AB-100 vs AB-620: architect or builder?
Take AB-620 if you build agents in Copilot Studio, and AB-100 if you decide how agents are used across a business. AB-620 is an associate-level builder exam; AB-100 is an expert-level architect exam. They are also connected: AB-620 is one of the associate certifications Microsoft accepts as the required prerequisite for the AB-100 credential. For many people they are two steps of one route, not alternatives.
Side by side
| AB-100 | AB-620 | |
|---|---|---|
| Certification | Agentic AI Business Solutions Architect Expert | AI Agent Builder Associate |
| Level | Expert | Associate |
| Main verb | Plan, design, govern | Configure, integrate, test |
| Domains | Plan 25–30%, Design 25–30%, Deploy 40–45% | Plan and configure 30–35%, Integrate and extend 40–45%, Test and manage 20–25% |
| Platforms | Copilot Studio, Microsoft 365 Copilot, Microsoft Foundry, Dynamics 365, Power Platform | Copilot Studio with Power Platform and Foundry |
| Typical question | Which approach fits this business constraint? | How do you configure this agent to meet this requirement? |
| Needs another certification | Yes, one qualifying associate certification | No |
How the content differs
AB-620 goes deep on one tool. It covers topics, knowledge sources, connectors, MCP tools, computer use and Power Platform ALM inside Copilot Studio. You are expected to know how it is done.
AB-100 goes wide across the estate. It asks when to build a custom agent and when to extend Microsoft 365 Copilot, whether a custom model is justified, how to calculate ROI and total cost of ownership, how to design agents into Dynamics 365 finance, supply chain, sales and service apps, and how to set security, governance, responsible AI and audit trails.
Shared ground. Both use MCP and A2A, both mention monitoring and ALM, and both assume you know what an agent, a knowledge source and a tool are. Someone who has passed AB-620 will find the vocabulary of AB-100 familiar, but the questions ask for judgement across more products.
Which one first
- Builders and Power Platform developers: start with AB-620. It gives you hands-on knowledge, satisfies the prerequisite, and makes the AB-100 integration and ALM topics concrete.
- Dynamics 365 consultants: you may already hold a qualifying associate certification. You can go straight to AB-100, but fill your Copilot Studio and Foundry gaps first.
- Python and Azure developers: AI-103 is the other associate route that qualifies. It leads to the same AB-100 credential.
- New to Microsoft AI: neither. Look at AB-900 for admin-level fundamentals first.
Cost of doing both
You will pay for two exams, set per country or region. See certification costs. If you only want to build, AB-620 is enough. If your role is advising, scoping and governing, AB-100 is the credential that matches, and the extra exam is the price of the prerequisite.
The decision in one line
If your job is to make the agent work, take AB-620. If your job is to decide whether, where and how agents should be deployed, and to be accountable for the result, take AB-100. Read prerequisites for how the two connect.