Microsoft Azure AZ-900 in India: Exam, Cost and Is It Worth It

Last updated: 8 October 2026 · By the Asuraa Team

Quick answer: AZ-900 (Microsoft Azure Fundamentals) is a 45-minute proctored exam that you pass with a scaled score of 700. It covers cloud concepts, Azure architecture and services, and management and governance. Microsoft sets the fee by country, so you see the India price at checkout. As of October 2026, Fundamentals certifications do not expire. It is a good first step, not a job qualification.

Key takeaways

• AZ-900 gives you 45 minutes to answer, and Microsoft recommends allowing 65 minutes of seat time for Fundamentals exams.
• You need a scaled score of 700 out of 1,000 to pass AZ-900, and Microsoft says this does not equal 70% correct.
• Under the skills outline effective 20 July 2026, AZ-900 weights cloud concepts at 25-30%, architecture and services at 35-40%, and management and governance at 30-35%.
• Microsoft Fundamentals certifications, including Azure Fundamentals, do not expire, unlike role-based certifications, which are renewed every year.
• Microsoft allows a retake 24 hours after a first failed attempt, then requires 14 days between attempts, with a maximum of five attempts in 12 months.

AZ-900, Microsoft Azure Fundamentals, is the entry exam for Microsoft's Azure certifications. It is short, it costs less than the role-based exams, and unlike most cloud certifications it never expires. Those three facts make it a sensible first certification for many Indian students and IT freshers. None of them make it enough on its own to get you a cloud job.

What is the AZ-900 exam?

AZ-900 is Microsoft's beginner-level exam on cloud concepts and core Azure services. Passing it earns you the Microsoft Certified: Azure Fundamentals credential. Microsoft describes it as a common starting point for an Azure career, aimed at people who can describe Azure compute, networking, storage, security and governance, not build them (Microsoft Learn).

Microsoft suggests some background in an IT area such as infrastructure, databases or software development. The exam itself tests understanding and vocabulary rather than hands-on configuration.

In practical terms, AZ-900 checks whether you can follow a conversation about an Azure project. You should be able to say why a team would choose a scale set over a single VM, what a resource group is for, or how Conditional Access differs from RBAC. You will not be asked to write a script or configure a network from scratch. That is the job of the associate-level exams.

What is the AZ-900 exam pattern?

You get 45 minutes to answer the questions and need a scaled score of 700 to pass. Microsoft's exam duration page recommends setting aside 65 minutes of seat time for fundamentals exams, which covers instructions and agreements.

Three points from Microsoft's scoring page are worth knowing. A score of 700 does not mean 70% correct, because scores are scaled to question difficulty. Some questions are unscored and are not marked as such. And there is no penalty for wrong answers. Multi-part questions usually give one point per correct part, so a partly right answer still earns marks.

What topics does AZ-900 cover?

AZ-900 covers three skill areas, and Azure architecture and services carries the most weight. These weights come from the AZ-900 study guide, with skills measured as of 20 July 2026:

What each area involves:

• Cloud concepts: the shared responsibility model; public, private and hybrid cloud; consumption-based pricing; serverless; IaaS vs PaaS vs SaaS; and the benefits of the cloud, such as high availability, scalability and reliability.
• Architecture and services: regions, region pairs and availability zones; resource groups, subscriptions and management groups; VMs, scale sets, containers and Functions; virtual networks, VPN Gateway and ExpressRoute; storage tiers and redundancy; Microsoft Entra ID, MFA, Conditional Access, RBAC, Zero Trust and Defender for Cloud.
• Management and governance: cost factors, the pricing calculator and tags; Azure Policy, resource locks and Microsoft Purview; the portal, Cloud Shell, CLI, PowerShell, Azure Arc and ARM templates; Azure Advisor, Service Health and Azure Monitor.

Microsoft says the English exam is updated first, and translated versions usually follow about eight weeks later. If you plan to take it in another language soon after an update, keep that delay in mind.

How much does AZ-900 cost in India?

Microsoft sets the AZ-900 fee by the country or region where you take the exam, so the price you pay in India is the one shown when you schedule. As of October 2026, Microsoft's certification page shows only that the price depends on location. You see the exact rupee amount during Pearson VUE checkout, before you pay.

Other cost points from Microsoft's policies:

• Retakes cost money. You can retake 24 hours after a first failed attempt. After that you must wait 14 days between attempts, with a maximum of five attempts in 12 months (retake policy).
• Academic pricing does not apply in India. Microsoft's student discounts page says its student exam pricing is available in most countries except India and China. Students can still schedule through Certiport if their college is an authorised centre, but don't assume you'll get a lower price.
• Free preparation is available. Microsoft offers a free practice assessment and an exam sandbox that lets you try the question formats before booking.

Is AZ-900 worth it for jobs in India?

AZ-900 is worth it as a low-risk first certification and for non-engineering roles. Like other foundation exams, it does not show hands-on skill. Indian employers that run Azure, including many GCCs and Microsoft-partner service companies, generally look for associate-level skills for engineering roles.

It works well for:

• Freshers and non-CS graduates who want a structured, recognised introduction to the cloud.
• Business analysts, presales and project staff working on Azure accounts. If that is your path, our business analyst skills guide shows where cloud literacy fits.
• Developers new to Azure who want the vocabulary before moving on to an associate exam.

If you are still choosing a cloud provider, our AWS vs Azure vs Google Cloud careers comparison sets out the trade-offs. AWS's equivalent foundation exam is covered in is AWS Cloud Practitioner worth it.

What do most guides on AZ-900 get wrong?

Most guides treat AZ-900 like any other certification you renew, or make it sound like a job qualification. Corrections:

• It does not expire. Microsoft's renewal page says Fundamentals certifications have no expiry date. Role-based Azure certifications do need renewing every year, but renewal is through a free online assessment.
• It is not open book. Associate and expert exams let you look things up on Microsoft Learn during the exam. Fundamentals exams, including AZ-900, do not.
• 700 is not 70%. Scaled scoring means the raw percentage you need depends on how hard your particular question set is.
• Old question dumps are risky. The skills outline was updated in July 2026, and terms change, for example Azure AD is now Microsoft Entra ID. Outdated material teaches outdated answers.

How should you prepare for AZ-900?

Most beginners are ready in two to four weeks of regular study. A simple plan:

1. Download the official study guide and use the three skill areas as your checklist.
2. Work through the Microsoft Learn modules that the certification page links to for AZ-900.
3. Create a free Azure account and do a few basic tasks: make a resource group, deploy a small VM, set a budget alert, apply a tag, then delete everything.
4. Spend extra time on architecture and services, which is up to 40% of the exam.
5. Take Microsoft's free practice assessment until your scores are steady, and try the exam sandbox so the interface doesn't surprise you on the day.
6. Schedule through Pearson VUE, or through Certiport if you are a student, and allow the full 65 minutes of seat time.

After you pass, start a small hands-on project and look at our cloud engineer roadmap for India for the associate-level skills to build next.

FAQ

What is the AZ-900 exam fee in India?

Microsoft sets the AZ-900 fee by the country or region where the exam is proctored, and as of October 2026 the certification page doesn't list a fixed rupee amount. You see the exact India price during Pearson VUE checkout, before you pay. Microsoft's student discount on exam pricing is not offered in India, so plan for the standard local price.

Does AZ-900 expire?

No. Microsoft's renewal page says Fundamentals certifications, including Azure Fundamentals from AZ-900, do not expire. Role-based certifications such as Azure Administrator are different: they need renewing every year through a free, open-book online assessment on Microsoft Learn, which you can take during the six months before expiry.

How many questions are in AZ-900?

Microsoft does not publish a fixed question count for AZ-900. Its exam experience page says most exams have about 40 to 60 questions, and the number can vary. For AZ-900 you have 45 minutes to answer, and Microsoft suggests setting aside 65 minutes of seat time in total for instructions and agreements.

Is AZ-900 open book?

No. Microsoft lets candidates look things up on Microsoft Learn during associate and expert role-based exams, but not during Fundamentals exams like AZ-900. Prepare to answer from memory and understanding. The free practice assessment and exam sandbox on Microsoft Learn help you get used to the format before the real exam.

Can a fresher get a job with AZ-900?

AZ-900 alone rarely leads to an engineering job, because it tests whether you can describe Azure services, not configure them. It works better as a first step. Pair it with small hands-on Azure projects and work towards an associate-level skill set if you want cloud or DevOps engineering roles at GCCs or Microsoft-partner companies in India.

What happens if I fail AZ-900?

Microsoft lets you retake the exam 24 hours after a first failed attempt. After that, you must wait 14 days between attempts, and you can take it at most five times in 12 months from your first attempt. Each retake is paid, so use your score report to target your weak skill areas before booking again.

Final thoughts

AZ-900 is a cheap, permanent and sensible first credential if Azure is where you want to work, as long as you treat it as the start of your learning. If you're unsure whether to go deeper into Azure, AWS or a different track, the Asuraa career path planner can help you map the next steps.