AB-100 exam-day guide
AB-100 · Prepare for the day ahead.
Your checklist
Valid government-issued photo ID
Bring the original physical document (not a photocopy or photo on your phone). The first and last name on the ID must match your exam registration exactly, including hyphens and accents. Check the expiry date well before test day, and confirm the list of accepted ID forms with the exam provider in advance.
Appointment confirmation and details
Keep your confirmation handy (appointment number, date, start time, time zone, test-center address or online-delivery link). Screenshot it in case your email is unreachable on the day. Reconfirm the time zone shown in your confirmation - it is easy to misread if you registered while travelling.
Certification profile linked to your exam registration
Make sure the exam is being delivered against the Microsoft Learn / certification profile you actually use, so a pass posts to your transcript. If you registered with a different personal email than your learning account, resolve the mismatch before test day.
Check-in buffer
Plan to arrive at the test centre - or be logged in and ready for an online-proctored session - comfortably before the scheduled start, typically around 15-30 minutes. Late arrivals can be refused entry or lose the fee, so confirm the exact cut-off with the provider.
System test completed (online delivery only)
Run the provider's secure-browser system test on the exact machine and network you will use, a few days ahead. Verify webcam, microphone, speakers, bandwidth and that no other applications block the secure browser. Re-run it the day before.
Compliant test environment (online delivery only)
A private room with a closed door, a clear desk, no second monitors, no notes, no phones or smartwatches within reach. Expect the proctor to ask you to pan the camera around the room and to show your ID to the camera.
Fallback plan if technology fails
Have a phone (on silent, out of reach until the proctor tells you otherwise), a charger, and ideally a second device ready, plus the provider's support number saved. Know what you will do if your connection drops mid-exam.
Scratch materials clarified in advance
Test centres normally supply an erasable note board and marker; online-proctored sessions normally provide an on-screen whiteboard or notepad. Use only what the provider supplies - confirm the exact arrangement when you schedule.
Reviewed the published skills outline and item types
Re-read the official 'skills measured' page for this exam and note the weighting of each domain. Try the free practice assessment and the exam sandbox so the interface, navigation and any case-study or drag-and-drop items are familiar before the clock starts.
Approved testing accommodations
If you need extra time, additional breaks, or a separate room, the request must be approved before the appointment - it cannot be granted on the day. Verify your approval is attached to this specific appointment.
Awareness of beta or scoring timeline
If your appointment is for a beta version of the exam, expect a delayed score and no immediate pass/fail display, plus possible question-quality survey items. Confirm the expected result timeline on the exam's official page before you sit.
Physical readiness
Sleep, eat, and hydrate beforehand. Bring water or a snack for before and after the session if the venue allows it; check whether food and drink are permitted inside the testing room - they usually are not.
Plan the day
Reconcile the official skills outline against your own gap list. Spend the remaining time on weak domains only - solution discovery and requirements, architecture and design, integration and data, security and governance, ALM and lifecycle, and adoption/operations for agentic AI solutions. Stop adding new resources.
Confirm the appointment one more time: date, time, time zone, delivery method, venue or link, and the exact ID you will present. Resolve any name mismatch now, because it cannot be fixed at the door.
If you are testing online, run the system test on the final machine and network, and confirm the room you will use is private and can be cleared.
Do one light pass over your own summary notes: how requirements translate into an architecture, when to choose an agent versus a deterministic workflow, how to handle grounding data and connectors, identity and access boundaries, environment strategy and deployment pipelines, and how you would monitor and govern a deployed solution. Stop by early evening.
Lay out your ID, charger and confirmation. Re-run the system test if online. Set two alarms and check the venue's travel or parking time. Sleep a full night - this is worth more than another hour of revision.
Eat something, re-read your one-page summary only (no new material), and leave earlier than you think you need to. For online delivery, log in early, close every other application, silence notifications, and put your phone out of reach before launching the secure browser.
Read the instructions and any candidate agreement carefully, then use the first minute to note the question count and any section structure so you can pace yourself. Answer every item - there is normally no penalty for a wrong answer, so never leave a blank.
Read each scenario twice and identify what is actually being asked (design decision, trade-off, governance control, or sequencing). Eliminate clearly wrong options first, then choose the best fit for the stated constraints rather than the most technically sophisticated option.
If the exam contains case studies or a sectioned layout, check the navigation rules before moving on - some sections cannot be revisited once you leave them. Flag uncertain items only if the interface lets you return to them, and keep an eye on the clock.
Take any break that the provider offers only if you are sure of the effect on your remaining time; unscheduled breaks may not pause the clock. Ask the proctor or check the on-screen rules before stepping away.
Complete the post-exam survey, then note what your score report does and does not show. Save or print the report, and confirm how and when the result will reach your certification transcript - especially if you sat a beta version.
Rules to check
Bring the exact ID the provider accepts, and make sure the name matches your registration character for character. If your ID does not match, you may be turned away and lose the fee - confirm accepted documents with the provider before you travel.
Do not bring or use notes, books, phones, smartwatches, earbuds, or any second screen. Use only the scratch materials the provider issues, and only in the form issued (physical note board at a test centre, on-screen notepad online).
During an online-proctored session, stay in camera view, keep your face visible, do not read questions aloud, do not speak to anyone, and do not leave the room without the proctor's permission. Any of these can invalidate your result.
Ask the provider in advance how breaks work for your delivery method and whether the clock stops. Do not assume an unscheduled break pauses your time.
Scoring is normally reported as a scaled score rather than a raw count of correct answers, and the pass threshold is set by the certification owner - for Microsoft role-based exams this is commonly 700 on a 1000-point scale, but verify the current threshold for this exam rather than assuming it. Beta exams are scored only after the item analysis is complete, so expect a delay.
If you do not pass, know the reattempt rules before you rebook. Providers typically impose a waiting period before a retake and limits on the number of attempts per period; confirm the current policy with the provider.
If you need to reschedule or cancel, do it as early as the provider's policy requires - typically at least 24 hours before the start time - or you risk forfeiting the fee. Refund and reschedule terms are set by the provider, so verify them when you book.
Report any technical problem, interruption, or proctor concern immediately through the provider's support channel rather than after the fact. Open a case the same day and keep the reference number.