Microsoft Azure certifications are organised into Fundamentals, Associate, and Expert levels, plus specialty exams. Beginners usually start with a Fundamentals exam like AZ-900 (Azure Fundamentals), DP-900 (Azure Data Fundamentals), AI-900, or SC-900, and then move to a role-based Associate certification such as AZ-104 (Azure Administrator), AZ-204 (Azure Developer), or DP-203 (Azure Data Engineer). Fundamentals exams have no prerequisites, so you can start with whichever track matches your career goal.

Pick the right exam for your goal (AZ-900 is the most popular starting point), prepare using Microsoft Learn's free learning paths along with practice questions, and then schedule the exam through Pearson VUE — you can take it from home with online proctoring or at a test centre in India. Fundamentals exams take roughly an hour, your result appears as soon as you submit, and the digital certificate shows up in your Microsoft Learn profile shortly after.

Microsoft bills certification exams in India in US dollars: Fundamentals exams like AZ-900 cost around USD 99, while Associate and Expert-level exams like AZ-104 or AZ-204 cost around USD 165, plus applicable taxes — roughly ₹10,000 for fundamentals and ₹16,000–17,000 for associate level depending on the exchange rate. Discounted Microsoft exam vouchers (such as those offered by Shrey Official) and student or event-based offers can bring this cost down.

The preparation itself can be completely free since Microsoft Learn offers free learning paths for every Azure exam. The exam fee is the hard part, but Microsoft periodically gives free or heavily discounted Fundamentals exam vouchers through Virtual Training Days, Cloud Skills Challenges, and student programmes, so keep an eye on those before paying.

Fundamentals certifications like AZ-900 never expire. Role-based certifications (Associate, Expert, and specialty) are valid for 12 months and can be renewed free of cost by passing an online renewal assessment on Microsoft Learn, which opens about six months before your certification expires and is much shorter than the original exam.

The most useful Azure certifications for data engineers are DP-900 (Azure Data Fundamentals) as the entry point, followed by DP-203 (Azure Data Engineer Associate). Many data engineers also add DP-600 (Fabric Analytics Engineer) since Microsoft Fabric adoption is growing fast. If you already have SQL or ETL experience, you can skip DP-900 and go straight to DP-203.

The AWS Cloud Practitioner exam (CLF-C02) has 65 multiple-choice questions to be completed in 90 minutes, with 700 out of 1000 needed to pass. Prepare for two to six weeks depending on your background — AWS Skill Builder has free introductory content, and question sets help a lot — then book the exam through Pearson VUE, either online proctored from home or at a test centre in India.

Cover all four domains — cloud concepts, security and compliance, core AWS services and technology, and billing and pricing — since pricing and support-plan questions trip up most first-timers. After studying, solve realistic AWS Cloud Practitioner exam questions and take at least one full-length timed mock to get used to the 90-minute format. Many candidates clear it in two to four weeks using focused question banks like the CLF-C02 important questions available on Shrey Official's Topmate.

The AWS Cloud Practitioner exam fee is USD 100 plus applicable taxes (GST applies in India), which works out to roughly ₹9,000–10,000 depending on the exchange rate. The fee is the same whether you take the exam online or at a test centre, and AWS occasionally runs promotions, so check the official exam page before booking.

After you pass, AWS emails you a digital badge through Credly. Accept the badge on Credly, and from there you can download your certificate as a PDF and share it directly on LinkedIn. You can also check your certification status anytime by logging into your AWS Certification account.

AWS Cloud Practitioner Essentials is the official free course on AWS Skill Builder and covers all four exam domains, so it is a solid foundation, especially for non-technical beginners. However, the exam tests scenario-based understanding rather than just definitions, so most successful candidates also practise question sets and take at least one full mock test before booking.

Beginners usually start with the Cloud Digital Leader certification, while Associate Cloud Engineer (ACE) suits those with hands-on Google Cloud experience. Prepare through Google Cloud Skills Boost courses and practice questions, then register and take the exam online with proctoring or at a test centre. For exam-focused prep, curated GCP ACE important-questions sets (like the ones on Shrey Official's Topmate) save a lot of time.

The GCP certification path starts with Cloud Digital Leader at the foundational level, moves up to Associate Cloud Engineer, and then branches into Professional certifications such as Professional Cloud Architect, Professional Data Engineer, and Professional Machine Learning Engineer. There are no prerequisites, so you can directly attempt any exam, though most people progress in that order.

Preparation can be free — Google Cloud Skills Boost offers free introductory learning paths, including the Cloud Digital Leader curriculum, along with monthly free credits for hands-on labs. The exam fee itself is usually paid, but Google runs free-certification challenges, Cloud Study Jams, and student programmes from time to time where participants can earn an exam voucher.

Google Cloud exams are priced in US dollars for Indian candidates: Cloud Digital Leader costs USD 99, Associate Cloud Engineer costs USD 125, and Professional-level exams cost USD 200, plus applicable taxes. Since billing happens in USD, the final INR amount varies with the exchange rate, so check the official Google Cloud certification page for the current total.