Guide
How to pass AZ-900 Azure Fundamentals
A focused two-week route through cloud concepts, core Azure services, governance, and exam-day tactics.
The exam
What is AZ-900, and who is it for?
AZ-900 earns the Microsoft Certified: Azure Fundamentals credential, the entry point to every Azure certification path.
- Unlike the exams above it, it doesn't expect you to have touched the Azure portal, let alone written a line of CLI or PowerShell.
- It's unusual among IT certifications: account managers, sales engineers, project managers, and finance partners sit it too, to speak the same language as the engineers around them.
- It's also the standard first step for anyone genuinely new to cloud computing who wants proof of the basics before committing to a harder, hands-on exam such as AZ-104.
- It tests whether you can describe things, not configure them — the shared responsibility model, the right Azure service for a scenario, cost, governance, and security at a conceptual level.
- Microsoft updated the skills outline on 14 January 2026, so anchor your study to the current version rather than an older syllabus you find online.
Before you start
Do you actually need AZ-900?
AZ-900 is not a formal prerequisite for any other Microsoft certification, including AZ-104, so the real question is not "can I skip it" but "will it help me."
- It helps if cloud computing is genuinely new to you and you want a low-stakes way to confirm this is the right direction before an Associate-level exam.
- It helps if you work in a non-technical role where the certification itself is the point, or a job advert or Microsoft Partner Network requirement specifically lists it.
- In either case, it's a worthwhile week or two of study that never expires.
- It's safe to skip if you already administer Azure hands-on and can already explain a resource group, a region pair, and the difference between a virtual network and a virtual machine without looking anything up — go straight to AZ-104.
- Not sure which describes you? The which Microsoft certification first guide walks through the decision.
Format & domains
Exam format and skills domains
AZ-900 is entirely multiple choice — no drag-and-drop ordering, no hotspot clicks, no case studies. That alone makes it more approachable than the exams above it. The trade-off is that questions can still be worded precisely, so read each one carefully rather than pattern-matching on keywords.
- QuestionsTypically 35–50; varies
- Duration45 minutes (65-minute seat)
- Pass score700 / 1000 (scaled)
- DeliveryOnline or a test centre
- ValidityNever expires (Fundamentals)
- FeeVaries by country
The exam fee changes from country to country and Microsoft occasionally runs free-voucher promotions around events such as Microsoft Build, so check Microsoft's certification page for the current price where you live. The three skills domains and their weights, from the official January 2026 outline, are below.
| Domain | Weight |
|---|---|
| Describe cloud concepts | 25–30% |
| Describe Azure architecture and services | 35–40% |
| Describe Azure management and governance | 30–35% |
There is no dedicated networking or compute domain the way there is on AZ-104 — those topics sit inside "Azure architecture and services" alongside identity and storage, which is why that domain carries the heaviest weight. Cloud concepts is smallest, but it underpins the vocabulary the other two rely on, so do not skim it.
Three-week study plan
A realistic three-week study plan
Most candidates with some general IT background pass after one to two weeks of focused study. If cloud computing is genuinely new to you, three to four weeks is more realistic. The plan below spreads three weeks across the three domains in order of weight, with the final days set aside for simulation.
-
Cloud concepts
Small in weight, but it's the vocabulary the other two domains are written in terms of, so don't rush it.
- Shared responsibility model; public, private, and hybrid cloud.
- Consumption-based pricing and serverless computing.
- The three service models — IaaS, PaaS, SaaS — with a real example of each.
-
Azure architecture and services
The largest domain, so it gets a full week: almost every later question assumes you already know this hierarchy.
- Regions, region pairs, availability zones, resource groups, subscriptions, management groups.
- Compute and networking: VMs, scale sets, containers, Functions, virtual networks, public versus private endpoints.
- Storage tiers, then identity and security: Entra ID, MFA, Conditional Access, RBAC, Zero Trust, defence-in-depth.
-
Management, governance, and exam simulation
Cover the last domain, then spend the closing days proving you're ready.
- Cost management, the pricing calculator, Azure Policy, resource locks.
- Portal versus Cloud Shell versus CLI; Azure Advisor, Service Health, Azure Monitor.
- Run Focus Weak Spots daily, then sit two full-length timed practice exams.
Where people lose marks
The hardest AZ-900 topics
AZ-900 is conceptual, so nothing on it is unfair, but a handful of areas trip up beginners in particular because the wording is subtle rather than the underlying idea being difficult. Give these extra attention.
Service model boundaries (IaaS, PaaS, SaaS)
- Beginners can name the three models but stumble on who is responsible for what inside each one — the OS, the hardware, the data.
- Practise classifying a workload as IaaS, PaaS, or SaaS, then say out loud who patches, who manages, and who protects it.
Regions, availability zones, and region pairs
- These three terms sound alike, and confusing them is the single most common beginner mistake on this exam.
- Fix the distinction: a region is a geographic area, an availability zone protects against local failure inside one, a region pair is two regions used together for disaster recovery.
Identity and access terms
- Entra ID, MFA, Conditional Access, and RBAC live in the same domain and blur together in memory.
- Separate what each controls: Entra ID is the identity store, MFA proves who you are, Conditional Access decides when extra proof is needed, RBAC decides what a verified identity can do.
Governance tools: Policy, locks, and Purview
- Questions describe a requirement and expect the one tool built for that job, not a plausible-sounding alternative.
- Know that Azure Policy enforces configuration rules, a resource lock blocks deletion or change, and Microsoft Purview catalogues data across the organisation.
Pricing and cost management factors
- Two cost tools get swapped for each other, and that mix-up costs a mark that should be free.
- Remember the pricing calculator estimates cost before you deploy, while Azure Cost Management analyses and controls spend on what you already have.
How to practise
Practise the way the exam works
A course video leaves you able to recognise the right answer without being able to produce it, and AZ-900 asks you to produce it against the clock.
- Retrieval practice: commit to an answer from memory before the explanation appears — pulling the fact back is what makes it stick.
- Spaced repetition: return to each topic a few days after first studying it, so details such as region pairs stay familiar as exam day approaches.
- Full-length, timed simulation: 45 minutes for 40 to 60 questions is roughly a minute each, comfortable if you keep moving — but the only way to know you can sustain that pace is to try it under the clock.
- Sit at least one full run before you book the real exam.
Retrieval practice, built in
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What's next after AZ-900?
AZ-900 does not lead anywhere by itself in career terms, and that is fine — its job is to confirm the conceptual map is in place.
- For most people who work with technology, the natural next step is AZ-104 (Microsoft Azure Administrator), the hands-on Associate exam most "Azure Administrator" adverts actually ask for.
- It's a genuine step up: where AZ-900 asks you to describe a virtual network, AZ-104 asks you to configure one, read a Bicep template, and predict what an Azure CLI command does.
- Give yourself a real gap between the two — most people spend four to eight weeks on AZ-104 after passing AZ-900, not a weekend. The how to pass AZ-104 guide has its own domains and a six-week plan.
- Interested in security or data instead? AZ-900 feeds the Security Engineer Associate path (via AZ-104 then AZ-500) as readily as it feeds AZ-104 alone — the which Microsoft certification first guide compares the starting points.
Frequently asked
AZ-900 FAQs
Is AZ-900 hard for a complete beginner?
It's the easiest Microsoft certification, but not trivial if cloud is genuinely new to you. It's entirely conceptual — no CLI, no hands-on configuration — but expects precise recall of terms like region pairs and the shared responsibility model. Some IT background: one to two weeks. Complete beginners: three to four.
Do I need AZ-900 before other Azure certifications?
No, it's not a formal prerequisite anywhere, including AZ-104. It's optional but worthwhile with under six months of hands-on Azure experience, since it builds the conceptual map every higher-level exam assumes. Already working with Azure day to day? Skip straight to an Associate exam.
Is AZ-900 worth it if I am not a developer or engineer?
Yes — that's exactly who it's for. Account managers, project managers, sales engineers, and finance partners sit AZ-900 for Microsoft Partner Network roles or to speak the same language as the engineers around them. It never expects a script, just plain-terms explanations of ideas like consumption-based pricing.
What is the passing score for AZ-900?
700 out of 1000. The score is scaled rather than a simple percentage, so it doesn't map to a fixed number of right answers. Treat 700 as a comfortable floor to clear, not a target to scrape past.
Does the AZ-900 certification expire?
No. Fundamentals-level certifications don't expire, so once you pass it's yours permanently. That's different from Associate and Expert certifications such as AZ-104, which need a free annual renewal assessment on Microsoft Learn.
How much does AZ-900 cost and can I retake it if I fail?
Fees change by country — check Microsoft's exam page for what it costs where you live. If you don't pass:
- First retake: after a 24-hour wait.
- Second and third retakes: 14 days apart each.
- Maximum five sittings per rolling 12 months, each a fresh booking.
Ready to start on AZ-900?
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