Azure AZ-900

Microsoft states you have 45 minutes to complete the assessment. The number of questions is not published, and Microsoft notes that interactive components may be part of the exam, so some items can take longer than a standard multiple-choice question. Plan your pace around the 45-minute limit rather than a fixed question count.

A score of 700 or greater is required to pass. Scores are reported on a scaled range, so 700 is not a simple percentage of correct answers. Microsoft publishes scoring detail and score report information on its exam scoring page, which is worth reading before test day so the result format is not a surprise.

You can retake the exam 24 hours after the first attempt. For subsequent retakes, the amount of time varies. Use the waiting period to review your score report by skill area, then revisit the study guide objectives where you lost the most points. Full conditions are in Microsoft's exam retake policy.

It is a beginner-level certification, and Microsoft frames it as a starting point rather than a deep technical validation. Hands-on Azure work is not required, but Microsoft expects skills and experience in some IT area such as infrastructure management, database management, or software development. The breadth of topics, not depth, is the usual challenge.

Per the skills measured as of July 20, 2026: describe cloud concepts is 25-30%, describe Azure architecture and services is 35-40%, and describe Azure management and governance is 30-35%. Architecture and services is the largest share, so it deserves the most study time, but no single area can be skipped safely.

Start with the official study guide and work through the objectives in the order Microsoft lists them, which mirrors the weighting. Use self-paced learning paths to fill gaps, then take the free practice assessment to judge readiness. Finish by trying the exam sandbox so the interface and question types feel familiar on exam day.

A practical order is cloud concepts first, since terms like the shared responsibility model, cloud models, and IaaS/PaaS/SaaS underpin everything else; then architecture and services (regions, compute, networking, storage, identity and security); then management and governance (costs, policy, deployment tools, monitoring). Microsoft's study guide lists exactly this sequence.

Frequent problems are memorizing prices instead of understanding what drives cost, confusing IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS use cases, and mixing up governance tools with deployment or monitoring tools. Another trap is ignoring the smaller objectives at the end of each domain. Recheck every study guide bullet before booking, and verify each with the practice assessment.

Yes. Microsoft lists English, Japanese, Chinese (Simplified), Korean, Spanish, German, French, Indonesian (Indonesia), Arabic (Saudi Arabia), Chinese (Traditional), Italian, Portuguese (Brazil), and Russian. The English version is updated first, and localized versions are typically updated about eight weeks later, so translated exams can briefly lag behind the current skills measured.

Microsoft prices the exam based on the country or region in which it is proctored, so there is no single worldwide figure; check the exam details page for your location. Students and educators can schedule through Certiport instead of Pearson VUE. Microsoft also notes you may be eligible for ACE college credit if you pass the certification exam.