Pass 70-486 MCSA Certification Exam Fast

70-486 Exam Has Been Retired

This exam has been replaced by Microsoft with new exam.

Microsoft 70-486 Exam Details

The Microsoft 70-486: Developing ASP.NET MVC Web Applications exam is designed to test the aspirants' knowledge in designing, developing, and troubleshooting ASP.NET MVC 4 web apps. It paves the path for one to achieving either MCSA or MCSD certification depending on the level of skills and sphere of interest.

For Whom the Exam Is Intended?

70-486 candidates are likely to have considerable hands-on experience in developing ASP.NET MVC web apps and using Microsoft Visual Studio 2017. They must have worked for three or more years as web application developers and handled MVC-based solutions in every stage. Besides, the knowledge of Microsoft Azure Web apps is essential as well.

The candidate should also have solid skills in web application designing and development using the ASP.NET MVC model, end-to-end management of full software development life cycle, and asynchronous solutions designing and development, deployment to multi-tier environments, and planning as well as creating user interaction solutions considering the set requirements.

What Are the Associated Certifications?

The Microsoft 70-486 exam is part of the requirement of the MCSA: Web Applications and MCSD: App Builder certificates. Their short overview is as follows:

  • The MCSA: Web Applications is an intermediate certification suitable for developers having a wide knowledge of Visual Studio. Earning it helps such candidates to expand the job scope and become ideal for key developer roles. To obtain this certification, individuals should also pass one more exam along with Microsoft 70-486 that can be either 70-480 or 70-483.
  • MCSD: App Builder is an advanced-level certification and is ideal for professionals who want to firm their feet in the IT industry as experienced Azure, web, or mobile app developers. To earn this certificate, a candidate has to pass 70-486 test or any of the two other options (70-357 and 70-487) and already possess either MCSA: Universal Windows Platform or MCSA: Web Applications.

How Does 70-486 Exam Look Like?

Microsoft 70-486 is a 120-minute long test that contains, roughly, 40-60 questions. The questions are mostly MCQ-based but can be presented in other formats as well. The exam is available in English, Japanese, Chinese (Both versions — Simplified & Traditional), German, French, and Portuguese (Brazil) language and has no expiry date. Yes, you don’t have to burn the midnight oil after three years to re-certify the associated certifications earned.

One can appear for the test at the testing center or from a remote location. The cost is $165. Note that this exam version will retire on January 31, 2021, at 11:59 PM central time.

What Is Covered in Microsoft 70-486?

The content of 70-486 exam is extensive. There are six domains with multiple sub-sections. They are disclosed below:

  • Design the application architecture

    Success in this section will verify that a candidate is well-versed in skills like: strategizing for the application layer, building up a distributed application, designing configuration management solutions, crafting and applying the Azure Web Apps life cycle, handling state management configuration, coming up with an effective caching strategy, performing host environment interaction related operations, and developing applications with the help of framework pipeline.

  • Design the build and deployment architecture

    This domain validates the test-takers’ abilities in creating a browser artifact build strategy, JavaScript pipeline designing, server build strategies, NuGet dependencies management, the understanding of .NET core, .NET standard, and .NET Framework. Also, it checks skills in debug management, creation of publishing strategies, and on-premises deployment implementation. When preparing, one should give enough focus on skills needed for successful Azure deployment strategies with the help of models like FTP, Visual Studio Publishing Wizard, and Kudu, among the rest.

  • Design the User Experience

    This section covers tools and techniques required for creating a user interface for a web app, designing various styles, and applying them with the help of CSS. Also, skills in implementing dynamic page content are needed. The other topics included relate to UI behaviour, UI layout, and planning for mobile UI strategy. These require one to be knowledgeable and skilled in JavaScript usage to manipulate the DOM, use of AJAX for particle page update, using prototypal inheritance for extending the objects, and page designing and implementation with the Razor Pages. It will also make an aspirant learn how to plan a responsive UI interface.

  • User Experience development

    This domain mainly focuses on the user experience, covering SEO (search engine optimization) and accessibility, implementation of localization and globalization, routes design, model binding, utilizing MVC extensibility points for control, working with MVC actions, and more. To tackle the related questions, one should understand how to parse HTML, improve content visibility, work with authorization and route parameters, use AutoRest, etc.

  • Troubleshooting & Debugging web applications

    The fifth domain assesses the skills needed to prevent issues associated with runtime and troubleshoot the arising ones, create strategies for handling exceptions, provide web application testing, and debug Azure apps. One should be competent in configuring health monitoring, utilizing App Insights, Assert class, and Server Explorer, to name a few.

  • Design and implement security

    This section of 70-486 emphasizes one’s abilities in configuring authorization and authentication, operating data integrity, working with claims-based authentication, and using a secure site. These require knowledge of Azure Active Directory, custom UserStores, Azure Load Balancers, and others.

What Are the Career Prospects?

Since the Microsoft 70-486 is associated with two certifications of different levels, you will have a wide scope of career opportunities. If you take-up MCSD: App Builder as an option then you can aim for job roles like Web Application Developer, Mobile Application Developer, Web Designer, and so on. As this is an advanced-level certificate, it also comes with improved salary. Generally, it brings one a compensation of about $103k annually on average, according to PayScale. However, some roles are paid better. The same sorts of positions, perks, and pay are waiting for candidates that decide to go for the MCSA: Web Applications certification. Its holders can get about $76k per annum on average.

What Is the Further Certification Path?

The Microsoft 70-486 exam not only helps you have a smooth career start, but it also paves the path for further career enhancement. The kind of knowledge it imparts in a candidate allows them to broaden the area of expertise and go for the Microsoft’s role-based certifications like Microsoft Certified: Dynamics 365: Finance and Operations Apps Developer Associate or Microsoft Certified: Power Platform App Maker Associate.

If Azure interests you then you can become an Azure Developer with Microsoft Certified: Azure AI Fundamentals. Though Microsoft 70-486 is not a pre-requisite for any of these certifications, it creates a solid base to taste success in all of them.