehensive list of resources.
    Do you know if the certification can be taken now, or is still in beta?
    Thank you in advance

  4. Hi, the exam was released in July and still hasn’t come out of beta as of today. Do you know of any update or ETA for when the exam will exit Beta? Also do you know if I would write the exam today, will I see if I have passed it or not?

    1. Sorry I don’t have an ETA. If you take the beta exam you’ll have to wait until it’s released to find out.

  5. Hi Ryan,

    Thanks for the article. If it’s not covered under NDA, can you please give some insights about these.

    (a) Duration of the test, total no of questions, any negative marking for wrong answers ?

    Also, do the test takers need to use any of Power BI products at any point of the test ?

    Thanks!

    Regards,
    Avinash

    1. I can’t say specifics on the questions themselves but if you’ve ever taken Amy other cert exams it’s exactly the same. But you won’t actually be using Power BI on the exam. But I believe the way the scoring works is that you get points for correct answers and you must score a certain number to pass.

      1. Good luck! And don’t worry if you don’t pass. You can always try again. No pressure!

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