Cracking the Microsoft AZ-900 exam is the first step towards unlocking a world of opportunities in cloud computing. This fundamental certification validates your understanding of Azure concepts, services, and workloads, making it a coveted credential for IT professionals seeking to advance their careers. Whether you’re a seasoned IT expert or just starting your cloud journey, this post is your roadmap to success.
In this blog, we’ll be providing you with essential tips and tricks to help you prepare and pass the Microsoft AZ-900 exam with confidence. We’ll cover a variety of topics, including the exam format, content, study resources, and test-taking strategies. Whether you’re a beginner or have some experience with Azure, this guide will help you develop a study plan and approach the exam with a clear and focused mindset.
By following these tips and tricks, you’ll be better equipped to succeed in the Microsoft AZ-900 exam and take a significant step towards advancing your career in cloud computing. So let’s get started!
Microsoft AZ-900 Exam: Overview
The Microsoft Azure Fundamentals (AZ-900) exam is intended for those who have a basic understanding of cloud services and how Microsoft Azure delivers such services. For people who are just starting to work with cloud-based solutions and services or are new to Azure, the exam is the ideal option.
Furthermore, you will get a chance to demonstrate an understanding of cloud principles, Azure services, Azure workloads, security and privacy in Azure, as well as Azure pricing and support using the AZ-900 exam. So, you should be knowledgeable about basic technological principles, such as networking, storage, computing, application development, and application support.
Microsoft AZ-900 Glossary
Here’s a glossary of key terms related to Microsoft Azure AZ-900 certification:
- Azure: Microsoft’s cloud computing platform, which includes a range of services such as virtual machines, storage, and databases.
- Cloud Computing: A model of delivering computing services over the internet on an on-demand basis.
- Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS): A type of cloud computing service that provides virtualized computing resources, such as virtual machines and storage.
- Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS): A type of cloud computing service that provides a platform for developing and deploying applications without the need to manage the underlying infrastructure.
- Software-as-a-Service (SaaS): A type of cloud computing service that provides software applications over the internet, typically on a subscription basis.
- Virtual Machine (VM): A software-based representation of a physical machine that can run applications and operating systems.
- Load Balancing: The process of distributing network traffic across multiple servers to optimize performance and availability.
- High Availability: A characteristic of a system or application that ensures it remains accessible and operational with minimal downtime.
- Scalability: The ability of a system or application to handle increased workloads by adding or removing resources dynamically.
- Fault Tolerance: A characteristic of a system or application that ensures it remains operational even in the event of a hardware or software failure.
- Disaster Recovery: A set of procedures and technologies that enable the recovery of critical systems and data in the event of a disaster or outage.
- Backup: A process of creating and storing copies of data to protect against accidental loss or corruption.
- Storage: A service that provides durable, highly available, and scalable storage for data in the cloud.
- Database: A service that provides managed database instances for storing and accessing data in the cloud.
- Security: A set of technologies and processes that protect cloud resources and data from unauthorized access and cyber threats.
Basic Exam Details:
- Number of questions: 40-60 questions
- Exam cost: $99 USD
- Passing score: 700
- Exam Delivery: Pearson VUE, Certiport
- Language: English, Japanese, Chinese (Simplified), Korean, Spanish, German, French, Indonesian (Indonesia), Arabic (Saudi Arabia), Chinese (Traditional), Italian, Portuguese (Brazil), Russian.
After going through the AZ-900 exam’s basics, let’s concentrate on how challenging the exam is and how to pass it.
Tips and Tricks for passing the Microsoft AZ-900 Exam
One of the best pieces of advice is to avoid thinking of the exam as a stroll in the park. Do not make the error of thinking that you can prepare for the test in a short amount of time despite your extensive familiarity with Azure services. Exam questions on the Azure Fundamentals are challenging and may not be ones you encounter at work.
- Review the Exam Skills Outline: Microsoft provides an Exam Skills Outline that outlines the topics that will be covered on the exam. Make sure to review this document and ensure that you are familiar with all of the topics covered. You can find the Exam Skills Outline on the Microsoft website.
- Use Microsoft Learn: Microsoft Learn is a free online platform that provides learning paths and modules for various Microsoft products and services, including Azure. The Azure Fundamentals learning path covers the topics that are covered on the AZ-900 exam. You can access Microsoft Learn here: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/learn/
- Take Practice Exams: Taking practice exams is a great way to prepare for the real exam. Microsoft offers official practice exams for the AZ-900 exam. You can purchase these practice exams on the Microsoft website.
- Join a Study Group: Joining a study group is a great way to stay motivated and learn from others. You can find study groups on social media platforms like LinkedIn or Facebook.
- Watch Videos: There are many YouTube channels that offer free tutorials on Azure. Watching these videos can help you better understand the concepts covered on the AZ-900 exam. One popular channel is Azure Academy: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-M4XP4V0iC1UHAFv_-XYRg
- Read Documentation: Microsoft provides extensive documentation on Azure. Reading this documentation can help you better understand the concepts covered on the AZ-900 exam. You can find the Azure documentation here: https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/
- Attend Training: Microsoft offers instructor-led training courses for Azure. Attending one of these courses can help you better prepare for the AZ-900 exam. You can find a list of available courses on the Microsoft website.
By following these tips and tricks, and using the provided resources, you can be well on your way to passing the Microsoft AZ-900 exam!
Earning this certification can be the key to getting a better understanding of Azure and moving one step towards Azure advanced-level certifications. To help you in this, below we will cover the top study method to make your preparation better. Let’s start with the exam topics!
1. Get familiar with the Exam Objectives
Possibly the most important aspect of fully understanding the concepts while studying for the certification is the exam outline. The exam’s topics and weightings are listed below. The primary content domains are shown with related links and sections. Use these references to learn the topic with more clarity. However, the topics included on the AZ-900 exam are:
Microsoft Azure Fundamentals Exam AZ-900 Updated Course Outline!
Module 1 – Describe cloud concepts (25–30%)
The Microsoft Azure Fundamentals Exam cover the latest and updated exam guide including –
Describe cloud computing
- Define cloud computing (Microsoft Documentation: What is cloud computing? and Types of Cloud Computing)
- Describe the shared responsibility model (Microsoft Documentation: Shared Responsibility Model in Cloud)
- Define cloud models, including public, private, and hybrid (Microsoft Documentation: What is a Public Cloud?, What is a Private Cloud? and What is a Hybrid Cloud?)
- Identify appropriate use cases for each cloud model (Examples of cloud computing)
- Describe the consumption-based model (Microsoft Documentation: Consumption and Fixed Cost Models)
- Compare cloud pricing models (Microsoft Documentation: Azure Product Pricing and Azure Cloud Services pricing)
- Describe serverless
Describe the benefits of using cloud services (Benefits of Cloud Computing Services)
- Describe the benefits of high availability and scalability in the cloud (Microsoft Documentation: Benefits and considerations of using cloud services)
- Describe the benefits of reliability and predictability in the cloud (Microsoft Documentation: Azure Reliability and Overview of the reliability pillar)
- Describe the benefits of security and governance in the cloud (Microsoft Documentation: Security governance and Governance in the Microsoft Cloud and Azure governance documentation)
- Describe the benefits of manageability in the cloud (Microsoft Documentation: Cloud management in the Cloud Adoption Framework, Cloud management gateway overview and Azure Management Guide, Before you start)
Describe cloud service types
- Describe infrastructure as a service (IaaS) (Microsoft Documentation: What is IaaS? and Azure IaaS (infrastructure as a service)
- Describe platform as a service (PaaS) (Microsoft Documentation: What is PaaS? and Use platform as a service (PaaS) options)
- Describe software as a service (SaaS) (Microsoft Documentation: What is SaaS? and About SaaS)
- Identify appropriate use cases for each cloud service (IaaS, PaaS, SaaS) (Microsoft Documentation: Azure Cloud Services)
Module 2 – Describe Azure architecture and services (35–40%)
Describe the core architectural components of Azure
- Describe Azure regional, regional pairs, and sovereign regions (Microsoft Documentation: Azure Regions and Avaialbility Zones and Azure Regional Pairs and Azure Sovereign Clouds)
- Describe availability zones (Microsoft Documentation: Azure availability zones)
- Describe Azure datacenters (Microsoft Documentation: Datacenter security overview)
- Describe Azure resources and resource groups (Manage Azure resource groups)
- Describe subscriptions (Microsoft Documentation: Subscription decision guide and Azure subscription)
- Describe management groups (Microsoft Documentation: Azure Management Groups)
- Describe the hierarchy of resource groups, subscriptions, and management groups (Microsoft Documentation: What are Azure management groups? )
Describe Azure compute and networking services
- Compare compute types, including container instances, virtual machines, and functions (Choose an Azure compute service, Azure Container Instances, Introduction to Azure virtual machines, Introduction to Azure Functions)
- Describe Virtual Machine options, including Azure Virtual Machines, Azure Virtual Machine Scale Sets, availability sets, and Azure Virtual Desktop (Virtual machines in Azure, What are virtual machine scale sets? and What is Azure Virtual Desktop?)
- Describe resources required for virtual machines (Windows virtual machines in Azure)
- Describe application hosting options, including Web Apps, containers, and virtual machines
- Describe virtual networking, including the purpose of Azure Virtual Networks, Azure virtual subnets, peering, Azure DNS, Azure VPN Gateway, and Azure ExpressRoute (What is Azure Virtual Network?, Virtual Network Subnet, Azure Virtual Network Peering, Azure Peering Service Overview, What is Azure DNS?, What is Azure VPN Gateway?, Azure ExpressRoute and Significance of Azure ExpressRoute)
- Define public and private endpoints (What is a private endpoint?)
Describe Azure storage services
- Compare Azure storage services (Introduction to Azure Storage)
- Describe storage tiers (Storage account overview, Hot, Cool, and Archive access tiers)
- Describe redundancy options (Azure Storage redundancy)
- Describe storage account options and storage types (Storage account overview)
- Identify options for moving files, including AzCopy, Azure Storage Explorer, and Azure File Sync (azcopy copy, Get started with AzCopy, Transfer data with AzCopy and file storage, What is Azure File Sync?, Get started with Storage Explorer)
- Describe migration options, including Azure Migrate and Azure Data Box (About Azure Migrate)
Describe Azure identity, access, and security
- Describe directory services in Azure, including Azure Active Directory (Azure AD) and part of Microsoft Entra and Azure Active Directory Domain Services (Azure AD DS)
- Describe authentication methods in Azure, including single sign-on (SSO), multifactor authentication (MFA), and passwordless (Passwordless authentication options for Azure Active Directory, authentication and verification methods are available in Azure Active Directory)
- Describe external identities in Azure, including business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-customer (B2C)
- Describe Microsft Entra Conditional Access
- Describe Azure role-based access control (RBAC) (What is Azure role-based access control (Azure RBAC)?)
- Describe the concept of Zero Trust (What is Zero Trust?)
- Describe the purpose of the defense in-depth model
- Describe the purpose of Microsoft Defender for Cloud (What is Microsoft Defender for Cloud?)
Module 3 – Describe Azure management and governance (30–35%)
Describe cost management in Azure
- Describe factors that can affect costs in Azure (Plan and manage your Azure costs)
- Compare the Pricing calculator and the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) calculator (Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) Calculator)
- Describe the Cost Management capabilities in Azure
- Describe the purpose of tags (Use tags to organize your Azure resources and management hierarchy)
Describe features and tools in Azure for governance and compliance
- Describe the purpose of Microsoft Purview in Azure
- Describe the purpose of Azure Policy (What is Azure Policy?)
- Describe the purpose of resource locks (Lock resources to prevent unexpected changes)
Describe features and tools for managing and deploying Azure resources
- Describe the Azure portal (Azure portal overview)
- Describe Azure Cloud Shell, including Azure Command-Line Interface (CLI) and Azure PowerShell (Overview of Azure Cloud Shell)
- Describe the purpose of Azure Arc (Azure Arc overview)
- Describe infrastructure as code (IaC) (IaC on Azure)
- Describe Azure Resource Manager (ARM) and ARM templates (What is Azure Resource Manager?, What are ARM templates?)
Describe monitoring tools in Azure
- Describe the purpose of Azure Advisor (Introduction to Azure Advisor)
- Describe Azure Service Health (What is Azure Service Health?)
- Describe Azure Monitor, including Log Analytics, Azure Monitor alerts, and Application Insights (Log Analytics tutorial, Azure Monitor overview, Application Insights overview)
2. Study with Microsoft Learning Paths
Microsoft’s learning path offers you access to exam-related information via a range of modules. On the official website for the exam, you may get these Microsoft AZ-900 exam preparation resources. The approaches for preparing for exams include:
– Explain cloud principles.
You can use this learning path to be ready for the Microsoft Azure Fundamentals Exam AZ-900.
Prerequisites:
- Basic knowledge of IT concepts and terminologies.
Modules in this learning path:
- Explain cloud computing:
- You are introduced to cloud computing in this module. Deployment models, cloud ideas, and understanding of shared responsibilities are all covered.
- List the advantages of utilizing cloud services:
- The advantages of cloud computing for you or your company are covered in this subject.
- Types of cloud services:
- The various cloud service types are covered in this module, along with some of the benefits and use cases associated with each service type.
– Explain the architecture and services of Azure.
The Microsoft Azure Fundamentals program consists of three learning paths: Describe Azure administration and governance, Describe Azure architecture and services, and Describe cloud principles. Fundamentals of Microsoft Azure: In the Microsoft Azure Fundamentals course, the second learning path is Azure architecture and services. This learning path examines the architecture of Microsoft Azure as well as some of its most popular services and resources.
Prerequisites:
- Basic knowledge of IT terminologies and concepts
Modules in this learning path:
- Describe the fundamental elements of Azure’s architecture:
- The fundamental Microsoft Azure infrastructure parts are described in this module. The physical infrastructure, resource management, and the opportunity to build an Azure resource are all covered in this course.
- Describe the compute and networking services offered by Azure:
- This module focuses on a few of the networking and computing services offered by Azure.
- Describe the Azure storage services:
- This module gives you an overview of Azure storage, covering topics like the various types of storage and how a distributed architecture may make your data more dependable.
- Explain the concept of Azure identity, access, and security:
- Some of the permission and authentication techniques offered by Azure are covered in this module.
– Explain the administration and governance of Azure.
Reference: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/training/paths/describe-azure-management-governance/
The Microsoft Azure Fundamentals program consists of three learning paths: Describe Azure administration and governance, Describe Azure architecture and services, and Describe cloud principles. Fundamentals of Microsoft Azure: The third learning route in Microsoft Azure Fundamentals is about managing and governing Azure. The management and governance tools you may use to manage your on-premises and cloud resources are explored in this learning path.
Prerequisites:
- Basic knowledge of IT terminologies and concepts
Modules in this learning path:
- Describe Azure’s cost management:
- The ways to estimate, monitor and control expenses in Azure are covered in this module.
- Describe the governance and compliance capabilities and tools in Azure:
- You are introduced to technologies in this module that can assist with governance and compliance in Azure.
- Describe the capabilities and resources available for managing and deploying Azure resources:
- The tools that you may use to manage your on-premises and Azure resources are covered in this section.
- Describe Azure’s monitoring tools:
- The tools that you may use to monitor your Azure environment are covered in this topic.
3. Gain skills with Instructor-led Training
A basic understanding of cloud principles, fundamental Azure services, and Azure management and governance capabilities and tools will be provided through this course.
Audience Description:
- IT professionals who are just starting to work with Azure should take this course. This course audience wants to know about services and using the product directly.
- Secondly, this course does not require scripting knowledge and instead creates resources largely using the Azure portal and command line interface.
- Thirdly, this course will provide students the confidence they need to enroll in additional role-based programs and earn credentials like Azure Administrator.
- Lastly, this course mixes lectures with practical laboratories and demonstrations.
4. Use Microsoft Virtual Training Day
Microsoft provides you and your business the resources you need to succeed as the workplace changes, as well as the technical training you’ll need to do it from anywhere. Microsoft Virtual Training Days are free, comprehensive virtual training events that point you in the direction of numerous opportunities to influence your career and business both now and in the future. This is your chance to improve your technical abilities and build the confidence to face the challenges that lie ahead thanks to weekly activities that cater to every ability level.
With accelerated virtual event options covering a variety of technical subjects for Microsoft Azure, Microsoft 365, Dynamics 365, Power Platform, and Security, you can maximize your time and discover your potential.
5. Start Taking Practice Tests
You must know that the test will cover a range of topics. Thus, before the exam, you should get as much experience as you can. The most efficient way to do this is to take practice exams. By completing the Microsoft AZ-900 Exam practice tests, you may better understand your study plan and become ready for the real thing. By recognizing your weak areas with the help of these practice tests, you may take action to strengthen them. You’ll be able to manage your time more effectively if you can comprehend the test’s question format and develop your answer abilities.
6. Join Online Groups/Communities for clearing doubts
Join the Microsoft community to share methodologies and gain access to the latest recent Azure service knowledge. You may get assistance from these forums with everything from technical support and break/fix issues to help & education on relevant topics. Group discussions with subject-matter specialists about your inquiries will help you keep informed about exam changes.
Exam Preparation Tips
Once you have a solid understanding of the AZ-900 exam objectives, it’s time to dive into focused preparation. Effective study techniques are crucial for success. Start by implementing effective note-taking methods to capture key concepts and definitions. Consider using a mind mapping or outlining approach to visualize relationships between different topics.
To solidify your understanding, create flashcards for important terms, services, and their functionalities. Regular review of these flashcards will help reinforce your memory. Practice exams and mock tests are indispensable for familiarizing yourself with the exam format, identifying knowledge gaps, and improving time management skills.
Time management is essential during the exam. Allocate appropriate time for each section based on the weightage. Practice answering questions within the time limit to build speed and accuracy. Employ test-taking strategies like the elimination process to narrow down options and increase your chances of selecting the correct answer.
Common Pitfalls and How to Avoid Them
- While preparing for the AZ-900 exam, it’s essential to be aware of common misconceptions to avoid falling into traps. Some individuals may underestimate the breadth of the exam or focus solely on theoretical knowledge without hands-on experience. Addressing these misconceptions early on will help you stay on track.
- Exam anxiety can significantly impact performance. Practice relaxation techniques, time management strategies, and positive self-talk to build confidence. Remember, adequate preparation is key to overcoming exam anxiety.
- Lastly, the dynamic nature of cloud computing requires staying updated with the latest Azure services and features. Subscribe to Azure updates, follow official documentation, and explore new services to ensure your knowledge is current.
Conclusion
Learn about cloud principles, Azure services, Azure workloads, security and privacy in Azure, and more to begin your Microsoft Azure journey. But have this in mind while you prepare for the exam:
- The right strategy is useful in exam preparation rather than cramming concepts.
- Recognize your areas of weakness. In order to do this, using practice exams will assist analyze your responses and identify their weak points.
- When you stand upright to pass any Microsoft exam, time management is crucial. As a result, taking AZ-900 practice exams will enable you to work more quickly and accurately with improvement.
You can achieve a higher level of certification in the industry by earning the Microsoft Azure Fundamentals AZ-900 certification. After finishing your study, register for the test! Upon passing the exam and earning your certification, celebrate on social networking platforms like LinkedIn with your credentials and skills. Furthermore, you may pick between earning the Azure Data Fundamentals certification or the Azure AI Fundamentals certification as proof that you have mastered the fundamentals. Or, based on your career, find the appropriate Microsoft Azure certification (or the one you aspire to).