DP-750 exam format: questions, score and cost

DP-750 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 it means for your preparation.

The four domains

Prepare and process data and Deploy and maintain pipelines can together make up 60–70% of the exam. Both are broad. The first covers data modelling choices, six different ingestion routes, transformation, and data quality constraints. The second covers pipeline design, Lakeflow Jobs, Git and testing, bundle deployment, and a long monitoring and troubleshooting section that includes the Spark UI, query profile, OPTIMIZE and VACUUM, and Azure Monitor.

The two smaller domains are not safe to skip. Compute selection and Unity Catalog object creation are tested in the first, and privileges, row filters, column masks, attribute-based access control and Delta Sharing (now called OpenSharing) in the second. At 15–20% each they still account for dozens of marks across the exam.

The October 19, 2026 update

Microsoft’s study guide lists skills measured as of October 19, 2026, and the certification page says the English version is updated on that date. The change log marks the audience profile, the Prepare and process data domain and the Deploy and maintain domain as unchanged at the top level. Two sub-sections are marked as “minor” changes: Design and implement data modeling in Unity Catalog, and Implement development lifecycle processes in Azure Databricks. The Setup and Secure domains are not listed as changed.

So material written for the earlier outline is mostly still valid. Check it against the current study guide objective by objective, particularly for clustering strategy, table formats and bundles. Microsoft now calls the deployment packaging feature Declarative Automation Bundles; older Databricks material uses the name Databricks Asset Bundles.

Localised versions follow the English version by roughly eight weeks, so a non-English exam taken shortly after an update may reflect the previous outline.

Practice assessment and sandbox

Microsoft provides a practice assessment for this certification. It now sits on AI Skills Navigator and requires you to sign in. The exam sandbox shows the interface and question types without testing content.

Question types

Microsoft says the exam may include interactive components. Expect single and multiple-answer multiple choice, drag-and-drop ordering of pipeline steps, dropdown completion of SQL or Python snippets, and scenario sets. Because the outline lists SQL, Python, Git and the Databricks CLI, plan to read code, such as a MERGE statement, a Structured Streaming read, or a bundle deploy command, and decide what it does or what is missing.

The passing score is scaled

700 of 1000 is not 70% correct. Microsoft scales scores and does not publish the conversion. Aim for a consistent 80% or more on realistic practice material.

Time management

120 minutes is generous for a Microsoft associate exam, which hints that scenarios and code snippets are long. Read the requirement sentence first, then the code. Do not spend more than a couple of minutes on one item.

Preview features

Microsoft states that most questions cover generally available features, but that preview features may appear if they are commonly used. Databricks changes quickly and renames products, so rely on current documentation rather than old blog posts.

Retakes and renewal

If you fail, you can retake after 24 hours; later attempts need 14 days between them, with at most five attempts in 12 months, under Microsoft’s retake policy. The certification is valid for 12 months and renews through a free online assessment on Microsoft Learn. For comparison of exam costs across vendors see certification costs, and for the day itself see the exam day guide.