70-489 Exam Guide: How to Verify the Exam and Prepare with SharePoint 2013 Evidence
The supplied Microsoft sources do not publish a current Exam 70-489 skills outline, delivery profile, score requirement, scheduling page, or retirement notice. They do establish the surrounding SharePoint 2013 administration, search, installation, and customization knowledge that can support a responsible study plan. This guide helps you make the key decision first: whether 70-489 is the exam you actually need, and, if it is, how to build preparation around documented SharePoint tasks rather than unverified question banks or assumed exam statistics.
What can be verified about Exam 70-489?
The available official snapshot does not verify a current blueprint for Exam 70-489. Microsoft’s credential browser is a general catalogue, while the Microsoft exam-preparation session supplied here identifies Exams 70-331 and 70-332—not 70-489—as SharePoint Server 2013 exams. Treat the exam code, title, status, and booking route as items to confirm before investing in a study schedule. (https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/credentials/browse/; https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/shows/ignite-2015/brk3911)
That distinction matters because SharePoint 2013 documentation is not the same thing as an exam blueprint. Product documentation can help you learn administration, search, deployment, and development concepts, but it cannot prove that a particular objective appears on 70-489 or indicate how heavily it is assessed.
The official session describes 70-331 as “Core Solutions of Microsoft SharePoint Server 2013” and 70-332 as “Advanced Solutions of Microsoft SharePoint Server 2013.” It also says those exams were required for the MCSE: SharePoint certification at the time of that session. Neither statement establishes a relationship between those exams and 70-489 today.
The first verification checklist
Before choosing resources, confirm the exact exam title, whether Microsoft currently lists the exam, the certification or requirement it supports, the skills-measured page, registration provider, delivery options, languages, and any retirement or replacement notice. The supplied official sources do not provide those current 70-489 details, so do not fill the gaps with figures copied from another Microsoft exam.
What not to assume
Do not assume that a SharePoint 2013 product page supplies the exam’s question count, duration, passing score, price, language list, or delivery method. None of those details is established by this research snapshot. Do not assume that the 70-331 or 70-332 objectives can be relabeled as 70-489 objectives without an official cross-reference.
Who should use this preparation approach?
This approach suits a candidate who has access to a SharePoint 2013 lab, must validate older on-premises skills, or is investigating whether a legacy exam code matches a historical certification path. It is not a substitute for confirming an active exam listing. Candidates targeting a newer SharePoint Server or Microsoft 365 credential should compare the current Microsoft credential catalogue before studying legacy product material. (https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sharepoint/sharepoint-server; https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/credentials/browse/)
The supplied Microsoft session was aimed at people already experienced with SharePoint 2013. That is a useful signal about the level of the surrounding certification content, but it is not a prerequisite statement for 70-489. If you are new to SharePoint, first build operational understanding through installation, site administration, search, and customization exercises before attempting exam-specific revision.
Experienced administrators should use a different starting point from developers. Administrators should begin with farm architecture, prerequisites, service applications, databases, search, monitoring, and recovery decisions. Developers should begin with supported customization patterns, solution boundaries, web parts, workflows, display templates, and search APIs, then fill gaps in farm operations.
Choose a lab before choosing a book
A working lab is more valuable than a large collection of disconnected notes for this subject. Use it to reproduce configuration decisions, record dependencies, break a service deliberately, and explain why one deployment scenario is appropriate instead of another. If you cannot run a lab, use architecture diagrams and procedure-based notes, but label untested assumptions clearly.
Separate historical study from current practice
SharePoint 2013 knowledge may be relevant to a legacy environment, yet Microsoft’s current SharePoint Server guide also covers later server editions. Keep a dated “exam-era” notebook separate from a “current platform” notebook so that modern recommendations do not silently replace the behavior you are trying to understand. (https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sharepoint/sharepoint-server)
Which technical areas are safest to study first?
Because no official 70-489 objective list is supplied, organize preparation around documented SharePoint 2013 capabilities rather than invented domain weights. The strongest evidence supports four practical tracks: deployment and prerequisites, farm and service administration, enterprise search, and customization or development. Study each as a decision chain, then verify the final scope against the official exam page if one is available. (https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sharepoint/install/hardware-software-requirements-2013; https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sharepoint/dev/solution-guidance/search-solutions-in-sharepoint-2013-and-sharepoint-online; https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sharepoint/extend-and-develop)
Deployment knowledge should include installation scenarios, operating-system and SQL dependencies, domain requirements, server roles, and the difference between an evaluation installation and a farm intended for broader use. Microsoft documents single-server, single-server farm, and multiple-server farm scenarios, so be able to explain the operational trade-off rather than memorizing a single installation recipe. (https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sharepoint/install/hardware-software-requirements-2013)
Search deserves deliberate study because Microsoft describes a component architecture rather than a single search switch. Follow content from a source through crawl, content processing, property mapping, index, query processing, and search administration. Then connect result sources, query rules, display templates, search verticals, and search-driven experiences to the part of the architecture they affect. (https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sharepoint/dev/solution-guidance/search-solutions-in-sharepoint-2013-and-sharepoint-online)
Customization should be studied as a choice among supported approaches. Microsoft’s guidance discusses branding, navigation, web parts, workflows, forms, apps, and programmatic methods. Compare the effect, deployment boundary, maintenance burden, and platform fit of each approach instead of treating every customization as equivalent. (https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sharepoint/extend-and-develop)
Deployment and prerequisites
Microsoft’s single-server procedure uses the SharePoint Products Preparation Tool, then Setup, and then the SharePoint Products Configuration Wizard. The default built-in-database procedure installs Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2 SP1 Express Edition and creates configuration and content databases, Central Administration, and an initial site collection. Use this sequence to build a dependency map, not merely a memorized list. (https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/SharePoint/install/single-server-with-a-built-in-database)
The documented single-server method has boundaries. It cannot be used on a domain controller or in a workgroup environment, and User Profile synchronization requires a server farm installation rather than this built-in-database scenario. A Microsoft SQL Server 2008 R2 SP1 Express Edition database cannot be larger than 10 GB. Those are architecture decisions to explain in scenario answers, not isolated trivia. (https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/SharePoint/install/single-server-with-a-built-in-database)
The requirements page identifies supported server combinations and warns that Windows Server 2016 or higher is not supported for the stated SharePoint 2013 installation requirements. It also notes that SQL Server 2014 requires the May 2014 Cumulative Update for SharePoint Server 2013. Check the source directly when building a lab because legacy prerequisites are particularly vulnerable to version drift. (https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sharepoint/install/hardware-software-requirements-2013)
Farm sizing and topology
Learn the reason behind a topology choice. The official requirements list a minimum of 64-bit, 4 cores for small deployments and 64-bit, 8 cores for medium deployments, with RAM requirements of 8 GB for small deployments and 16 GB for medium deployments. These values are tied to their named deployment sizes; they are not universal sizing rules and do not replace capacity planning. (https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sharepoint/install/hardware-software-requirements-2013)
The same source lists 10 GB for a single server with a built-in database or a single server using SQL Server in a development or evaluation installation, and 24 GB for a web server or application server in a three-tier farm pilot, user acceptance test, or production deployment. Keep each value attached to its exact scenario when making notes; do not turn them into a generic “recommended SharePoint memory” figure. (https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sharepoint/install/hardware-software-requirements-2013)
For a stretched farm, Microsoft identifies specific network prerequisites: intra-farm latency of <1ms one way, 99.9% of the time over a period of ten minutes, and bandwidth of at least 1 gigabit per second. Treat this as a documented high-availability condition, not as a default design for every geographically distributed installation. (https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sharepoint/install/hardware-software-requirements-2013)
Search configuration and troubleshooting
Practice tracing a search problem from symptom to component. If content is missing, inspect the content source and crawl path; if properties behave incorrectly, inspect crawled-to-managed property mapping; if results are poorly ranked, investigate query processing, relevance, result sources, and query rules. This method is stronger than memorizing search terminology because it links the visible failure to an administrative action. (https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sharepoint/dev/solution-guidance/search-solutions-in-sharepoint-2013-and-sharepoint-online)
SharePoint provides sixteen preconfigured result sources, including Local SharePoint Results, Conversations, and Items related to current user. Learn how a result source scopes or redirects a query, then examine the supplied rule description: “Apply the query rule if the user's query is more commonly performed against a different result source than the current one.” The condition and action should be understood together. (https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sharepoint/dev/solution-guidance/search-solutions-in-sharepoint-2013-and-sharepoint-online)
The search documentation also covers the Search query REST service, which supports both HTTP POST and GET requests. In a lab, use a controlled request to observe the returned result structure, then document authentication, endpoint, query intent, and expected output. Avoid copying examples without explaining what the request is doing and which search component ultimately supplies the results. (https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sharepoint/dev/solution-guidance/search-solutions-in-sharepoint-2013-and-sharepoint-online)
Customization, solutions, and apps
Microsoft’s development guidance describes several ways to change SharePoint, including branding, navigation, web parts, workflows, forms, apps, and programmatic interfaces. For each scenario, ask whether the requirement is configuration, client-side extension, a deployable solution, or an external integration. The correct answer depends on scope and supportability, not on which tool appears most familiar. (https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sharepoint/extend-and-develop)
A useful comparison exercise is to implement the same small business request in two ways: first with native configuration, then with a supported extension. Record what is deployed, where it runs, how it is maintained, and what permissions it needs. This exposes the difference between changing a site’s presentation and introducing code or a packaged component.
Workflows are a common source of stale notes. The supplied Microsoft guidance recommends Power Automate for configuring and executing workflows in Microsoft 365, including SharePoint, while the historical SharePoint material also references SharePoint Designer workflows. When studying a legacy exam or environment, verify which product-era behavior the official objective expects rather than blending current guidance and historical procedures into one answer. (https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sharepoint/extend-and-develop)
How should you build a hands-on SharePoint 2013 lab?
Build the smallest lab that lets you observe the full administrative sequence: prepare the operating system and domain context, install prerequisites, run Setup, complete configuration, create a site, configure search, and test a customization. The official evaluation page describes a 180-day trial after registration and installation, so use that route only if it remains suitable and available for your environment. (https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/evalcenter/download-sharepoint-server-2013)
Start with a single-server evaluation only when its limitations match your objective. Microsoft says this configuration is useful for evaluating collaboration, document management, and search, or for deploying only a few websites with reduced administrative overhead. It is not the right basis for studying farm-scale architecture, User Profile synchronization, or production design. (https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/SharePoint/install/single-server-with-a-built-in-database)
Keep a lab journal with five fields: initial condition, action, result, evidence, and rollback. Include screenshots or exported configuration where appropriate, but write the explanation in your own words. The journal becomes a revision tool for scenario reasoning and helps you distinguish a procedure that worked from a procedure you merely read.
A sensible build sequence
First verify the supported operating-system, SQL, domain, and account assumptions in the requirements documentation. Next run the preparation tool and inspect any prerequisite failure before moving on. Then install SharePoint, run the configuration wizard, create the initial site, and confirm Central Administration access. Only after the base platform is healthy should you add search and custom components. (https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sharepoint/install/hardware-software-requirements-2013; https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/SharePoint/install/single-server-with-a-built-in-database)
How to diagnose a failed configuration wizard
If the SharePoint Products Configuration Wizard fails, check the PSCDiagnostics log files on the drive where SharePoint 2013 is installed, in the %COMMONPROGRAMFILES%\Microsoft Shared\Web Server Extensions\15\LOGS folder. If Windows Explorer resolves the path to a location ending in “1” or “2”, navigate up one level to view the log files. Practice locating the relevant timestamp and correlating it with the failed step. (https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/SharePoint/install/single-server-with-a-built-in-database)
Lab mistakes that waste study time
Do not install Office 2013 and SharePoint Server 2013 on the same computer; Microsoft states that this combination is unsupported. Do not use the built-in-database scenario when User Profile synchronization is part of the requirement. Do not treat a successful evaluation install as proof that a multi-server farm design is correct. Each shortcut hides a different dependency that a scenario question may test. (https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sharepoint/install/hardware-software-requirements-2013; https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/SharePoint/install/single-server-with-a-built-in-database)
What is a practical study roadmap?
Use a four-pass roadmap: scope verification, platform foundation, feature reasoning, and timed review. Do not assign study time by unsupported exam percentages. Instead, spend more effort where your lab evidence is weakest and where one decision has several dependencies, such as search topology, installation choice, or customization deployment. Re-check the official exam listing before scheduling.
Pass one: establish the scope
Write down everything that is unknown about 70-489: title, status, objectives, booking route, and certification relationship. Search the current Microsoft credential catalogue and look for an official skills-measured page or exam-specific page. If the code cannot be confirmed, pause exam-specific purchasing and prepare only the transferable SharePoint foundation that you can verify from Microsoft documentation. (https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/credentials/browse/)
Pass two: build the platform foundation
Study installation scenarios, software prerequisites, domain requirements, SQL choices, server roles, and sizing. Reproduce a single-server evaluation installation if your environment supports it. Then explain why the same approach would be unsuitable for User Profile synchronization or a larger farm. Finish this pass with a one-page dependency diagram and a troubleshooting index pointing to the PSCDiagnostics logs. (https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sharepoint/install/hardware-software-requirements-2013; https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/SharePoint/install/single-server-with-a-built-in-database)
Pass three: connect features to decisions
Run focused exercises for search and customization. For search, create or inspect a source, follow a crawl, review property mapping, test a query, and compare result-source behavior. For customization, compare branding, navigation, web parts, workflows, forms, apps, and programmatic approaches. For every exercise, answer three questions: what requirement triggered the choice, what dependency could break it, and how would you verify the outcome? (https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sharepoint/dev/solution-guidance/search-solutions-in-sharepoint-2013-and-sharepoint-online; https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sharepoint/extend-and-develop)
Pass four: test reasoning, not recall
Create your own scenario prompts from the documentation: a failed configuration wizard, a requirement for User Profile synchronization, a search result-source mismatch, a need for a custom web part, or a topology decision involving separate servers. Answer without looking at notes, cite the relevant Microsoft page afterward, and revise any answer that relies on an unstated assumption. This is legitimate practice because it tests judgment without claiming access to live exam questions.
The final review session
In the final review, reduce notes to decision tables rather than longer summaries. Include installation scenario, database choice, service requirement, search component, customization method, failure symptom, diagnostic evidence, and next action. Confirm current exam information separately. If no official 70-489 page is available, do not schedule on the strength of a third-party dump listing or an old reference to another SharePoint exam.
Which mistakes are most likely to undermine preparation?
The biggest risks are scope confusion, product-version mixing, and memorization without implementation. A candidate can know SharePoint terminology yet still miss the central scenario decision: which installation, service, search configuration, or customization method fits the stated constraint. Correct those risks by attaching every note to a documented source and a lab action.
Mistake: treating a legacy code as current
A code that appears on a training page or catalogue elsewhere is not proof that Microsoft currently offers it. The supplied research explicitly says it does not provide a current 70-489 exam guide, skills-measured page, price, scheduling page, language list, or retirement notice. Verify those items before committing money or a test date. (https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/credentials/browse/)
Mistake: memorizing unsupported numbers
Do not transfer question counts, exam duration, passing scores, prices, or blueprint percentages from another exam. No percentage weights are provided for 70-489 in the official snapshot, so none should appear in a study plan. Where Microsoft gives product requirements, preserve the named scenario and unit exactly rather than turning the figure into a general rule.
Mistake: confusing search with a single feature
Search behavior depends on cooperating components and data stores. A crawl issue, property-mapping issue, index issue, query issue, and presentation issue require different investigations. Build a fault tree that begins with the observed symptom and ends with a testable administrative action. This will also make technical explanations more precise in any scenario-based assessment. (https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sharepoint/dev/solution-guidance/search-solutions-in-sharepoint-2013-and-sharepoint-online)
Mistake: using dumps as a substitute for competence
Exam dumps and leaked-question claims are not reliable evidence of the current exam scope, and memorization cannot guarantee a pass. Use official documentation, a controlled lab, and original scenario exercises instead. Your notes should explain why an answer is appropriate and what evidence would confirm it, not reproduce purported live questions.
What should you do next?
Begin by verifying whether Microsoft currently lists 70-489 and whether its title and objectives match your goal. If it is confirmed, download or save the official skills outline and map each objective to a Microsoft source, lab exercise, and self-written scenario. If it is not confirmed, stop treating the code as an active booking target and investigate the current credential that matches your role.
A short action list
1. Check the Microsoft credential catalogue and official SharePoint Server documentation. 2. Record the exact exam identity and status only when an official page supports it. 3. Build a lab that matches the documented installation scenario. 4. Study deployment, search, and customization through observable tasks. 5. Maintain a source-linked gap list. 6. Schedule only after the official registration path and exam details are confirmed. (https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/credentials/browse/; https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sharepoint/sharepoint-server)
How to use the official sources
Use the requirements page for supported infrastructure and sizing context, the single-server procedure for installation sequencing and troubleshooting, the search guide for architecture and query behavior, the customization guide for extension choices, and the SharePoint Server hub for deployment and management navigation. Use the Microsoft evaluation page only for obtaining the product evaluation and its stated trial terms. (https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sharepoint/install/hardware-software-requirements-2013; https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/SharePoint/install/single-server-with-a-built-in-database; https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sharepoint/dev/solution-guidance/search-solutions-in-sharepoint-2013-and-sharepoint-online; https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sharepoint/extend-and-develop; https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/evalcenter/download-sharepoint-server-2013)
Conclusion
The responsible preparation decision is verification first, study second. The supplied Microsoft evidence supports a practical SharePoint 2013 plan covering installation scenarios, farm dependencies, search architecture, troubleshooting, and customization choices, but it does not establish the current requirements or delivery details for Exam 70-489. Confirm the exam through Microsoft, then replace this evidence-led foundation with the official objective list if one exists. Until then, build skills through documented procedures and a lab rather than unsupported exam statistics or dumps.
