IT certifications with no IT experience
With no IT experience, the exams on this site that assume least are Microsoft’s AZ-900 and SC-900 and AWS’s AIF-C01. None enforces a prerequisite, none requires coding for a pass, and each can be prepared in about four weeks at a few hours a week. The exams to leave until later are the ones whose own pages assume experience, such as Security+, the CCNA and every associate-level exam.
Example profiles, not real people. The scenarios below are illustrative planning examples built from the official exam outline. They are not reviews or reports of anyone’s result.
The decision rule
“No prerequisite” and “no experience needed” are different statements. An exam with no enforced prerequisite can still assume background, and the questions are written for that background. Use this rule: pick an exam only when its own prerequisites page, or its audience profile, describes things you can already explain, and use the exam’s self-check to test that honestly.
| Exam | Enforced prerequisite | What it assumes in practice | Fit with no IT experience |
|---|---|---|---|
| AZ-900 | None | A working idea of servers, DNS, storage and identity | Good, with a week of background first |
| SC-900 | None | Familiarity with Azure and Microsoft 365 at a user level | Good for business or IT-adjacent roles |
| AIF-C01 | None | Some AWS familiarity, no AI background | Reasonable; conceptual, no coding |
| AI-901 | None | Python syntax, REST APIs, Azure resources | Poor unless you can already code |
| N10-009 | None | A+ plus 9 to 12 months of hands-on work recommended | Poor; take background first |
| SY0-801 | None | A security administrator with two years of experience | Poor; Network+ first |
| SEE Part 1 | PTIN to schedule | Basic tax knowledge | Possible, but it is a tax exam, not IT |
The three realistic starting exams
AZ-900. The site’s prerequisites page lists a self-check of five questions: the difference between a server and a virtual machine, why a company keeps a second copy of its data, what DNS does, the difference between signing in and having permission, and why paying monthly might beat buying equipment outright. If two or more are unanswerable, spend a week on general IT fundamentals first. The exam is 45 minutes, passing score 700 out of 1000, and the certification never expires. For a non-technical background the site suggests five or six weeks rather than four.
SC-900. It covers security, compliance and identity concepts and Microsoft’s products in those areas. Weights are 10 to 15 percent for concepts, 25 to 30 for Microsoft Entra, 35 to 40 for security solutions and 20 to 25 for compliance. It also never expires. Microsoft’s audience profile names business stakeholders, new IT professionals and students, so it suits people who sit near IT work, not only those entering it.
AIF-C01. It is a 90-minute exam with 65 questions of which 50 are scored, a passing score of 700 out of 1000 and a price of 100 USD. AWS lists coding, model building and data engineering as out of scope, which is why it works as a conceptual first exam. Credit is all-or-nothing on multiple-response, ordering and matching questions, so read the instructions on each.
What to do about Network+
Network+ is the usual first infrastructure exam, but the site’s own comparison with A+ says that someone entirely new to IT should consider A+ first, because Network+ does not explain what an operating system or a network adapter is. A+ is not covered by a guide on this site, so this page cannot give its content or price. If you want networking as a first goal, build the background in a home lab or a basics course, then use the Network+ study plan, which assumes some IT exposure.
Constraints specific to starting from zero
- Hours. Budget more than the published plan. The AZ-900 plan is four weeks at four to six hours (16 to 24 hours) and the AIF-C01 plan is four weeks at five to seven (20 to 28 hours); the first assumes no cloud experience, the second assumes some AWS familiarity.
- Language. Exams are taken in English or a short list of languages. AZ-900 is offered in 13 languages. AWS lets non-native English speakers request a 30-minute extension once through their certification account, and Microsoft allows 30 extra minutes if your language is not offered. Arrange both before you book.
- Retakes. Microsoft: 24 hours after a first failure, then 14 days between attempts, with at most five attempts in 12 months. AWS: 14 calendar days, no attempt limit, full fee each time. Each retake is paid again.
- Expiry. AZ-900 and SC-900 do not expire. AIF-C01 is valid for three years and is renewed by passing an exam.
- Fast-changing outlines. SC-900 has an outline effective October 21, 2026, and AIF-C01 guide version 1.1 added agentic AI topics in April 2026. Study from the current outline.
A scenario: retail background, no IT job
This is an illustrative planning example, not a report. Take a candidate who manages a shop floor, has used office software but never administered a system, and wants a first IT credential in a few weeks.
Starting point. Comfortable with accounts, permissions at work and monthly subscriptions, which cover the identity and cost ideas in AZ-900. Unsure what DNS or a virtual machine is.
Order. One week of background, then AZ-900. A reasonable planning assumption is five to six weeks at four to six hours a week, roughly 20 to 36 hours in total.
Where the time goes. Architecture and services (35 to 40 percent) is the largest domain, so about 7 to 14 hours of that budget goes there, including storage redundancy names and the resource hierarchy. Cloud concepts (25 to 30 percent) should feel familiar sooner, because it is largely about cost and benefits.
The trap. Memorising service names without the commonly confused pairs, such as availability set versus availability zone. The site’s plan suggests a running two-column list of them.
This plan does not guarantee a pass.
Next steps
When AZ-900 is done, AZ-104 is the associate exam that follows on the Azure route, but only after hands-on practice. If you are changing careers rather than starting from nothing, which IT certification for a career changer gives the rule by destination. For the practical side of weekly study, see studying for an IT certification while working full time, and for what each exam costs, certification costs.