The MD-102 exam recently received an update, with one topic being removed, and some adjustments being made to the section weightings. Let’s jump straight in and discuss the topic that has been removed before moving on to the weighting changes.

The Plan and implement a Windows client deployment by using Microsoft Deployment Toolkit (MDT) section has been removed from the exam, and this is something that doesn’t really come as a surprise to many. Probably the biggest surprise about this with people I’ve discussed it with is that it survived into MD-102 after it replaced MD-100 and MD-101.

There were two main reasons why the initial removal/retirement was a surprise, the first being that the MDT didn’t officially support Windows 11. On its own, that detail probably didn’t qualify to have MDT removed from the exam, because many people who were planning on taking this exam would have potentially still had responsibilities for Windows 10, or even primarily Windows 10 in some organizations. With Windows 10 22H2 still being supported by Microsoft until October 14, 2025, some might argue that this is a premature removal, but I think that argument would be drowned out in the crowd.

The other reason why the extended inclusion of MDT in the exam was questioned was because it was probably the most obvious holdover from device deployment usually involving a device reimaging approach. In reality, MDT or similar tools are still used in many organizations, even though their role may have been diminished somewhat over the years. Even though there is documentation about creating Task Sequences to use an Autopilot profile, that is one of those approaches that is hopefully more of a short term solution for an organization, not something they would really need to be doing for an extended period of time.

Before anyone gets upset at the above paragraphs (yes, I know, how dare I assume someone on the internet might get upset about something!), I understand that there are people with MDT use case scenarios that are going to hang around for quite a while. My view on this, as well as exam updates in general, is around what skills are going to serve you well for a long time, rather than having a rapidly approaching expiry date on them. Sure, you can use MDT for other purposes, but if we think about it for this exam, in the context of Windows 11 deployment, it’s not a great inclusion.

If you want to use the MDT to build your skills on Windows imaging for other purposes, or even as a general-purpose learning tool, integrating into Windows Server, Windows Deployment Services, PXE etc., it’s still going to serve you well.

April 2024 Update

  • Deploy Windows client (20–25%)
  • Manage identity and compliance (15–20%)
  • Manage, maintain, and protect devices (40–45%)
  • Manage applications (15–20%)

January 2024 Update

  • Deploy Windows client (25–30%)
  • Manage identity and compliance (15–20%)
  • Manage, maintain, and protect devices (40–45%)
  • Manage applications (10–15%)

You can see that Deploy Windows client has dropped from 25-30% to 20-25%, which aligns with the removal of Microsoft Deployment Toolkit, and Manage Applications has stepped in to fill the gap, increasing from 10-15% to 20-25%.

Deploy Windows client (25–30%)

Prepare for a Windows client deployment

Plan and implement a Windows client deployment by using Windows Autopilot

Plan and implement a Windows client deployment by using the Microsoft Deployment Toolkit (MDT)

Configure remote management

Manage identity and compliance (15–20%)

Manage identity

Implement compliance policies for all supported device platforms by using Intune

Manage, maintain, and protect devices (40–45%)

Manage the device lifecycle in Intune

Manage device configuration for all supported device platforms by using Intune

Monitor devices

Manage device updates for all supported device platforms by using Intune

Implement endpoint protection for all supported device platforms

Manage applications (10–15%)

Deploy and update apps for all supported device platforms

Plan and implement app protection and app configuration policies