Introduction

This book can be used as a companion book to William Panek's MCA Microsoft 365 Certified Associate Modern Desktop Administrator Complete Study Guide: Exam MD-100 and Exam MD-101 (Sybex, 2020). Use this book as a guide to help you test your knowledge before you take Microsoft exams MD-100 and MD-101. This book provides you with about 1,000 questions that cover all of the concepts and exam objects for the Microsoft 365 Certified: Modern Desktop Administrator Associate certification exams.

Use this book as a training tool to determine which areas you may need to focus more on before sitting for these exams. Microsoft recommends that candidates who take these two exams be IT professionals who will deploy, configure, secure, manage, and monitor devices and client applications in an enterprise environment. Candidates should also be familiar with managing identity, access, policies, updates, and apps. Candidates should have an understanding of enterprise scenarios, cloud-integrated services, and Microsoft 365 workloads, and they must be experienced in deploying, configuring, and maintaining Windows 10 and non-Windows devices and technologies.

The Microsoft Certification Program

Having a Microsoft certification on your résumé will make it stand out to a perspective employer by showing them that you are ready to succeed. In this day and age of technology, I tell students that having industry certifications is almost as important as having a college degree. Most companies looking to hire someone in the IT field are almost certainly going to look for someone who has achieved certification.

According to Microsoft, individuals should get certified to "give you a professional edge by providing globally recognized industry endorsed evidence of skills mastery, demonstrating your abilities and willingness to embrace new technologies. Verify your skills-and unlock your opportunities."

Since the start of its certification program, Microsoft has certified more than two million people. As the computer network industry continues to increase in both size and complexity, this number is sure to grow-and the need for proven ability will also increase. Certifications can help companies verify the skills of prospective employees.

There are a large number of certifications available through Microsoft. These certifications change occasionally. To see the list of certifications currently offered by Microsoft, check out its website at www.microsoft.com/en-us/learning/browse-all-certifications.aspx.

Microsoft 365 Certified: Modern Desktop Administrator Associate Exam Requirements

Candidates must pass these two exams:

• MD-100: Windows 10
• MD-101: Managing Modern Desktops

Microsoft has certification paths for many different technical job roles. Each of these certifications consists of passing a series of exams to earn certification. Certifications fall into three categories.

• Fundamentals Certifications
• Role-Based Certifications
• Additional/Specialty Certifications

The Microsoft 365 Certified: Modern Desktop Administrator Associate falls under the Role-Based Certification category.

Exam MD-100

Exam MD-100 measures your ability to undertake these technical tasks: deploy Windows, manage devices and data, configure connectivity, and maintain Windows.

Exam MD-101

Exam MD-101 measures your ability to undertake these technical tasks: deploy and update operating systems, manage policies and profiles, manage and protect devices, and manage apps and data.

For more information regarding the Microsoft 365 Certified: Modern Desktop Administrator Associate certification, go to Microsoft's website at docs.microsoft.com/en-us/learn/certifications/m365-modern-desktop.

Types of Exam Questions

To protect exam security, Microsoft does not identify exam formats or question types prior to taking an exam. Microsoft is always introducing new and state-of-the-art testing technologies and question types. Microsoft reserves the right to integrate new technologies into exams at any time without advance notice. Microsoft exams may contain any of the following:

• Active screen
• Best answer
• Build list
• Case studies/scenarios
• Drag and drop
• Exam and questions samples
• Hot area
• Labs
• Multiple choice
• Repeated answer choices
• Short answer

Tips for Taking the Windows 10 Exams

Here are some general tips for achieving success on your certification exam:

• Arrive early at the exam center so that you can relax and review your study materials. During this final review, you can look over tables and lists of exam-related information.
• Read the questions carefully. Do not be tempted to jump to an early conclusion. Make sure that you know exactly what the question is asking.
• Answer all questions. If you are unsure about a question, mark it for review and come back to it at a later time.
• On simulations, do not change settings that are not directly related to the question. Also, assume default settings if the question does not specify or imply which settings are used.
• For questions that you're not sure about, use a process of elimination to get rid of the obviously incorrect answers first. This improves your odds of selecting the correct answer when you need to make an educated guess.

Exam Registration

As of the release date of this book, Microsoft exams are offered at more than 1,000 Authorized VUE Testing Centers around the world. For the location of a testing center near you, go to VUE's website at www.vue.com. If you are outside of the United States and Canada, contact your local VUE registration center.

Find out the number of the exam that you want to take and then register with the VUE center nearest to you. At this point, you will be asked for advance payment for the exam. The exams are $165 each, and you must take them within one year of payment. You can schedule exams up to six weeks in advance or as late as one working day prior to the date of the exam. You can cancel or reschedule your exam if you contact the center at least two working days prior to the exam. Same-day registration is available in some locations, subject to space availability. Where same-day registration is available, you must register a minimum of two hours before test time.

When you schedule the exam, you will be provided with instructions regarding appointment and cancellation procedures, ID requirements, and information about the testing center location. In addition, you will receive a registration and payment confirmation letter from VUE.

Microsoft requires certification candidates to accept the terms of a nondisclosure agreement before taking certification exams.

Who Should Read This Book?

This book is intended for individuals who want to earn their Microsoft 365 Certified: Modern Desktop Administrator Associate: Windows 10 certification by passing exams MD-100 and MD-101.

Use this book as a study guide to help you pass the Microsoft exams. It will also help anyone who wants to learn the real ins and outs of the Windows 10 operating system using the question explanations.

What's Inside?

Here is a glance at what's contained in each chapter:

Part I: Modern Desktop Admin, Exam MD-100

• Chapter 1: Deploy Windows In the first chapter, we cover questions on how to deploy Windows 10 and how to perform post-installation configurations. This is a partial list, but some of the questions will cover subjects such as configuring language packs, migrating user data, performing a clean installation, performing an in-place upgrade, specifying mobility settings, and customizing the Windows desktop.
• Chapter 2: Manage Devices and Data This chapter asks questions on how to manage local users, local groups, and devices. It covers questions regarding configuring data access and protection, configuring devices by using local policies, and managing Windows security. Questions will cover subjects such as configuring permissions, configuring the local registry, troubleshooting group policies, configuring user account control (UAC), and implementing encryption.
• Chapter 3: Configure Connectivity This chapter asks questions on how to configure networking and configuring remote connectivity. It covers questions regarding configuring IP settings, configuring VPN clients, troubleshooting networking, and configuring Wi-Fi profile and remote management, as well as PowerShell remoting.
• Chapter 4: Maintain Windows This chapter asks questions on configuring system and data recovery, managing updates, and monitoring and managing Windows. It covers questions regarding performing file recovery, using OneDrive, recovering Windows 10, checking and troubleshooting updates, selecting the appropriate servicing channel, analyzing event logs, and managing the Windows 10 environment.

Part II: Modern Desktop Admin, Exam MD-101

• Chapter 5: Deploy and Update Operating Systems This chapter asks questions on how to plan and implement Windows 10 by using dynamic deployment, planning and implementing Windows 10 by using Windows Autopilot, upgrading devices...