Azure Fundamentals Exam Prep: Complete Guide

The AZ-900 Microsoft Azure Fundamentals Certification Exam is an excellent way for people who are brand-new to the world of Cloud Computing to prove their knowledge, skills, and experience to employers. By taking the Microsoft Azure Fundamentals Exam Prep, you will also understand the principles of Cloud Computing, including storage, network, computation, and memory.    

According to Statista, Microsoft generated over 20.3 billion pounds in the second half of the fiscal year 2024.  This shows that Microsoft offers its clients many Cloud Computing services, and Azure is one of Microsoft's most popular and in-demand Cloud Computing platforms. To be a part of this empire, you must pass the Microsoft Azure Fundamentals Az-900 exam, organised by Microsoft. 

So, what are you waiting for? Read this blog to prep for the Microsoft Azure Fundamentals Az-900 Exam successfully!

Table of Contents

1) What is Azure Certification? 

2) What is the Microsoft Azure Fundamentals AZ-900? 

3) How to prep for Microsoft Azure Fundamentals (AZ-900) Exam? 

4) How to succeed in the Microsoft Azure Fundamentals AZ-900 Exam? 

5) Conclusion 

What is Azure Certification?

Microsoft Azure certifications are based on roles, and they include designations like Azure Administrator, Azure Solution Architect, Azure Developer, and Azure AI Engineer. Fundamentals, Associate, Expert, and Specialty make up the four levels. These credentials put a lot of emphasis on developing knowledge and abilities relevant to job roles.  

This certification on Microsoft Azure validates your knowledge of Cloud services and how they are delivered with Azure. Candidates should be able to show a fundamental understanding of Cloud principles in addition to  Azure services, workloads, security, privacy, pricing, and support. 
   

 

What is the Microsoft Azure Fundamentals (AZ-900) Exam?

The Azure Fundamentals Exam is a sure way to demonstrate your understanding of Cloud principles. You can use ideas like Azure services, Azure workloads, Azure security and privacy, Azure pricing, and Azure support to understand better how the Cloud works. These services primarily help you to learn Azure fundamentals in detail.    

This exam measures your knowledge of Cloud concepts and Azure administrations at the fundamental level. People from both technical and non-technical backgrounds can study for this test, validating their knowledge of Azure Cloud services and taking the prep for the following Azure role-based certifications.  

There will be multiple-choice questions on the AZ-900 exam, while some will require you to drag and drop the response into the relevant description or a graphical format. The AZ-900 exam uses the same 1,000-point scale as all other Microsoft examinations. To earn the Azure Fundamentals certification, you must receive a score of 700 or above. 

The Microsoft Azure AZ-900 exam comprises three domains. Let’s take a look at the list of domains, along with their weightage, that will make your exam prep easier: 

1) Describe Cloud concepts (25-30%) 

This part of the exam comprises 25–30% of the Microsoft Azure Fundamentals Az-900 Exam. In this part, it is required that you: 

a) Define Cloud Computing 

b) Describe the model of shared responsibility 

c) Define all Cloud models, which include public, private, and hybrid 

d) Correctly identify appropriate use cases that are present for each Cloud model 

e) Describe the consumption-based model 

f) Define and differentiate between several Cloud pricing models 

g) Give an overview of serverless 

It would help if you also described the numerous benefits of using different Cloud services These are some of the benefits of using different Cloud services: 

a) There is high availability and scalability in the Cloud 

b) The services are reliable, and the outcomes can be predicted  

c) The Cloud services provide security and governance  

d) Your projects or any other component can be easily manageable with the Cloud

There are several Cloud service types that you also need to explain in this section. These service types are: 

a) Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) 

b) Platform as a Service (PaaS) 

c) Software as a Service (SaaS)

2) Describe Azure architecture and services (35–40%) 

In this section, you must describe the key Azure components and explain how many services are provided by Azure regions, region pairs, and sovereign regions. Here are some more services that you need to explain here: 

a) Describe the different zones that are available 

b) Explain different Azure datacenters 

c) Describe Azure resources and its different resource groups 

d) Describe subscriptions 

e) Describe several management groups 

f) Give an overview of management groups 

Along with describing services provided by Azure regions, you also need to explain the Azure computing and networking services: 

a) You need to explain and compare the different compute types, which include containers, virtual machines, and functions. 

b) You must explain several virtual machine options, such as  Azure virtual machines, Azure Virtual Machine Scale Sets and Azure Virtual Desktop 

c) Explain the resources that are required for virtual machines 

d) You need to explain application hosting options, which include web apps, containers, and virtual machines 

e) You need to comprehensively explain virtual networking, including the purpose of Azure virtual networks, Azure virtual subnets, peering, Azure DNS, Azure VPN Gateway and ExpressRoute. 

f) You need also to explain both public and private endpoints. 

Knowledge about Azure storage services is essential to prepare for the AZ-900 Azure Fundamentals exam. In this section, you need to: 

a) Differentiate between Azure Storage services 

b) Explain storage tiers 

c) Give an overview of redundancy options 

d) Explain several storage account options and storage types 

e) Identify the options for moving files, including AzCopy, Azure Storage Explorer, and Azure File Sync. 

f) Explain migration options, which include Azure Migrate and Azure Data Box. 

If you are wondering why it is essential for you to understand the Azure compute and networking services, these points will help you to get an answer: 

a) You can set up permissions for teams accessing the infrastructure, apps, and data through Azure. Microsoft Entra ID focuses on user identity management. At the same time, have the freedom to sign in using the methods you're already used to.  

b) Simple sign-in with single sign-on, many options to add additional security through multi-factor authentication, and even password-free authentication are available. Azure also helps you keep your Business-to-Business (B2B) and Business-to-Customer collaborations (B2C) safe.  

c) Conditional Access allows for establishing definite rules for accessing your in-house data. Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) empowers you to provide people with the necessary resources. The top level of defence-in-depth strategies is to stack up many security measures that can identify and filter on behalf of any damage occurring to the system.  

d) Finally, Microsoft Defender for Clouden guarantees that your Cloud business remains safe by catching and blocking attacks.

3) Describe Azure management and governance (30–35%)

In this section, you need to explain how cost management is done in Azure. These are the following points you need to : 

a) Explain the several factors that affect costs in Azure 

b) Differentiate between the pricing calculator and the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) calculator 

c) Explain cost management capabilities in Azure 

d) Describe clearly the purpose of the tags. 

Several tools and features are involved in managing and deploying Azure resources. These tools are: 

a) Azure portal 

b) Azure Cloud Shell 

c) Azure Arc 

d) Infrastructure as Code (IaC) 

e) Azure Resource Manager (ARM) 

f) ARM templates 

There are monitoring tools in Azure that you should also know about as a successful IT professional. These monitoring tools that you need to describe in this section are: 

a) Azure Advisor 

b) Azure Service Health 

c.) Azure Monitor.

Do you want to learn how to build, test and maintain Azure Solutions? Register now for our Developing Solutions for Microsoft Azure AZ-204 Certification Course!

How to prep for Microsoft Azure Fundamentals (AZ-900) Exam?

You can follow these steps to help you understand how you can prepare for this exam:

1) Understanding the fundamentals of Microsoft Azure-900

Microsoft has a clearly defined exam policy. Each type of exam has its details based on the role or function.  

2) Microsoft Fundamental Azure AZ-900 Exam prerequisites 

Compared to many other Microsoft role-based exams, the Azure AZ-900 is a simple test. This test is beneficial for non-technical professionals when buying and selling Cloud services. Before beginning proper prep for the AZ-900 exam, it will be helpful for the exam candidate to have some basic computer knowledge or expertise.

3) Exam passing score 

A total of 700 points is required to qualify for this test. Any candidate who wins fewer points than this total will be deemed incompetent. Results can be found after a few minutes. The dashboard consists of pass/fail status, a bar chart reflecting your results and overall exam performance.   

4) Exam structure 

You can expect 40 to 60 questions on an AZ-900 exam with a given duration of 85 minutes. It consists of different question formats such as a case study, repeated answer questions, a build list, a hotspot, and multiple-choice.   

A case study, a short answer, repeated answer possibilities, a build list, a hotspot, a multiple-choice question, a brand review, a review screen, an active screen, a better answer, drag and drop, etc., will all be distinct question types during your exam. There is no penalty for wrong answers.  

5) Exam redo policy 

Before beginning your AZ-900 exam prep or while studying, many applicants expressed uncertainty regarding the exam retake policies. Retaking the exam requires twenty-four hours if you want to reappear after failing for the first time. After 14 days, you can appear for the next exam and take only up to 5 attempts. 

Interested in learning about our Microsoft Azure Data Foundations? Check out this course on Azure Data Fundamentals right away! 

Tips to succeed in Microsoft Azure Fundamentals AZ-900 Exam

These tips can help you prepare for your exam:

1) Books and other reading materials 

Your impact on your exam prep for the AZ-900 will be high if you have a credible Azure book. However, most Azure books on the market fall short of industry standards and the requirements of the necessary readers.   

2) Take an online course training program 

Taking an online course will allow you to take prep for the entire syllabus. Your self-prep might not make you feel motivated. Online training programs are needed to pass the AZ-900 or Azure Fundamentals certification preparation. Even though Microsoft also offers official training, it is costly, and there are many more accessible solutions for those preparing for the AZ 900 or Azure Financials exam. 

3) Get a variety of prep materials 

You should employ various learning resources whenever possible to efficiently manage the Azure fundamentals preparation time. Even if you like a particular piece of data on Azure, look at a few others. A video lecture from the official website, AZ-900 practice questions from another, and articles and posts from a third platform are all beneficial. 

Conclusion 

We hope that this blog has given you insights on how a good Azure Fundamentals Exam prep can contribute in you becoming a successful Microsoft Azure professional. Hopefully this blog has given you all the valuable tips and tricks needed for preparing for Azure Fundamentals Certification!

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