Microsoft Certified: Azure Fundamentals Study Guide (2026) - Pass on Your First Attempt
📋 2026 Edition  ·  Updated May 2026

Microsoft Certified: Azure Fundamentals
azure-fundamentals-az-900 Study Guide — Pass First Attempt

Complete exam coverage for the Microsoft Certified: Azure Fundamentals. Every domain, every key topic — structured so you study smart, not hard. Built around the official exam blueprint.

50
Questions
85 min
Duration
70
Passing score
3
Domains
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First-attempt pass rate
47K+
Candidates prepared
4.9★
Average rating
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Describe Cloud Concepts
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Exam at a Glance

Everything you need to know before you start

Key facts about the Microsoft Certified: Azure Fundamentals exam structure, format, and scoring.

🆔
azure-fundamentals-az-900
Exam code
📝
50 questions
Total questions
⏱
85 minutes
Duration
🎯
70
Passing score
📋
3 domains
Exam domains
📅
Valid 3 years
Certification validity
🌐
Online / In-person
Testing mode
🏆
Globally recognised
Credential type
ℹ️
Scoring method: Scaled scoring on a 1–1000 scale. Total score determines pass/fail; there is no per-domain minimum. A score of 700 or above is required to pass.. The exam may include unscored pilot questions — treat every question seriously.
Focus Areas

What should you study for the Microsoft Certified: Azure Fundamentals exam?

To pass the Microsoft Certified: Azure Fundamentals certification exam, you should focus on these core domains. The exam tests your ability to apply concepts in real-world scenarios — not just memorise definitions.

⚠️
Common mistake: Candidates memorise terminology but struggle with scenario-based questions. Focus on when to use what, not just what exists.
🔐
Describe Cloud Concepts (27%)
Covers the shared responsibility model, cloud service models, consumption-based pricing, and the benefits of cloud computing.
🏗
Describe Azure Architecture and Services (37%)
Covers Azure global infrastructure, core compute, networking, storage, identity, and database services.
⚡
Describe Azure Management and Governance (32%)
Covers cost management, Azure governance tools, compliance, monitoring, and deployment tools.
Full Syllabus

Microsoft Certified: Azure Fundamentals Exam Syllabus and Topics

The Microsoft Certified: Azure Fundamentals exam is divided into 3 domains. Each domain tests specific skills and contributes to your overall score. Click any domain to expand topics.

Describe Cloud Concepts
Covers the shared responsibility model, cloud service models, consumption-based pricing, and the benefits of cloud computing.
27% ▼
Cloud Service Models
IaaS: infrastructure as a service — examples and customer responsibilities
PaaS: platform as a service — examples and use cases
SaaS: software as a service — examples and management responsibility
Shared responsibility model: what the provider vs customer manages in each model
Cloud Deployment Models
Public cloud: characteristics, benefits, and examples
Private cloud: on-premises control and dedicated infrastructure
Hybrid cloud: combining public and private cloud environments
Consumption-based pricing vs CapEx vs OpEx models
Benefits of Cloud Computing
High availability and SLA guarantees
Scalability: vertical (scale up) and horizontal (scale out)
Elasticity: automatically adjusting resources based on demand
Reliability, predictability, security, and governance in the cloud
Manageability: monitoring, autoscaling, and resource management
~14 questions
270 marks
27% of exam weight
Describe Azure Architecture and Services
Covers Azure global infrastructure, core compute, networking, storage, identity, and database services.
37% ▼
Azure Global Infrastructure
Azure regions and region pairs for data residency and failover
Availability zones: separate physical datacentres within a region
Azure datacentres and the physical infrastructure
Azure sovereign clouds: Government, China, and Germany
Azure Management Structure
Management groups: organising multiple subscriptions
Subscriptions: billing boundary and access control
Resource groups: logical containers for Azure resources
Resources: individual Azure service instances
Compute Services
Azure Virtual Machines: IaaS compute for Windows and Linux
Azure App Service: PaaS for web apps, APIs, and mobile back-ends
Azure Container Instances (ACI) and Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS)
Azure Functions: serverless event-driven compute
Azure Virtual Desktop: cloud-based desktop virtualisation
Networking Services
Azure Virtual Network (VNet): private network in Azure
Azure VPN Gateway: encrypted site-to-site and point-to-site VPNs
Azure ExpressRoute: private dedicated connectivity to Azure
Azure Load Balancer (Layer 4) and Azure Application Gateway (Layer 7)
Azure DNS and Azure Content Delivery Network (CDN)
Storage Services
Azure Blob Storage: unstructured data, tiers (hot, cool, cold, archive)
Azure Files: fully managed cloud file shares (SMB and NFS)
Azure Disk Storage: managed disks for VMs (Standard HDD/SSD, Premium SSD)
Azure Queue Storage and Azure Table Storage (NoSQL)
Azure Storage redundancy: LRS, ZRS, GRS, and GZRS
Identity and Database Services
Microsoft Entra ID (formerly Azure AD): cloud identity and access management
Azure SQL Database: fully managed relational database (PaaS)
Azure Cosmos DB: globally distributed NoSQL database
Azure Database for PostgreSQL, MySQL, and MariaDB
Azure Synapse Analytics for big data and analytical workloads
~19 questions
370 marks
37% of exam weight
Describe Azure Management and Governance
Covers cost management, Azure governance tools, compliance, monitoring, and deployment tools.
32% ▼
Azure Cost Management
Azure Pricing Calculator: estimating costs for planned deployments
Azure Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) Calculator: on-prem vs cloud comparison
Azure Cost Management + Billing: tracking and analysing actual spend
Cost-saving options: reserved instances, Azure Hybrid Benefit, spot VMs
Factors affecting cost: resource type, consumption, location, and bandwidth
Azure Governance Tools
Azure Policy: enforcing organisational standards across resources
Azure Blueprints (deprecated): packaging policies, RBAC, and ARM templates
Azure RBAC (Role-Based Access Control): who can do what with which resources
Resource locks: read-only and delete locks to protect critical resources
Microsoft Purview: unified data governance for on-prem and cloud data
Compliance and Privacy
Microsoft Defender for Cloud: security posture management and workload protection
Service Trust Portal: accessing compliance documentation and audit reports
Azure compliance offerings: GDPR, HIPAA, ISO 27001, SOC 1/2/3
Microsoft Privacy Statement and the Microsoft Trust Center
Monitoring and Deployment Tools
Azure Monitor: metrics, logs, alerts, and dashboards
Azure Advisor: personalised best practice recommendations
Azure Service Health: personalised service health dashboard
Azure Arc: managing non-Azure and on-premises resources from Azure
Azure Resource Manager (ARM): management layer for all Azure resources
ARM templates and Azure Bicep for infrastructure as code
~16 questions
320 marks
32% of exam weight
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Study Plan

Microsoft Certified: Azure Fundamentals Structured Study Roadmap

Designed for candidates studying 1-2 hours per day. Select your timeline below.

Exam Strategy

Tips to pass Microsoft Certified: Azure Fundamentals on your first attempt

Tactical advice beyond content knowledge — what separates candidates who pass from those who retake.

🗓
Memorise the shared responsibility model thoroughly — the exam repeatedly asks who is responsible for security (customer, Microsoft, or shared) in IaaS, PaaS, and SaaS scenarios.
🔍
Know the difference between scalability (ability to scale) and elasticity (automatic scaling on demand) — they sound similar but are tested distinctly.
⏭
Study Azure storage tiers (hot, cool, cold, archive) and understand which tier suits each use case; the exam tests when to choose archive vs cool storage.
📊
Learn the Azure management hierarchy (management group → subscription → resource group → resource) and understand how policies and RBAC permissions are inherited.
🔁
Know the specific purpose of each networking service: VPN Gateway (encrypted internet tunnel), ExpressRoute (private dedicated line), and when each is appropriate.
🧪
Study Azure cost tools: understand the difference between the Pricing Calculator (estimate future costs) and the TCO Calculator (compare on-prem vs cloud).
📝
Be clear on Microsoft Entra ID (Azure AD): it is a cloud identity service, not a replacement for on-premises Active Directory — understand how they work together.
🎯
Understand Azure Policy vs RBAC: Policy controls what can be done with resources; RBAC controls who can do things — these are commonly confused in exam questions.
🗓
For the governance domain, know Azure Advisor's four recommendation categories: cost, security, reliability, and operational excellence.
🔍
Practice with Microsoft's free AZ-900 learning paths on Microsoft Learn — they are free, well-aligned to exam objectives, and include sandbox exercises.
Recommended Resources

Official and trusted study materials

Curated resources ranked by usefulness. Quality over quantity — focus on a small set of authoritative sources.

Official
Official Exam Guide
The authoritative blueprint. Know every objective before studying anything else.
→ Vendor website
Practice Tests
Edureify Practice Tests
Full-length Microsoft Certified: Azure Fundamentals simulations with detailed per-domain analysis and explanations.
→ Start free test
Video Course
Structured Video Course
Pick one highly-rated course and complete it end-to-end before switching resources.
With edureify Convert Tutorial to AI Tutor
Reference
Domain Cheat Sheets
One-page summaries for each Microsoft Certified: Azure Fundamentals domain — ideal for last-week revision.
→ Get free Cheat Sheet
Community
Study Groups & Forums
Reddit r/certifications and exam-specific Discord servers for peer support and tips.
→ Reddit / Discord
AI Tutor
Edureify AI Mentor
Get instant answers to Microsoft Certified: Azure Fundamentals concepts, domain-level weak-area coaching, and adaptive questions.
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⚠️
Avoid brain dumps. Sites selling "real exam questions" violate most vendor NDAs and are legally risky. Questions rotate regularly — brain dumps lead to overconfidence on outdated material and a higher retake rate.
Reviews

What candidates say after passing

★★★★★
"Passed Microsoft Certified: Azure Fundamentals on my first attempt after 5 weeks. The domain-level diagnostic showed me exactly where my gaps were — I stopped wasting time on topics I already knew."
Rahul S.
Solutions Architect, Bangalore
★★★★★
"The structured study plan kept me on track. I tried studying on my own for 3 months and failed. With Edureify's roadmap I passed in 6 weeks."
Priya M.
Cloud Engineer, Mumbai
★★★★★
"The AI mentor was like having a personal tutor available at 2am. Every concept I didn't understand was explained until I got it. Invaluable for the Describe Cloud Concepts domain."
David K.
DevOps Engineer, London
FAQ

Frequently asked questions about Microsoft Certified: Azure Fundamentals

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