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AZ-900 Study Guide: Microsoft Azure Fundamentals

Thomas Maurer
Updated
9–13 minutes
26 comments on AZ-900 Study Guide: Microsoft Azure Fundamentals
AZ-900 Study Guide Microsoft Azure Fundamentals Exam Study Guide

I want to share my new updated AZ-900: Microsoft Azure Fundamentals Certification Exam Study Guide for 2021 with you. To learn and prepare for the exam, I usually use a couple of online resources, mainly Microsoft Docs and Microsoft Learn, which I am going to share with you. You can find more information about how I prepare for a Microsoft Certification exam on my blog post: How to prepare and pass Microsoft Certification Exam.

NOTE: This exam study guide is updated to cover the new content starting from November 9, 2020. If you want to see the differences between the old exam content and the new, check out the skills measured doc on the exam website.

Also, check out other Microsoft Azure Certification Exam Study Guides:

I passed the AZ-900 exam awhile back, but now I am looking forward to refreshing it. If you want to learn more about how to get started with Azure, I recommend my blog post: How to get started learning Microsoft Azure and Cloud Computing

Here is my AZ-900 Microsoft Azure Fundamentals Certification Exam Study Guide

It is essential to get familiar with the exam objectives and skills measured first. That is why I recommend reading the description of the exam and the skills measured.

Exam AZ-900: Microsoft Azure Fundamentals

This exam is designed for candidates who need to validate foundationallevel knowledge of cloud services and how those services are provided with Microsoft Azure.
The exam is intended for candidates who are just beginning to work with cloud-based solutions and services. Candidates must be prepared to demonstrate a fundamental understanding of cloud concepts, Azure services, Azure workloads, security and privacy in Azure, as well as Azure pricing and support. Candidates should be familiar with the concepts of networking, storage, compute, application support, and application development.

This exam can be taken as a precursor to other Microsoft certifications, such as Azure Administrator. While it would be a beneficial first step, taking this exam is not a prerequisite before taking any other Azure-based certifications.

The high-level view of the skills measured in the exam:

  • Describe cloud concepts (15-20%)
  • Describe core Azure services (30-35%)
  • Describe security, privacy, compliance, and trust (25-30%)
  • Describe Azure pricing Service Level Agreements, and Lifecycles (20-25%)

You can find more information on the exam website.

Free Online Microsoft Learn AZ-900 Exam Study Guide resources

I personally believe is you are going through the Azure Fundamentals learning path on Microsoft Learn, you should be able to pass the exam. Microsoft Learn provides you with free online training and learning paths for different Microsoft technologies. They not just offer reading material, but also control questions and free online labs. Here are some relevant Microsoft Learn modules and learning paths for the AZ-900 Microsoft Azure Fundamentals Certification Exam. Microsoft Learn is an important part of my AZ-900 exam study guide.

Free Azure Account

I also highly recommend that you create a free Azure account to try out the Azure services and get familiar with the Azure platform.

Create a free Azure Account 

If you don’t have an Azure account yet, you can sign up today for your free Azure account and receive 12 months of free popular services, $200 free credit, and 25+ always free services.

Microsoft Docs AZ-900 study guide resources

One thing I always used to prepare for my Microsoft exams is Microsoft Docs. Here are the relevant Microsoft Docs which I used to prepare and study for the AZ-900 exam.

Describe cloud concepts (20-25%)

Identify the benefits and considerations of using cloud services

Describe the differences between categories of cloud services

Describe the differences between types of cloud computing

Describe core Azure services (15-20%)

Describe the core Azure architectural components

Describe core resources available in Azure

Describe Core Solutions and Management Tools on Azure (10-15%)

Describe core solutions available on Azure

Describe Azure management tools

Describe General Security and Network Security Features (10-15%)

Describe Azure security features

  • Describe basic features of Azure Security Center, including policy compliance, security alerts, secure score, and resource hygiene
  • Describe the functionality and usage of Key Vault
  • Describe the functionality and usage of Azure Sentinel
  • Describe the functionality and usage of Azure Dedicated Hosts

Describe Azure network security

Describe Identity, Governance, Privacy, and Compliance Features (20-25%)

Describe core Azure identity services

Describe Azure governance features

Describe privacy and compliance resources

Describe Azure cost management and Service Level Agreements (10-15%)

Describe methods for planning and managing costs

Describe Azure Service Level Agreements (SLAs) and service lifecycles

AZ-900 Azure Fundamentals Study Guide Tips and Resources

I hope this AZ-900 Microsoft Azure Fundamentals Certification Exam Study Guide helps you pass the exam and get other Microsoft Azure certifications. I also recommend that you open a free Azure account if you don’t have one yet. You can create your free Azure account here. Also, check out my blog posts about Microsoft Azure Certification:

Want to learn more about how to prepare for a Microsoft Certification Exam? Check out my Video on Microsoft Channel 9.

I hope you enjoyed my AZ-900 Study Guide and it helps you as exam prep. Did I miss any link, or do you have any recommended AZ-900 Microsoft Azure Fundamentals Certification Exam Study resources? Let me know in the comments.

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Thomas Maurer
Thomas is the EMEA Global Black Belt (GBB) for Sovereign Cloud at Microsoft, helping organizations across the region harness Microsoft’s sovereign, hybrid, multicloud, and edge solutions. He works directly with C-level leaders and technical teams to remove roadblocks, accelerate digital transformation, and shape long-term cloud strategies that meet business and regulatory needs. With over 15 years of experience in cloud and datacenter, including his previous role as Principal Program Manager and Chief Evangelist for Azure Hybrid, he combines deep technical expertise with a passion for customer success. He specializes in creating scalable architectures, solution accelerators, and thought leadership that drive adoption and innovation on Azure. Thomas is a passionate community advocate and frequently speaks at industry events such as Microsoft Ignite and Microsoft TechDays. He shares his expertise through his Cloud and Datacenter Blog at www.thomasmaurer.ch and on LinkedIn and X.com www.twitter.com/thomasmaurer.

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26 responses

  1. Khyrren Avatar
    Khyrren

    I am very new to azure cloud, I am from South Africa and we are now third day in lockdown and I have stated and up to storage now on azure 900, I appreciate what you have done above and will be working through it. I am also aware the exam is expiring and will be replaced soon….I have crerated a trial azure account but unable to creat VM’s and it seems due to the influx of the free uses its causining a problem in all regions to size vms …
    But I have goine past this and moing on with the reading so hope to get to ypur videos too soon

    Reply
    1. Thomas Maurer Avatar
      Thomas Maurer

      Hi Khyrren

      Happy to hear that you are working with Azure and going forward.

      Yes, there is currently a very high demand on Azure:
      – We have seen a 775 percent increase of our cloud services in regions that have enforced social distancing or shelter in place orders.
      – We have seen a very significant spike in Teams usage, and now have more than 44 million daily users. Those users generated over 900 million meeting and calling minutes on Teams daily in a single week.
      – Windows Virtual Desktop usage has grown more than 3x.

      This is why some of the team makes sure to have enough capacity for workloads:
      “We’re implementing a few temporary restrictions designed to balance the best possible experience for all of our customers. We have placed limits on free offers to prioritize capacity for existing customers.”

      You can read more here: Update #2 on Microsoft cloud services continuity

      Reply
  2. Fred Avatar
    Fred

    Do you have a study guide for prior to the updated one here? I had anticipated taking the AZ-900 before end of April. I have been prepping for the current exam and happened to find your site…this is extremely useful for the updated test after May 28th. I have been searching the site without luck. Thanks in advance!

    Reply
    1. Thomas Maurer Avatar
      Thomas Maurer

      I don’t have one for that. But I highly recommend that you look at the Microsoft Learn Learning Path

      Reply
  3. Nicholas Avatar
    Nicholas

    Hi Thomas,

    Good article. Are you able to offer any advice as to whether one should take the exam before or after 28th May? I am in no real hurry but feel it would be beneficial to wait until post 28th May to write based on the latest content.

    Also, I see that there appear to be several high-level changes across the exams which makes me wonder if online courses may need to be updated for the new exam.
    https://query.prod.cms.rt.microsoft.com/cms/api/am/binary/RE3VwUY

    Your thoughts?

    Reply
  4. Remo Avatar
    Remo

    Hi Thomas,
    Thank you very much for the great article with the helpful links and overview.

    Can you tell us more about the current situation regarding online certification?
    As far as I understand, there may be a delay in the process.

    Reply
    1. Thomas Maurer Avatar
      Thomas Maurer

      Hi Remo
      Thanks, appreciate it :)
      I tried it this week, booked last Saturday, did the exam on Monday. There were enough spots free. But yes maybe not as many slots open as usual. But for me, it worked really well.

      Reply
  5. Matt Avatar
    Matt

    Any chance to re-apply for free Azure account since it keeps rejecting my entry based on the details including the cc details that I type?
    Thanks

    Reply
  6. Chandan Prakash Avatar
    Chandan Prakash

    Thanks Thomas:) Its a good article and you covered all the module very well.

    Reply
  7. tiago Avatar
    tiago

    HI Thomas, thanks for all the information.

    I have booked the exam for the next month ,can you tell me more the type of questions that I will find there?

    Reply
  8. Paulien Avatar
    Paulien

    Hi Thomas, my savior, what an excellent overview you made. This makes it all so much easier and more structured.
    One thing maybe: at ‘Resource groups’ the link refers to the general Azure Resource manager webpage. Perhaps a link to the part of that webpage about resource groups is more usefull? Since Azure Resource Manager is referred to just a few lines below as well.

    https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/azure-resource-manager/management/overview?WT.mc_id=thomasmaurer-blog-thmaure#resource-groups

    Reply
  9. Akshay Avatar
    Akshay

    Hi Thomas,

    I hope you are doing well.

    I am new to the cloud and have started preparing for Azure Fundamentals certification to begin my Azure cloud journey.

    I am reaching out to you looking for some clarification on the queries I have with regard to Cloud learning. Would be really helpful if you can share your thoughts.

    I chose Azure and not AWS for three main reasons:

    1) 90% of Fortune 500 companies run on Azure
    2) Suit of products from Microsoft that are being widely used by organizations across the world. So, there would be more demand for the IT professionals with Azure knowledge
    3) AWS market is too crowded. Too many people with 7x certifications and competition is fierce (per my observation)

    To be honest, I have zero knowledge about the features that AWS brings to the table. Neither Azure nor GCP. But, I preferred Azure for aforementioned reasons.

    Lately, I saw this on Twitter where Andrew mentions the advantages in choosing AWS in his replies.

    Would be really helpful if you can provide your insights on the below:

    1) Did I make a right decision by choosing Azure?
    2) Being a Linux user, will I have any difficulty in gaining Azure knowledge
    3) I understand that Azure provides Azure CLI (bash shell). Despite that, is it required for me to gain knowledge on power shell?
    4) How easy for Azure professions to switch to AWS or GCP?

    Also, as market share of Google Cloud platform showing considerable growth with time, and as there is not much expertise available, can oneself make more valuable by preparing for GCP certifications?

    The new president of Google cloud, Thomas Kurian in one of his interviews was talking about the efforts being made to get major accounts to GCP and how AI, ML can be used in their advantage to deliver effective solutions. So, keeping that in mind, should I switch to GCP?

    Thank you.

    Reply
  10. Ankit Sharma Avatar
    Ankit Sharma

    Hi Thomas,
    A great blog over AZ-900!!

    Reply
    1. Thomas Maurer Avatar
      Thomas Maurer

      Thank you :)

      Reply
  11. Coz Avatar
    Coz

    Nice article. Thanks.

    One question. If I check the current “Measured Skills” document I find a topic like “describe the benefits and usage of core Azure architectural components” (under “Describe Core Azure Services”). I was unable to find this resources about it in your blog post or on the Microsoft Learning Paths. Can you give me a hint?

    Reply
  12. Mansoor Sahi Avatar
    Mansoor Sahi

    Hi Thomas,

    On the Uk site, i do not see the new skills guide that has 6 items now. Is there any way you could publish the correct URL for the skills measured?
    Thanks

    Reply
  13. paloma giraudo Avatar
    paloma giraudo

    I’m sorry but I don’t see the changes you say exist with the update you made to November 9th on the Az-900 test. Can you please tell me where they are?

    Reply
  14. Andreas Avatar
    Andreas

    Hello Thomas!

    Can we find example questions to check our knowledge?

    Thank you

    Reply
  15. Bhavesh Shah Avatar
    Bhavesh Shah

    Hi Thomas ,

    Your Blog is always very good with Nice Explanation with all Topic Wise and Easy to Understand .

    Reply
    1. Thomas Maurer Avatar
      Thomas Maurer

      Thank you! :)

      Reply
  16. cloudworxs Avatar
    cloudworxs

    Do you have any recommendations for the practice exam? I am currently using MeasureUp but there might be other practice exams as additional exam prep tools. Thank you!

    Reply
  17. Thomas Avatar
    Thomas

    Hi Thomas

    I just passed my AZ-900 exam this week :-) Got a score of 810/1000, but still a lot to learn about Azure.

    Reply
    1. Thomas Maurer Avatar
      Thomas Maurer

      Awesome! Congrats

      Reply
  18. Claire Said Avatar
    Claire Said

    Hi Thomas,
    Is there an updated blog on AZ-900 Study Guide: Microsoft Azure Fundamentals? Since this was published few years ago?

    Reply
    1. Thomas Maurer Avatar
      Thomas Maurer

      Hi Claire

      Yes I will have a look to up date it in the comming weeks. However, most of things should still be accurate :)

      Reply
  19. Oliver Hiley Avatar
    Oliver Hiley

    Hi Thomas,

    I always enjoy reading your blog. The explanations are clear, well-organized, and easy to understand, even for complex topics. It’s a great resource for learning. I’ve also found Passexamhub helpful for exam preparation, and combining quality study resources with informative blogs like yours makes learning much easier. Keep up the great work!

    Reply

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