AZ-900
AZ-900: Microsoft Azure Fundamentals
Everything you need for Microsoft exam AZ-900: 45 minutes, passing score 700, the three skill areas, a four-week study plan and free sample questions.
- Duration
- 45 min
- Passing score
- 700 / 1000
- Level
- Fundamentals
- Expires
- Never
AZ-900, Microsoft Azure Fundamentals, is Microsoft’s entry-level cloud exam. Passing it earns the Microsoft Certified: Azure Fundamentals credential, which shows that you can explain what the cloud is, what the core Azure services do, and how Azure is secured, governed and paid for. Microsoft calls it “a common starting point in a journey towards a career in Azure”.
It is a conceptual exam. You will not deploy anything or write code. The questions ask you to recognise the right service, model or tool for a short scenario, and the time limit is only 45 minutes. Unlike associate and expert certifications, fundamentals certifications do not expire, so you never need to renew it.
What the exam covers
| Skill area | Weight |
|---|---|
| Describe cloud concepts | 25–30% |
| Describe Azure architecture and services | 35–40% |
| Describe Azure management and governance | 30–35% |
Architecture and services is the largest area and the broadest: regions and availability zones, compute, networking, storage, and identity and security all sit inside it. The outline was last revised on July 20, 2026, with minor changes to compute and networking, management tools and monitoring.
Where to start
Read the exam format for the mechanics, then check the prerequisites if you are new to IT. The study plan fits in four weeks at a few hours a week, and the free sample questions show you the style before you spend any money.
AZ-900 guides
- AZ-900 exam format: questions, score and costThe AZ-900 format: 45 minutes, passing score 700, 13 languages, question types, pricing, retakes and why the certification never expires.
- AZ-900 vs AI-901: which to take first?AZ-900 or AI-901? How Microsoft's cloud and AI fundamentals exams differ in scope, hands-on depth and audience, and which order makes sense.
- AZ-900 study plan: pass in 4 weeksA four-week AZ-900 study plan: cloud concepts, Azure architecture, core services and identity, then cost, governance and monitoring, with a task per week.
- Free AZ-900 sample questions with answersFive free AZ-900 practice questions on shared responsibility, availability zones, storage redundancy, Azure Policy and cost, each with an explained answer.
- AZ-900 cloud concepts explainedThe AZ-900 cloud concepts domain explained: shared responsibility, public, private and hybrid cloud, pricing models, serverless and IaaS, PaaS and SaaS.
- AZ-900 architecture and services explainedThe largest AZ-900 domain explained: regions and zones, the resource hierarchy, compute and networking, storage redundancy, and identity and security.
- AZ-900 management and governance explainedThe AZ-900 management and governance domain explained: cost factors, the pricing calculator, tags, Purview, Azure Policy, locks, ARM, Arc and monitoring.
- Is AZ-900 hard? Exam difficulty explainedHow hard AZ-900 really is: why breadth, look-alike services and a 45-minute clock trip people up more than depth, and who should expect to struggle.
- AZ-900 prerequisites: what you need firstAZ-900 has no formal prerequisites. The background knowledge that makes it easier — networking, storage, identity basics — and how to close the gaps.
- Is AZ-900 worth it? Who should take itIs AZ-900 worth taking? Who benefits from Azure Fundamentals, what it costs, what it proves, and when your time is better spent on an associate exam.
- Free AZ-900 practice test: 20 questionsA free 20-question AZ-900 practice test on cloud concepts, Azure architecture, storage, identity, cost, governance and monitoring, with explained answers.
- AZ-900 study resourcesWhat to study for AZ-900: the official outline, Microsoft Learn paths and practice assessment, a free Azure account, and what outdated material to avoid.
- AZ-900 cheat sheetA one-page AZ-900 reference: the three skill areas, shared responsibility, storage redundancy, requirement-to-service mapping and the look-alike tools.