One course and practice questions are enough.
Pass reports describe passing after one to three weeks with a single course, such as John Savill's playlist or a Udemy course, plus Tutorials Dojo or the free Microsoft practice assessment.
Microsoft Certified: Azure Fundamentals (AZ-900) Exam Guide
Validates foundational knowledge of cloud concepts, Azure architecture and services, and Azure management and governance.
AZ-900 checks that you can explain cloud models and pick the right Azure service, tool or pricing option for a simple business need. Study one course end to end, look at the main services in the Azure portal, then use practice questions to learn Microsoft's wording.
Understand the exam
Syllabus
Describe cloud concepts25–30%
- Describe cloud computing
- Describe the benefits of using cloud services
- Describe cloud service types
Example scenario: A company wants to run its own operating system and software but stop buying servers. Which cloud service type fits, and who patches the operating system?
Describe Azure architecture and services35–40%
- Describe the core architectural components of Azure
- Describe Azure compute and networking services
- Describe Azure storage services
- Describe Azure identity, access, and security
Example scenario: A retailer needs its website to stay up if one datacenter in a region fails. Which Azure feature should it deploy across?
Describe Azure management and governance30–35%
- Describe cost management in Azure
- Describe features and tools in Azure for governance and compliance
- Describe features and tools for managing and deploying Azure resources
- Describe monitoring tools in Azure
Example scenario: A finance team wants to stop anyone deleting a production database by mistake, even administrators. Which governance feature would you use?
AZ-900 study guide · Skills measured as of July 20, 2026
Format
- Questions
- 40–60
- Duration
- 45 min
- Passing score
- 700 / 1000
- Delivery
- Test centre or online
- Languages
- English, Arabic, Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), French, German, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish
Question types
Choose the best answer from the options, or the stated number of answers when a question asks for more than one.
CertUp example
A company wants its website to keep running if one datacenter in a region fails. What should it deploy across?
Show answer
A. Availability zones are separate datacenters in a region, so the site survives the loss of one.
Drag items from a list into the matching places; an item can be used once, more than once or not at all.
CertUp example
Drag each cloud service type to the description it matches. The descriptions are rent virtual machines and manage the operating system yourself, deploy code without managing servers, and use finished software through a browser.
Show answer
Rent virtual machines and manage the operating system → IaaS, deploy code without managing servers → PaaS, use finished software through a browser → SaaS.
Pick one value from each drop-down list in a block of text or a diagram to complete it.
CertUp example
Select the correct value in each list. In the shared responsibility model, the customer is always responsible for [their data / the physical datacenter], and in a public cloud the provider is responsible for [the physical hosts / user accounts].
Show answer
Their data, and the physical hosts. The customer always owns its data, and the provider runs the hardware.
Eligibility and booking
Sign in to Microsoft Learn with a personal Microsoft account, complete your certification profile, then schedule AZ-900 with Pearson VUE from the certification page. Students and educators can schedule through Certiport.
Make a study plan
Read the study guide skill list, take the free practice assessment once to see where you start, then work through one course.
Most candidates spend 10–40 hours. Plan for the low end if you already work in IT or with another cloud; plan for the high end if cloud and Azure terms are new to you.
- 1Understand the examRead the syllabus and format, check you’re eligible and pick a target date.1 h
- 3Learn the core conceptsWork through one main course or book, topic by topic.12 h
- 4Practice with mock examsTake timed practice tests and review every mistake.6 h
- 5Prepare for exam dayBook the exam and check the ID and delivery rules.1 h
Learn the core concepts
One course covers the whole outline. Use Microsoft Learn to check details, and the Azure portal to see what the services look like.
Best free official courseAZ-900 Microsoft Azure Fundamentals course
Best full courseMaster Microsoft Azure Fundamentals: AZ-900 Exam Prep 2026
Best free video courseAZ-900 Azure Fundamentals Certification CourseCompare look-alike services. Many questions turn on the difference between two similar options, such as availability sets and zones, or Azure Policy and role-based access control. Write one line on when each applies.
Practice with mock exams
Take Microsoft's free practice assessment first. Then use a paid set for more questions, and read the explanation for every answer you got wrong or guessed.
See all 6 AZ-900 practice tests →Are you ready?
- You can explain the difference between IaaS, PaaS and SaaS with an example of each.
- You can say which Azure tool you would use to estimate, limit or monitor cost.
- You finish a fresh timed practice set comfortably and can explain your wrong answers.
Prepare for exam day
Choose the checklist for your test-centre or online appointment.
Before going to the test centre
Before testing from home
- Bring a current government-issued ID whose name matches your Microsoft certification profile exactly.
- Arrive early enough to check in and store your belongings.
- Allow about 65 minutes of seat time for 45 minutes of questions.
- Run the OnVUE system test on the same computer, network and room you will use. A personal computer works better than a work laptop.
- Use a walled room with a closed door. Clear the desk of notes, pens and extra screens, and keep your phone out of reach.
- Check in from 30 minutes before your appointment. You photograph your ID and workspace with your phone.
- You can take a break at any time, but the clock keeps running and you cannot return to questions you saw before it.
- If you fail, you can retake after 24 hours. Later retakes need 14 days between attempts.
Advice from exam takers
Read the wording carefully.
Some candidates who scored well on practice tests still found the real questions' phrasing harder than the content. Look for the requirement in each question that rules out the other options.
Expect some questions with several parts.
Candidates report that one question can hold several yes or no statements or a drag-and-drop task, so read each item to the end before answering.