PrepMicrosoft Certified: Azure AI Fundamentals (exam AI-901, replaced AI-900)
Azure AI Fundamentals is Microsoft's entry-level AI certification. The AI-900 exam was retired on June 30, 2026 and replaced by AI-901, which tests core AI concepts and responsible AI plus hands-on basics of building AI apps and agents with Microsoft Foundry. It is a 45-minute exam with no prerequisites, and the certification does not expire.
Who it is for
- People starting a career in AI solution development on Azure
- Developers with basic Python who want a first Microsoft AI credential
- IT professionals and students who want to understand generative AI, agents, speech, vision and information extraction on Azure
- Earlier AI-900 candidates who need to move to the new AI-901 exam
The exam at a glance
| AI-901 | |
|---|---|
| Exam | Exam AI-901: Microsoft Azure AI Fundamentals (skills measured as of April 15, 2026; replaced AI-900, retired June 30, 2026) |
| Questions | Not published for AI-901; Microsoft says most of its exams have 40-60 questions |
| Time | 45 min |
| Format | Proctored Microsoft certification exam; Microsoft does not disclose question types in advance (an exam sandbox shows the possible types). Seat time 65 minutes. Microsoft Learn is not available during Fundamentals exams. Offered in English, Arabic (Saudi Arabia), Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), French, German, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese (Brazil), Russian and Spanish. |
| Passing | 700 or greater (scaled score). |
| Price | Varies by the country or region where the exam is proctored, excluding taxes. Microsoft does not show a fixed price on the exam page; the US price is in unverified. |
| Prerequisites | None. Microsoft expects conceptual knowledge of AI solutions in Azure, knowledge of Python syntax and programming techniques, and familiarity with Azure resources. |
| Validity | Fundamentals certifications do not expire. Existing AI-900 holders keep the Azure AI Fundamentals certification, because retirement does not revoke certifications already earned. |
Checked against the official Microsoft pages on 2026-11-07: learn.microsoft.com, learn.microsoft.com, learn.microsoft.com, learn.microsoft.com, techcommunity.microsoft.com, learn.microsoft.com, learn.microsoft.com. Exam details change; confirm on the issuer's site before you book. Some details could only be confirmed from secondary sources and are marked for re-checking.
Exam domains
AI-901
| Domain | Weight |
|---|---|
| Identify AI concepts and capabilities | 40-45% |
| Implement AI solutions by using Microsoft Foundry | 55-60% |
How to prepare
- Read the AI-901 study guide and note the April 15, 2026 skills list, because AI-900 material is now out of date
- Learn the six responsible AI principles and be able to match each to a scenario
- Spend more time on the Foundry section (55-60%): deploying a model, prompts, a simple SDK chat client and a single agent
- Try the Foundry portal yourself: deploy a model, test an agent and run a small text, speech, vision and Content Understanding example
- Take Microsoft's free practice assessment on AI Skills Navigator
- Book the exam and use the exam sandbox to get used to the question types
AI-900 guides
FAQ
Is AI-900 still available?
No. Microsoft retired AI-900 on June 30, 2026. The Azure AI Fundamentals certification now requires exam AI-901. If you already passed AI-900, your certification stays valid.
How long is the exam and what is the passing score?
Fundamentals exams give you 45 minutes (65 minutes seat time). You need a score of 700 or greater to pass.
Does Azure AI Fundamentals expire?
No. Microsoft Fundamentals certifications do not expire, so there is no renewal assessment.
How much does the exam cost?
Microsoft sets the price by the country or region where you take the exam. Third-party sites list about US$99 in the United States; check the exact price when you register.