More Than 82% of Enterprise Administrator Expert-Certified Administrators Said It Took No More Than 5 Months to Study for the Exams
by Ross Heintzkill | Published on August 31, 2023
Microsoft software runs some of the world's biggest and most complex networks, and the companies who rely on them need administrators who can manage their workloads, infrastructure, identity control and much more. The Microsoft 365 Certified: Enterprise Administrator Expert is a Microsoft certification that proves your comfort and familiarity integrating and coordinating any sort of workload on the Microsoft 365 platform. Like any IT certification, earning the Enterprise Administrator Expert is a challenge that will require time, effort and resources. But how long does it take to prepare for the Enterprise Administrator Expert?
CBT Nuggets polled hundreds of IT professionals to find out exactly how long it takes to study for the Enterprise Administrator Expert and what tools and resources they used to learn it all. We found IT professionals on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and over email. We asked anyone who had their Enterprise Administrator Expert how long it took to prepare for it, and then we compiled their results and came up with an answer about how long it takes to study for it and how to speed that up.
How long did most people need to study for the Enterprise Administrator Expert exam?
According to our poll of 122 IT professionals, the vast majority of people who earned the Enterprise Administrator Expert (82%) needed less than 5 months to prepare for its exam. One third (34%) of everyone who earned the Microsoft 365 cert were able to prepare for it in less than 6 weeks, but 28% of people needed 3 months, and another 20% needed between 3 months and 5 months.
Seeing that 61% of all administration professionals with their Enterprise Administrator Expert needed fewer than 3 months to prepare for it suggests that it's possible to learn everything that's on both exams in a timely manner. But the number of people who needed more than 5 months isn't vastly different from the number who needed less than 6 weeks, which means that different study strategies and approaches made the difference in study time.
How should you prepare ahead of taking the Microsoft 365 EA Expert?
For some people, the Enterprise Administrator Expert is one of the first steps in their career, and for others it's just a way of documenting the years of experience they've already gained. For people who already have several years of experience, Microsoft has some recommendations for how to close the gap to earning the Enterprise Administrator Expert.
On the other hand, maybe you're still at the beginning of your career. The Microsoft 365: EA Expert is just one of many certifications you should be considering. Make sure that the Enterprise Administrator Exams, MS-100 and MS-101 are worth it for you before you spend too much time and money preparing for them.
But once you're sure, dive deep and go hard! The single best strategy to prepare for a certification exam is to set aside a certain amount of time every single day, without fail. After you choose an Enterprise Administrator Expert online course that's right for you, spend time preparing every day. You'll cut down on how long it takes to study for the Microsoft 365: EA Expert if you follow your plan closely.
Tips to make sure you’re test-ready before Enterprise Administrator Expert exam day:
As you prepare for the Microsoft 365: EA Expert certification exam, remember that the test is going to be testing two major things: your knowledge and your skills. Obviously you need to learn the facts of Microsoft enterprise administration, but you also need to be able to do what you've learned about. Microsoft is issuing certifications with the intention of those people finding jobs – they need to actually know how to administer enterprise-level networks. So you can't just read or watch videos – you have practice.
Use virtual labs
A virtual lab is the best way to practice administration skills. A virtual lab is a software tool that simulates a real network. You experiment, practice and mess around in the virtual lab – while there, you learn processes, buttons and more. But it's all entirely safe because it's not a real-world environment, it just acts exactly like one.
Test yourself using practice exams
A practice exam is the perfect way to check that you're getting all the knowledge you're supposed to. Practice exams are the best way to speed up how long it takes to prepare for the Enterprise Administrator Expert because with them, you can see the areas of the course you're ready to skip over, and which areas you should revisit.
Learn from the experts
Don't risk your certification and career to amateurs – the best way to learn what's on the Microsoft 365: Enterprise Administrator Expert is with Microsoft experts like Ben Finkel. Ben has been working with Microsoft technologies and studying their certification exams for years. He's charismatic, energetic and funny – and you can see for yourself by watching the first video in his Enterprise Administrator Expert series for free.
It takes the vast majority of IT professionals up to 5 months to prepare for the Microsoft 365 Certified: Enterprise Administrator Expert, but a substantial number are able to finish in less than 6 weeks because they make use of high-quality online training that provides clear explanation along with opportunities to practice what they're learning. The CBT Nuggets courses on the certifying exams for the Enterprise Administrator Expert provide what you need, and more, to study for it in less than 6 weeks. Try a CBT Nuggets membership for free for an entire week with no obligation and find out if their courses are right for you.