DP-420 Resources
Official Microsoft resources come first, followed by community material worth your time. Every link was checked on September 29, 2026.
When anything on this site, or in any course, differs from the study guide, the study guide wins.
Start here#
| Resource | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Study guide for Exam DP-420 | The single most important page. The official skills measured, with exact domains, weightings, and skills. Read the version for October 6, 2026 onward |
| Exam DP-420: Building AI Applications with Azure Cosmos DB | The exam page, with languages, pricing for your region, and the link to schedule through Pearson VUE |
| Microsoft Certified: Azure Cosmos DB AI Developer Associate | The certification that DP-420 earns, formerly Azure Cosmos DB Developer Specialty |
| Updates to Azure Cosmos DB and Power Platform developer certifications | Microsoft’s announcement of the new name, level, and outline |
| Official practice assessment | Free practice questions from Microsoft. Microsoft refreshes it after an outline update |
| Exam sandbox | Try the real exam interface before exam day |
Check the study guide yourself before you book
The study guide is the only source guaranteed to be current. Microsoft updates it as the exam changes, so read it directly alongside any summary, including this one.
Official labs and training#
| Resource | Format |
|---|---|
| DP-420 lab instructions | The 20 official labs for the new outline, most in C# and Python. The labs page groups them by exam domain |
| MicrosoftLearning/dp-420-cosmos-db-dev | The courseware repository with the lab instructions and starter files |
| Microsoft Learn training | Each domain page lists the Microsoft Learn modules and documentation for every objective |
| Azure Cosmos DB emulator | Free local development, as a Linux-based Docker container or on Windows |
| Azure Cosmos DB Workshop | Extra .NET labs from the Azure Cosmos DB team on querying, indexing, transactions, the change feed, and concurrency, written before the current product names |
Documentation by topic#
Exam logistics#
| Resource | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Exam duration and exam experience | Exam and seat times, question types, and what to expect |
| Exam scoring and score reports | How the 700 passing score works |
| Retake policy | Waiting periods and attempt limits |
| Renew your certification | The free annual renewal assessment on Microsoft Learn |
| Request accommodations | Extra time, assistive technology, and other adjustments |
Community resources#
These are independent resources from the community, not official Microsoft material.
| Resource | What it is |
|---|---|
| John Savill: Cosmos DB Optimization | Start here. A free hour-long deep dive by John Savill, a colleague here at Microsoft, on request units, throughput options, partitions, partition keys, document size, and global secondary indexes. See the video guide for a section-by-section walkthrough |
| John Savill’s Cosmos DB optimization whiteboard | The whiteboard from the video as a single image, an excellent one-page review sheet |