98-380 Introduction to Programming Using Block-Based Languages: Candidate Guide
Microsoft exam 98-380 was an entry-level assessment of fundamental programming knowledge and skills through block-based languages, including Microsoft Touch Develop and MIT Scratch. It was intended mainly for students and other beginners exploring technology or software development. The most important decision for a reader now is not how to book the test, but whether an existing voucher or academic testing arrangement can still be used; Microsoft retired the MTA program and the exam on June 30, 2022.
What 98-380 was designed to validate
98-380 validated whether a beginner could understand basic programming ideas in a visual, block-based environment rather than whether the candidate could build production software. The official title was “Introduction to Programming using Block-Based Languages,” and the objective document identifies algorithmic flow, computer programs, and common program-control structures as core expectations.
The exam’s subject was introductory programming. Block-based tools represent instructions with visual elements that can be arranged into a sequence, making it possible to study logic without beginning with the punctuation and syntax rules of a text-based language. That does not make the concepts superficial: a candidate still needs to reason about order, conditions, repetition, data, and the effect of an instruction on a program.
The official description names Microsoft Touch Develop and MIT Scratch as examples of relevant environments. Those names should be treated as evidence of the exam’s intended learning context, not as a reason to memorize the interface of one particular tool. A stronger preparation approach is to learn the underlying behavior and then express the same logic in a visual editor.
Who the exam served best
The best-fit candidate was a student or beginner using an academic program to explore software development and technology. Archived Microsoft and Certiport material also described MTA as suitable for people changing careers or others investigating a technology path, while noting that MTA delivery was tied to approved educational settings.
A candidate with no programming background could use the objectives as a first study framework. Someone already comfortable designing algorithms or writing code would likely find the subject matter foundational, although the visual-language context could still reveal gaps in control flow or basic terminology.
The historical audience matters because it affects how you interpret the credential. MTA was an entry-level signal of foundational knowledge, not a substitute for project experience or an advanced developer certification. Use it as evidence of an early learning milestone only if it was earned before retirement, and pair it with current work or study when explaining your development background.
Is 98-380 still available to take?
No. Microsoft stated that the MTA program would be retired on June 30, 2022, and current Microsoft retirement guidance says a retired exam cannot be taken and its associated certification or credential cannot be earned afterward. A preparation page should therefore be read as historical guidance unless an institution is helping you verify an old record or voucher.
If you are researching 98-380 because you found a voucher, contact the organization that issued it and the relevant Certiport Authorized Testing Center before assuming it remains usable. Do not purchase a third-party promise of a 98-380 appointment based only on an old exam listing. The official retirement policy takes precedence over an archived catalogue entry.
Candidates who passed an MTA exam before the stated retirement date earned the associated certification, and Microsoft said existing MTA certifications remain on the certification transcript. Retirement prevents new attempts and new awards; it does not erase a credential that was already earned.
What to do instead
If your goal is to learn introductory programming, continue studying the 98-380 objectives as a historical foundation and then compare your next step with current Microsoft Learn offerings or an academic program. Microsoft’s retirement guidance directs learners toward newer fundamentals and role-based learning rather than naming 98-380 as a current route.
Choose a replacement based on the outcome you need. If you need a beginner programming foundation, prioritize a course with hands-on exercises and a current assessment. If you need a Microsoft credential for a particular job role, begin with the current certification catalogue and verify that the credential is active before investing in preparation.
What skills should you study first?
Start with algorithmic flow and program-control structures because they provide the reasoning framework for the rest of the exam. The official objective document specifically expects candidates to understand how algorithms flow and to describe programs and common control structures; these ideas are more durable than the layout of an archived block editor.
Build a short vocabulary list while studying. Include algorithm, sequence, event, condition, Boolean result, loop, variable, value, procedure or function, input, output, and debugging. The aim is not to recite definitions in isolation. For every term, write one small example and explain what the program does before it runs.
A useful first exercise is to describe a familiar task as ordered steps, such as checking whether a number is positive or repeating an action until a condition changes. Then represent the steps with blocks. If the result is wrong, identify whether the error is in the order of instructions, the test condition, the repeated action, or the stored value.
How to turn the objective document into a study plan
Treat the official objective-domain document as a checklist, not as a complete lesson. Read each stated objective, mark what you can explain without notes, and create a small practice task for every weak area. This prevents broad browsing from replacing deliberate practice and keeps study tied to the skills the archived exam was intended to measure.
Use three columns in a study table: concept, demonstration, and remaining question. For “loop,” the demonstration might be a block program that repeats until a target is reached. For “condition,” it might be a decision that produces different outcomes. In the final column, record the exact point of confusion, such as whether a condition is tested before or after an action.
Do not invent blueprint percentages. The supplied official material identifies the exam and its objective themes but does not provide a verified percentage allocation for 98-380 domains. Study all listed objectives and give extra time to topics you cannot demonstrate, rather than treating an unsupported weight as a scoring forecast.
Which practice activities give the most useful feedback?
Use small programs that make one programming idea visible at a time. A simple animation can show sequence and events; a decision-based activity can show conditions; and a repeated movement or counting task can show loops and changing values. After each exercise, predict the output first, run it, and explain any difference.
Practice tracing by hand. Write the starting values, move through each block in order, and update the value whenever an assignment or calculation occurs. For a conditional, record which branch is selected and why. For a loop, note the condition at each pass and identify the point at which the loop stops.
Use paired variations rather than copying one successful solution. Change the starting value, reverse a condition, alter the number of repetitions, or move an instruction. These controlled changes reveal whether you understand behavior or merely remember a sequence of blocks. They also prepare you to interpret unfamiliar examples without relying on live exam questions.
If you use a block-based environment, keep the projects deliberately small. A large game can hide the concept you are trying to test. A short project with a single event, a decision, and a loop is easier to trace, debug, and explain. Preserve the project files or screenshots as a personal study record, but do not treat any third-party collection of purported exam items as an official resource.
How should a beginner sequence preparation?
Follow a progression from vocabulary to tracing, then construction, debugging, and explanation. Learning terms first gives you language for the task; tracing checks whether you can predict behavior; construction makes you apply the idea; debugging exposes misunderstandings; and explanation confirms that you can communicate the reasoning rather than only operate the tool.
A practical sequence is: first review programs, algorithms, and sequence; next study events, input, output, and values; then work on conditions and Boolean decisions; after that practice loops and counters; finally combine the structures in short projects. Return to variables and data whenever a combined exercise produces an unexpected result.
At the end of each session, close the notes and answer three questions: What does this structure do? What changes while it runs? What would make it stop or choose another path? If you cannot answer one, record it for the next session instead of moving on with a false sense of completion.
Use a study checkpoint based on demonstrations, not hours. You are ready to review the next objective when you can create or trace a small example, predict its result, explain the control flow, and correct one deliberate mistake. This is a practical recommendation, not an official Microsoft readiness rule.
What mistakes commonly waste preparation time?
The biggest mistake is memorizing block names without tracing program behavior. A candidate may recognize a loop visually but still fail to identify an infinite loop, an unreachable branch, or a variable that never changes. Every recognition exercise should be followed by a prediction and an explanation.
Another mistake is confusing a condition with an action. A condition produces a decision; an action changes state or causes an output. Separating those roles makes nested decisions and repeated actions easier to understand. Draw the condition and the resulting branches when a visual program becomes difficult to follow.
Do not study only the interface of Touch Develop or Scratch. Interfaces change, and an archived tool may not be available to you. Concentrate on sequence, events, variables, conditions, loops, and algorithmic flow, then learn enough of the chosen environment to implement and inspect those ideas.
Do not use an old score report as proof that you need a particular raw percentage. Certiport explains that MTA exams used a scaled passing score of 70 and that the actual proportion of items needed could vary by exam. The score is not a simple promise that 70 percent of questions must be answered correctly.
Finally, do not let a practice resource replace the official objectives. Certiport’s archived FAQ stated that MTA practice exams were not available at that time. More importantly, unofficial question collections cannot establish current availability, exam validity, or a legitimate preparation standard, especially for an exam that has retired.
What were the historical exam details?
Archived Certiport guidance reported that MTA exams typically contained between 30 and 50 questions and allowed 50 minutes. It also described a scaled passing score of 70. These details belong to the historical MTA exam record and should not be used to assume that a current replacement assessment has the same format or timing.
A score of 70 or above was described as a pass, while a lower score indicated that the candidate was not minimally qualified under that scale. Certiport also warned that performance bars on the score report were relative indicators for subject areas, not a direct statement that the candidate answered 70 percent of all items correctly.
The archived FAQ said the score report was shown immediately after completing the exam and was also available through Certiport. Because 98-380 is retired, candidates should verify any historical result through their certification transcript or the issuing institution rather than expect a new score report from an appointment that cannot be scheduled.
The supplied official evidence does not provide a 98-380-specific language list, item-format breakdown, or domain percentage table. Do not rely on websites that fill those gaps with exact claims unless the current official provider confirms them.
What delivery and eligibility details should you verify?
Historically, MTA exams were associated with academic institutions, and Certiport described access for students, faculty, and staff of an accredited institution that was an approved MTA testing center. That means eligibility and delivery were not simply an individual purchase decision; an institution or authorized center could determine whether the exam was offered.
Certiport’s candidate instructions said to locate a Certiport Authorized Testing Center and contact it directly to confirm availability, fees, scheduling, and preparation resources. The same guidance warned that exam costs could vary by center and that a proctor or testing-center fee could apply. Those instructions are useful for checking an archived record, but they do not override retirement.
Microsoft’s general scheduling guidance distinguishes provider choice by situation: students or members of an academic institution select Certiport when that option is shown, while candidates taking a certification independently or through a training program select Pearson VUE. The page also says that an online option appears only when the provider offers it and notes that Certiport does not offer online proctored exams.
For accessibility, request accommodations before scheduling so the provider has time to review the request. For any current certification you choose instead, begin at its official detail page, select the listed exam provider, and follow that provider’s current instructions. Do not infer that the same route applies to a retired MTA exam.
How should you decide whether an old voucher is worth pursuing?
Do not make a payment or schedule study around an old voucher until its status is confirmed by the issuing organization and an authorized testing center. Microsoft’s retirement guidance states that 98-380 cannot be taken after retirement, while Certiport’s archived material says vouchers had expiration conditions and centers controlled local availability and fees.
Check the voucher document for its issuing provider, expiration language, and candidate name requirements. Then ask the testing center three specific questions: whether the exam is still deliverable, whether the voucher is accepted, and whether any center fee applies. Request the answer in writing if the voucher has material value.
Do not assume a voucher can be exchanged for another certification. The MTA retirement FAQ stated that previously purchased MTA vouchers could not be traded in for another exam. If the center cannot verify a valid appointment, stop there and use the official retirement information to choose a current learning or certification path.
This verification step is especially important for pages that still display old MTA catalogues. An archived objective page can accurately describe what 98-380 covered while being unable to authorize a new exam attempt. Separate subject knowledge from scheduling status at every stage.
What should a four-stage study roadmap look like?
A four-stage roadmap works well for learning the 98-380 subject even though the exam itself is retired: establish the concepts, trace existing programs, build and debug small projects, then map the results to a current next step. This produces transferable programming ability instead of a short-lived attempt to memorize archived material.
Stage one is concept mapping. Read the official 98-380 title and objective description, define the key terms in your own words, and identify how sequence, events, conditions, loops, and values relate. Keep the map to one page so missing connections remain visible.
Stage two is tracing. Take short block programs and write the state after each meaningful instruction. Predict output, branch selection, and loop termination before running anything. Introduce one error at a time, such as an inverted condition or unchanged counter, and explain the consequence.
Stage three is construction and debugging. Create small interactive exercises with clear inputs and outputs. Add one control structure at a time, test boundary cases, and keep a log containing the expected result, actual result, suspected cause, and correction. The log becomes more useful than repeatedly starting a project from scratch.
Stage four is decision-making. Review what you can demonstrate, check the official retirement status, and select a current course or credential that matches your goal. If your goal is academic progression, ask your institution which current introductory programming assessment fits its curriculum. If your goal is employment, compare the skills requested in target roles with current, active credentials and project work.
How can you test readiness without live exam questions?
Use original tasks and objective-based explanations rather than recalled or leaked questions. A sound readiness check asks you to build, trace, modify, and explain a small program. It should test whether you can transfer a concept to a new situation, not whether you recognize wording from an unofficial source.
Create a personal review set with four task types. First, describe an algorithm in plain language. Second, trace a block sequence and predict the result. Third, modify a condition or loop to change the behavior. Fourth, diagnose why a program produces the wrong output. Write both the answer and the reasoning.
Review errors by category. If you lose track of order, practice sequence diagrams. If conditions cause confusion, write the true and false outcomes explicitly. If loops do not terminate as expected, identify the changing value and the stopping condition. If variables are unclear, record their value before and after each assignment.
Avoid claiming that a perfect result on an unofficial quiz predicts certification performance. For a retired exam there is no legitimate current appointment to validate such a prediction. Use the exercises to decide whether you understand introductory programming and whether you are ready to move into a current learning path.
What should you do after studying the objectives?
The next action depends on your status: verify an existing historical credential, confirm a voucher through an authorized channel, or redirect your learning toward a current option. Do not spend time trying to solve the scheduling problem through a third-party question bank. The official retirement and provider pages are the appropriate sources for status and registration decisions.
If you already passed 98-380 before retirement, sign in to the relevant Microsoft or Certiport profile and check that the credential appears on your transcript. Microsoft said earned MTA certifications remain on the transcript after retirement, although retired credentials are treated as historical records rather than newly attainable awards.
If you are studying but never passed, retain the 98-380 objectives as a beginner programming syllabus. Build several small block-based programs, document what you learned, and then use Microsoft Learn or your school to identify an active fundamentals or role-aligned pathway. Confirm the replacement’s title, provider, eligibility, and current status before booking.
If your institution still references 98-380 in a curriculum, ask its certification coordinator how it handles retired exams and whether a current assessment has replaced it. The coordinator can also clarify any institutional testing arrangement that an individual candidate cannot establish from an archived page.
Conclusion
98-380 remains useful as a historical outline of introductory programming with block-based languages, especially for learning algorithmic flow and common control structures. It is not a current exam to schedule: Microsoft retired MTA and states that retired exams and their associated credentials cannot be newly earned. Use the official objective document to strengthen foundational programming, verify any old transcript or voucher with the responsible provider, and make your next investment in an active learning or certification option whose status is confirmed before purchase.
