How to become a Microsoft 365 Teams Administrator Associate and sail through the MS-700 exam

The cloud business has been booming in the last few years, especially post-pandemic. The use of remote communication applications has grown exponentially. Among these applications, Microsoft’s Teams has shone like one of its brightest stars, especially since 2020-21. Consequently, this has called for an increase in the demand for certified professionals who can put in place and manage teams across companies.

The setup and administration of Microsoft Teams along with its underlying technologies is no cakewalk and that is where you as a Microsoft 365 Certified Teams Administrator Associate come to your company’s rescue. You will be expected to set up the Microsoft Teams tenant for your organization, and subsequently configure it, maintain it, and troubleshoot it. The Teams Administrator essentially collaborates with Telephony engineers and works towards the integration of advanced voice features into Microsoft Teams. This role may work with other workload administrator roles like security and compliance, messaging, networking, and identity, on various projects.

In order to become the Microsoft 365 Certified: Teams Administrator Associate, the only thing you need is to clear the MS-700 exam. The Microsoft MS-700 Certification Exam solidifies your pre-existing skills and knowledge of the Microsoft Teams tool that is needed to earn this in-demand certification.

Basic requirements to pursue the MS-700 exam

Since this is an associate-level certification, the MS-700 exam covers a much wider range of topics. Before you accept the candidature for this exam, you should be able to:

• Manage Microsoft Teams for efficient collaboration and communication in a Microsoft 365 environment.
• Plan, deploy, configure, and secure Teams chat, applications, channels, meetings, audio and video conferencing, and calling.
• Integrate Microsoft Teams with other workloads such as SharePoint, OneDrive, Exchange, Microsoft 365 Groups, Power Platform, and with other Microsoft apps, third-party apps, and custom apps.

How will this certification help you in your career as an IT professional?

1. Practical Knowledge and Skills: The cert will support you in gaining expertise not only in the technical sphere comprising the deployment, planning, and maintaining of Microsoft Team tools such as chats, channels, meetings, etc. but also in collaboration and communication within a business environment. Thus, your IT skills will help your organization ensure minimum inefficiencies and superior quality support.
2. Job Availability and Security: Across most business organizations, hiring managers consider certain certifications like the Teams Administrator Associate as one of the most esteemed qualifications. This is because small, mid-sized to large organizations now consider IT as an important aspect of their everyday operations. Therefore it is bound to not only increase your value within the company but also within the IT and Cloud Technology sector.
3. Stand out among the crowd: Sitting for the Microsoft MS-700 exam, and eventually nailing it, shows a professional’s commitment and devotion to his or her career in Microsoft Teams administration. It also showcases your ability to initiate solutions. This draws the attention of potential employers towards you over others looking to get hired for the same role.

Technologists with the Microsoft Teams Administrator Associate certification have reported a salary increase, which means there’s a definite scope to increase your earnings. Moreover, the Microsoft Teams certified employees not only end up having more advanced opportunities but are also much ahead in line for promotions while they are placed in their existing roles.

What are the prerequisites for the exam?

The Microsoft 365 Teams Administrator Associate Certification will work as proof of the following skills, that are not mandatory but are expected of you to possess:

• Implement and manage identity and access
• Implement and manage threat protection
• Implement and manage information protection
• Manage governance and compliance features in Microsoft 365

There are no hard prerequisites for the MS-700 exam. However, at least 2-3 years of hands-on experience is often recommended for a successful experience through the exam and the certification.

Also, passing the MS-900 exam for the Microsoft 365 Fundamentals Certification is helpful because many key concepts and skills used in MS-700 are introduced in the Fundamentals exam.

Key Skills required to increase your chances of getting Certified

Additionally, some of the key skills measured in the MS-700 exam are:

• Plan and Configure a Microsoft Teams Environment - weightage 45-50%
• Manage Chat, Calling, and Meetings - weightage 30-35%
• Manage Teams and App Policies - weightage 20-25%

Here are some examples that can help you understand how to cover the key skills assessed:

• In terms of Security, it is crucial to know where Microsoft Teams data is stored. For instance, you should know that private chats are stored in the user mailbox whereas the Teams channel chats are stored in the Microsoft 365 group mailbox.
• Within the field of Guest Access, you must know the differences between guest access and federation.
• Knowing about the Teams admin portal may not be enough, you also need to have clarity about what other areas you can do administration from that will affect Teams. For instance, explore what Powershell commands there are to administer through the Azure portal.
• Skype to teams is one of the most basic interoperability modes within Microsoft, so it is natural for you to be prepared to answer questions related to this topic. But you must also understand the granular details of these modes and how they can be configured for the organization and down to the end-user. Start by reading about Islands mode, PowerShell cmdlets, etc.
• Managing custom apps, app setup, and permissions can be complicated. You must walk through the setup in your lab and learn about how it works and what’s required to push applications out to help you in the exam.

How much does the MS-700 Exam cost?

The exam costs around $165 in the USA and varies from region to region due to differences in currency value.

If you think this is taking a toll on your pocket, then there is good news for you. Microsoft offers a student discount which you may avail of while booking the exam. All you need to do is to verify your academic status when booking the exam using a school account, an International Student Identification Card, a verification code, or any other documentation which proves your eligibility for this discount.

The exam expires in 2 years, after which you are required to take the new exam number.

What Does the Exam entail?

The MS-700 exam gives a weighted focus on 3 key areas:

• Plan and Configure a Microsoft Teams Environment (45-50%)
• Manage Chat, Calling, and Meetings (30-35%)
• Manage Teams and App Policies (20-25%)

It is a 120-minute long exam in which 40-60 questions are to be answered. The passing score for the MS-700 exam is 700 out of 1000 points. Here is the link to schedule and register for the MS-700 exam.

The average Salary you can get with MS-700 Certification

Reliable resources like PayScale, state that Microsoft Teams administrator associates can earn an average yearly salary of around $81,000. More experienced workers can even make up to $86,000 per annum. If you work or aspire to take up an admin role for a company that uses MS Teams, then the MS Teams Administrator Associate certification is the ideal credential to hold.

How hard is it to clear the MS-700 exam?

This exam is not easy and you will be required to put in a decent study time to pass it. When it comes to Microsoft, exams are becoming increasingly more difficult as more features and services have been added. Before you get intimidated - go into studying believing you will pass the exam. If you take the right amount of time to gain knowledge around all of the topics outlined by Microsoft, you will clear it.

The Microsoft Teams Exam measures your ability to perform the technical tasks that involve planning and configuration of the Microsoft Teams environment, along with managing Teams applications and application policies. Therefore, we are always invested in our study partners to make sure that you as a candidate successfully pass the Managing Microsoft Teams MS-700 exam and become a Microsoft 365 Certified: Teams Administrator Associate. Practice and prepare yourself now.

How to Prepare for the Managing Microsoft Teams MS-700 exam?

First, you must visit the Official Website of Microsoft Teams because it is the most reliable information source for the MS-700 exam and the study material. The Microsoft Study Guide available on the first page of the website contains all the necessary information regarding objectives, training courses, basic exam details, etc.

The next step would be to get a clear understanding of the topics and areas that the Managing Microsoft Teams MS-700 exam is designed to test. These focus areas are already mentioned above in the article along with their weightages.

Once you have done this homework, it is time to assess which approach suits your study schedule most. Readynez recommends you enroll in an online preparatory course to pass the Managing Microsoft Teams MS-700 exam. This ensures that you cover all the key areas mentioned in the syllabus and get an understanding of each concept practically.

Finally, the saying “Practice makes a man perfect” never gets old. You must practice as many tests as you can lay your hands on. There are a bunch of practice tests available online from which you can choose. Readynez is one of the best providers of mock tests and practice programs. With the help of our mocks, you can get a clear idea of the kind of questions to be expected from the exam. Also, our practice tests and training courses are prepared to give you a simulated exam environment for a real-time experience before the actual exam. Our training courses and mock test programs do not stop there. They hand hold you through your weak areas which get highlighted in your test results.

No matter where you’re at, Readynez is here to help you sail through the MS-700 test or any other IT certification exam you need to pass. Our training is delivered by experts who have experience helping candidates from different IT companies clear their MS-700 exam and take on critical roles related to Microsoft 365 Teams. Make sure you check our wide-ranging specialized certification courses to skill yourself or your team and make them ready to take on critical cloud roles in your organization.

We wish you all the very best on your journey. Feel free to contact us for any queries!