Microsoft announces date of sweeping retirement of MCSA, MCSE, MCSD certifications

What’s the deal if you’ve recently earned one of these certifications or have been studying for an upcoming MCSA, MCSE or MCSD exam.

Microsoft state “If you have passed a qualifying exam, it will still count towards competency attainment for 12 months after the exam is retired.”

If you are pursuing a qualifying exam, “you can continue earning the MCSA, MCSD, and MCSE certifications as long as the required exams are still available. As we retire the exams that are part of those certification paths, you will no longer be able to earn those certifications. If you are unable to complete the required exams before they are retired (6/30/2020), please visit Competencies and select the competency of interest to review the latest requirements.”

If you currently hold a MCSA, MCSD, or MCSE certification, why not update your profile with one of our new role-based certifications that may be relevant to you. Check out our recommended role-based certifications:

What specific certifications are scheduled to be retired on June 30, 2020?

MCSA: BI Reporting

MCSA: Dynamics 365 for Operations

MCSA: SQL 2016 BI Development

MCSA: SQL 2016 Database Admin

MCSA: SQL 2016 Database Dev

MCSA: SQL Server 2012/2014

MCSA: Universal Windows Platform

MCSA: Web Applications

MCSA: Windows Server 2012

MCSA: Windows Server 2016

MCSD: App Builder

MCSE: Business Applications

MCSE: Core Infrastructure

MCSE: Data Management & Analytics

MCSE: Productivity

Exams Retiring on June 30, 2020

70-333: Deploying Enterprise Voice with Skype for Business 2015

70-334: Core Solutions for Microsoft Skype for Business 2015

70-339: Managing Microsoft SharePoint Server 2016

70-345: Designing and Deploying Microsoft Exchange Server 2016

70-457: Developing Mobile Apps

70-410: Installing and Configuring Windows Server 2012

70-411: Administering Windows Server 2012

70-412: Configuring Advanced Windows Server 2012 Services

70-413: Designing and Implementing a Server Infrastructure

70-414: Implementing an Advanced Server Infrastructure

70-417: Upgrading Your Skills to MCSA Windows Server 2012

70-461: Querying Microsoft SQL Server 2012/2014

70-462: Administering Microsoft SQL Server 2012/2014 Databases

70-463: Implementing a Data Warehouse with Microsoft SQL Server 2012/2014

70-464: Developing Microsoft SQL Server 2012/2014 Databases

70-465: Designing Database Solutions for Microsoft SQL Server

70-466: Implementing Data Models and Reports with Microsoft SQL Server

70-467: Designing Business Intelligence Solutions with Microsoft SQL Server

70-480: Programming in HTML5 with JavaScript and CSS3

70-483: Programming in C#

70-486: Developing ASP.NET MVC Web Applications

70-487: Developing Microsoft Azure and Web Services

70-537: Configuring and Operating a Hybrid Cloud with Microsoft Azure Stack

70-705: Designing and Providing Microsoft Licensing Solutions to Large Organizations

70-740: Installation, Storage, and Compute with Windows Server 2016

70-741: Networking with Windows Server 2016

70-742: Identity with Windows Server 2016

70-743: Upgrading Your skills to MCSA: Windows Server 2016

70-744: Securing Windows Server 2016

70-745: Implementing a Software-Defined Datacenter

70-761: Querying Data with Transact-SQL

70-762: Developing SQL Databases

70-764: Administering a SQL Database Infrastructure

70-765: Provisioning SQL Databases

70-767: Implementing a Data Warehouse using SQL

70-768: Developing SQL Data Models

70-777: Implementing Microsoft Azure Cosmos DB Solutions

70-778: Analyzing and Visualizing Data with Microsoft Power BI

70-779: Analyzing and Visualizing Data with Microsoft Excel

FAQ

Q: What happens to the MCSA, MCSD, MCSE certifications that I already have?

A: Nothing happens to the MCSA, MCSD, and MCSE certification that you already have; they remain on your certification transcript even after the exams retire. In fact, it will remain in the active section of your transcript for two years from June 30, 2020; at that time the certification will be moved to the “inactive” section of your transcript.

Q: Can I still achieve the MCSA, MCSD, MCSE certifications before they retire on June 30, 2020?

A: Yes, you can continue earning the MCSA, MCSD, and MCSE certifications as long as the required exams are still available. As we retire the exams that are part of those certification paths, you will no longer be able to earn those certifications.

Q: You’re retiring exams that lead to the MCSA, MCSD, and MCSE certification(s) that I am pursuing. What should I do?

A: Before the exams expire, you must pass all required exams which are a part of the MCSA, MCSD, or MCSE certification(s) that you are trying to achieve. If you pass the required exams before they expire, you will earn the certification and it will appear on your certification transcript.

Q: If Microsoft is focused on role-based certifications, what will happen to Windows Server and SQL Server certifications? Will there be Windows Server 2019 and SQL Server 2019 certifications available?

A: No, there will not be Windows Server 2019 and SQL Server 2019 certifications. Windows Server 2019 and SQL Server 2019 content will be included in role-based certifications on an as-needed basis for certain job roles in the Azure Apps & Infrastructure and Data & AI solution areas.

Q: How do the exam retirements affect Microsoft partner competencies if my company is a part of the partner network? 

A: If you passed a qualifying exam prior to its retirement, it will still count toward competency attainment for 12 months after the exam is retired. If you have not passed the required exams, please see this overview document for the full list of retiring and new exams and certifications required for competency attainment and renewal. The new exams and certifications will be available in Partner Center in March 2020.

Q: Does having the MCSE Productivity Solutions Expert certification still meet pre-requisite requirements for the Microsoft 365 Certified: Enterprise Administrator Expert role-based certification?

A: The MCSE Productivity Solutions Expert certification will meet one of the pre-requisite requirement options for the Microsoft 365 Certified: Enterprise Administrator Expert until June 30, 2021.