#PowerPlatformTip 26: 'Microsoft Cloud Skills Challenge'

TL;DR: Open the Cloud Skills Challenge hub on Microsoft Learn, register for an active challenge with your Learn profile and finish its module collection before the end date. Challenges are free and time-boxed. Some, like the “30 Days to Learn It” campaigns, send a discounted certification exam code after completion.

💡 Challenge

Staying current with Power Platform skills takes consistent learning, but self-paced study is easy to postpone without structure or motivation. A generic “read the docs when you have time” plan rarely survives contact with a busy project schedule, and it’s hard to know which of the hundreds of Microsoft Learn modules actually map to the certification or role you’re targeting.

✅ Solution

Join a Microsoft Cloud Skills Challenge. These free, time-boxed challenges bundle curated Microsoft Learn modules with a leaderboard, progress tracking, and often prizes or exam discounts, turning learning into a motivating, gamified sprint. The curation is the real value: someone has already mapped the relevant modules to a specific exam’s skills-measured outline, so you’re not guessing which of the platform’s many learning paths to work through.

🔧 How It’s Done

1. Find an active challenge. 🔸 Start at the Cloud Skills Challenge hub. Challenges are time-boxed, so the list changes. New ones are announced around Microsoft Ignite and Build and as “30 Days to Learn It” campaigns. Event organisers and partners also publish their own challenge links.

2. Register with your Microsoft Learn account. 🔸 Sign in (or create a free account) so your module progress is tracked automatically. Save an email for notifications in your Learn profile before you finish, otherwise the discounted exam code can’t be delivered.

3. Pick the Power Platform learning path. 🔸 Choose the challenge that matches your goal, for example a Power Platform certification such as PL-900 (Fundamentals), PL-200 (Functional Consultant) or PL-400 (Developer). PL-100 (App Maker) was retired on 30 June 2024; for that level Microsoft now offers Applied Skills credentials. Cross-check the challenge’s module list against the exam’s “skills measured” outline on the certification page, and fill any gap with a module or two of your own.

4. Practise in a Developer environment. 🔸 The hands-on exercises of the Power Platform modules need an environment where you may build. Use a free Developer environment from the Power Apps Developer Plan instead of a production environment (see Tip 90 below).

5. Complete the modules before the deadline. 🔸 Work through the hands-on units at your own pace. The “where you stand” section shows your progress as a fraction, for example 8/8 when you’re done. The leaderboard can take a few hours to refresh.

🎉 Result

You build Power Platform skills in a structured, motivating way, following a path someone has already aligned to a real certification outline, and often earn certification exam discounts or prizes along the way.

🌟 Key Advantages

🔸 Free, curated learning paths straight from Microsoft Learn.

🔸 Gamification and leaderboards keep you motivated and consistent.

🔸 Some challenges reward completion with a discounted exam code.

🔸 Hands-on exercises you can follow in a free Developer environment, away from production.

🛠️ FAQ

1. Does the Cloud Skills Challenge cost anything?

No, participation and the underlying Microsoft Learn modules are free. “30 Days to Learn It” challenges send a discounted certification exam code by email within three days of completion, limited to one code per participant every six months.

2. When do these challenges run?

They typically launch around major Microsoft events (Ignite, Build) and as recurring campaigns. Check the challenge hub for active ones, and your own challenges are listed in your Learn profile.

3. Do I keep my progress after the challenge ends?

Yes. All completed Microsoft Learn modules stay in your profile even after the challenge closes. For most challenges, modules you completed before the start also count towards your score.

🔗 Related Tips

🔸 #PowerPlatformTip 90: ‘Power Platform Community Developer Plan’ - a free environment to practice what you learn in the challenge’s hands-on units.

🔸 #PowerPlatformTip 31: ‘Microsoft Power Platform Learning Resources’ - more curated tutorials beyond the challenge’s own modules.

🔸 #PowerPlatformTip 60: ‘Power Platform Challenges’ - monthly community build challenges to practise what the modules teach.