MS POST study plan
MS POST · Give each week a clear focus.
8 weeks · About 6 hours per week
Manage mail flow & Plan and manage the mail transport architecture
Diagram how an inbound message traverses connectors, transport rules, and the mailbox transport service in a hybrid topology.
Configure a send connector and a receive connector in a lab tenant and capture the effective transport settings.
Build a transport rule that adds a disclaimer and another that blocks a sender domain, then verify precedence order.
Explain how accepted domains, remote domains, and address rewriting interact during mail flow.
Your checkpoint
A one-page annotated mail-flow diagram plus a table of every connector and transport rule you created, with the verified message-trace evidence for each rule.
Manage mail flow & Plan and manage the mail transport architecture
Configure a hybrid mail-routing path (centralized vs. decentralized) and document which option you chose and why.
Set up an outbound connector with TLS enforcement and test certificate validation behavior.
Troubleshoot a simulated stuck-queue scenario using queue viewer and message tracking logs.
Write the diagnostic sequence you would follow when external mail is delayed but internal mail is fine.
Your checkpoint
A troubleshooting runbook (at least 8 steps) for delayed or queued mail, validated by reproducing and resolving one injected fault.
Secure the messaging environment
Configure anti-phishing, anti-spam, and anti-malware policies and record which policy takes precedence when they overlap.
Deploy a DKIM signing configuration and validate the selector record with a DNS check.
Publish SPF and DMARC records for a test domain and interpret the DMARC aggregate report fields.
Configure quarantine policies and describe the end-user release workflow.
Your checkpoint
A security-baseline checklist showing SPF, DKIM, DMARC, anti-phishing, and quarantine settings for one test domain, each with a passing validation result.
Secure the messaging environment & Manage recipient access and authentication
Configure a conditional access policy that requires compliant devices for mailbox access and test the block path.
Enable and enforce MFA for an admin account and document the break-glass exception.
Configure client access rules to block legacy authentication protocols and verify with a failed sign-in.
Explain how OAuth, modern authentication, and basic-auth deprecation affect Outlook and mobile clients.
Your checkpoint
A conditional-access and authentication policy matrix listing each policy, its scope, its enforcement state, and the test result proving it works.
Manage recipients and mailboxes
Create and convert mailbox types (user, shared, room, equipment) and document the licensing implication of each.
Configure mailbox permissions, send-on-behalf, and full access delegation, then verify with a test user.
Set retention policies and labels on a mailbox and confirm item retention in a folder.
Configure a distribution group, a mail-enabled security group, and a dynamic group, and state when each is appropriate.
Your checkpoint
A recipient reference sheet covering every mailbox and group type you created, with permissions and licensing notes for each.
Plan and implement a hybrid configuration and migration
Run the hybrid configuration wizard in a lab and document each decision point it presents.
Configure directory synchronization with OU filtering and verify object flow.
Configure a migration batch for a small set of mailboxes and verify cutover behavior.
Describe how free/busy, autodiscover, and OAuth tokens behave during and after migration.
Your checkpoint
A hybrid deployment checklist with pre-requisites, wizard decisions, and a post-migration validation list, plus evidence of one successful mailbox move.
Manage organizational settings and resources
Configure role-based access control roles and scoped admin roles, then test an admin with limited scope.
Configure an address book policy and assign it to a mailbox, verifying the visible address list changes.
Configure accepted domains and email address policies for a multi-domain tenant.
Audit admin role assignments and identify any over-permissioned account.
Your checkpoint
An RBAC and address-policy design document mapping each admin role to its scope, plus an audit table of role assignments.
Manage organizational settings and resources & Manage mail flow & Secure the messaging environment
Complete a timed full-length practice exam and score each domain separately.
Re-review your three weakest domains using the notes and deliverables from earlier weeks.
Re-run the mail-flow and security validation checks to confirm retention of key procedures.
Write a one-page exam-day reference of the settings you most often confuse.
Your checkpoint
A scored practice-exam report with a domain-by-domain breakdown and a prioritized list of remaining weak areas with remediation steps.
Milestones
Week 2: You can trace a message end-to-end through connectors, transport rules, and queues without notes, and your troubleshooting runbook resolves an injected fault.
Week 4: SPF, DKIM, and DMARC validate for your test domain, and a conditional access policy successfully blocks a non-compliant client while allowing a compliant one.
Week 6: A mailbox has been migrated through a hybrid configuration and continues to send and receive mail with correct free/busy across both environments.
Week 8: Practice-exam score is at or above your target pass margin in every domain, with no domain below 70 percent.