Level 3 exam — Microsoft Power BI

Exam — fresh questions

12 questions to validate advanced analysis with Zineb, a management controller in Algiers: CALCULATE and variables, time intelligence, slicers and interactions, bookmarks and buttons, then tooltips and drill-through.
Answer everything, then click Check: your score and explanations will appear.

3.1 · Recall

1. What does CALCULATE do relative to a measure?

It replaces the filter context to evaluate its expression It adds a calculated column to the model It formats the number displayed in the visual It publishes the report to the Service

CALCULATE modifies the filter context: it is the entry point for conditional, comparative and cumulative calculations.

3.1 · Application

2. "CALCULATE([Total Sales]; Sales[City] = "Oran")": what does Zineb's measure calculate?

The total sales, all cities combined The sales of the city of Oran, whatever the active filter The sales of all cities except Oran The number of cities in the model

The filter placed in CALCULATE overrides the context: you get the sales of Oran, even if the page is not filtered on that city.

3.1 · Arbitration

3. Zineb writes a complex measure. Why prefer VAR / RETURN?

To go faster than the calculation written on a single line To publish the report more easily To name and reuse intermediate steps and make the formula readable To change the visual's colour

VAR stores an intermediate result calculated once, RETURN returns it: the formula is more readable, faster and safer to maintain.

3.2 · Recall

4. What is TOTALYTD for in a sales measure?

To compare two columns with each other To remove duplicates from a table To reset the page's filters To cumulate the year from 1 January to the current date

TOTALYTD cumulates the year to date (year-to-date): it is the "running total since the start of the year" of dashboards.

3.2 · Application

5. Zineb wants to compare June's sales with last year's. What does she combine?

CALCULATE with SAMEPERIODLASTYEAR DIVIDE with DATESINPERIOD SUM with ALL DISTINCTCOUNT alone

CALCULATE shifts the context one year back via SAMEPERIODLASTYEAR: you display the current year and last year side by side.

3.2 · Arbitration

6. Zineb wants a "running total from the start", but her fiscal year begins in July. What does she do?

She uses TOTALYTD without thinking about it She adapts the running total to the fiscal year (date boundaries) instead of 1 January She deletes the calendar table She converts the amounts into euros

TOTALYTD cumulates from 1 January: for a shifted fiscal year, the date boundaries are reset to the start of the fiscal year.

3.3 · Application

7. Zineb wants the "Total sales" card to ignore clicks on the histogram. What does she set?

A page filter in the Filters pane Syncing slicers between pages Format → Edit interactions → None Conditional formatting on the card

"None" cuts the filter link between the histogram and the card: the KPI stays global when exploring the bars.

3.3 · Arbitration

8. A filter that the reader must not be able to modify: where to place it?

As a clearly visible slicer on the page Duplicated on each visual In the report title In the Filters pane, locked or hidden

Slicers are for the user, the Filters pane for the author: a page filter can act behind the scenes without being modifiable.

3.4 · Application

9. How does Zineb build a "Reset filters" button?

An "Initial state" bookmark + a button whose action points to that bookmark A date slicer placed at the top of the page A DAX reset measure A page filter excluding filters

The bookmark captures the neutral state; the button recalls it in one click (test with Ctrl + click in Desktop).

3.4 · Arbitration

10. One of Zineb's bookmarks reapplies unwanted old filters. What is the fix?

Delete it permanently Right-click → uncheck "Data" (or Update after correction) Change the page format Rename the bookmark

The bookmark had captured Data: unchecking "Data" limits it to display, or "Update" recaptures the right state.

3.5 · Application

11. To display a detail page on hovering a visual, Zineb sets the target page to…?

Drilled Normal page Tooltip Hidden

Page format → Tooltip, then you designate it as a tooltip on the visual: the detail appears on hover.

3.5 · Application

12. Zineb's right-click → Drill through shows no destination. Probable cause?

The model is too large The report is not yet published The visual's colours are poorly chosen The "Drill through" well field is empty on the target page

Without a field in the target page's "Drill through" well, drill-through stays silent.

What's next?

Score ≥ 80%: you master advanced analysis — move on with a complete project mixing CALCULATE, time intelligence and bookmark navigation.
Score between 50% and 80%: go back over the section(s) you failed (3.1 CALCULATE, 3.2 time intelligence, 3.3 slicers, 3.4 bookmarks, 3.5 drill-through), reread the course, then retake the test.
Score < 50%: reread the whole level 3 while applying each 48h challenge (CALCULATE measure, YTD running total, filters page, bookmark reset, drill-through page) before trying again.
And after? Keep Zineb's five copy-paste templates: they are the building blocks of a genuinely professional Power BI report.