AI-200 exam format: questions, score and cost

AI-200 gives you 120 minutes, requires a scaled score of 700 out of 1000 to pass, and is priced per country at the booking step. Microsoft does not publish the number of questions. Here is everything else it publishes, and what matters for preparation.

The four domains

The spread is fairly flat. The data domain is the only one that can reach 30%, and it is also the one with the most sub-objectives: Cosmos DB for NoSQL, Azure Database for PostgreSQL and Azure Managed Redis each get their own section. If you only have time to go deep on one area, go deep there.

The other three domains are roughly a quarter each. None is small enough to skip.

No practice assessment yet

Microsoft’s certification page says the free practice assessment for this exam “is not currently available”, and that these usually appear within eight weeks of an exam leaving beta. Until it arrives, the skills outline is the most reliable document you have. Much of the material online was written for AZ-204 and covers topics that have been dropped, such as Blob Storage lifecycle management and API Management, while missing the vector search content entirely.

The exam sandbox is available and worth ten minutes. It shows the interface and question types without testing any content.

Question types

Expect the usual Microsoft mix:

• Single-answer and multiple-answer multiple choice
• Drag-and-drop ordering, for example the steps to build an image with ACR Tasks and deploy it
• Dropdown completion of code or command snippets
• Yes/no statement series about one scenario, where you usually cannot go back once answered
• Case studies with several questions sharing one long scenario

Microsoft notes the exam “may have interactive components”. Code-completion questions are where AI-200 differs most from a pure architecture exam: you are expected to recognise the right SDK call, KQL operator or manifest field, not just the right service.

Python is the named language

The audience profile lists Python programming explicitly, alongside Azure SDKs, data management, monitoring, messaging, vector databases and containers. Expect code snippets in Python. You do not need to write code from scratch in the exam, but you do need to read it quickly and spot what is missing.

The passing score is scaled

700 of 1000 is not 70% correct. Microsoft scales scores and weights questions differently, and does not publish the conversion. Aim for a consistent 80% or more on realistic practice material rather than trying to work out a margin.

Preview features

Most questions cover generally available features, but Microsoft states that preview features may appear if they are commonly used. That matters here because vector search in Cosmos DB, DiskANN indexing and Azure Managed Redis are all recent. Read the current documentation, not a blog post from a year ago.

Languages and extra time

AI-200 is offered in 13 languages, more than AZ-204 was. Localised versions are updated roughly eight weeks after the English version, so if Microsoft revises the outline, the English exam changes first. If the exam is not available in your preferred language, you can request an additional 30 minutes. Arrange that before you book.

Retakes and renewal

If you fail, you can retake after 24 hours. Later retakes carry longer waiting periods under Microsoft’s retake policy. Once you pass, the certification is valid for one year and renews through a free online assessment on Microsoft Learn.

For what to do on the day itself, see the exam day guide.