MS-900 study guide
MS-900 · Work through your exam, one topic at a time.
MS-900 Microsoft 365 Fundamentals is an entry-level certification that confirms you can talk sensibly about cloud services rather than administer them. It suits business users, helpdesk and support staff, sales and pre-sales teams, project managers, and anyone moving into a Microsoft 365 administration role who needs shared vocabulary before touching role-based exams. The exam splits into three areas: Microsoft 365 apps and services (the largest share, covering collaboration, productivity, endpoint and identity services and how they fit together), security and compliance capabilities such as Zero Trust, identity protection, data governance and retention, and pricing, licensing and support - the domain candidates most often under-prepare. Expect conceptual and scenario-based questions rather than deep configuration tasks. Topics on this exam: Describe Microsoft 365 apps and services, Describe Microsoft 365 security and compliance capabilities, and Describe Microsoft 365 pricing, licensing, and support. The MS-900 study guide has 3 sections and about 957 words.
01Microsoft 365 Apps and Services
Microsoft 365 is a subscription bundle of productivity apps and cloud services, not merely "Office online." Separate three layers. Apps: Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Teams, and the Microsoft 365 Apps desktop client. Services: Exchange Online for mail, SharePoint Online for team sites and intranets, OneDrive for Business for per-user storage, Teams for chat and meetings, plus Planner, Lists, Bookings, and Viva for work management. Platform: Entra ID, Intune, and Defender, which are what make Microsoft 365 broader than Office 365.
320 words, about 2 min02Microsoft 365 Security and Compliance Capabilities
Frame security around identity, data, devices, and threats. Identity: Entra ID supplies authentication, multifactor authentication, Conditional Access, Identity Protection, and Privileged Identity Management. Conditional Access requires at least Entra ID P1. Devices: Intune handles enrollment, compliance policies, and configuration profiles.
328 words, about 2 min03Microsoft 365 Pricing, Licensing, and Support
Microsoft 365 licensing is seat-based and subscription-based. Business plans (Basic, Standard, Premium) cap at 300 seats. Enterprise plans (E3, E5) have no seat cap and add compliance, analytics, and advanced security. E3 is the core productivity plus management bundle; E5 adds advanced identity (P2), endpoint, identity, and cloud-app defense, and advanced Purview.
309 words, about 2 min