Certification Paths beyond Microsoft 98-361 Exam

As Microsoft 98-361 is a fundamental exam, there are multiple ways to enhance and advance the learned skills further. The vendor offers a never-ending set of options and opportunities. For instance, professionals can aim higher with MCSA and intermediate role-based certifications under the development category and can choose the most suitable ones as per the interest and need. For instance, the alternatives available include Microsoft Certified: Microsoft Power Platform Developer Associate, MCSA: Web Applications, and others.

Intending to impart the latest software development skills, the Microsoft 98-361 exam is here to generate future leaders and competent IT pros. Specialists having basic to advanced C# or Microsoft Visual Basic.NET knowledge can leverage their careers by passing this test and earning the foundational certification.

Exam Domains

Microsoft 98-361 includes six domains. Each of them is diligently designed to cover a certain knowledge area and one's possession of specific skills. Based upon the worth, each section of the syllabus has a different weight.

To begin with, the first domain, Understanding core programming takes up about 15-20% of total exam content and has four sub-topics. They talk about computer storage and data types, computer decision structure, techniques for handling repetition, and awareness of error handling. Speaking in-detail, candidates should learn more about how programs are stored in the computer memory, what are the requirements for memory size when it comes to various types of data storage, how to use diverse decision structures and evaluate expressions, to name a few. Also, one should have knowledge of the key loops as well as structure exception handling.

Understanding object-oriented programming is the second key exam domain. It covers the skills related to topics such as classes' fundamentals, inheritance, polymorphism, and encapsulation. Its weight is about 20-25% of the overall content. The topics involved assess one's abilities to create a class and extend its functionality, class overriding methods, and using access modifiers.

In the third section, the aspirants will be checked on some of the key skills and techniques related to general software development. With the help of three key sub-domains, this part of the syllabus tries to hone a candidate's understanding associated with phases of the application life cycle and its management, and selecting the right data structures and algorithms. These areas require one to master the skills in reading application specifications, translating specifications into prototypes, software testing, and the understanding of arrays, queues, linked lists, queues, performance implications, etc.

Understanding web applications is the title of the fourth exam domain and it is designed to impart best-of-breed knowledge related to web page development, web hosting, and web services, as well as the development of web apps in Microsoft ASP.NET. Test-takers should be able to understand what it takes to develop a website using HTML, Cascading Style Sheets (CSS), and JavaScript. They also have to know how to manage a page life cycle, create virtual directories and websites, perform web application deployment, access web services from a client application, and use Web Service Definition Language (WSDL).

The fifth section, understanding desktop applications is focused on UI design guideline categories, gestures identification, console-based applications, characteristics and capabilities of Windows Services, and Store Apps.

The last part of the syllabus is titled Understanding databases and covers topics like relational database management systems, database query methods, and database connection methods. Exam-takers have to gain a good understanding of the characteristics and capabilities of database products, the use of Entity-Relationship Diagrams (ERDs), SQL, stored procedures, XML files, and resource optimization, among the rest.

Reference: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/learning/exam-98-361.aspx