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Hello Devs, if you want to become a certified Python developer in 2024 then you have come to the right place. For a long, I have been searching for a well-recognized Python certification, similar to Oracle's Java certification and Vmware's Spring certification but I didn't found any until I stumbled upon Microsoft's Exam 98-381: Introduction to Programming Using Python, also known as MTA Python certification.

While I knew that Microsoft provides a lot of Azure certification as well as SQL Server certification.

But, I didn't know that they have a Python certification as well so it was a pleasant surprise for me and in this guide, I will tell you how to prepare for this Python certification and become a Microsoft certified Python developer.

Along the way, I will also share best resources like online courses and tutorials to prepare for this prestigious Python certification.

Earlier, I have shared the best Python books and best online courses to learn Python and in this article, I am going to share the best online courses to prepare for this Python certification, but before that let's talk about why python programmer get a certification or whether this MTA Python certification 98-381 worth it?

Let's say that you want to get a professional career in the IT field and you are wondering what you should do in this situation I would highly recommend that you need recognizable certifications in your belt whether you want to be a web developer or a programmer in any language and python is absolutely one of them.

There are many Python online certifications. Some of them teach you the basics and others deep dive you into more advanced concepts. One of the best certifications that I really recommend you take is the Microsoft python certification (98--381) exam.

This python certification is offered by Microsoft intended for really beginner users and the syllabus is containing the basics of this language such as data types and operators as well as inputs outputs and error handling and it does not teach you python instead it tests your skills and knowledge of this language.

The cost of this exam is $127 and supports many languages not just English such as Japanese, Chinese, German as well as French and more and has about 40 questions needed to be completed in 45 minutes.

Yes, this is the most challenging part of this exam as you only have 45 minutes to solve this question which means just over 1 minute for each question and some questions can be lengthy to chew most of you time.

If you stuck in one of them and you will how time flies but don't worry, I will share some tips and tactics to do well in this Python certification.

This article will show you some online courses to learn python in depth so you can pass the exam in confidence as well as some online books if you like reading instead of watching videos.

What is MTA Python Certification 98-381?

This is one of the most popular Python certification offer by none other than Microsoft itself. This exam test candidates' ability to recognize and write syntactically correct Python code, recognize data types supported by Python, and be able to recognize and write Python code that will logically solve a given problem.

The exam is online and you will need to solve 40 questions in 45 minutes to pass this exam. The exam pattern is very similar to other Microsoft certification and you will questions in following format

Multiple choice questions
Multiple selection questions
Drop-down
Drag & Drop
Arrange, Select & Place

And, here is how your Python skills are measured in this exam:

Perform Operations using Data Types and Operators (20-25%)
Control Flow with Decisions and Loops (25-30%)
Perform Input and Output Operations (20-25%)
Document and Structure Code (15-20%)
Perform Troubleshooting and Error Handling (5-10%)
Perform Operations Using Modules and Tools (1-5%)

While the official exam guide says that you should have 100 hours of experience in Python coding and development, it's not a pre-requisite, as long as you can read and comprehend Python code you can take this exam.

By the way, remember this exam is going to retire next year in June 2024, and probably be replaced by another Python certification so it's a good time to get certified in Python to give yourself a competitive edge.

How to Prepare for Microsoft Python Certification (98--381) Exam in 2024

When it comes to preparing for any certification I always follow my 3-point formula, join a course, read a book, and solve as many practice questions and dumps as possible. I have used these tricks to pass many certifications exams including Java Developer, Spring Developer, GCP, AWS, Azure Architect, etc and today, I will share resources you need to excel in this Python certification.

1. Online Courses

This is the first thing you should do to start your preparation, join a course, here is a list of the best online courses and books to prepare for the Microsoft Python Certification (98--381) exam.

# 1.1. The Python Bible

If you want a class that guides you from beginning to advanced in this beautiful programming language, you should see this Python course in Udemy starting with you by installing the environment and then learning the basics like variables data types for loops, and more.

The course teaches you about a certain topic and after that tests your skills with a small quiz and a coding challenge to enhance your knowledge and make the most of this course as well don't feel bored throughout the course and continue with your to some advanced techniques such as object-oriented programming and functions in python and more.

1.2. 100 Days of Code --- The Complete Python Pro Bootcamp for 2024

If you are a complete beginner and first want to learn Python before going for this certification and looking for a project-based course then this is the best course you can join on Udemy. Created by Angela Yu, instructor of the iOS Bootcamp course, this online course will teach you Python by building 100 projects in 100 days.

This is one of the massive courses with 60+ hours of content and 229 articles but you can buy for just $9.9 on Udemy sales which happens now and then. If you want to learn Python in 2024, I strongly recommend you join this course on Udemy.

Here is the link to join this best Python course --- 100 Days of Code --- The Complete Python Pro Bootcamp for 2024

1.3. Python MTA 98--381 Exam

Without requiring any previous knowledge in python language you can enroll in this Udemy course to begin a professional career in this fabulous language and the only two things you need are a computer with an internet connection and the passion to learn python and you are ready to go.

Learn the basics of python by introducing you first to the variables as well as data types and loops so this knowledge will be using them in the entire course then move to create some projects and the answer after that you will explore objected-oriented programming and sending emails using python as well as interacting with databases using SQL and more.

2. Books

Moving to the next suggestion which is another great book for learning python with no prior experience required to start and provides you with a student-friendly introduction to the fundamentals of this programming language and more.

2.1. Starting Out with Python [Book]

The book starts with a beginner introduction to how to code using python from variables loops if and else statements as usual in any python book or course and then moves to some advanced topics like classes and functions and object-oriented programming and much more.

2.2. Learn Python The Hard Way, by Zed A. Shaw

If you ask about a Python book for beginners, a lot of people will recommend "Learn Python The Hard Way, by Zed A. Shaw," and this happens to me as well.

This was one of the books which were suggested to me by my Python buddy, but I didn't get a chance to look because I was more hooked with the "Automating Boring Stuff with Python" and "Head First Python" book. I did read it later and learned a lot from it as it fills many gaps in my learning.

Reading books from multiple authors also helps you to grasp the concept better because some explain one topic better while others explain other topics.

If you like Zed A. Shaw learning a hard way approach, then you will love this book. I also suggest combining this with this Python Programming MasterClass to get the best of both worlds.

1.3. Python for Everybody [Book & Course]

Let's now see some amazon best selling books that will prepare you to learn Python as a beginner and one of the best books that I will suggest is python for everybody and it was originally a course in Coursera and edX but due to the success of this program, the author has created a book version of his course.

The book teaches you computer history and moving to python from variable data types if statements for loops and more of the basics then moving to use python for interacting with files and creating some projects involving scraping data from the web well as interacting with the databases and much more.

If you want to join the course, here is the link to join Python for Everybody on Coursera. This is a great course to learn Python in-depth and also prepare for this Python certification.

By the way, if you find Coursera courses useful, which they are because they are created by reputed companies and universities around the world, I suggest you join the Coursera Plus, a subscription plan from Coursera which gives you unlimited access to their most popular courses, specialization, professional certificate, and guided projects. It cost around $399/year but its complete worth of your money as you get unlimited certificates.

3. Practice Tests and Dumps

This is probably the most important step on preparing Python certification because you need speed and accuracy to pass this certification. You need to solve 40 questions in 45 minutes which is not easy specially if you have not practiced mock tests.

here are my favorite practice tests you can checkout to practice well before real exam.

3.1. Microsoft Python Certification Exam (98--381) [Practice Test]

Let's say that you have mastered python at this point and you want to test the knowledge and skills then you probably need to check this question-based course in udemy containing around 200 questions separated into four parts and every part has 40 questions.

Every part contains many questions about a certain topic like the first test has questions on variables as well as operations and data types and so on and the others will test your knowledge in the Flow-control functions error handling and much more.

That's all about how to become a certified Python developer in 2024. These were the best courses and books that I recommend for anyone who wants to get the Microsoft Python certificate 98-381 and get a professional career in this field and now you are one step to start making this goal come true.

By the way, if you miss this exam then don't worry, this is not the only Python certification you have, there are still PCEP-30-01 and the PCAP-31-02 Exams which you can take to become an industry ready certified Python developer in 2024

Other Python Articles and tutorials you may like:

Thanks for reading this article so far. If you find these best Python Certification Courses useful then please share them with your friends and colleagues. If you have any questions or feedback then please drop a note.

P. S.- ** If you are new to Python and want to learn Python programming from scratch but looking for free courses to start with then don't worry. There are a lot of free Python courses on Udemy and many of them you can find in the above article. If you are in a hurry, I suggest starting with the **Introduction To Python Programming course, it's completely free, and all you need is to create an Udemy account to enroll in this course.

How to become a Certified Python Developer in 2024