Some of the links in this post/website are affiliate links. When you click and purchase the item or service, I may receive an affiliate commission at no extra cost to you. Whenever possible you will get a discount by using our link. You may not get the same discount when going directly to the product or service by any other means
All-sized organizations are starting to realize the potential of cloud computing. For this reason, investing in developing your cloud skills and knowledge of artificial intelligence may prove very helpful. This is where AI-102 comes into the picture.
More formally known as the Designing and Implementing an Azure AI Solution certification exam, this exam seeks to confirm your level of competence in handling ai-enabled applications.
The exam objectives will typically give you the areas of concentration to focus on so you have a slight edge when you finally take the actual exam.
When it comes to Microsoft Azure Certification AI-102, many engineers often experience some difficulty in determining what’s best for them.
Not only can the custom skills needed to take the exam be confusing, but it can be hard to even determine whether this exam is the right step for you or not!
That’s why, in this blog post, we’ll be covering everything from what AI-102 is to the difference between Exam AI-102(Beta) and DP-100. We’ll also be recommending the best Azure AI-102 certification training strategy for you in 2022!
Without further ado, let’s get started.e
AI-102 Certification Exam – What to Know
As we mentioned earlier, cloud space and cloud computing have truly taken off. This means that, right now, one of the best ways to future-proof yourself is to develop how to handle any of the numerous technical tasks that come with operating in this space.
One of the most efficient ways to prove that you have a deep understanding of solution development in this area is by taking the Microsoft AI-102 exam.
The AI-102 exam title is Designing and Implementing a Microsoft Azure AI Solution and it’s specially designed for personnel who want to prove their proficiency in certain areas.
This exam lets you show how well you can build, manage, and deploy artificial intelligence solutions that support Microsoft Bot Framework (like Bot conversation), Azure Cognitive Search, and Azure Cognitive Services.
AI-102 actual exam questions encourage participation in everything from building solutions regarding Azure AI development to the deployment of intelligent search solution mechanics.
It also involves participating in other aspects of Artificial Intelligence (AI) development like requirements definition, performance tuning, maintenance as well as monitoring.
Taking this exam, you’ll be required to work with cognitive service solution architects to translate and implement your computer vision.
You’ll also have to team up with personnel like data engineers, internet of things (IoT) specialists, Azure AI developers, and data scientists for the process of building solutions end-to-end.
The Azure AI-102 exam is one of the most important certification exams that you can take right now as it brings you one step closer to becoming a Microsoft Certified Azure AI Engineer Associate.
Aspects of Azure AI-102 to Note
It’s vital to remember that all the artificial intelligence (AI) suites of tools offered by Microsoft can be broadly divided into 3 groups. They are:
- Azure Machine Learning
- Azure Cognitive Services
- Azure Bot Service
However, of these 3 categories, AI-102 is only concerned with Azure Cognitive Services and Azure Bot Service. The last category, Azure Machine Learning, is reserved for DP-100.
As is to be expected, each of these groups has different exam objectives. We’ll be looking at a few of those now.
For Azure Cognitive Services
Here, you’re provided with a set of tools you’re supposed to use to apply artificial intelligence solutions to your products.
As an Artificial Intelligence Engineer, you’ll be required to team up with other professionals like data engineers and data scientists to use tools like Azure Search, Language, Speech, and Vision service.
Your primary goal will be to achieve things like creating a client application for language understanding, superior speech translation, or increasing conversation flow. You could also use the tools to solve problems like image classification and facial attributes. The list goes on.
One important aspect of this exam to remember is that you’ll also be required to know when a custom API needs to be developed to meet the requirements of your project.
For Azure Bot Service
In this aspect of your Azure AI-102 exam, you’re required to build and subsequently integrate Bots with other Azure AI services such as Azure App Services and Azure Application Insights.
Keep in mind that AI-102 exam details don’t require you to either build or train Machine Learning models from the ground up. Rather, you simply need to familiarize yourself with the most efficient ways to use pre-built Azure AI in your solutions.
For emphasis, displaying your proficiency in this aspect of Cognitive Services technology doesn’t require you to have a data science background or knowledge.
For Azure Machine Learning
This aspect isn’t related to your AI-102 exam. It’s DP-100. The reason it’s getting a mention is so that you can have a better idea if you need DP-100 or AI-102 certification.
In this area, you’re required to build your machine learning models from the ground up.
You need to be familiar with major concepts like Exploratory Data Analysis, Data Cleaning, and Feature Selection to handle the technical tasks here successfully. You need to have a background in data science or machine learning.
Exams in this category are generally targeted toward data scientists.
DP-100 and AI-102: Choosing the Right One for You
We’ll be providing a more detailed AI-102 vs DP-100 blog post soon. In the meantime, here are the basics to note when dealing with these two exams.
The AI-102 exam requires you to work with pre-trained models. In this case, the data has already been extensively trained on algorithms and is available as REST-based APIs or REST APIs. You can then call these APIs before adding cognitive abilities to your AI-enabled applications.
In the case of DP-100, you need to go through the process of building the models from top to bottom yourself. This involves doing things like collecting, cleaning, and transforming data. You would also have to train algorithms and train models as well as efficiently deploy them.
You would be taking the longer route, however, the final output remains the same.
When preparing for DP-100, you’ll be building models for containers for very specific problems. But to do this efficiently, you need to have an in-depth understanding of the problem in question.
While it may appear close, the goal of DP-100 is different from that of the now-retired Azure AI Engineer Certification AI-100 exam objective.
The ultimate objective of both AI-102 and DP-100 is to introduce AI-enabled applications to existing products and businesses. This is why it can be hard to choose which exam to take sometimes.
The best way to go about making your decision is to consider your current role first.
Choose AI-102 if you don’t yet have any Machine Learning Experience and go for DP-100 if you’re a data scientist.
Basic Knowledge Required for Passing the Designing and Implementing a Microsoft Azure AI Solution Beta Exam
The road to becoming a certified Azure AI Engineer Associate requires that you have certain basic knowledge. We’ll be going over the 3 most important ones here.
- You must be highly proficient in JavaScript, Python, or C#. Along these lines, you must also possess a working understanding of REST programming semantics. More specifically, your knowledge of REST programming semantics should cover areas like home to provide natural language processing solutions, knowledge mining, conversational AI solutions, and how to build and implement computer vision services.
- You must be intimately familiar with all Azure AI portfolio components. You should also know all existing data storage options as well.
- You should know and understand the basic application of responsible artificial intelligence principles. This is necessary to ensure that your framework is in alliance with acceptable governance principles.
AI-102 The Topics Outline
There are essentially 5 topics you need to focus on when preparing for this exam. Any AI-102 certificate study guide you plan to consult must have information on at least one of the following topics:
- Planning and managing an Azure Cognitive Services solution.
- How to implement Computer Vision service and solutions.
- How to implement Natural Language Processing Solutions
- How to Implement Knowledge Mining solutions.
- How to implement Conversational AI solutions.
Using Exam Dumps
In theory, nothing stops you from consulting exam dumps when preparing for this exam. If nothing else, this approach is far more convenient than spending hours looking through practice tests or working with a proficient Azure AI-102 test development team.
But, before you go down that road, take a moment to ask yourself these questions:
- What happens when you’re eventually called for a job interview and asked technical questions?
- How do you handle the more technical tasks regarding AI-enabled application development afterward?
- Will you even be able to understand and meaningfully contribute to the advancement of AI?
Using tools like practice tests and study guides may seem truly inconvenient. But long-term, that learning path will make you more grounded in your field and help you broaden your horizons.
More than this, you’ll have an edge over your counterparts that actually used exam dumps!
How to Prepare for the Exam
If you’ve decided to take the long (but sure) route towards success, here are some things you can do to make your journey easier and more rewarding.
1. Keep Yourself Inspired
Even if you love what you do, wrapping yourself in strict exam prepping material may start to feel boring at a certain point.
To avoid this and ensure you stay fully motivated, there are some things you can do.
One of the most fun is leveraging Microsoft Learns’ Track Wild Polar Bears With AI. Apart from being incredibly engaging, it also subtly exposes you to Custom Vision, one of the most important Azure Cognitive Services.
Beyond this, there are thousands of videos and other materials containing AI-102 content on platforms like LinkedIn Learning and Pluralsight.
2. Leverage Community Study Guides
While you can run this race alone, remember that you don’t necessarily have to. This is because you can easily find a host of communities online with members who have been where you are.
Most Microsoft Communities are great because the study guides they offer have been extensively curated and tailored to ensure that you truly learn while studying for your exam.
As there are tons of communities out there, keep in mind that you should only go for study guides that have been curated by individuals who actually passed the exam themselves.
3. Consider Getting Classroom Training
Today, this resource isn’t as easy to leverage as it was pre-pandemic. That being said, you should make the effort to book and visit a classroom training program. There are several reasons why this is an option worth considering.
The first is that it helps you maintain full focus as you won’t be distracted by things like the TV or your cell phone. Another reason it’s a great idea is that you get to learn at the feet of a Microsoft Certified Trainer. For many, this experience can help them really get into the exam.
Lastly, this method affords you the opportunity to build your network. As you’ll be able to meet other participants here, it’ll be easier to find like-minded individuals you can rub minds with and grow.
4. Consider Taking the Exam From Home
Even before the pandemic, you could take most Microsoft certification exams from home. This feature is made available thanks to Pearson VUE.
One benefit of this is that the atmosphere will remove much of the tension that comes with taking the exam and having access to much better coffee. Let’s not forget that leveraging the at-home test features means you won’t have to travel.
Conclusion
Taking the AI-102 exam can be a major step forward, career-wise. But to be successful here, you need to make sure you take the right steps when preparing. Hopefully, this post was able to get you started down the right path.
For more helpful information, be sure to take a look at this.
