PrepMicrosoft Certified: Azure Fundamentals (AZ-900)
AZ-900 is Microsoft's entry-level Azure exam. It checks that you can describe cloud concepts, the main Azure services and the tools for managing cost, governance and resources. It is a 45-minute proctored exam with a pass mark of 700, and the certification does not expire.
Who it is for
- People new to cloud who want a structured first look at Azure
- IT staff in infrastructure, database or development roles starting to work with Azure
- Sales, project and business roles that need to talk about Azure services with confidence
- Anyone planning role-based exams such as AZ-104 who wants a gentle first step
The exam at a glance
| AZ-900 | |
|---|---|
| Exam | Exam AZ-900: Microsoft Azure Fundamentals (skills measured as of July 20, 2026) |
| Questions | Not published for this exam. Microsoft says most of its certification exams contain 40-60 questions, and some questions may be unscored. |
| Time | 45 min |
| Format | Proctored exam, scheduled through Pearson VUE (students and educators can schedule through Certiport). May include interactive components; Microsoft does not disclose question types in advance but offers an exam sandbox. Fundamentals exams have 45 minutes of exam time and 65 minutes of seat time, and access to Microsoft Learn is not allowed. Offered in English, Japanese, Chinese (Simplified), Korean, Spanish, German, French, Indonesian, Arabic, Chinese (Traditional), Italian, Portuguese (Brazil) and Russian. |
| Passing | 700 or greater on a scale of 1-1000 (scaled score, not necessarily 70% of the points). |
| Price | US$99 in the United States (secondary sources). Microsoft states the price depends on the country or region where the exam is proctored, see unverified. |
| Prerequisites | None. Microsoft describes the candidate as a technology professional with skills and experience in an area of IT such as infrastructure management, database management or software development. |
| Validity | Does not expire. Microsoft states that Fundamentals certifications do not expire, so there is no annual renewal assessment. |
Checked against the official Microsoft pages on 2026-11-07: learn.microsoft.com, learn.microsoft.com, learn.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
AZ-900
| Domain | Weight |
|---|---|
| Describe cloud concepts | 25-30% |
| Describe Azure architecture and services | 35-40% |
| Describe Azure management and governance | 30-35% |
How to prepare
- Read the official AZ-900 study guide and use the skills measured (as of July 20, 2026) as your checklist
- Work through the free Microsoft Learn training path for AZ-900
- Create a free or trial Azure account and click through the portal: create a resource group, a storage account and a small VM, then delete them
- Learn the differences that questions often test: IaaS vs PaaS vs SaaS, availability zones vs regions, Azure Policy vs resource locks vs RBAC, and the storage access tiers
- Take Microsoft's free practice assessment and try the exam sandbox to get used to the question formats
- Book the exam when you score well consistently, and check the price for your country on the exam page
AZ-900 guides
FAQ
How hard is AZ-900?
It is a beginner-level exam. Questions test whether you can describe concepts and choose the right Azure service for a situation, not whether you can configure them in depth. You need 700 on a 1-1000 scale.
Does AZ-900 expire?
No. Microsoft states that Fundamentals certifications do not expire, so unlike associate and expert certifications there is no yearly renewal assessment.
Do I need AZ-900 before AZ-104 or other Azure exams?
No. AZ-900 is not a prerequisite for role-based Azure certifications. It is a useful starting point if you are new to Azure, but experienced administrators often skip it.
How much does AZ-900 cost?
Microsoft prices the exam by country. Secondary sources and a Microsoft Learn Q&A post put the US price at US$99. Check the exam page and select your country to see your local price.