Exam Profile: MTA: Software Development Fundamentals (98-361)
Date: Sep 20, 2011
In order to pass the 98-361 exam, you will have to have a basic understanding of Core Programming, Object Oriented Programming, General Software Development, Web Applications, Desktop Applications and Databases.
After you pass the Software Development Fundamentals exam, you will have earned your Microsoft Technology Associate (MTA) Certification.
Many people would like to pursue a career in technology, but lack the foundational knowledge necessary to pursue one of our Technology Specialist or Professional certifications. The MTA certification creates a new entry point to help those who have little practical experience get into the career field. This exam can be the first step towards becoming a Microsoft Technology Specialist (MCTS). The Microsoft Technology Associate (MTA) is a new, entry-level certification designed to help individuals take the first step toward a career as an IT professional or developer. Also, when you earn an MTA Certification, you become a member of the Microsoft Certified Professional community. You will get access to members-only benefits such as special offers, the MCP transcript tool, and private newsgroups where you can network, find peer support, and share your accomplishments other certified professionals worldwide.
At this time, MTA is only available to students, faculty, and staff of an accredited academic institution that is an approved MTA testing center. MTA exams are only available at academic institutions that have purchased an MTA Campus License or MTA vouchers. MTA exams are delivered through an internet-based testing platform that allows delivery of exams anytime in any computer connected to the internet at a licensed academic institution. Educators are empowered as exam proctors.
The MTA validates 80% knowledge and 20% skills. The next step in the Microsoft certification path is Microsoft Technology Specialist (MCTS), which requires hands on experience with the Microsoft technology platform. Microsoft makes its complete developer toolset available for students to download and install at no cost through the DreamSpark Program.
Each MTA Certification exam will cover a broad technology area, including:
- Software Development Fundamentals
- Web Development fundamentals
- Windows Development Fundamentals
- Database Fundamentals
- System Administrator Fundamentals
- Networking Fundamentals
- Security Fundamentals
In order to earn an MTA Certification, candidates only need to pass one exam.
Exam Details
- Number of Questions: Approximately 30-50 questions (Since Microsoft does not publish this information, the number of exam questions may change without notice.)
- Type of Questions: This test format is multiple choice.
- Passing Score: 70
- Time Limit: 50 minutes
- Where to Register: You can search for an institution that can administer the exam by visiting the Certiport site.
This passing score does not mean that you must answer 70 percent of the items correctly in order to pass the exam. The actual percentage varies from exam to exam and may be more or less than 70 percent. There is no penalty for guessing. No points are deducted for incorrect answers. If a question specifies that you must choose multiple correct answers, you must choose the exact number of correct answers specified in the question in order to earn a point for that item. Some of the questions on the exam may not count toward the calculation of your score. Microsoft will often throw a question in that is meant to gather data that will help them improve the exam.
Trouble Spots
As with any exam, it will vary from person to person as to what is deemed to be difficult. Since this particular exam is about software development, you will have to have a good sense of programming fundamentals. Being able to read flow charts and follow If, Else, Do and Do While loops are essential. Object Oriented Programming can be difficult to get your head around if you have been used to writing code in a procedural fashion. Object Oriented Programming contains classes, objects, methods, parameters, properties, and inheritance.
Classes
A class is a set of functions that work together to accomplish a task. A class can contain or manipulate data, but it usually accomplishes this according to a pattern rather than a specific implementation. An instance of a class is considered an object.
Objects
An object will receive all of the characteristics of a class, including all of the default data and any actions that can be performed by its functions. The difference between a class and object is that a class has the ability to do something and the object is the execution of that ability.
Method
A method is a function that is encased in a class.
Parameters
Parameters are variables passed into a function that instructs the variable what it is to do. Parameters can also be referred to as arguments.
Properties
A property is the default set of data stored in a class. A class can have multiple properties associated with it and the properties can be changed dynamically through the methods of the class.
Inheritance
Inheritance in Object Oriented Programming is similar to inheritance within Windows folders. If you start with a parent class that contains shared characteristics among several classes, the parent class can then be extended to the child class. Any changes in the parent class will automatically cascade to its children.
Preparation Hints
Review the Exam Objectives below and make sure that you are familiar with them. The MTA exams are designed for those who do not have practical experience with a Windows network. Always check the Microsoft site for the specific exam you are going to take. In this instance, the site is http://www.microsoft.com/learning/en/us/exam.aspx?ID=98-361&locale=en-us. There are many web sites and blogs that can help you to research topics, but be careful to fully research the information you read. It is not advisable to try to find sites that list questions and answers for several reasons. First, you don’t know if you will be asked a specific question and second, the answers given in a blog may be inaccurate and third, you need to understand the information to adequately prepare.
When taking the exam, read each question carefully. Microsoft is notorious for adding a lot of unneeded information in their questions. Make sure that when you click on a choice, that it is really marked. Be careful clicking anywhere on the screen. I found that by inadvertently clicking near the scroll bar on the right of the screen, I actually changed an answer. You get a single piece of paper and a marker for writing. You can use a small amount of time before you even start the exam to make notes once you enter the test area. Sometimes there is even a questionnaire at the beginning of the test that does not count against your test time. You can even use this time to write down notes, facts, tables or other information by taking your time between answers.
Recommended Study Resources
98-361: MTA Software Development Fundamentals - Paperback (May 3, 2011) by Microsoft Official Academic Course
Exam Objectives
The exam objectives are broken up into six different categories:
Understanding Core Programming (18 percent)
- Understand computer storage and data types.
- Understand computer decision structures.
- Identify the appropriate method for handling repetition.
- Understand error handling.
This objective may include but is not limited to: how a computer stores programs and the instructions in computer memory; memory stacks and heaps; memory size requirements for the various data storage types; numeric data and textual data
This objective may include but is not limited to: various decision structures used in all computer programming languages; If decision structures; multiple decision structures such as If...Else and switch/Select Case; reading flowcharts; decision tables; evaluating expressions
This objective may include but is not limited to: For loops, While loops, Do..While loops, and recursion
This objective may include but is not limited to: structured exception handling
Understanding Object-Oriented Programming (19 percent)
- Understand the fundamentals of classes.
- Understand inheritance.
- Understand polymorphism.
- Understand encapsulation.
This objective may include but is not limited to: properties, methods, events, and constructors; how to create a class; how to use classes in code
This objective may include but is not limited to: inheriting the functionality of a base class into a derived class
This objective may include but is not limited to: extending the functionality in a class after inheriting from a base class; overriding methods in the derived class
This objective may include but is not limited to: creating classes that hide their implementation details while still allowing access to the required functionality through the interface; access modifiers
Understanding General Software Development (14 percent)
- Understand application life cycle management.
- Interpret application specifications.
- Understand algorithms and data structures.
This objective may include but is not limited to: phases of application life cycle management; software testing
This objective may include but is not limited to: reading application specifications and translating them into prototypes, code, and components
This objective may include but is not limited to: arrays, stacks, queues, linked lists, and sorting algorithms; performance implications of various data structures; choosing the right data structure
Understanding Web Applications (20 percent)
- Understand Web page development.
- Understand Microsoft ASP.NET Web application development.
- Understand Web hosting.
- Understand Web services.
This objective may include but is not limited to: HTML, Cascading Style Sheets (CSS), JavaScript
This objective may include but is not limited to: page life cycle; event model; state management; client-side vs. server-side programming
This objective may include but is not limited to: creating virtual directories and Web sites; deploying Web applications; understanding the role of Internet Information Services
This objective may include but is not limited to: Web services that will be consumed by client applications; accessing Web services from a client application; SOAP and Web Service Definition Language (WSDL)
Understanding Desktop Applications (12 percent)
- Understand Windows Forms applications.
- Understand console-based applications.
- Understand Windows Services.
This objective may include but is not limited to: Windows Forms event model; visual inheritance; UI design; use of Multiple Document Interface (MDI) and Single Document Interface [and here] (SDI) applications
This objective may include but is not limited to: characteristics and capabilities of console-based applications
This objective may include but is not limited to: characteristics and capabilities of Windows Services
Understanding Databases (17 percent)
- Understand relational database management systems.
- Understand database query methods.
- Understand database connection methods.
This objective may include but is not limited to: characteristics and capabilities of database products; database design; Entity Relationship Diagrams (ERDs); normalization concepts
This objective may include but is not limited to: structured query language (SQL), creating and accessing stored procedures, updating data and selecting data
This objective may include but is not limited to: connecting to various types of data stores such as flat file; XML file; in-memory object; resource optimization
Where to Go from Here
After you pass the Networking Fundamentals exam, you are a certified MTA in the IT Professional category. Some other exams you may want to consider taking are:
- Windows Development Fundamentals Exam 98-362
- Web Development Fundamentals Exam 98-363
- Database Administration Fundamentals Exam 98-364
All available MTA exams can be found at: http://www.microsoft.com/learning/en/us/certification/mta.aspx#certification