I successfully passed the PL-300 Exam and obtained the Microsoft Power BI Data Analyst Associate Certification on my first attempt. After sharing my certification on LinkedIn, many people reached out to ask me about my preparation process for the exam.

In this article, I'll share how I prepared for the exam in less than three months and also provide details on how to secure a 50% discount on the exam fees.

What is the PL-300 Exam?

Power BI is a powerful business analytics application that allows users to generate interactive visualizations, dashboards, and reports from data sources. It is a popular tool among businesses and organizations of all sizes because it enables them to make informed decisions based on data insights.

The PL-300 Exam will get you Microsoft Power BI Data Analyst Associate Certification as a professional's expertise in utilizing Power BI to analyze and visualize data. It's intended for Power BI users like data analysts and business analysts.

The Importance of the Certification for Jobs

As businesses and organizations continue to rely on data to influence their decisions, the demand for people knowledgeable in business analytics and data visualization is increasing. The Power BI Data Analyst Associate certification is a valuable asset for people looking to start or advance in their careers since it demonstrates skills in using Power BI to analyze and visualize data.

The advantage of this certification is that it is from Microsoft, which means that Power BI's creators recognize your proficiency with it. It is undoubtedly more effective than any other course you could take.

My Experience in Passing the PL-300 Exam from the First Attempt

I am a big fan of Datacamp, where I learned practically everything I know about data science and analysis. I enrolled in the Data Analyst in Power BI track when they launched. There are 18 courses (51 hours) in this track (as of today). I like this track because:

• It covers all the topics required for the PL-300 exam.
• It has two case studies where I built a complete project from A to Z.

When I finished the track, I booked for the PL-300 exam on the Microsoft website, the only extra resources I used are available on the Microsoft website:

• Official exam structure from here.
• Preparation videos:
  • Prepare the Data
  • Model the Data
  • Visualize and Analyze the Data
  • Deploy and Maintain Assets

By this only, I passed the exam on the first attempt.

What about the 50% discount?

Here is the exciting part, through the Datacamp track, you will receive a 50% exam fee discount code within one month after finishing the full track. You will receive an email like this:

The exam fee is usually $165 (depending on the country). For my country (Jordan), the exam fee was $80. Below is my invoice with my 50% discount.

Conclusion

As you can see, I discussed the PL-300 exam I passed on my first try. You can also complete the exam in less than three months if you follow the procedures below:

1. Enroll in Datacamp's Power BI Analyst Track.
2. Study for an hour every day. You can see this post to learn how to schedule an hour easily.
3. You can complete the entire track in two months if you use the one-hour-per-day technique for five days a week.
4. After completing the course, study the sources I provided above to become familiar with the exam format.
5. If you like, practice with more projects.
6. Book the exam, claim your discount, pass it, then congratulate your success in the comments below.