I am about to embark on my revision for the MB2-718 exam. This exam is for Microsoft Dynamics 365 and covers all aspects of customer service. As I revise I plan to publish blog posts that collectively will become a complete revision guide for anyone interested in this exam.

Who should study for MB2-718? I would suggest anyone closely involved with Dynamics 365 should aspire to pass this exam. In my specific case, I’m a Dynamics 365 consultant. This means I need a rounded knowledge of the product in terms of functionality, customization capabilities and deployment options. Implying I would benefit from passing all of the exams!

But what if your job is more focused than my generalist role. Obviously anyone directly involved with customer service would benefit from this exam, this however is quite a generic statement! The exam covers traditional aspects of customer service including case management, knowledge base, service level agreements and the like. But it also dives deeply into other related topics such as voice of the customer, Unified Service Desk and Field Service. Meaning the scope of this exam is actually pretty wide.

Business Analysts will no doubt benefit from being aware of capabilities in all these areas, as this will aid them whilst giving advice to the organizations they work within. Developers might also need to understand the Dynamics 365 customer service concepts at a very detailed level. As to be able to enhance the product you’ll first need to appreciate the out of the box functionality.

Exam Preparation Tips

None of the Microsoft exams are easy! To pass them you will need to prepare carefully. Even the most experienced consultants need to allocate a significant amount of time to their studies. I often get asked “How long does it take to prepare for one of these exams?”. There isn’t a one size fits all answer to this question, as the time to prepare will vary depending on the number of concepts which are new to you. But typically I would say your preparation should be over several weeks.

Also, don’t forget learning should be fun! Don’t set yourself an unrealistic target and kill any enjoyment to be had. We all have busy work lives and pressures at home that will reduce our potential study time. Be realistic about the number of hours you can actually devote each week.

As I embark on a new exam I always follow the same “ritual”. I’ve mentioned it in previous posts but it really works for me so I don’t feel guilty in repeating myself! I always begin by printing of the skills measured statement and carefully highlighting all of the areas which I know I need my focus. This process serves two purposes. Firstly I am ensuring I fully appreciate the scope of the exam, this is important! My exam prep time will be limited and I don’t want to waste time revising loads of interesting but irrelevant stuff. And additionally I want to be confident I know what I do need to learn. For example, when I reviewed the skills measured for MB2-718 I saw a references to PowerBI. I wasn’t aware PowerBI was within the scope of this exam, therefore my “ritual” helped me to recognize the need for some additional revision.

But most importantly my highlighting process clearly shows me how much “stuff” I need to cover. You may highlight very few topics or those new to Dynamics 365 may have highlighted almost everything. Either way don’t panic, what you will have done is give yourself a very clear picture of the amount you need to learn. Take this onboard and adjust your preparation time accordingly. In my case I confidently ticked Unified Service Desk, I hoped I didn’t need much revision on that! But I realized it had been several months since I’d worked on a Field Service project, so I knew that warranted some attention. I also noted a few features that I think I understand but don’t use often, so these will need some practice. (For me, goal management often seems to fall into this category!)

To help you I have given details of the skills measured in the tables below;

Taking the Exam

Recently I spoke to someone who asked many questions about tips on actually taking the exams. I’ve done quite a few of the exams! I forget that people new to the process maybe unaware of the format and may benefit from some pointers.

Each exam has something around 45 (ish) multiple choice questions. When I was at school multiple choice questions always felt like the easy option. Forget that. These are hard questions! Many will be in multiple parts meaning you have to select all of the answers that do (or don’t) match a statement. I have never come close to running out of time in one of these exams, so a big tip is to take your take. Read and re-read each question very carefully. Especially these multi-part questions. There aren’t any trick questions but the wording of some questions will be quite precise. So ensuring you have read them carefully and fully understood their meaning is critical.

As I take the exam I am always find questions that I’m not 100% sure of the answer. Often there will be four possible answers, I rule two out quickly but then I’m unsure which of the remaining two is the correct one. On these I always take my best “guess”. I then click the button to review them later. Having answered all the questions I will then go back over these to ensure I’ve given the best possible answer. But be careful! Often your initial gut feel guess will be the best answer, it is ok to review them and leave your answers unchanged.

When to book the exam might be something to consider. I personally don’t book the exam until I am confident I’ve completed all of my revision. I used to book them well in advance but found that created an unnecessary pressure to complete my study! These days I wait until the last minute.

When you book the exam you have two options, one is to take the exam at an examination center, the other is to do an online exam. There are pros / cons of both of these. Online exams are possibly more convenient but when I can I still prefer going to a test center. When you do an online exam you need to be in a room with no monitors, no art work on the walls, no one likely to enter the room, not overlooked etc etc. I simply find this hard to arrange. You will also want to ensure you have a nice quiet environment so you can concentrate. I did one online exam at home, assuming that would be perfect. Ten minutes into the exam, someone knocked on my front door! That started my dog barking, she continue to bark thru my entire exam. I passed the exam but only just!

For an online exam you need to ensure you have a reliable fast internet connection. And all of your laptop is functioning properly. I did one online exam recently and found that my webcam was playing up. I solved the problem but it did make starting the exam a stressful process.

All in all I find going to a test center a more relaxed experience. BUT, I admit I still sometimes use the online option despite all the downsides. The advantages of online exams is they can often be arranged at shorter notice, happen at times to suit me and don’t involve me travelling to a test center. (I am unlucky that there isn’t one close to my home!)

So “ritual” complete, it’s time for me to start revising. Over the next few weeks I will publish blog posts covering all of my revision. I hope you will find these useful.