Study guide · Exam overview
The format, passing score, and three content domains of Microsoft Certified: Azure Fundamentals, plus the ideas worth learning before you book AZ-900.
Exam version notice: This overview follows the Microsoft study guide for Exam AZ-900, skills measured as of July 20, 2026. That guide lists three domains. The certification page gives you 45 minutes and requires a score of 700 or greater. Pricing, languages, and delivery options can change. Confirm them on the Microsoft certification site before you register. Items tagged Extra are useful context that the study guide does not name as a measured skill. Vendor-neutral cloud models are in the networking and cloud notes.
Microsoft Certified: Azure Fundamentals is the starting Azure certification. It checks whether you can describe cloud concepts, Azure's architectural pieces, and the features used to secure, govern, and administer Azure. It is not a role-based exam. You are not asked to design a production architecture or to click through a deployment wizard from memory.
Microsoft describes the candidate as a technology professional who wants to demonstrate foundational knowledge of cloud concepts and of Azure. The expected background is experience in an area of IT, such as infrastructure management, database management, or software development. You may be eligible for ACE college credit if you pass. Check the current offer with Microsoft.
Figures below come from the AZ-900 certification page and the study guide reviewed in October 2026.
| Specification | AZ-900 |
|---|---|
| Level | Beginner. There is no required prerequisite certification. Microsoft calls the credential Azure Fundamentals. |
| Length of test | 45 minutes to complete the assessment. The exam is proctored and may include interactive components. |
| Number of questions | Microsoft does not publish a fixed count on the certification page. Do not treat a practice length as the live exam length. |
| Passing score | 700 or greater on a scale of 1 to 1,000. A scaled score is not the percentage of questions you answered correctly. |
| Recommended experience | Foundational cloud and Azure knowledge, with experience in infrastructure, databases, or software development. |
| Exam price | Price depends on the country or region where the exam is proctored. Confirm the current fee when you schedule. |
| Validity | Microsoft fundamentals certifications do not expire. Confirm the current expiration policy with Microsoft. |
| Delivery | Schedule through Pearson VUE. Students and educators can schedule through Certiport. |
A blank answer earns no credit. Microsoft exams do not subtract extra points for a wrong answer, so answer every question. If the exam is not offered in your preferred language, you can request an additional 30 minutes. Request accommodations before you sit if you need them.
These ranges are the share of scored content in the study guide dated July 20, 2026. The 200 practice questions use the midpoint of each range: 28%, 38%, and 34%.
The vocabulary that is true of any cloud, before the Azure product names.
The largest domain. Match a need to an Azure concept, not a slogan to a logo.
How you estimate a bill, restrict a deployment, and notice that something changed.
The study guide names concepts more often than product SKUs. Learn the named items first. The same map is in the core notes and flashcards.
| Need | Concept to recognize | Remember |
|---|---|---|
| A virtual server you patch | Azure Virtual Machines | IaaS. You still choose a size, a disk, and a virtual network. |
| Many identical VMs | Virtual Machine Scale Sets | Scale out. An availability set is a fault and update grouping, not a scale feature. |
| A web app without managing the OS | Azure App Service | PaaS hosting. Azure Functions is the serverless, event-driven option. |
| Private network in one region | Azure Virtual Network | Subnets divide it. Peering connects two virtual networks over the Microsoft backbone. |
| Private link to a company site | ExpressRoute | A provider circuit, not the public internet. VPN Gateway encrypts a tunnel over the internet. |
| Unstructured objects | Blob storage | Hot, cool, cold, and archive are access tiers. Files, queues, tables, and disks are other storage types. |
| Cloud identity | Microsoft Entra ID | Users, groups, and apps. Entra Domain Services is the managed domain-join option. |
| Who can do what | Azure RBAC | A role at a scope. Azure Policy controls what resources are allowed to exist. |
| Estimate a bill | Pricing calculator | A forecast before you deploy. Cost Management reviews spend you already have. |
| Repeat a deployment | ARM templates | Infrastructure as code for Azure Resource Manager. The portal is the interactive path. |
| Extra Secrets and keys | Azure Key Vault | Not named in the July 20, 2026 skill list. Do not treat it as a required objective. |
Microsoft says the exam may include interactive components and points you to an exam sandbox so you can try the interface before you sit. This site's practice questions use multiple choice, multiple response, matching, and ordering. Matching and ordering are extra practice for the distinctions in the study guide. They are not a claim about the live item mix.
A typical stem asks which concept fits a constraint: who manages the operating system, whether traffic should stay off the public internet, or which tool stops a noncompliant deployment. Distractors are nearby Azure features that solve a different problem. Azure Policy is not Azure RBAC. ExpressRoute is not a VPN. A resource lock is not a tag.
There is no published extra penalty for a wrong guess. A blank answer earns nothing. On a timed practice exam, answer every item, then use the review to see which domain actually needs work.
A practical sequence if product names still blur together.
Say how public, private, and hybrid differ, and place one example on IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS. Then say who patches the operating system in each case.
Management group, subscription, resource group, resource. Then separate a region, a region pair, an availability zone, and an availability set.
Virtual machine, scale set, web app, function. VPN Gateway versus ExpressRoute. Blob versus Files, and LRS versus GRS.
Entra ID authenticates. RBAC authorizes. Policy and locks restrict what can exist or be deleted. Tags organize cost. They do not grant permission.
Use the four decks until you can answer before the card flips. Revisit misses the next day.
Work through original questions, review every explanation, and return to the notes on domains below 75 percent. Aim for a steady 85 percent before you book. Use 45 minutes as the pace of the live exam.
The overview, core notes, flashcards, and practice exams are all published.
Exam format, the 700 passing score, domain weights, and a study plan.
Reference notes for models, architecture, services, identity, cost, and monitoring.
40 recall cards in four decks, plus memory notes for models, services, and governance.
200 original questions with custom exams, explanations, and a score report by domain.
A score of 700 or greater is required to pass. Microsoft reports scores on a scale of 1 to 1,000. A scaled score is not the percentage of questions you answered correctly.
Microsoft gives you 45 minutes to complete the assessment. The exam may include interactive components. Microsoft does not publish a fixed question count on the certification page.
The study guide dated July 20, 2026 measures three areas: cloud concepts (25–30%), Azure architecture and services (35–40%), and Azure management and governance (30–35%).
There is no required prerequisite certification. Microsoft describes the candidate as a technology professional who can describe cloud concepts and Azure services, with experience in an area of IT such as infrastructure, databases, or software development.
Microsoft fundamentals certifications do not expire. Confirm the current policy on the Microsoft credential expiration page before you rely on it.
No. The practice questions on this site are original. They are not Microsoft exam items, and a practice score does not predict a result.
Service names and prices change. The July 20, 2026 update made minor edits to compute and networking, deployment tools, and monitoring. Use the current Microsoft study guide as the authority when it differs from these notes.
Useful companions while you study.
Generate strong random passwords with custom length, characters, symbols, and security options.
Convert structured data between JSON and YAML with formatting and validation.
Encode text and files to Base64 or decode Base64 data with UTF-8 support.
Compare two text blocks and highlight added, removed, and changed content.
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