New Exams for UWP-Based MCSD Title -- Visual Studio Magazine

New Exams for UWP-Based MCSD Title

As Microsoft Learning slates two exams for the MCSD: UWP for retirement next year, two more skills-focused exams will take their places.

By Michael Domingo
05/18/2016

The Microsoft Learning Group is revamping some exams that coincide with a certifcation related to Windows 10 platform development technology that has been introduced in the last year. Specifically, two new exams for the Microsoft Certified Solution Developer: Universal Windows Platform will be introduced in the coming months, just as two of the exams in that program are slated for retirement next year.

"Based on feedback from our learning community, Microsoft is evolving our set of Windows 10 certifications," writes Microsoft's Larry Kaye, in a blog post. He said that the new exams will narrow the skills breadth with a "primary focus on UWP and cloud services technologies." (The nuance here is that the current certification path also focuses on "enterprise development practices.")

Currently, the MCSD: UWP requires developers pass three exams:

483: Programming in C#
354: UWP - App Architecture and UX/UI
355: UWP - App Data, Services, and Coding Patterns

With exams 354 and 355 slated for retirement next March, the new exams to replace those will be as follows:

357: Developing Mobile Apps
358: Developing Cloud Services

Beta testing of Exam 357 is expected in July; Kaye notes that developers who pass this exam will earn a Microsoft Specialist title for UWP. Exam 358 is expected to go into beta testing in September.

About the Author

Michael Domingo is a long-time software publishing veteran, having started up and managed several developer publications for the Clipper compiler, Microsoft Access, and Visual Basic. He's also managed IT pubs for 1105 Media, including Microsoft Certified Professional Magazine and Virtualization Review before landing his current gig as Visual Studio Magazine Editor in Chief. Besides his publishing life, he's a professional photographer, whose work can be found by Googling domingophoto.

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