ANOTHER Round of Microsoft Certification Exam Cuts

By Microsoft MVP and MCT · Pluralsight Author

Published September 21, 2023 · Updated January 15, 2026 · Learning & Credentials

If you thought Microsoft cut enough certification exams this year – brace yourself! They are cutting more!

Find out which ones are getting the axe and what new exams might take their place!

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Video Summary

Here are the key points from the transcript:

  • Certification Changes: Microsoft has retired several modern workplace certification exams this year, including the MS-203 for Exchange Online, due to evolving business needs and feedback.
  • Impact on Professionals: Despite the retirements, the need for roles like Exchange Online admins remains strong in many organizations, highlighting a gap in certification offerings.
  • Learning Resources: Even without official certifications, third-party platforms like Pluralsight continue to offer in-depth training for key Microsoft products such as SharePoint and OneDrive.
  • Community Feedback: The speaker encourages feedback from Exchange Online admins and others affected by these changes to understand the real-world impact and gather opinions on retirements.
  • Future Outlook: There’s hope that Microsoft will develop new certifications and training for emerging products and roles, ensuring professionals can stay updated and motivated in their careers.

For more information, read the transcript blog below, or watch the video above!

Video Transcript

Hello everyone. It’s with a heavy heart that I have to share that another modern workplace certification exam bites the dust. For those of you following the channel, you know that the modern workplace certification portfolio has already been cut in half this year alone. At the beginning of the year, we had a ton of certifications for Exchange, multiple certifications for Teams, and two expert-level certifications. However, by the end of the year, the modern workplace certification exams will be reduced to only a few. Let’s learn exactly what happened right after the intro.

Okay, now we’re back. To go into detail about what recently changed, let’s do a quick recap of what has changed this year. First of all, we had exam MS-220, the Exchange Online Support Engineer Specialty, which was retired in July 2023 and will not be replaced. The same fate befell the MS-500 exam, the Microsoft 365 Security Administrator, and the MS-600 exam, Building Applications and Solutions with Microsoft 365 Core Services. If you’re a Microsoft partner, you can still retake the MS-600 until the end of the year because it’s required for a partner competency, but it’s not available to the general public anymore. The MS-740, Troubleshooting Microsoft Teams, a specialty-level exam, was also retired in July 2023 and will not be replaced.

We also had a few certification exams that were simply replaced. For example, the MD-100 and MD-101 exams have been retired and replaced by the MD-102 exam. Similarly, the MS-100 and MS-101 exams have been retired and replaced by the MS-102 exam. The MS-720 exam was retired and replaced by the MS-721 exam. These changes happened earlier this year, marking the modern workplace casualties so far in 2023. However, a new retirement was announced on August 3, 2023. Microsoft posted a blog on the Microsoft Tech Community with a generic title, “Microsoft Learn: Updates to Our Learning and Certifications.” Inside, it announced the retirement of the MS-203 exam, the Microsoft 365 Certified Messaging Administrator Associate, which will retire at the end of December 2023. If you have this certification, you will have until June 2024 to renew it.

For those unfamiliar with the Messaging Administrator Associate exam, it covered Exchange Online, including email security rules, anti-spam rules, and managing quarantined emails. This certification exam will be retiring at the end of December 2023. Microsoft stated that the certification should better align with current needs and the evolving business landscape. They plan to invest in building new exams, certifications, and training to meet today’s workspace needs. While the MS-203 exam is being retired, the need for Exchange Online admins remains.

Microsoft shared a quick FAQ about the certification. If you’ve been preparing for the MS-203 exam, it’s recommended to take it before it gets retired. The certification will remain on your transcript forever, even if it goes into the retired certifications category. If you earn the Microsoft 365 Certified Messaging Administrator certification, it will stay on your profile on Microsoft Learn, and you can renew it until June 2024. After that, it will go under expired certifications but will still be visible on your transcript.

Looking at the modern workplace portfolio after 2023, we will still have one fundamental exam, the MS-900, which remains popular. There will be three associate-level exams: the Endpoint Administrator exam (formerly Windows Admin), the MS-700 Managing Microsoft Teams, and the new MS-721 Collaboration Communications Systems Engineer Associate. Lastly, the MS-102 exam allows for an Administrator Expert certification.

Regarding my thoughts on these changes, it’s clear that Microsoft has significantly reduced the number of exams this year, especially in the modern workplace category. While we don’t have access to the exact reasons behind these decisions, it’s possible that low exam uptake influenced them. Despite the retirements, the need for roles like Exchange Online admins remains strong. I hope Microsoft is working on new certifications for emerging products and roles, which would be a great motivator for professionals.

One downside of retiring certifications is the loss of official training content. Microsoft might create non-certification-related courses, but it’s not guaranteed. Third-party companies like Pluralsight will continue to offer training for key Microsoft products, ensuring that professionals can still learn and grow.

To conclude, I would love to hear your thoughts on this retirement. If you’re an Exchange Online admin, do you think retiring this certification is a mistake, or was it time for it to go? Thank you for watching this video. If you found it informative and want to stay updated on Microsoft 365, Power Platform, and certifications, make sure to like the video and subscribe to the channel. I’m looking forward to reading your opinions in the comments below.