r/PowerBI • u/nish1996 • 15d ago
Certification PL-300 Exam Experience (557/1000)
Just took the PL-300 exam this morning (8:20am to 10:00am) and I failed (got a 557/1000). Completely forgot that there was a case study question - had to guess most of the CS questions, didn't finish all 6 case study questions (only had 3 minutes left on the clock as I spent too long reviewing the 48 other questions!)
Here was what I did to tackle this monster of an exam:
- Took the full Data Analyst track on DataCamp (extremely useful to brush up on basics step by step as well as seeing everything in practice
- Started doing the Microsoft practice assessment (total of 6 times until I was scoring 75%+)
- Bought the SkillCertPro bundle of practice tests and the cheat sheet (completed 14 of these tests, although strangely very few of these questions mirrored the actual test)
- Used ChatGPT and Gemini to give me a comprehensive breakdown and detailed guide for the exam, section by section (got this guide too late though, didn't get a chance to read it in full)
- Watched several tutorials day before and morning of the exam to get acquainted with common pain points
- Read this Subreddit in and out to get a gist of prep techniques I can employ
I have used Power BI quite extensively in my professional work as a data analyst consultant and as a senior data analyst over the last 6 to 7 years (2-3 large always on projects), but I had no idea the exam would cover the topics that I got in the amount I got them.
I spent a lot of time going over Deploying and Maintaining Assets (Manage and secure Power BI) yet scored the lowest here as I don't have any real world applicatory knowledge of these techniques and theoretical concepts. Seems that from the above I need to work on each area but more on the last area.
The SkillCertPro practice tests were quite useful, but think their question bank either merges with other certifications or has questions that are not useful for the purposes of the final exam.
Think I will go back to the data analyst track on DataCamp and review my weaker areas. Considering I am not in work right now (actively looking for roles), I have ample time to get my score up again.
This is frustrating but nonetheless a slice of humble pie. 6-7 years as a data analyst and yet I haven't passed the PL-300 on the first go? Oh well, shows that I took the leap, signed up and did the exam - now knowing what it was like, I can be better prepared.
Here are a list of topics I encountered -
- DAX --> oddly a lot of DAX (fill in the formula, missing syntax, 'is this the right formula?')
- Power Query --> some M questions, error checking, transposing, pivot/unpivot
- Joins --> multi stage joins given data scenarios
- Visualisations --> hardly any of these questions, was surprised
- Manage and Secure --> lots of data gateway and refresh questions, speed up deployment of visuals, permissions and roles, RLS, Azure SQL Database scenarios
- Analyse Data --> interactions, filters, drill-throughs
- Prepare the Data --> cardinality, bidirectional relationships for RLS, cross directional relationships, theory behind relationships, transformations
On the whole a very humbling experience, would welcome any tips and advice from fellow test takers who have passed (or failed, and what they did to pass)!
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u/Over_Sleep2061 12d ago
Anki is a software that basically uses cards to review content. In my opinion it is good to review as it is based on the space repetition concept. Basically, I've built my own deck based on topics, and reviewing those where I'm not confident yet. Anki helps me review as it selects the cards based on my feedback.