AZ-900 Exam Tips & Strategy
Exam format
| Detail | Value |
|---|---|
| Duration | 45 minutes |
| Questions | ~40-60 |
| Passing score | 700/1000 |
| Question types | Multiple choice, drag-and-drop, yes/no scenarios |
| Cost | $99 USD (free for eligible students) |
Top strategies
1. Focus on the highest-weight domain
Domain 2: Azure architecture and services (35-40%) carries the most weight. Know your core services:
- Compute: VMs, App Service, Functions, Containers
- Storage: Blob, File, Queue, Table + redundancy options
- Networking: VNet, VPN Gateway, ExpressRoute, DNS
- Identity: Entra ID, RBAC, Conditional Access
2. Know the "which service" pattern
Many AZ-900 questions follow this pattern:
"A company needs to [requirement]. Which Azure service should they use?"
Master the mapping between requirements and services.
3. Understand shared responsibility
This is tested heavily. Remember:
- IaaS: You manage OS, apps, data. Azure manages hardware, network.
- PaaS: You manage apps and data. Azure manages everything else.
- SaaS: You manage data and access. Azure manages everything else.
4. Know CapEx vs OpEx
- CapEx (Capital Expenditure): Upfront cost, depreciates over time (buying servers)
- OpEx (Operational Expenditure): Pay-as-you-go, consumption-based (cloud)
5. Don't overthink it
AZ-900 is a fundamentals exam. If an answer sounds overly complex or advanced, it's probably wrong. Look for the straightforward answer.
Common traps
| Trap | Reality |
|---|---|
| "Azure AD" in answers | Now called Microsoft Entra ID — both names may appear |
| "Availability Sets" vs "Availability Zones" | Zones = datacenters, Sets = racks within a datacenter |
| "Scale up" vs "Scale out" | Up = bigger VM, Out = more VMs |
| "Azure Policy" vs "RBAC" | Policy = "what can be created", RBAC = "who can do what" |
| "Management Groups" vs "Resource Groups" | Management Groups = organize subscriptions, Resource Groups = organize resources |
Day-of checklist
- Test your exam environment (webcam, microphone, ID) the day before
- Close all applications except the exam browser
- Have government-issued ID ready
- Clear your desk completely (online proctored)
- Relax — AZ-900 has a very high pass rate with proper preparation
Time management
With ~45 minutes for ~50 questions, you have less than 1 minute per question:
- Don't spend more than 60 seconds on any question
- Flag difficult questions and return to them
- Trust your first instinct — don't change answers unless you're sure
Free retake
Microsoft occasionally offers free retakes through promotions. Check Microsoft Learn for current offers.