Good news: AZ-900 has no formal prerequisites — it's open to anyone willing to learn. Here's what that means and the background Microsoft recommends.
While there's no hard requirement, the background Microsoft recommends helps the scenario questions feel intuitive rather than abstract.
AZ-900 requires none — microsoft fundamentals certifications do not expire and have no renewal requirement to stay current.
Meeting the requirements gets you to the exam; passing it is a separate job. AZ-900 is an application exam, so the fastest route is targeted practice with explanations, not just reading. ExamDeck gives you original AZ-900 questions, per-area readiness, and a spaced-repetition error log — 6 free to start.
No. Microsoft's renewal policy applies to role-based certifications; Fundamentals certifications such as Azure Fundamentals never expire and carry no renewal assessment or fee.
Microsoft's study guide lists the current skills measured as of July 20, 2026, with minor wording changes in compute/networking, deployment tools and monitoring. The three skill areas and their weights are unchanged.
On its own, rarely — it proves cloud literacy, not administration skill. It is the standard first step before AZ-104 (Administrator) or a role-based associate exam, and a common requirement in sales, project and business roles that touch Azure.
45 minutes of exam time (65 minutes seat time), delivered by Pearson VUE at a test centre or online, or through Certiport for students and educators.
The passing score is 700 on a scale of 1–1,000 (roughly 70%). Aim for a consistent 80–85% on realistic practice exams before booking.
Microsoft does not publish official pass rates, so any exact percentage quoted online is unverified. The readiness signal that actually predicts passing: consistently holding 80–85% on realistic, full-length practice exams before you book.
No prerequisites — anyone can schedule AZ-900 through Microsoft Learn (Pearson VUE) or, as a student, through Certiport. Microsoft's audience profile is a technology professional with skills in some area of IT (infrastructure, database or software development) who wants to demonstrate foundational cloud knowledge; no Azure hands-on experience is required.
The exam fee is $99 USD in the United States; Microsoft prices exams per country, so check the price shown on the AZ-900 page for your region. Microsoft regularly issues free exam vouchers through virtual training days. A free official Practice Assessment is available on Microsoft Learn.
For most candidates, commonly reported 15–30 hours; Microsoft Learn's free learning paths are sufficient for most candidates (no official figure). What matters most is practising questions and analysing why each option is right or wrong — not just reading.
none — Microsoft Fundamentals certifications do not expire and have no renewal requirement.
No — every question is original, written to test the concepts and reviewed before it ships, with an explanation linked to the source for every option. Dumps are stale, often wrong, and against Microsoft's policies.