MS-900 exam is made for people who want to show they know the basics about using cloud services and, specifically, the Software as a Service (SaaS) model. Those taking the exam should understand the different choices available and the advantages of using Microsoft 365 cloud services. It is very important to know in detail about the exam format before you sit for the exam. Let us get into some of the details about the exam and know in detail about the exam format.
Knowledge required for the exam
This exam requires the complete knowledge of these topics so that you could do well in the exam and can develop thorough knowledge of the exam topics –
- Firstly, individuals taking this exam should have the necessary knowledge to suggest solutions for common IT challenges within organizations. They should also be able to distinguish Microsoft 365 solutions from those offered by competitors in the market.
- Secondly, They should also have a fundamental knowledge of offerings, optimizing licensing for cost-effectiveness, and support options for organizations.
- Lastly, Candidates need to be able to tell the difference between Microsoft’s services and products, including Microsoft 365, Azure, and Dynamics 365.
We shall now be moving on to the description of the exam format and other information of the exam in detail.
Exam Format for MS-900
| 1. Exam Name Microsoft 365 Fundamentals | 2. Exam Code MS-900 |
| 3. Exam Duration 60 mins | 4. Exam Format Multiple Choice and Multi-Response Questions |
| 5. Exam Type Cloud Computing | 6. Number of Questions 40-60 Questions |
| 7. Eligibility/Pre-Requisite NIL | 8. Exam Fee $99 USD |
| 9. Exam Language English, Japanese, Spanish, German, Chinese (Simplified), French, Korean | 10. Pass Score 700 (on a scale of 1-900) |
- MS-900 exam comprises 40-60 questions, including various types like case studies, short answers, multiple-choice, mark review, drag and drop, and more.
- You need to finish the exam within 85 minutes, and to pass, you must score a minimum of 700 out of 900. The exam is available in English, Japanese, Spanish, German, Chinese (Simplified), French, and Korean. The cost of the exam is USD $99, inclusive of additional taxes.
- You may be eligible for ACE college credit if you pass this certification exam. See ACE college credit for certification exams for details. Also, this certification is part of the requirements for: Microsoft 365 Certified: Fundamentals.
There are some policies that in addition to the exam format for MS-900 can help you understand the exam in a better way. Let us know about those policies in a detailed manner in subsequent paragraphs.
How to register for the exam MS-900 exam?
Follow the steps written below to register for the exam:
- First, visit the Microsoft site and locate your certificate on the list. Afterward, click on “schedule exam” to sign up.
- If the exam is offered in your country, you can choose it during the registration.
- Lastly, you’ll pick the language for the greeter, proctor, and proctoring software.
Academic pricing on the certifications by Microsoft
Academic pricing on Microsoft Certified Professional exams is available in most countries (except India and China). However, You must verify your student status before scheduling your exam in order to be eligible for academic pricing.
Applying student status through your account profile –
- Firstly, Sign in with your Microsoft account credentials.
- Secondly, Select Profile settings from the Account menu at the top of the page.
- Subsequently, In the Job function menu, select, or ensure that you have selected, “Student.”
- Finally, check for the academic pricing notice beside the Job function menu. If your student status hasn’t been confirmed yet, click on “Get verified” to validate your status.
Now, Applying student status when registering for an exam –
- Firstly, Sign in with your Microsoft account credentials.
- Then, On the exam for which you want to register, click Schedule exam.
- Lastly, On the Confirm your exam registration details page, ensure that the Job function field displays “Student – Verified.” If it does not, click “Get verified” to validate your status, or click Edit to change your status.
Verifying your academic status
You can select the methods out of the listed which you wish to use to verify your status. The methods include:
- Firstly, School-issued email account
- Secondly, School network credentials
- Subsequently, International Student Identity Card (ISIC)
- Furthermore, Verification code from a Microsoft representative or your institution’s administrator
- Also, Other Documentation
Exam MS-900 Exam retake policy
- If you don’t pass the exam on the first try, you need to wait at least 24 hours before trying again. However, if you pass, you can’t retake it.
- If you fail the second attempt, a waiting period of at least 14 days is required for a retake. The same rule applies for the third, fourth, or fifth attempts.
- In total, you can’t take the exam more than 5 times in a year. The 12-month period starts from your failure on the 5th attempt this year. If you want to take the exam more than 5 times a year, contact Microsoft.
At last, Let us go through the exam content outline and know a little about the preparation resources that can help you to sort from where to begin the preparations from.
Course Outline
The topics covered in the exam are:
MODULE 1 – Describe Cloud Concepts (5-10%)
Describe the different types of cloud services available
- Describe Microsoft software as a service (SaaS), infrastructure as a service (IaaS), and platform as a service (PaaS) concepts and use cases (Microsoft Documentation – What is Platform as a service (PaaS)? , What is Infrastructure as a service (IaaS)?)
- Describe differences between Office 365 and Microsoft 365
Describe the benefits of and considerations for using a cloud , hybrid, or,on-premises services
- describe public, private, and hybrid models (Microsoft Documentation – What are public, private, and hybrid clouds?)
- compare costs and advantages of cloud, hybrid, and on-premises services (Microsoft Documentation – (Cloud storage vs. on-premises servers and Comparison of cloud and on-premises features)
- Describe the concept of hybrid work and flexible work
MODULE 2 – Describe Microsoft 365 Apps and Services (45-50%)
Describe productivity solutions of Microsoft 365
- Describe the core productivity capabilities and benefits of Microsoft 365 including Microsoft Outlook and Microsoft Exchange, Microsoft 365 apps, and OneDrive (Microsoft Documentation – Describe productivity solutions of Microsoft 365, Describe Microsoft 365 apps and services)
- Describe core Microsoft 365 Apps including Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and OneNote (Microsoft Documentation – Office applications details, About Microsoft 365 Apps in the enterprise)
- Describe work management capabilities of Microsoft 365 including Microsoft Project, Planner, Bookings, Forms, Lists, and To Do (Microsoft Documentation – Microsoft 365 suite features, Microsoft Project, Planner, To Do, or the Tasks app)
Describe collaboration solutions of Microsoft 365
- Describe the collaboration benefits and capabilities of Microsoft 365 including Microsoft Exchange, Outlook, SharePoint, OneDrive, and Stream (Microsoft Documentation – Describe collaboration solutions of Microsoft 365, Collaborating with Teams, SharePoint, and OneDrive)
- Describe the collaboration benefits and capabilities of Microsoft Teams and Teams Phone (Microsoft Documentation – Welcome to Microsoft Teams, Use Microsoft Teams for collaboration, Phone System features)
- Describe the Microsoft Viva apps (Microsoft Documentation – Microsoft Viva service description, Viva Insights app in Teams and on the web)
- Describe the ways that you can extend Microsoft Teams by using collaborative apps
Describe endpoint modernization, management concepts, and deployment options in Microsoft 365
- Describe the endpoint management capabilities of Microsoft 365 including Microsoft Intune (Configuration Manager and co-management, Endpoint Analytics, and Windows Autopilot)
- Compare the differences between Windows 365 and Azure Virtual Desktop
- Describe the deployment and release models for Windows-as-a-Service (WaaS) including deployment rings (Microsoft Documentation – Overview of Windows as a service, Manage Windows as a service using Configuration Manager)
- Identify deployment and update channels for Microsoft 365 Apps (Microsoft Documentation – Overview of update channels for Microsoft 365 Apps, Change the Microsoft 365 Apps update channel)
Describe analytics capabilities of Microsoft 365
- Describe the capabilities of Viva Insights (Microsoft Documentation – Viva Insights app in Teams and on the web)
- Describe the capabilities of the Microsoft 365 Admin center and Microsoft 365 user portal (Microsoft Documentation – Overview of the Microsoft 365 admin center, Microsoft 365 feature descriptions)
- Describe the reports available in the Microsoft 365 Admin center and other admin centers (Microsoft Documentation – Microsoft 365 Reports in the admin center, Microsoft 365 Reports in the admin center – Microsoft 365 Apps usage)
MODULE 3 – Explain Security, Compliance, Privacy, and Trust in Microsoft 365 (25-30%)
Describe identity and access management solutions of Microsoft 365
- Describe the identity and access management capabilities of Microsoft Entra ID
- Describe cloud identity, on-premises identity, and hybrid identity concepts (Microsoft Documentation – What is hybrid identity with Azure Active Directory?, Azure Active Directory Hybrid Identity Design Considerations)
- Describe how Microsoft uses methods such as multi-factor authentication (MFA), self-service password reset (SSPR), and conditional access, to keep identities, access, and data secure
Describe threat protection solutions of Microsoft 365
- Describe Microsoft Defender XDR, Defender for Endpoint, Defender for Office 365, Defender for Identity, Defender for Cloud Apps, and the Microsoft Defender Portal (Microsoft Documentation – What is Microsoft 365 Defender?, Microsoft 365 Defender portal, Microsoft Defender for Endpoint, Microsoft Defender for Endpoint in Microsoft 365 Defender, Microsoft Defender for Office 365)
- Describe Microsoft Secure Score benefits and capabilities (Microsoft Documentation – Microsoft Secure Score)
- Describe how Microsoft 365 addresses the most common threats against endpoints, applications, and identities (Microsoft Documentation – Protect against threats, Threat investigation and response)
Describe trust, privacy, risk, and compliance solutions of Microsoft 365
- Describe the Zero Trust Model
- Describe Microsoft Purview and compliance solutions such as insider risk, auditing, and eDiscovery (Microsoft Documentation – Describe the eDiscovery and audit capabilities of Microsoft Purview)
- Describe Microsoft Purview Information Protection features such as sensitivity labels and data loss prevention (Microsoft Documentation – Protect your sensitive data with Microsoft Purview)
- Describe how Microsoft supports data residency to ensure regulatory compliance
- Describe the capabilities and benefits of Microsoft Priva (Microsoft Documentation – Learn about Microsoft Priva)
MODULE 4 – Describe Microsoft 365 Pricing, licensing, and Support (10-15%)
Identify Microsoft 365 pricing and billing management options
- Describe the pricing model for Microsoft cloud services including enterprise agreements, cloud solution providers, and direct billing (Microsoft Documentation – Cloud Solution Provider program, Cloud Solution Provider program guide, agreements, price lists, and offers)
- Describe available billing and bill management options including billing frequency and methods of payment (Microsoft Documentation – Understand your bill or invoice for Microsoft 365 for business)
Identify licensing options available in Microsoft 365
- Describe license management (Microsoft Documentation – Understand subscriptions and licenses in Microsoft 365 for business)
- Describe the differences between base licensing and add-on licensing (Microsoft Documentation – Microsoft 365 pricing, licensing, and billing options)
Identify support options for Microsoft 365 services
- Describe how to create a support request for Microsoft 365 services (Microsoft Documentation – Describe support offerings for Microsoft 365 services)
- Describe support options for Microsoft 365 services
- Describe service level agreements (SLAs) including service credits (Microsoft Documentation – Service Level Agreements (SLA) for Online Services)
- Determine service health status by using the Microsoft 365 admin portal or the Microsoft Entra Admin portal (Microsoft Documentation – check Microsoft 365 service health, Service health and continuity)
You can know in detail about the content outline from the – Exam MS-900: Microsoft 365 Fundamentals Online tutorials by Testpreptraining.com!
Preparation resources for Exam MS-900: Microsoft 365 Fundamentals
There are numerous resources apart from knowing exam format for MS-900. You can use these resources to prepare – books, online communities, online trainings, instructor-led trainings, preparation guides and sample papers as well as practice tests. Also, You can try a free practice test now too! You can find the official free resources from the Microsoft through the links listed below –
- Demonstrate fundamental knowledge of Microsoft 365 productivity and teamwork capabilities
- Also, Demonstrate fundamental knowledge of Microsoft 365 business management capabilities
- Furthermore, Demonstrate fundamental knowledge of Microsoft 365 security and compliance capabilities
- Lastly, Demonstrate fundamental knowledge of Microsoft 365 licensing, service and support
