MTA Certifications – Microsoft Technology Associate – The Ultimate Guide

MTA certifications (MTA stands for Microsoft Technology Associate) are 12 certifications for individuals wishing to build a technical skill-set for careers in software development, Database and IT infrastructure administration.

These certifications are set to be discontinued in June 2022, and it seems that you need to purchase the exams before the 30th of June 2021, with one year to prepare and pass them all.

MTA certifications have been essential for IT professionals throughout the years, but now Microsoft are restructuring their certifications around cloud solutions (MS Azure, Microsoft 365, Dynamics 365, Power Platform…etc).

So, without further ado, here is the list of all 12 of the still active MTA certifications:

1- MTA Windows Server Administration Fundamental (98-365)
This foundational certification demonstrates an individual’s understanding across a wide range of fundamental sys-admin technical concepts.

Those who are interested in this credential should have some experience with Windows Server, Windows-based networking, Active Directory, account management, and system recovery tools and concepts.

Attaining the certification involves the successful completion of exam 98-365, which tests candidates on their understanding of server installation and roles, Active Directory, storage, and server performance management and maintenance.

The MTA 98-365 exam is available in all of Microsoft’s languages and costs US$127. Please note that there are no official practice tests or Learning Paths for this exam.

For a complete and detailed list of the categories covered under the exam, interested candidates may download the skills outline.

2- MTA Security Fundamentals (98-367)
This credential certifies that an individual has basic security knowledge and skills. Candidates should be familiar with Windows Server, Windows-based networking, Active Directory, anti-malware products, firewalls, network topologies and devices, as well as network ports.

To obtain this certification, candidates must pass exam 98-367, which costs US$127. The exam tests how well candidates understand security layers, operating system security, network security, and security software.

To prepare, individuals may download the exam skills outline, purchase the official practice test, or enroll in the paid, instructor-led courses.

3- MTA Windows Operating System Fundamentals (98-349)
Those who hold this certification verify their skills and basic knowledge of the Windows 10 environment. This fundamental certification has no prerequisites, but candidates should ensure they feel comfortable and confident in the areas that will be covered on the exam.

The 98-349 exam, which costs US$127, tests candidates on their understanding of operating system configurations, installing and upgrading client systems, managing applications, files, folders, and devices, and understand operating system maintenance.

The full list of the test’s objectives can be found by downloading the exam skills outline.

4- MTA Introduction to Programming Using Java (98-388)
This certification was created with application developers who work with Java6SE or later versions in mind. Candidates are typically in secondary or post-secondary school studying software development or are entry-level software developers.

Those interested should have at least 150 hours of instruction or first-hand experience with Java to be sufficiently familiar with its features and capabilities, as well as be able to effectively write, debug, and maintain well-formed Java code.

To earn this certification, individuals must first pass the 98-388 exam. They will be tested on their understanding of Java fundamentals, how well they work with data types, variables, and expressions, how they implement flow control, how they perform object-oriented programming, and how they compile and debug code. The 98-388 exam costs US$127.

Preparation includes the downloading of the exam skills outline, and purchasing the official practice exam.

5- MTA Software Development Fundamentals (98-361)
Those who hold this certification have core software development skills and should have some prior experience with C# or Microsoft Visual Basic .NET.

In order to earn the credential, candidates must simply pass the 98-361 exam. This exam tests how well individuals understand core programming, object-oriented programming, general software development, web and desktop applications, and databases. The 98-361 exam costs US$127.

Candidates may prepare for the final exam by downloading the exam’s skills outline, as well as purchasing any of the instructor-led Learning Path courses.

6- MTA HTML5 Application Development Fundamentals (98-375)
This certification helps individuals demonstrate their application development skills with HTML5. Candidates who seek to earn this credential should have a basic understanding of CSS and JavaScript and have a bit of hands-on experience.

During the 98-375 exam, candidates will be tested on how well they are able to manage application life cycles, build user interfaces using HTML5, format user interfaces using Cascading Style Sheets, and code using JavaScript. The 98-375 exam costs US$127.

If interested individuals do not have first-hand experience, they may prepare for the exam by purchasing the instructor-led courses or the official practice test.

They may also ensure that they are knowledgeable in all the necessary areas to be covered on the exam by downloading the exam skills outline.

7- MTA Introduction to Programming Using Python (98-381)
This certification was created for those who are able to recognize and write correct Python code that can effectively solve a given problem, as well as recognizing the different kinds of data supported by Python.

Typically, it is encouraged that interested candidates have at least 100 hours of experience or instruction with Python programming in order to be comfortable and knowledgeable of its features, capabilities, and understand how to properly write and debug code in this language.

Candidates will have to successfully complete exam 98-381 which costs US$127, and tests them on their ability to perform operations using data types and operators, control flow with decisions and loops, perform input and output operations, document and structure code, perform troubleshooting and error handling, and perform operations using modules and tools.

Preparation for this exam includes downloading the skills outline, purchasing the instructor-led course, or investing in the official practice test.

All of these resources help to ensure that candidates are properly trained and knowledgeable on all the objectives which will appear on the exam.

8- MTA Database Fundamentals (98-364)
This credential proves an individual’s knowledge and skills with databases such as Microsoft SQL Server.

Those who are interested in this certification should have instruction or experience with core data base concepts, creating database objects, manipulating data, data storage, and administering databases as the 98-364 exam will test them across these categories.

Those who wish to prepare prior to the exam may purchase the instructor-led three-day course for in-depth training specifically geared towards this exam.

They may also benefit from downloading the exam skills outline to ensure that they are comfortable with all the skills they will need to demonstrate on the final test.

9- MTA Networking Fundamentals (98-366)
This certification was created for individuals who wish to prove their knowledge of general networking concepts and technologies, Windows Server, Windows-based networking, network management tools, DNS, TCP/IP, names resolution process, and network protocols.

Candidates are encouraged to have some first-hand experience with these areas for best success rates, but there are no official prerequisites.

In order to earn this certification, candidates must pass exam 98-366, which will measure how well they understand network infrastructures and hardware, and protocols and services.

Those who lack first-hand experience may choose to further their knowledge of these skills by enrolling in either of the instructor-led courses or purchasing the official practice test prior to scheduling their exam.

Regardless of experience or knowledge, all candidates are encouraged to download the skills outline to ensure that they understand all the concepts that will be covered on the exam.

10- MTA Introduction to Programming Using HTML and CSS (98-383)
Those who wish to prove their ability to recognize and write correct HTML and CSS.

Microsoft encourages interested candidates to have at least 100 hours of experience with HTML and CSS in order to be comfortable and knowledgeable of its features and capabilities.

On the 98-383 exam, which costs US$127, they will be tested on their understanding of HTML and CSS fundamentals, how they structure documents and present multimedia using HTML, and how they style web pages using CSS.

Although there are no self-led or instructor-led Learning Paths for this credential, those who wish to prepare are able to purchase the official practice test, where they will have access to similar questions that will appear on the exam and their detailed, correct answers to be ready for the final test.

They may also download the exam skills outline to see a detailed and weighted list of each category covered.

11- MTA Introduction to Programming Using JavaScript (98-382)
This credential was created for those who wish to prove their ability to effectively recognize and write correct JavaScript code, using data types that are supported by the language and being able to recognize and write code that will solve given problems.

Further, Microsoft recommends that interested candidates have about 100 hours of experience with the programming language in order to ensure that they are sufficiently comfortable with its features and capabilities and have a full understanding of how it is written, debugged, well-formed, and well documented.

In order to earn this certification, candidates must successfully complete the 98-382 exam, which costs $127, and measures how well they are able to program with JavaScript operators, methods, keywords, variables, data types, and functions, how well they implement and analyze decisions and loops, and how they interact with the DOM and HTML forms.

Candidates can review a full list of testing categories and their respective weight on the exam by downloading the exam skills outline. Those with less experience may also benefit from purchasing the official practice test.

12- MTA Mobility and Device Fundamentals (98-368)
This fundamental certification verifies an individual’s knowledge of Windows devices and mobility, ideally for those who already have some experience with Windows devices, Windows-based networking, Active Directory, anti-malware products, network topologies and devices, firewalls & network ports.

Candidates are required to pass the 98-368 exam, which costs US$127. This exam tests candidates on their understanding of device configuration, data access and management, cloud services, enterprise mobility, and device security.

For a full and detailed list of the categories covered on the test, download the official exam skills outline. Candidates may prepare for this exam by purchasing the instructor-led Learning Path course or by purchasing the official practice test.

That’s it for MTA (Microsoft Technology Associate) Certifications, I hope this article has been helpful to you. Also, it’s good to remind you once again, that these MTA certifications are set to expire in June 2022. Microsoft has been busy restructuring their certifications, if you are interested in exploring the new ones, please visit the articles below: