98-380 Introduction to Programming Using Block-Based Languages Exam Guide
Microsoft exam 98-380 validated entry-level programming knowledge through block-based languages such as Microsoft Touch Develop and MIT Scratch. It was intended for students and other beginners exploring software development, academic study, or a technology career. The most important decision for a reader now is whether they are researching a historical credential or planning a current certification: MTA exams, including 98-380, were retired on June 30, 2022 and cannot be taken or earned after retirement.
What did 98-380 validate?
98-380 assessed fundamental programming concepts rather than advanced software engineering. Its official title was Introduction to Programming using Block-Based Languages, and its objectives focused on understanding algorithmic flow, describing computer programs, and recognizing common program-control structures.
The exam’s examples were grounded in block-based programming environments, including Microsoft Touch Develop and MIT Scratch. That context matters: preparation was meant to develop transferable programming reasoning through visual programming blocks, not to test mastery of a particular professional language such as C#, Java, or Python.
The MTA program itself was an entry-level credential intended to validate fundamental technology knowledge and help candidates explore academic and career options. Certiport described MTA as validating 80% knowledge and 20% skills, so a sensible preparation approach combined concept review with short exercises that required building, tracing, and correcting simple block-based programs.
The official objective-domain document is the controlling reference for the historical exam scope. Use it to identify the exact objective wording if you are studying the credential for coursework, archival research, or comparison with a modern introductory programming assessment.
The programming ideas behind the blocks
Block-based syntax reduces typing and punctuation errors, but it does not remove the need to reason about instructions. A learner still needs to understand what happens first, how a decision changes execution, and how repetition affects the final state of a program.
Why the exam was suitable for beginners
The visual environments made it possible to concentrate on sequence, logic, events, and control flow before dealing with the syntax of a text-based language. This made 98-380 a starting point for learners with little or no prior software-development experience, rather than a measure of production programming ability.
Who was the intended candidate?
The strongest fit was a beginner who wanted a structured introduction to programming, especially a student or member of an eligible academic institution. The credential was also positioned for people changing careers or exploring technology, but its historical availability was tied to approved educational settings rather than ordinary commercial exam access.
Microsoft and Certiport described MTA as designed especially for students new to information technology and software development. Certiport’s archived guidance stated that MTA exams were available to students, faculty, and staff of an accredited academic institution that was an approved MTA testing center.
That eligibility distinction should shape your next action. If you are looking for a current exam, do not assume that an online marketplace, commercial training provider, or general testing center can deliver 98-380. The exam is retired, and its former academic delivery model should not be treated as a live registration route.
For historical study, the audience profile remains useful. A beginner should start with visual programming exercises and terminology. A more experienced developer may find the objectives useful as a fundamentals checklist, but should not mistake completion of the checklist for evidence of professional programming proficiency.
Use the credential for career planning, not as a current booking target
The retired MTA credential can help explain an older learning pathway, but it cannot serve as a new certification target. Microsoft’s retirement guidance says that an exam cannot be taken and its associated credential cannot be earned after retirement.
Check the learner’s starting point
Before studying, ask whether the learner can already trace a short program, explain a condition, and predict the result of a loop. If not, begin with concrete visual exercises. If yes, spend more time on unfamiliar objective terms and on explaining why a program produces a particular result.
Which skills should a study plan prioritize?
Prioritize algorithmic flow and program-control structures first because the official 98-380 objectives explicitly identify them as core expectations. Then connect those ideas to the way a block-based environment represents instructions, events, decisions, and repetition.
A useful historical study map has four layers. First, learn how a program is represented and how instructions execute. Second, trace a sequence of blocks from start to finish. Third, analyze decisions and alternative paths. Fourth, follow repeated actions and track how values or visible outputs change.
Do not create unsupported percentage targets for individual domains. The supplied official evidence does not provide blueprint weights for 98-380, so a study schedule should be based on the published objective topics rather than invented domain percentages. The MTA-wide 80% knowledge and 20% skills description is not a 98-380 blueprint.
For every topic, require an explanation as well as a result. A learner who can say “the character moves” but cannot identify the triggering event, condition, or repeated instruction has not yet demonstrated reliable understanding.
Sequence and algorithmic flow
Practice reading a program from its starting event through each subsequent block. Mark the order of actions, note where a value changes, and predict the output before running the program. This builds the habit of treating code as an ordered process rather than a picture of connected blocks.
Conditions and branching
Build small programs with two visibly different outcomes. Change one input or condition at a time, then explain which branch runs and why. Include cases where the condition is false, since beginners often study only the path that produces the expected result.
Repetition and control
Use short loops with an observable effect, such as repeated movement or a changing counter. Trace each iteration and identify the stopping condition. The key skill is not merely placing a repeat block; it is predicting how many times the enclosed actions execute and what state remains afterward.
How should you prepare without relying on dumps?
Use the official objective document as a checklist, then learn each concept by building and tracing small programs. Exam dumps, leaked questions, and answer memorization are not a dependable substitute for understanding and should not be used as a claim of readiness.
Start by copying a very small example into a permitted block-based environment or classroom tool. Change one block, run the result, and record what changed. Next, remove the visual feedback and predict the result on paper. Finally, explain the control flow in plain language without looking at the program.
Because Certiport’s archived FAQ stated that practice exams were not available for MTA at that time, do not build your plan around finding an official 98-380 mock test. Create your own closed-book checks from the objectives instead: define a term, trace a sequence, select a branch, and explain a loop.
A good self-check uses new arrangements of familiar ideas. For example, after practicing a decision followed by repetition, reverse the order and explain how the result differs. This tests reasoning rather than recognition and gives a more useful signal than repeatedly answering remembered questions.
A safe practice cycle
Read one objective, build one minimal example, alter one condition, trace the result, and write a short explanation. Repeat until the explanation remains correct without running the program. This cycle is more valuable than collecting large sets of unverified questions.
Keep a misconception log
Record errors such as confusing an event with an action, assuming every block executes once, or overlooking the false branch. For each error, write the corrected rule and a tiny program that demonstrates it. Review the log at the end of each study session.
What would a practical historical roadmap look like?
A four-stage roadmap works well for the original 98-380 scope: establish vocabulary, trace existing programs, construct small programs, and perform objective-based review. The roadmap is useful for learning introductory programming today, even though the retired exam itself is no longer a scheduling option.
Stage one should be brief and concrete. Learn the meaning of program, algorithm, sequence, condition, loop, event, and output by attaching each term to a visible example. Avoid memorizing definitions without identifying where the concept appears in a program.
In stage two, trace programs that you did not create. Write the initial state, follow each instruction, and note every change. Include a branch whose condition is false and a loop that changes a value, because these expose gaps that a simple straight-line example may hide.
Stage three is construction. Create small interactive programs with one event, one decision, and one repeated action. Keep each program narrow enough that you can explain every block. Complexity is not the goal; accurate control-flow reasoning is.
Stage four is review. Revisit every official objective, close the reference material, and explain the concept using a fresh example. If you cannot explain a topic or predict a program’s behavior, return to construction rather than simply rereading notes.
Roadmap checkpoint: vocabulary
Move on when you can define each control-flow term in your own words and point to it in a working block-based example. If several terms sound interchangeable, use diagrams showing the difference between an event that starts execution, an action that changes state, and a condition that selects a path.
Roadmap checkpoint: tracing
Move on when you can produce a correct result before running a short program. Check both normal and alternate paths. A wrong prediction is useful only if you identify the exact block where your reasoning diverged from the program’s execution.
Roadmap checkpoint: construction
Move on when you can create a small program from a plain-language requirement and then explain its sequence, decisions, and repetition. Rebuild it after changing the requirement so that you practice choosing control structures rather than following a memorized arrangement.
Roadmap checkpoint: final review
Finish with a one-page objective checklist and a separate list of unresolved concepts. Do not mark a topic complete because it looks familiar. Mark it complete when you can define it, apply it, trace it, and diagnose a simple mistake involving it.
What were the historical exam and scoring details?
The archived MTA FAQ stated that an MTA Certification exam had 50 minutes and typically ranged between 30 and 50 questions. It also stated that the passing score was 70, while warning that a score of 70 was not the same as answering 70 percent of items correctly.
These facts describe the historical MTA exam program and should not be used to infer a current appointment or a live 98-380 delivery. Microsoft’s current retirement guidance states that retired exams cannot be taken and that the associated certification cannot be earned afterward.
The score report was described as available immediately after completing the exam and on the Certiport website for reference. Its bars represented relative performance in subject areas; they were not a promise that each bar represented a separate pass requirement.
The archived FAQ also noted that a section containing relatively few questions could produce a score of zero. Therefore, a weak-looking bar should be interpreted with care, and a candidate should use the objective areas to decide what to review rather than assuming that every visual score display is a percentage of correct answers.
Understand the passing-score warning
A scaled passing score of 70 does not establish a universal requirement to answer 70 percent of questions correctly. The archived guidance explicitly said the actual percentage could vary by exam, so candidates should avoid turning the reported scale into an item-by-item rule.
Treat historical timing as context only
The 50-minute duration and typical 30-to-50-question range are useful when reconstructing the former assessment, but they do not create a current booking opportunity. For present-day planning, confirm the status of any replacement certification through Microsoft Learn rather than relying on old MTA specifications.
Why can’t you schedule 98-380 now?
Microsoft stated that the MTA program would be retired on June 30, 2022, and its current retirement guidance says that a retired exam cannot be taken or used to earn the associated credential afterward. This makes verification of status the first scheduling decision, ahead of buying a voucher or selecting study materials.
The retirement was part of Microsoft’s move toward certifications and learning offerings aligned with current job roles, technologies, and industry needs. Existing MTA certifications remain on the holder’s transcript, but that preservation does not reopen the exam for new candidates.
If you already earned 98-380 before retirement, Microsoft’s retirement FAQ states that the certification remains on the certification transcript and can still be printable, although retired credentials move to certification history after the stated period. If you never passed it, do not purchase a product claiming to provide a new official attempt.
A sensible replacement search begins with the programming outcome you want, not with a supposed 98-380 voucher. Microsoft’s retirement FAQ points learners toward fundamentals certifications as a starting point for foundation understanding and applied learning, followed by role-based learning in areas such as Azure, AI, Data, Power Platform, Microsoft 365, and Dynamics. Confirm the current option and requirements on Microsoft Learn.
If you are researching an old course or transcript
Use the official objective document and retirement information to label the credential accurately as historical. Keep records of the exam title, objective version, and the source date if your institution is mapping an older curriculum to a newer introductory programming course.
If a seller offers a 98-380 exam attempt
Pause before paying. Check the current Microsoft retirement guidance and ask the claimed provider to show an official, current delivery listing. A third-party question bank cannot restore a retired exam, and memorized material cannot substitute for an available certification pathway.
How did registration and delivery work?
Historical MTA registration used Certiport and an authorized testing center, with availability, prices, fees, and appointment arrangements confirmed directly with the center. Certiport’s archived guidance also described MTA access through approved academic institutions, so candidates needed to verify institutional eligibility before planning a sitting.
Microsoft’s general registration guidance distinguishes provider routes: students and members of an academic institution select Certiport when that option is offered, while candidates taking a certification independently or through training generally select Pearson VUE. The page also states that Certiport does not offer online proctored exams at this time.
Those instructions should be treated as provider guidance, not evidence that 98-380 is currently listed. The exam’s retirement overrides the normal scheduling sequence. For a live Microsoft exam, begin at the relevant certification or exam detail page, select the available provider, and follow the provider’s current identity, accommodation, and delivery instructions.
For any current Certiport-delivered assessment, contact the authorized center before purchasing. Certiport says that exam costs may vary from center to center and that a proctor or testing-center fee may apply. Do not assume an old voucher, campus arrangement, fee, or delivery method remains valid.
Accommodation planning
Microsoft’s registration guidance says accommodation requests should be made before scheduling so the provider has time to review them and confirm that the testing environment supports the need. For a current replacement exam, resolve this step before selecting an appointment.
Online versus test-center decisions
For current exams where both options exist, an online appointment requires a compatible computer and secure testing area, while a test center provides a pre-configured environment. The provider listing determines what is actually available; if no online option appears, it is not offered by that provider for the exam.
Which mistakes waste preparation time?
The most damaging mistake is preparing for a retired exam as though it were available. Other common errors include studying only definitions, treating block-based programming as a visual puzzle, using unsupported blueprint percentages, and confusing a scaled passing score with a fixed percentage of correct responses.
A candidate who reads every objective but never executes a program may recognize terms without being able to trace flow. Correct this by making each study session produce an artifact: a working example, a hand-traced execution, a corrected error, or a plain-language explanation.
Another mistake is expanding the scope too early. Learning an entire text-based programming language may be valuable for a longer-term goal, but it can distract from the historical 98-380 fundamentals. First demonstrate control-flow reasoning with small programs; then transfer those ideas to a text-based language if that supports your next credential.
Finally, do not use a high score in one area to dismiss the others. The archived score guidance notes that sections with relatively few questions can produce unusual-looking results. Review weak concepts against the official objectives and use repeated construction and tracing to correct them.
Mistake: memorizing answers
Answer recall is fragile when a question changes the order of blocks, the input value, or the branch condition. Replace recall practice with variations of the same problem and require yourself to justify the result from the program’s flow.
Mistake: treating all study materials as current
MTA preparation pages, old courseware, and archived FAQs may describe the former program accurately while still being unsuitable for current registration decisions. Separate historical exam evidence from current certification information, and check Microsoft’s retirement guidance before spending money.
What should you do next?
Choose one of two paths: document 98-380 as a retired historical credential, or redirect your effort to a current fundamentals or role-based option. If your goal is to learn programming, use the 98-380 objectives as a starting checklist and validate your understanding through small block-based programs.
For historical 98-380 research, download or review the official objective-domain document, list its stated skills, and label all exam logistics with their historical context. This approach is appropriate for educators mapping curricula, students reviewing an old course, and certificate holders documenting an earlier achievement.
For a current certification plan, visit Microsoft Learn, identify the current credential that matches your intended outcome, review its official skills and eligibility information, and confirm the available delivery provider before purchasing anything. Request accommodations before scheduling if needed.
For study, begin with sequence and algorithmic flow, continue to decisions and repetition, and finish with mixed tracing exercises. Keep a misconception log and use fresh examples. The next meaningful milestone is not finding a 98-380 dump; it is being able to explain and modify a small program without relying on memorized answers.
A short action checklist
Verify the exam’s retired status; identify whether your objective is historical documentation or current certification; obtain the official objective document; practice sequence, branching, and repetition; record misconceptions; and confirm any replacement exam’s provider, accommodations, and current requirements through its official page.
Conclusion
98-380 was designed as an entry-level assessment of programming fundamentals in block-based environments, with emphasis on algorithmic flow and common control structures. It is now a retired MTA exam, so preparation should support historical learning or a transition to a current Microsoft pathway rather than an attempted booking. Use official objectives for the concepts, hands-on tracing for the skills, and Microsoft’s current certification pages for every new scheduling decision.
