CertifyDeckGH-300 is passed with 700 points in 100 minutes, closed book, so having used Copilot is not enough: you need feature names, where each setting lives and how data flows. This four-week plan follows the six domains of the 7 August 2026 outline and uses only free official resources plus your own editor.
What you need before you start
There are no formal prerequisites, but the official profile assumes you know GitHub fundamentals and code in at least one language. If you are unsure what a pull request or an organization repository is, spend a few days on those basics first.
You need Copilot active in your editor. The Copilot Free plan gives limited access at no cost, and verified students get Copilot Student. Organization policies only show up in an organization on Copilot Business or Enterprise; if you have no access to one, study them in the documentation and the Microsoft Learn modules.
Weeks 1 and 2: responsibility, features and CLI
Week 1. Complete GitHub Copilot Fundamentals Part 1 (9 modules) on Microsoft Learn and cover the responsible AI domain (15-20%): risks and limits of generative AI, possible harms and why output must always be validated. In your editor, enable Copilot and compare inline suggestions, chat and agent mode on the same problem.
Week 2. Spend it on the features domain (25-30%). Install Copilot CLI and use it in interactive sessions to generate scripts. Try agent mode with an MCP server, Copilot code review, pull request summaries, Spaces and Spark. Also read how organization policies, audit log events and subscription management with the REST API work.
Weeks 3 and 4: data, prompts, productivity and privacy
Week 3. Complete GitHub Copilot Fundamentals Part 2 (6 modules). Study the data flow: how the prompt is built from context, proxy filtering, post-processing and the lifecycle of a suggestion. Practise zero-shot and few-shot prompting in chat, and try instructions files and reusable prompt files.
Week 4. Cover productivity and privacy. Generate unit and integration tests, ask for edge cases, write documentation and refactor legacy code. Then review content exclusion, the public code matching filter and what to do when a suggestion does not appear. End the week with the official practice assessment and a full mock exam.
The practice that covers the most objectives
Take a small repository of your own and do a complete task with Copilot: ask agent mode to add a feature, review the change, generate the tests, open a pull request with an automatic summary and request a code review. In one afternoon you touch objectives from four domains.
For the admin side, read the GitHub Docs pages on content exclusion and Copilot policies, and note what is decided at organization level and what in the editor. That kind of distinction is where people trip most.
How to use practice questions and mock exams
Start with the GH-300 sample questions to see the level. During weeks 2 and 3, practise by domain in the GH-300 question bank and read the explanation for every miss; review the outline with explanations for the domain where you miss most.
In week 4, take 60-question mock exams in 100 minutes with no pauses or lookups, because the real exam is closed book. Book a date once you pass 80% on two mock exams in a row with questions you had not seen. You can start free.
Frequent mistakes
Studying only the features domain because it weighs the most: the four 10-15% domains add up to 50-60% of the exam. Skipping Copilot CLI and administration because you do not use them day to day, when the outline names them explicitly.
Relying on how Copilot worked a year ago: the outline changed in August 2026 and Copilot changes often. The study guide notes that most questions cover generally available features, but preview features can appear if they are commonly used.
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to prepare for GH-300?
About four weeks at 6-8 hours a week if you already code with Copilot. If you have never used it, plan for six weeks.
Is there free official material for GH-300?
Yes. Microsoft Learn has the GitHub Copilot Fundamentals Part 1 and Part 2 learning paths, a practice assessment and an exam sandbox, and GitHub Docs documents every feature.
Is there an official instructor-led course?
Yes, course GH-300T00 on Microsoft Learn, one day long, available instructor-led or self-paced.
Do I need a paid Copilot plan to study?
Not for most of the outline: Copilot Free gives limited access at no cost. Organization policies require Copilot Business or Enterprise, so study that part from the documentation.
Which GH-300 domain weighs the most?
Use GitHub Copilot features, at 25-30%. Next is Use GitHub Copilot responsibly, at 15-20%.