PL-300: Power BI Data Analyst

Can you take a messy source, shape it in Power Query, model it so DAX behaves, ship a report someone can actually read, and then secure and operate it — without breaking refresh on Monday?

Prepare for Microsoft PL-300 (Power BI Data Analyst Associate) with 600 original questions across six full-length mock exams of 100 items each. Every exam is blueprint-weighted, so each one is a coherent rehearsal of the whole blueprint rather than a random topic dump.

This is an analyst exam. It expects working judgment about storage modes and query folding, profiling and cleaning, star schema design, relationships and cardinality, DAX filter context and time intelligence, model performance, visual selection and report usability, row-level security, gateways, refresh, and content distribution.

WHAT YOU GET

• Six original 100-question mock exams

• Blueprint weighting on every exam: 28 / 28 / 28 / 16 across the four published domains

• Mixed item types: 76 multiple-choice, 16 multi-select, with 8 of the multiple-choice items asking you to pick the correct candidate sequence

• Four three-question case studies inside every exam

• An explanation for every option plus a case-specific overall rationale

• Local study-map skill anchors and the official study-guide reference on every item

• Offline Markdown review copies alongside instructor CSV files

• A reproducible ZIP, a validation report, and automated structural tests

HOW THE ITEM MIX MATCHES THE REAL EXAM

The live role-based exam is not a wall of definitions. Microsoft states that PL-300 is typically 40–60 questions in 100 minutes, and candidates routinely see case studies, multi-select items, and scenario questions about a concrete model or report.

These mock exams reproduce what a CSV player can score honestly:

• Single-choice items with one best answer.

• Multi-select items that state the required count ("Select two") and accept a comma-separated key.

• Ordering items rendered as four candidate sequences, so sequencing judgment is tested without a drag-and-drop UI.

• Case studies: a shared scenario followed by three scored questions, exactly as a case-study block behaves in the exam.

What is deliberately not reproduced, and is stated in every export: hot-area image selection, drag-and-drop UI, labs and interactive components, adaptive problem-solution (yes/no) sets, and the exact live item count.

HOW THE FILES ARE EXPORTED

Udemy's bulk question importer accepts only two `Question Type` values: `multiple-choice` and `multi-select`. Every file here therefore exports 84 multiple-choice and 16 multi-select items per exam. The eight sequencing items are authored as four candidate orderings with one correct answer, so they upload as ordinary multiple-choice items — no drag-and-drop UI is required and scoring stays exact.

WHY EACH EXAM IS 100 ITEMS

A 100-item exam is longer than the live 40–60. It is an expanded practice bank: the extra volume gives every sub-objective real coverage and lets you drill the same blueprint twice without repeating a question. Because the item count differs, do not read a practice duration as the real clock — see the pacing note below.

THE SIX EXAMS

1. CROSS-INDUSTRY AND RETAIL

Wingfield Retail, Proseware Health, Litware Financial, and Thornbury Consulting: storage modes, profiling and cleaning, Power Query shaping, star schema, DAX filter context, visual choice, bookmarks and drillthrough, workspaces, refresh, and row-level security.

2. HEALTHCARE, GROCERY, INSURANCE, AND ENERGY

Harborline Grocers, Pinecrest Clinics, Cambria Insurance, and Solstice Energy: clinical extracts and member records, relationship direction, time intelligence for balances, incremental refresh, gateway choices, and sensitivity labels.

3. BANKING, INSURANCE, UTILITIES, AND LOGISTICS

Northgate Bank, Fairmont Assurance, Brightwater Utilities, and Coastline Logistics: trade and claims facts, role-playing dates, calculation groups, watermark and folder-style cleaning, pipeline promotion, and dynamic security for hundreds of users.

4. MANUFACTURING, TRANSPORT, HIGHER EDUCATION, AND LIBRARIES

Redwood Mills, Skyline Transit, Evergreen University, and Lakeshore Library: sensor history and grain reduction, asset hierarchies, accessibility for public reports, mobile layouts, and export governance.

5. RETAIL GROUP, HEALTHCARE NETWORK, PUBLIC WORKS, AND SCHOOLS

Summit Retail Group, Willow Creek Health, Granite Public Works, and Aurora Schools: multi-brand consolidation, deployment across services, app audiences, and adoption of a single certified model.

6. CROSS-INDUSTRY CAPSTONE

Atlas Holdings, Beacon Mutual, Cedarline Foods, and Pinnacle Services: shared model standards across subsidiaries, permission-aware reuse, one governance pattern, group-wide distribution, and refresh at group scale.

EACH EXAM CONTAINS

• 28 questions on Prepare the data

• 28 questions on Model the data

• 28 questions on Visualize and analyze the data

• 16 questions on Manage and secure Power BI

COVERAGE THAT IS EXPLICIT ABOUT ITS LIMITS

All four published domains and 30 local study-map skills have mapped practice. Numeric skill IDs are local study aids, not Microsoft objective numbers. Mapping does not mean every sub-objective has equal depth, and the questions have not been psychometrically calibrated against the live exam.

HOW THE CERTIFICATION ACTUALLY WORKS

PL-300 is a proctored Pearson VUE exam for the Power BI Data Analyst Associate certification, aimed at analysts who use Power Query and DAX daily. Microsoft scores it on a 700/1000 scaled scale, publishes a $165 USD price, and states that it is typically 40–60 questions in 100 minutes. The certification is valid for one year with a free renewal assessment, and Microsoft publishes an exam sandbox so you can see the item formats before sitting the real thing. Confirm current duration, price, language list, and renewal terms on the certification page, because they change.

HOW PRACTICE DIFFERS FROM THE SCORE

A 100-item exam is more than the typical live count, so the real 100-minute clock does not map directly. Use 100 minutes for a deliberate pace drill, or 150 minutes for a full review attempt. Any percentage target you set is a study convention. Microsoft reports a scaled score of 700/1000, not a raw percentage, so a practice percentage is not a scaled exam score and no conversion is implied.

Concepts and option definitions recur across exams for reinforcement. Six hundred distinct question stems do not mean six hundred independent concepts or six independent readiness estimates. No score, calibrated difficulty, or certification result is guaranteed.