Azure Fundamentals Certification Guide

Everything the AZ-900 exam covers — domains, format, cost and passing score — plus a study plan and practice-test strategy for Azure Fundamentals.

Daniel Carter1 September 2026 · 10 min read

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Illustration of a first stepping stone leading into a cloud landscape, representing the AZ-900 Azure Fundamentals exam as an entry point.

Forty-five minutes. That is the entire length of the AZ-900 exam — the shortest, cheapest and most forgiving assessment Microsoft offers on the Azure side of its certification programme. Microsoft Certified: Azure Fundamentals is the credential you earn by passing it, it has no prerequisites, and unlike every role-based Azure certification it never expires. Once you pass, it sits on your Microsoft transcript permanently.

That brevity misleads some candidates into treating AZ-900 as a formality, and misleads others into over-preparing for months. This guide covers what the exam actually tests, how it is structured and scored, what it costs, and a study sequence that gets a genuine beginner from zero cloud knowledge to a confident pass — without wasting time on material that belongs to the associate-level exams.

One scope note before we start: this is the complete guide to the AZ-900 exam itself. If you want to see where Azure Fundamentals sits among all the Azure credentials and what to take after it, that map lives in our Azure certifications roadmap. And if your real question is whether the certificate is worth your time at all, we answer that separately in Is Azure Fundamentals worth it?

What is the Azure Fundamentals certification?

Microsoft Certified: Azure Fundamentals is Microsoft's entry-level cloud certification, earned by passing a single exam, AZ-900. It validates that you understand cloud concepts and the core services, architecture, management and governance features of Microsoft Azure — at a conceptual level, not a hands-on engineering level. Microsoft classifies it as a beginner credential, and as of August 2026 it remains fully active while several role-based Azure certifications have been retired or replaced.

That last point matters. Microsoft has been overhauling its certification portfolio through 2025–2026, retiring exams such as AZ-204 and DP-100. AZ-900 is untouched by that shake-up: it is one of the fundamentals-tier certifications Microsoft has kept as stable entry points, alongside SC-900 (security), DP-900 (data) and the Azure AI Fundamentals certification (whose exam is now AI-901).

Who is it actually for? Microsoft aims it at anyone who needs to demonstrate foundational cloud knowledge — which in practice covers three groups:

Career changers and students building a first credential for an IT or cloud CV.
Non-technical professionals — sales, procurement, project management, finance — who work alongside cloud teams and need the vocabulary.
Experienced IT professionals new to Azure specifically, who want a structured tour of the platform before an associate-level exam.

AZ-900 exam format, cost and passing score

Here is everything Microsoft publishes (or deliberately doesn't) about the exam's mechanics, verified against the official certification page as of August 2026:

Detail	AZ-900
Certification earned	Microsoft Certified: Azure Fundamentals
Level	Beginner / fundamentals
Exam length	45 minutes
Number of questions	Not published by Microsoft
Question style	Proctored; may include interactive components
Passing score	700 out of 1,000 (scaled)
Prerequisites	None
Delivery	Pearson VUE — test centre or online proctored
Languages	13 exam languages
Expiry	Never — no renewal required

Three of those rows deserve expansion, because they generate the most confusion.

How many questions are on the AZ-900 exam?

Microsoft does not publish a question count for AZ-900 or any of its exams — only the time limit is official. You will see confident claims of "40–60 questions" around the web; treat them as folklore rather than policy, and plan your pacing around the 45-minute limit instead. The practical implication: work briskly, flag anything you are unsure about, and leave time for review rather than budgeting per-question minutes against a number Microsoft never promised.

What score do you need to pass AZ-900?

You need 700 on a scale that runs to 1,000 — and this is a scaled score, not 70%. Microsoft's exam scoring documentation is explicit that the scaling accounts for question difficulty, so you cannot translate 700 into a fixed percentage of correct answers. The takeaway for preparation is simple: aim to be comfortably strong across all three domains rather than calculating a minimum-effort threshold.

How much does AZ-900 cost?

Microsoft prices exams by the country or region where the exam is proctored, and does not print a universal USD figure on the certification page. Third-party sources consistently cite US$99 for fundamentals-tier exams in the United States, but treat that as commonly cited rather than official, and confirm the exact fee for your country on the exam's scheduling page before booking. Students and educators can schedule through Certiport, and the certification is eligible for ACE college credit.

What topics does AZ-900 cover?

The exam measures three domains. Microsoft publishes the domain list on the certification page; the percentage weightings live in the official study guide, so check there for the current split rather than relying on numbers repeated around the web.

1. Describe cloud concepts

This is the vendor-neutral foundation: what cloud computing is and why organisations use it. Expect to reason about the benefits usually attributed to cloud — high availability, scalability, elasticity, reliability — and the consumption-based cost model. You will also need the classic model distinctions cold: IaaS versus PaaS versus SaaS, and public versus private versus hybrid cloud.

What actually matters here is not memorising definitions but being able to match a scenario to a model. A question is far more likely to describe a company's situation and ask which cloud model or benefit fits than to ask "define elasticity". When you study, practise the mapping, not the glossary.

2. Describe Azure architecture and services

The largest conceptual area: how Azure is physically and logically organised (regions, availability zones, resource groups, subscriptions, management groups) and what its headline services do. You need recognition-level knowledge of the core compute, networking and storage services — enough to say what a service is for and when you would pick it, not how to configure it.

The trap in this domain is depth. AZ-900 candidates who come from studying AZ-104 material often over-invest in configuration detail the fundamentals exam never asks about. If you find yourself learning how to set up a virtual network rather than what a virtual network is for, you have drifted out of AZ-900 territory.

3. Describe Azure management and governance

The final domain covers how organisations control and pay for Azure: cost management and the tools for estimating and monitoring spend, governance features such as policy and role-based access control at a conceptual level, and the tools used to manage and deploy resources. It also touches the resources Azure provides for monitoring health and compliance.

This is the domain beginners most often neglect, because it feels administrative rather than technical. It is also where scenario questions cluster — "a company needs to ensure resources are only deployed to approved regions; which feature should they use?" — so give it equal footing in your revision.

A study plan that fits the exam

There is no official "hours required" figure for AZ-900, and honest guidance depends on where you start: a working IT professional needs far less runway than a complete newcomer. Rather than promising a universal timeline, here is a sequence that works at whatever pace you take it.

Read the official study guide first. Microsoft's study guide for AZ-900 is the authoritative statement of what is in scope. Skim it before you touch any course so every subsequent hour maps to an assessed objective.
Work through the free Microsoft Learn path. Microsoft Learn's Azure Fundamentals modules are free, aligned to the three domains, and include interactive elements. For most candidates this is the core study resource — a paid video course is optional reinforcement, not a requirement.
Get token hands-on exposure. AZ-900 is conceptual, but ten minutes spent creating a resource group and a storage account in a free Azure account makes the architecture vocabulary concrete in a way reading cannot. You are building recognition, not skill.
Take Microsoft's free practice assessment. Microsoft offers free practice assessments on Microsoft Learn. Use one early — not to pass it, but to calibrate the question style and find your weak domain while there is still time to fix it.
Drill your weak domain, then simulate. Return to the modules for whichever domain scored worst, then finish with timed, full-length practice runs in the final days before your exam date.

Using practice tests properly

Practice questions earn their place in AZ-900 prep when you use them diagnostically. After each set, sort your mistakes by domain: a cluster of errors in governance questions tells you exactly which Learn modules to revisit, which is far more useful than a raw percentage. Under timed conditions, a full-length run also teaches you what 45 minutes feels like — short enough that second-guessing every answer costs you the review pass at the end.

Two cautions. First, never memorise question-and-answer pairs; AZ-900's scenario style punishes rote recall, and the point of practising is to test your understanding of the objectives, not to collect answers. Second, benchmark before you book: if timed practice has you scoring inconsistently across domains, delay the booking rather than gambling the fee. ExamPractice hosts free sample AZ-900 practice questions with fuller question sets and a timed simulation mode for subscribers, and the wider Microsoft exams hub covers the exams you might take next.

Booking, sitting and retaking the exam

You book AZ-900 through Pearson VUE, either at a test centre or online proctored from home. Online proctoring requires a quiet room, a webcam check-in and an uninterrupted session — read the requirements carefully before choosing it, because environment violations can void an attempt.

If you fail, the retake policy is humane: your first retake is available after 24 hours, with longer waiting periods applying to later attempts. Microsoft also periodically offers Exam Replay-style retake bundles via its exam deals page — worth checking before you book if you are nervous about a single attempt.

Two things you never have to worry about with this certification: renewal and expiry. Fundamentals certifications do not expire, so there is no annual renewal assessment — that obligation only begins when you move up to role-based certifications such as Azure Administrator Associate.

Common AZ-900 mistakes to avoid

Studying associate-level depth. Configuration walkthroughs, PowerShell syntax and pricing minutiae belong to AZ-104 prep. If a resource is teaching you how rather than what and why, it is the wrong resource for this exam.
Treating 700 as 70%. The scaled score means you cannot compute a "safe" percentage. Prepare all three domains properly instead of aiming at an imaginary threshold.
Ignoring management and governance. The least glamorous domain is a reliable source of scenario questions. Weighting your study towards services because they are more interesting is the classic imbalance.
Trusting unofficial question counts and pass rates. Microsoft publishes neither. Any resource quoting them as fact is guessing, which tells you something about its other claims too.
Booking before benchmarking. The exam fee is modest but not free. One clean, timed practice result costs you nothing and protects the booking.

What comes after AZ-900?

Azure Fundamentals is deliberately a starting line. Most candidates who pass it and want to work hands-on in Azure move towards Azure Administrator Associate next — our Azure Administrator AZ-104 guide covers that exam in full, and if you are unsure whether you even need AZ-900 first or could jump straight to AZ-104, that specific decision is weighed in Azure Fundamentals vs Azure Administrator. Developers heading for the Azure development track should read the Azure Developer certification guide before planning around it, because Microsoft's 2026 portfolio changes have reshaped that path.

If your interests sit outside core infrastructure, the other fundamentals certifications — SC-900 for security, DP-900 for data, and Azure AI Fundamentals (now examined via AI-901) — follow the same 45-minute, no-expiry pattern and pair naturally with AZ-900.

Frequently asked questions

Can I take AZ-900 online from home?

Yes. Pearson VUE delivers AZ-900 both at test centres and via online proctoring. Home testing requires a webcam, a quiet private room and a system check before the appointment; if your environment cannot guarantee that, a test centre is the safer choice.

Do I need AZ-900 before taking AZ-104?

No. Microsoft sets no prerequisites for AZ-104, so AZ-900 is optional groundwork rather than a gate. Whether skipping it is wise depends on your background — a question we examine properly in the Fundamentals-versus-Administrator comparison linked above.

Is AZ-900 enough to get a job?

On its own, AZ-900 is an entry signal, not a job ticket. It demonstrates cloud literacy to employers and strengthens a CV that already has other evidence — experience, projects or further certifications — but it does not certify hands-on ability. That is what the role-based tier exists for.

In how many languages is AZ-900 available?

The exam is offered in 13 languages, and Microsoft prices it by the country or region where it is proctored, so both the language options and the exact fee are confirmed during scheduling.

Your route to a first Azure credential

AZ-900 rewards focused, proportionate preparation: learn the three domains at the conceptual level the exam actually tests, use Microsoft Learn as your spine, verify readiness with timed practice, and book with confidence. For a beginner, it is the rare certification exam where the sensible strategy and the low-stress strategy are the same one. Study the objectives, benchmark honestly, and the 45 minutes will feel like enough.

Exam facts in this guide were checked against official certification-provider pages on 30 August 2026. Fees, exam codes and policies change — confirm on the provider’s own site before you book.