Short link: go.techtrainertim.com/copilotcert
This is the official prep course for the GitHub Copilot Certification Exam (GH-300). Updated for January 2026 with Agent Mode, multi-model selection, and 50+ new features from November 2025.
The Big Shift: Copilot evolved from "AI autocomplete" to an agentic development platform. This course teaches you to master the new paradigm.
| Feature | What It Does | Plan Availability |
|---|---|---|
| Multi-Model Selection | Choose GPT-5.1, Claude Opus 4.5, Gemini 3 Pro, or Raptor Mini | All |
| Agent Mode | Multi-file editing in your IDE | All |
| Coding Agent | Assign issues to Copilot, auto-generates PRs | Business/Enterprise |
| Mission Control | Dashboard for managing agent sessions | All |
| Plan Mode | Preview changes before execution | All |
| BYOK | Bring Your Own Key (Azure, AWS, GCP) | Business/Enterprise |
| Linter Integration | Code review with ESLint/Pylint/Rubocop | All |
| Copilot Spaces | Organize context for conversations | All |
| Segment | Duration | Focus |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Foundations | 50 minutes | Multi-model setup, Agent Mode intro, Responsible AI |
| 2. Core Features | 50 minutes | Prompt engineering, Chat mastery, Agent workflows |
| 3. Enterprise | 60 minutes | Testing, Security, BYOK, Governance |
| 4. Privacy & Config | 50 minutes | Exclusions, Troubleshooting, Integration |
| 5. Exam Prep | 50 minutes | Domain review, Practice exam, Competitive landscape |
See COURSE-PLAN-APRIL-2026.md for detailed curriculum.
| Domain | Weight | Key Topics |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Use GitHub Copilot responsibly | 15–20% | Ethics, validation, bias mitigation, transparency |
| 2. Use GitHub Copilot features | 25–30% | Multi-model, Agent Mode, Mission Control, BYOK |
| 3. Understand Copilot data and architecture | 10–15% | Pipeline, MCP, context gathering, data handling |
| 4. Apply prompt engineering and context | 10–15% | Model-specific prompting, context files, best practices |
| 5. Improve developer productivity | 10–15% | Agent workflows, productivity, SDLC integration |
| 6. Configure privacy, exclusions, safeguards | 10–15% | Agent permissions, content exclusions, org policies |
-
Clone this repo
git clone https://github.com/timothywarner-org/copilot-cert-prep.git cd copilot-cert-prep -
Install dependencies
npm install
-
Run tests
npm test -
Review the quick reference
Open QUICK-REFERENCE.md for a printable cheat sheet.
This repository includes a purpose-built AI study partner that generates exam-realistic practice questions, hands-on exercises, and personalized study plans — all grounded in official Microsoft Learn content.
Why does this exist? The best way to prepare for a certification exam is active recall and spaced practice. The Cert Buddy automates this: you ask, it generates fresh, exam-style material on demand.
The agent definition lives at .github/agents/gh300-cert-buddy-agent.agent.md. It orchestrates three specialized skills:
| Skill | What It Does | Prompt Template |
|---|---|---|
| gh300-item-creator | Generates exam-realistic multiple-choice questions | /gh300-practice-questions |
| gh300-lab-creator | Creates 10–20 minute hands-on exercises with validation | /gh300-practice-lab |
| gh300-study-planner | Builds a personalized study plan based on your confidence | /gh300-study-planner |
Skill definitions: .github/skills/
In VS Code Copilot Chat, invoke the agent directly:
@gh300-cert-buddy-agent Quiz me on Agent Mode
@gh300-cert-buddy-agent Create a lab on content exclusions
@gh300-cert-buddy-agent Plan my study schedule — I'm weak on privacy
Or use the prompt templates (slash commands):
/gh300-practice-questions
/gh300-practice-lab
/gh300-study-planner
Prompt templates: .github/prompts/
The agent uses a Microsoft Learn MCP server for grounding answers in official documentation. Configuration is in .vscode/mcp.json.
copilot-cert-prep/
├── .github/
│ ├── agents/
│ │ └── gh300-cert-buddy-agent.agent.md # GH-300 AI study partner
│ ├── hooks/
│ │ └── gh300-guardrails.json # Workspace hook definitions
│ ├── instructions/
│ │ └── gh300-teaching-content.instructions.md
│ ├── prompts/
│ │ ├── gh300-practice-questions.prompt.md
│ │ ├── gh300-practice-lab.prompt.md
│ │ └── gh300-study-planner.prompt.md
│ ├── skills/
│ │ ├── gh300-item-creator/ # Practice question generator
│ │ │ ├── SKILL.md
│ │ │ ├── resources/ # Bundled reference assets
│ │ │ └── scripts/ # validate-output.js
│ │ ├── gh300-lab-creator/ # Hands-on exercise builder
│ │ │ ├── SKILL.md
│ │ │ ├── resources/
│ │ │ └── scripts/
│ │ └── gh300-study-planner/ # Personalized study plans
│ │ ├── SKILL.md
│ │ ├── resources/
│ │ └── scripts/
│ └── copilot-instructions.md
├── .vscode/
│ └── mcp.json # Microsoft Learn MCP server config
├── az104-cert-buddy/ # Reference implementation
├── docs/
│ ├── GH-300-Study-Guide-April-2026.md
│ ├── QUICK-REFERENCE.md # Student cheat sheet
│ ├── exam-notes-and-links.md
│ └── github-copilot-cert-exam-objectives.md
├── references/
│ ├── gh300-objectives.md # Jan 2026 exam blueprint
│ ├── fictional-companies.md # Scenario company pool
│ └── style-guide.md # Microsoft Writing Style Guide rules
├── scripts/
│ └── hooks/
│ ├── prevent-destructive-commands.js
│ └── validate-gh300-content.js
├── src/
│ └── app.js # Interactive console demo app
├── tests/
│ └── sample.test.js
├── CLAUDE.md
├── COURSE-PLAN-APRIL-2026.md
├── package.json
└── README.md
This is the most commonly misunderstood topic:
| Feature | Where It Runs | What It Does | Plans |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agent Mode | Your IDE (local) | Multi-file edits, terminal access | All |
| Coding Agent | GitHub Actions (cloud) | Assign issues, auto-generates PRs | Business/Enterprise |
| Cloud Agent | GitHub Cloud (VS only) | Delegate from Visual Studio | Business/Enterprise |
| Model | Best For | Speed |
|---|---|---|
| Raptor Mini | Inline completions | Ultra-fast |
| GPT-5.1 | Complex reasoning | Medium |
| GPT-5.1-Codex | Code generation | Medium |
| Claude Opus 4.5 | Nuanced refactoring | Medium |
| Gemini 3 Pro | Multimodal (images + code) | Medium |
This interactive Node.js app is the primary live-demo surface for the course.
cd src
npm install
npm start# Run unit tests
npm test
# Ad-hoc test harness
node test-app.jsTim Warner
- Website: techtrainertim.com
- GitHub: @timothywarner
- LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/timothywarner
- Email: tim@techtrainertim.com
- Fork the repository
- Create a feature branch (
git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature) - Commit your changes (
git commit -m 'Add amazing feature') - Push to the branch (
git push origin feature/amazing-feature) - Open a Pull Request
MIT License. See LICENSE for details.
- Node.js: Weekly updates for root
package.json - Python: Weekly updates for
/demos/11/requirements.txt - Auto-labeled PRs:
dependencies,auto-merge - See
.github/dependabot.ymlfor configuration