Microsoft exam 70-499 preparation guide (Part 1 of 3)

Exam 70-499 Microsoft Certified Solutions Developer

Accelerate your exam preparation for 70-499 using this three part series over the next two weeks. Our help study links will help you pass Microsoft Exam 70-499, the recertification exam for the MCSD: Application Lifecycle Management certification.

Before we begin

If you are looking for a brain dump of this exam you’re in the wrong place. Brain dumps devalue the certification by allowing people to pass the exam using memory rather than knowledge. People who write brain dumps are also in breach of the electronic NDA they sign before commencing the exam and risk being stripped of the exam result and certification. It’s just not worth it.

Exam 70-499 overview

Microsoft 70-499 is recertification exam for people already holding the MCSD: Application Lifecycle Management certification who wish to keep this certification current. It was published on August 1st, 2014 and appeared to be schedule around mid September. This MCSD certification requires that you complete a recertification exam every two years. People who gained the MCSD:ALM certification soon after it’s release will just now be approaching their first recertification time.

If you don’t currently hold the MCSD: Application Lifecycle Management certification, this exam will be of no interest to you. You will need to complete three exams the earn the full certification. You can find out more about the three exams on the MCSD: Application Lifecycle Management page on the MS Learning website.

What to expect

Exam 70-499
Questions Microsoft certification exams generally have between 40 and 60 questions. Recently they tend to be in the lower end of that range.
Time Approximately 2 hours
Pass mark Usually around 700/1000

How to know if you’re ready? Use our exam self-assessment guide.

One of the challenges you face is knowing if you’re ready to take the exam or not. To help you determine your readiness I’ve created a simple self-assessment form listing all the skills covered in the exam based on the information shown on the official exam page.

Download the Exam 70-499 Self-assessment form at http://examcr.am/70-499Assess

Once you’ve completed the exam you’ll be in a position to refer back to this blog post as well as parts 2 and 3 to find helpful links to the appropriate section in the online MSDN documentation.

Here are the study links for the first two major topics in the exam.

Install and configure Team Foundation Server (TFS)

  • SQL Server version support (Study Link)
  • install Team Foundation Server in a multi-tier or multi-machine environment (Study Link)
  • install Team Foundation Server in a load-balanced environment (Study Link)
  • set up a version control proxy server (Study Link)
  • schedule automatic backup and restore activities by using the TFS Administration Console (Study Link)

Install and configure Lab Management (Study Link | Study Link)

  • Set up environment templates, install and configure test agents (Study Link)
  • install and configure System Center Virtual Machine Manager (basic Virtual Machine Manager installation) (Study Link)
  • create library shares or resource pools (Study Link)

Manage Team Foundation Server

Manage team project collections

The remaining topics will be covered in part two and part three.