The Ultimate AZ-900 Azure Fundamentals Study Guide

The AZ-900 Azure Fundamentals exam continues to gain buzz in the industry and has quickly become the place people begin their Microsoft Azure journey. The AZ-900 exam was recently updated on May 28th 2020 and this guide now reflects those new updates. This guide also builds upon the tips and tricks blog post and focuses on all the specific information you need to know to pass your AZ-900 exam. It also covers links to training courses, books and other content you can use to perfect your study approach. Lastly, we also include links to practice exams and cover typical questions Azure students have as they embark upon their first adventures into Microsoft Azure. If you are completely unsure where to begin, make sure to check out our post on certification paths.

If you like this guide, be sure to check out our other Azure Study Guides

AZ-900 Exam Description

Before we begin, let’s look at the exam description as indicated by Microsoft on their AZ-900 web site.

“Candidates for this exam should have foundational knowledge of cloud services and how those services are provided with Microsoft Azure. Azure Fundamentals exam is an opportunity to prove knowledge of cloud concepts, core Azure services, Azure pricing, SLA, and lifecycle, and the fundamentals of cloud security, privacy, compliance, and trust.
This exam is intended for people beginning to work with cloud-based solutions and services. Candidates should be able to demonstrate a fundamental knowledge of cloud concepts, as well as Azure services, workloads, security, privacy, pricing, and support. In addition, you should be familiar with concepts of networking, storage, compute, application support, and application development.
Azure Fundamentals can be used to prepare for other Azure role-based or specialty certifications, but it is not a prerequisite for any of them.”

How long does it take to study for the AZ-900 exam?

The AZ-900, while still an entry level exam, has grown considerably and you should be prepared to put some time in to your preparation. Before we discuss timing, think about how the exam is broken out. The AZ-900 test as of June 2020, covers 4 major areas as follows:

  • 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%)

The percentages indicated above give you an indication on how the test is broken out. This means, you should expect around 30-35% of your questions to focus on describing core Azure services.

One way to break this out further is by using a training calendar. Many of our students have indicated that with an aggressive enough study approach, they are able to take the training courses and read the material linked below in 1 week. Now that’s a lot of cramming, so you need to decide what is right for you and how much time you can devote.

AZ-900 Training Calendar

Use the spreadsheet training calendar as a guide and carve out a 1 week or 4 week study schedule that works for you and your family life.

How hard is the AZ-900 exam?

The exam is no joke! Even though it’s a fundamentals exam, there is a lot to know as you will see when you start going through the material. If you have a background in IT, you will likely be able to move through the material very quickly. Many students pass first time, but many also take a second attempt before they manage to crack the exam. The key is not to give up! Stay focused and commit to the process.

What is the pass mark for the AZ-900 test?

Microsoft certification exams are scored out of 1000. You need a 700 or higher to pass the AZ-900 exam and gain your Azure Fundamentals Badge.

How many questions are on the test?

Question amounts vary, but general guidelines are to expect between 30-50 questions. The more important thing is to make sure you understand all the material based on the percentages above.

How do I take the AZ-900 test?

Once you have completed your preparation, you will need to schedule your test online. Under normal circumstances you would take your test at a test center or online, but currently with the Covid-19 situation, only online testing is available. You can find details about the online test centers at https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/learn/certifications/exams/az-900 .

Upon passing the exam, you will see the following in your Microsoft Transcript:

Congratulations on passing Exam AZ-900
 
 

Is the AZ-900 Azure Fundamentals certification worth it?

Absolutely! Even if this exam may not immediately land you the job you want straight away, it is part an Azure journey we encourage you to undertake. You can move on to becoming an Azure Administrator or Architect over time. If you already have an IT job, it’s going to set you up with the fundamentals in Azure so you can have great conversations with your peers.

Does the AZ-900 certification expire?

At time of writing, there is no expiry date on the AZ-900 certification. Other certifications such as the AZ-103/104 Azure Administrator certification need to be renewed periodically (E.g. 18 months).

Microsoft will from time to time retire certifications however, and you may also find exam numbers evolve over time when Microsoft changes the curriculum substantially for the certification.

How do I prepare for the AZ-900?

Alright, so you’ve committed right? Good! Let’s do this.

Training Courses

Sign up for training at Skylines Academy. A Membership is $19 per month which includes the AZ-900 as well as many more training courses.

 
 

The AZ-900 training course is a self paced course that will walk you through all the topics. It also goes beyond the basics showing you hands on demos which can further expand your knowledge and advance you onto the next phase of your certification journey.

YouTube Video Playlist

We’ve selected a handful of videos from the AZ-900 course to get you started in your journey. This is no substitute for a training course but if you watch just one video today, you’ve learned something new right? Check out the playlist here

AZ-900 Exam Reference Book

The Microsoft Press Book – AZ-900 Azure Fundamentals is a fantastic companion. Grab this book from Amazon.

AZ-900 Reading/Study Material

Now for the major pieces of reading material. Below you will find all the links to relevant Skylines Academy blog posts and Microsoft documentation to cover the key topics. Consider all the links below essential reading for the exam unless they are marked as optional. Even if they are marked as optional, consider reading them to further clarify the subject matter and help you continue your learning path beyond the fundamentals certification.

SECTION: Describe Cloud Concepts (15-20%)

Describe the benefits and considerations of using cloud services

Describe the differences between Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS), Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) and Software-as-a-Service (SaaS)

Describe the differences between Public, Private and Hybrid cloud models

SECTION: Understand core Azure services (30-35%)

Describe the core Azure architectural components

This section covers the core concepts in Azure. Make sure you understand how regions and availability zones compare, as well as the Azure Resource Manager model. This is the way all resources are organized and deployed in Azure.

Describe some of the core products available in Azure

Get ready for a lot of reading here. The quickest way to absorb this is to watch the videos in the training course first, but the links below will really help to round out your knowledge on these key areas. Spend as much time as you can here as this will all help you crack your exam and move on to the more advanced certifications.

Describe Azure management tools

Deploying resources is great but we have to manage them right? Below are links to the core Azure management tools available to get you going.

Section: Describe Azure Pricing, Service Level Agreements, and Lifecycles (20- 25%) 

Describe securing network connectivity in Azure 

From a fundamentals perspective, you really need to understand when a Network Security Group vs other technologies can be used to help secure your network. Make sure you know the differences between Azure Firewall and NSG so you can secure workloads appropriately. 

Describe core Azure Identity services 

Identity appears late in the curriculum but is another absolutely essential service to understand.  

Describe security tools and features of Azure 

In this section, Microsoft continues to put a large emphasis behind security. Make sure you understand the various technologies and where they are used at a high level. 

Describe Azure governance methodologies 

 

Describe monitoring and reporting options in Azure 

Describe privacy, compliance and data protection standards in Azure 

SECTION: Describe Azure Pricing, Service Level Agreements, and Lifecycles (20- 25%) 

Describe an Azure Subscription 

Describe planning and management of costs 

Describe Azure Service Level Agreements (SLAs) 

 

Describe service lifecycle in Azure 

AZ-900 Practice Test 

If you’ve reached this far, congratulations! Before we end off though, make sure to check out the AZ-900 practice test. The test contains over 120 questions which will help test you on the core AZ-900 concepts above. 

Getting Help?

Make sure to join the Azure Study Group on Facebook and ask questions if you get stuck at all. Thousands of people are taking this exam and there’s nothing better than helping each other out? 

Q&A 

If you have any further questions, drop us a comment below and we will try to get you an answer. 

 

Good luck!