AB-900 renewal and retake rules
AB-900 does not expire and has no renewal assessment, but a failed attempt follows a fixed schedule: 24 hours before the second try, then 14 days between all later tries, with at most five attempts in 12 months. Microsoft states both rules on its own pages: its renewal FAQ says fundamentals certifications “do not expire”, and its retake policy sets the waiting periods. The career page covers where the credential leads.
Why there is nothing to renew
Microsoft’s expiration policy gives each family its own rule. Associate, expert and specialty certifications last one year and can be renewed free of charge in the six months before expiry through an unproctored, open-book assessment on Microsoft Learn. Fundamentals certifications, which include Microsoft 365 Certified: Copilot and Agent Administration Fundamentals, are in a separate bucket that does not expire. The AB-900 study guide repeats the associate rule in its “useful links” table, which is the only renewal text in the exam’s own study materials.
So there is no six-month window, no yearly reminder email and no lapsed state to recover from. The same is true of every other Microsoft fundamentals credential. The difference shows up when you add an associate exam on top: that one needs renewing every year, while AB-900 stays as it is.
The retake schedule, attempt by attempt
| Attempt | Earliest date | Source rule |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Booked date | none |
| 2 | 24 hours after attempt 1 | “you must wait 24 hours” |
| 3 to 5 | 14 days after the previous attempt | “14-day waiting period … between all subsequent attempts (up to 5)” |
| 6 | 12 months after the first attempt | five attempts per 12 months from the first attempt |
Each retake is paid for again, “if applicable”. The price depends on the country or region where the exam is proctored, as the certification page says. That page also links an Exam Replay offer; its terms were not checked for this guide, so read them before relying on it.
One consequence of the 14-day rule: five attempts cannot be squeezed into a month. Five attempts back to back take at least 6 weeks: day 0, day 1, then 14 days apart. Treat the fourth and fifth attempts as a signal to rebuild your preparation with the study plan rather than to book again.
Can the waiting period be waived?
Only in one case. Microsoft grants a waiver if you had internet connectivity problems or equipment failure during the exam and a Pearson VUE case was created; the request must quote the case number. “Waivers will not be granted for any other reason.” If you test through Certiport as a student or educator, the policy page does not say whether the process differs, so ask Certiport.
Passed it already? You cannot sit it again
The same policy says you “cannot retake an exam you’ve passed unless your Certification has expired”. For AB-900 that means a pass is final: a fundamentals certification never expires, so there is no route to improve a score, and the October update does not give holders a reason to resit. Microsoft does not publish a rule that lets a holder re-earn the credential against the updated outline.
The October 14, 2026 update and what it means for holders
The English exam changes on October 14, 2026. The change log in the study guide marks the audience profile and the core features group as unchanged and the core security features objective as a minor change. Localised exams follow about eight weeks later. Microsoft does not publish any consequence for people who passed an earlier version; the credential is simply the one you earned. Because the 14-day gaps run on a fixed clock, a candidate in the middle of a retake sequence can cross the update date between attempts, so check which outline the booked date falls under.
What if the credential is retired one day?
Microsoft reserves the right to retire exams and certifications at any time. Its expiration policy says a retired credential stays in the Active section of your transcript until it expires or, for credentials with no expiry date, for two years after retirement. The retired MS-900 shows how this reads in practice; the AB-900 vs MS-900 page discusses what holders should do. For anything you want to keep, download the certificate and record the credential ID while it is active.
Extra 30 minutes and other AB-900 accommodations
If the exam is not offered in your preferred language, you can ask for an extra 30 minutes. Other accommodations go through Microsoft’s request process, which should be started before booking. The exam format guide has the details of the exam, and the exam changes page tracks outline updates across vendors.