SC-900
SC-900: Security, Compliance, and Identity Fundamentals
Everything for Microsoft exam SC-900: 45 minutes, passing score 700, the four skill areas, a four-week study plan and free sample questions.
- Duration
- 45 min
- Passing score
- 700 / 1000
- Level
- Fundamentals
- Languages
- 13
SC-900, Microsoft Security, Compliance, and Identity Fundamentals, is Microsoft’s entry-level exam on security, compliance and identity. Passing it earns the Microsoft Certified: Security, Compliance, and Identity Fundamentals credential, which shows that you understand the core ideas behind protecting a cloud environment and the Microsoft products that implement them: Microsoft Entra, the Defender products, Microsoft Sentinel and Microsoft Purview.
It is a conceptual exam. You will not configure anything. Questions ask you to match a short scenario to the right concept or product, in 45 minutes. Microsoft’s audience profile names business stakeholders, new or existing IT professionals and students, and expects some familiarity with Azure and Microsoft 365. Fundamentals certifications do not expire.
What the exam covers
| Skill area | Weight |
|---|---|
| Describe the concepts of security, compliance, and identity | 10–15% |
| Describe the capabilities of Microsoft Entra | 25–30% |
| Describe the capabilities of Microsoft security solutions | 35–40% |
| Describe the capabilities of Microsoft compliance solutions | 20–25% |
Security solutions is the biggest area and the broadest: Azure network security, Defender for Cloud, Microsoft Sentinel and the Defender XDR family all live there. Microsoft will publish an updated English outline on October 21, 2026; its change log marks the four skill areas as unchanged in structure, with only minor edits inside the Entra identity-types and Defender XDR sections.
Where to start
Read the exam format for the mechanics. If you are choosing between this and the Azure fundamentals exam, see SC-900 versus AZ-900. The study plan fits in four weeks, the prerequisites page helps if you are new to IT, and the free sample questions show the style before you spend any money.
SC-900 guides
- SC-900 exam format: questions, score and costThe SC-900 format: 45 minutes, passing score 700, 13 languages, delivery, pricing and what the four skill-area weights mean for your revision.
- SC-900 vs AZ-900: which exam first?SC-900 vs AZ-900: which Microsoft fundamentals exam to take first, what each covers, how they overlap and which role-based exam each one leads to.
- SC-900 study plan: pass in 4 weeksA four-week SC-900 study plan: concepts, Microsoft Entra, security solutions, then compliance and review, with a hands-on exercise for every week.
- Free SC-900 sample questions with answersFive free SC-900 practice questions on Zero Trust, Conditional Access, Defender for Cloud, Sentinel and Purview, each with an explained answer.
- SC-900 security, compliance and identity concepts explainedSC-900 concepts explained: shared responsibility, defense in depth, Zero Trust, encryption and hashing, GRC, authentication, authorization and federation.
- SC-900 Microsoft Entra explainedSC-900 Microsoft Entra explained: identity types, hybrid identity, MFA, passwordless, Conditional Access, roles, PIM, ID Protection and access reviews.
- SC-900 Microsoft security solutions explainedSC-900 security solutions explained: Azure DDoS, Firewall, WAF, NSGs, Bastion, Key Vault, Defender for Cloud, Sentinel and the Defender XDR products.
- SC-900 Microsoft compliance solutions explainedSC-900 compliance solutions explained: Service Trust Portal, Compliance Manager, sensitivity labels, DLP, retention, insider risk, eDiscovery and audit.
- SC-900 prerequisites: what you need firstSC-900 has no formal prerequisites. The background that makes it easier: identity basics, networking, Microsoft 365 and Azure familiarity, and how to fill gaps.
- SC-900 exam tips: how to pass first timeSC-900 exam tips: how to tell similar Microsoft products apart, spot the keyword in each scenario, manage 45 minutes and avoid outdated product names.
- Free SC-900 practice test: 20 questionsA free 20-question SC-900 practice test on Zero Trust, Entra, Defender, Sentinel, Purview, DLP and eDiscovery, with explained answers.
- SC-900 study resourcesWhat to study for SC-900: the official study guide and free practice assessment, the Microsoft docs worth reading and how to use a trial tenant.
- SC-900 cheat sheetA one-page SC-900 reference: the four skill areas, which Microsoft product answers each requirement, Zero Trust, Defender products and Purview features.
- Is SC-900 hard? Exam difficulty explainedHow hard SC-900 really is: why the many similar product names matter more than the concepts, and how long beginners and IT staff need to prepare.
- Is SC-900 worth it? Who should take itIs SC-900 worth taking? Who benefits, what it costs in time, what it does not prove and how it leads to SC-200, SC-300 and SC-401.
- SC-900 career: what it leads to for newcomersWhat SC-900 does for a security newcomer: the one role Microsoft tags it with, what it cannot prove, and which exam to take next on the security path.
- SC-900 renewal and retake rulesSC-900 never expires, so there is nothing to renew. The real rules: 24-hour first retake, 14-day gaps, five tries a year, and the Oct 21 2026 update.
- SC-900 study scenarios: three profilesHow to split SC-900 study time for a help desk or sysadmin, a compliance-side business stakeholder and a newcomer, weighted by the four skill areas.