AZ-900 study plan: 2-week & 4-week schedules
Here's a concrete, day-by-day plan for Microsoft AZ-900 (Azure Fundamentals), in two tracks: 2 weeks if you already have IT or cloud experience, and 4 weeks if you're new to cloud. Both run on the same daily routine of about an hour, both split time by the official skill-area weights, and both finish with a timed mock. Follow one and finish consistently scoring 80%+ on fresh questions before you book.
AZ-900 isn't a deep exam; it's a wide one. Most questions describe a need and ask you to pick the Azure service, model or tool that fits it, and the wrong answers are real services that fit a slightly different need. So this plan pairs Microsoft Learn's free learning path with practice questions from day one, and ends with three cheat sheets for the lookalikes that cost people the most points.
The exam you're planning for
| What | Detail |
|---|---|
| Exam | AZ-900: Microsoft Azure Fundamentals |
| Earns | Microsoft Certified: Azure Fundamentals |
| Time | 45 minutes of answering time |
| Questions | Not published (typically 40–60) |
| Passing score | 700 out of 1000 (scaled) |
| Item types | Single & multi-answer, drag-and-drop, Yes/No |
| Labs / case studies | None at this level |
| Cost (USD) | $99 (varies by country) |
| Renewal | Not required |
| Skill area (guide as of July 20, 2026) | Weight |
|---|---|
| 1. Describe cloud concepts | 25–30% |
| 2. Describe Azure architecture and services | 35–40% |
| 3. Describe Azure management and governance | 30–35% |
Architecture and services is the biggest area, but management and governance isn't far behind, and it's where most of the lookalike tools live. Because the 700/1000 score is scaled and Microsoft doesn't publish the question count, aim higher than the mock pass line: 80%+ on fresh questions in every skill area, not 70%.
Which track are you on?
| You | Plan |
|---|---|
| AWS Cloud Practitioner holder or IT pro with cloud exposure | 2 weeks · ~1 h/day |
| New to cloud (including non-technical roles) | 4 weeks · ~1 h/day |
| Already administering Azure day to day | Consider AZ-104 instead |
The 4-week track works out to roughly 15–25 hours, which is the typical range for people new to cloud. Our guide to how long to study for AZ-900 has the timeline by background and the per-skill-area hour split.
The daily routine (every study day)
- 25–30 minutes — learn: the matching module in Microsoft Learn's free AZ-900 learning path. Read for when you'd pick this service, not just what it is.
- 20 minutes — practice questions on that day's sub-objective on CrushCert, plus a few mixed questions from earlier days so nothing goes cold.
- 10 minutes — review misses: read the explanation for every wrong answer and say out loud what each wrong choice would be right for.
- 5 minutes — flashcards on the lists that blur together (redundancy options, governance tools, monitoring tools). Spaced repetition brings back what you're about to forget.
Track 1: the 2-week plan (IT or cloud background)
Week 1
- Day 1 — cloud concepts (1.1): take a 20-question mixed set first to find your gaps. Then shared responsibility, public/private/hybrid, consumption-based pricing, CapEx vs OpEx, the pricing models (pay-as-you-go, reservations, savings plans, spot, Azure Hybrid Benefit) and serverless.
- Day 2 — benefits and service types (1.2–1.3): high availability, scalability vs elasticity, reliability, predictability, security and governance, manageability; IaaS vs PaaS vs SaaS with Azure examples. Run the Match the Cloud Model lab.
- Day 3 — core architecture (2.1): regions, region pairs, sovereign regions, availability zones, and the management group → subscription → resource group → resource hierarchy. Run Order the Azure Resource Hierarchy.
- Day 4 — compute and networking (2.2): VMs, scale sets, availability sets, Azure Virtual Desktop, containers, Functions, App Service; VNets, peering, Azure DNS, VPN Gateway vs ExpressRoute, public vs private endpoints. Run Pick the Network Service.
- Day 5 — storage (2.3): storage services, access tiers, redundancy options, AzCopy vs Storage Explorer vs Azure File Sync, Azure Migrate and Data Box. Run Match the Storage Redundancy Option with the cheat sheet below.
Week 2
- Day 6 — identity, access and security (2.4): Microsoft Entra ID and Domain Services, authentication vs authorization, SSO, MFA, passwordless, external identities, Conditional Access, RBAC, Zero Trust, defense in depth, Defender for Cloud.
- Day 7 — cost and governance (3.1–3.2): cost factors, pricing calculator vs Cost Management, tags, Microsoft Purview, Azure Policy, resource locks. Run Match the Governance Tool.
- Day 8 — deployment and monitoring (3.3–3.4): portal, Cloud Shell, Azure CLI, Azure PowerShell, Azure Arc, ARM and ARM templates, Bicep; Advisor, Service Health, Azure Monitor, Log Analytics, Application Insights. Run Match the Cost and Monitoring Tool.
- Day 9 — first checks: Microsoft Learn's free practice assessment, then a full 50-question CrushCert mock on the 45-minute timer. List every miss by skill area.
- Day 10 — fix and confirm: drill the weakest skill area with fresh questions, then a second mock. 80%+ and you're ready to book.
Track 2: the 4-week plan (new to cloud)
Five study days a week at about an hour each. Take the weekend off or use it to catch up.
Week 1 — cloud concepts and the shape of Azure
- Days 1–2: what cloud computing is, the shared responsibility model, public/private/hybrid (and multi-cloud), consumption-based pricing, CapEx vs OpEx, the pricing models, serverless.
- Day 3: the benefits: high availability, scalability (up vs out) and elasticity, reliability, predictability, security and governance, manageability.
- Day 4: IaaS vs PaaS vs SaaS with an Azure example of each. Run Match the Cloud Model.
- Day 5: regions, region pairs, availability zones, and the resource hierarchy. Run Order the Azure Resource Hierarchy. Finish with a 20-question mixed quiz on everything so far.
Week 2 — compute, networking, storage, identity and security
- Day 1: compute: VMs and what they need, scale sets, availability sets, Azure Virtual Desktop, containers (Container Instances, Container Apps, AKS), Functions, App Service.
- Day 2: networking: VNets and subnets, peering, Azure DNS, VPN Gateway (site-to-site, point-to-site) vs ExpressRoute, public vs private endpoints. Run Pick the Network Service.
- Day 3: storage services and access tiers (hot, cool, cold, archive), plus moving and migrating data (AzCopy, Storage Explorer, Azure File Sync, Azure Migrate, Data Box).
- Day 4: storage redundancy. Learn the cheat sheet below and run Match the Storage Redundancy Option until it's automatic.
- Day 5: identity, access and security: Microsoft Entra ID, authentication vs authorization, SSO, MFA, passwordless, Conditional Access, RBAC, Zero Trust, defense in depth, Defender for Cloud.
Week 3 — management and governance
- Day 1: cost: what affects cost, the pricing calculator (estimate before you deploy) vs Microsoft Cost Management (actual spend, budgets, alerts), and tags.
- Day 2: governance and compliance: Microsoft Purview, Azure Policy, resource locks. Learn the governance cheat sheet and run Match the Governance Tool.
- Day 3: deploying and managing: portal, Cloud Shell, Azure CLI, Azure PowerShell, Azure Arc, Azure Resource Manager, ARM templates and Bicep.
- Day 4: monitoring: Advisor, Service Health, Azure Monitor, Log Analytics, Application Insights. Learn the monitoring cheat sheet and run Match the Cost and Monitoring Tool.
- Day 5: a 40-question mixed quiz across all three skill areas. Record your score per area; that's the input for week 4.
Week 4 — review, mocks and the exam
- Day 1: your weakest skill area from week 3's quiz, fresh questions only. Re-run any lab you missed a step in.
- Day 2: Microsoft Learn's free practice assessment. Review every explanation.
- Day 3: a full 50-question CrushCert mock on the 45-minute timer. The pass line is 70%; you're aiming for 80%+. List misses by skill area.
- Day 4: drill what the mock exposed, then a second mock. Two in a row at 80%+ and you're ready.
- Day 5: light review (flashcards and the three cheat sheets), then sit the exam, or book it for the next few days.
Cheat sheet 1: storage redundancy
| Option | Where the copies live | Read the secondary? |
|---|---|---|
| LRS | 3 copies in a single datacenter in the primary region | No secondary |
| ZRS | 3 copies across three availability zones in the primary region | No secondary |
| GRS | LRS in the primary + async copy to the paired secondary region (LRS there) | Only after failover |
| GZRS | ZRS in the primary + async copy to the secondary region (LRS there) | Only after failover |
| RA-GRS | Same as GRS | Yes, read access |
| RA-GZRS | Same as GZRS | Yes, read access |
How to pick: LRS is the cheapest and doesn't survive a datacenter-level disaster. ZRS survives losing a zone. GRS and GZRS survive losing the whole primary region, but you can't read the secondary copy unless you choose the RA- version or fail over. If a question says "read from the secondary region," the answer starts with RA.
Cheat sheet 2: which governance tool?
| Tool | What it does | Think |
|---|---|---|
| Azure RBAC | Grants roles (Owner, Contributor, Reader, User Access Administrator) at a scope; inherited by child scopes | Who can do it |
| Azure Policy | Enforces rules on resource properties (allowed regions, allowed VM SKUs, require a tag); can deny, audit or remediate | What is allowed |
| Resource locks | CanNotDelete or ReadOnly; applies to all users including Owners; inherited | Stop accidents |
| Tags | Name/value labels for cost reporting, chargeback and organizing; not inherited automatically | Label it |
Two more that show up next to these: Microsoft Purview discovers, classifies and protects data for governance and compliance, and Conditional Access (in Microsoft Entra ID) decides at sign-in whether to allow, require MFA or block, based on signals like user, location, device and risk. If a question is about a resource's configuration, it's Policy; about a person's permissions, RBAC; about preventing deletion, a lock.
Cheat sheet 3: which monitoring tool?
| Tool | Answers the question | Think |
|---|---|---|
| Azure Advisor | How can I improve? Free recommendations in Reliability, Security, Performance, Cost and Operational Excellence | Advice |
| Azure Service Health | Is Azure having a problem that affects me? Azure status, Service Health (your services and regions) and Resource Health | Azure's health |
| Azure Monitor | What is my telemetry saying? Collects metrics and logs from Azure and on-premises; alerts via action groups | My data |
| Log Analytics | Can I query those logs? Write and run KQL queries on collected data | Query logs |
| Application Insights | How is my web app performing? Request rates, response times, failures, dependencies, availability tests | App performance |
And the cost pair that sits next to them: the pricing calculator estimates what resources will cost before you deploy; Microsoft Cost Management shows what you're actually spending, with budgets and alerts.
The last day before the exam
- No new topics, no full mocks. A 20-question mixed quiz, the flashcard deck and the three cheat sheets above.
- On exam day: you have 45 minutes. Read every scenario for the keyword that separates two similar services ("read access," "private connection," "prevent deletion," "estimate before deploying"), and keep a steady pace so the last questions get the same attention as the first.
Run this plan on CrushCert
200 original questions at the official weights, each tagged to its sub-objective (1.1–3.4) with an explanation of why the right answer is right and why each wrong one is wrong; six drag-and-drop labs; flashcards with spaced repetition; and a 50-question, 45-minute timed mock. $10/month for AZ-900 alone or $19/month for the Associate plan (10 Associate exams). 7-day free trial, no card required.
Start the AZ-900 plan →More on AZ-900
Not sure what to practice with? See our honest look at the best AZ-900 practice tests, free and paid. Still deciding whether to sit it at all? Read is AZ-900 worth it? and how long it takes by background. Everything in the prep is laid out on the Azure Fundamentals practice test page.
Keep reading
Azure Fundamentals (AZ-900) practice test
200 original questions at the official weights, six drag-and-drop labs and a 50-question timed mock.
RESOURCESBest AZ-900 practice tests in 2026
Microsoft Learn, Tutorials Dojo, Dion, MeasureUp, CrushCert and more, compared honestly.
CAREER GUIDEIs AZ-900 worth it in 2026?
Who the Azure Fundamentals cert helps, who can skip it, and what it really costs.
STUDY TIMELINEHow long to study for AZ-900
1–2 weeks with IT or cloud experience, 3–4 weeks if you're new to cloud, split by skill area.
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to study for AZ-900?
This plan has two tracks: 2 weeks if you have IT or cloud experience, and 4 weeks (roughly 15 to 25 hours at about an hour a day) if you are new to cloud. Those match the typical ranges of about 1 to 2 weeks and 3 to 4 weeks part-time. AWS Cloud Practitioner holders are often faster.
Is Microsoft Learn enough to pass AZ-900?
Microsoft Learn's free AZ-900 learning path covers every skill area, and its free official practice assessment shows you Microsoft's question style, so it is the right place to start. What it does not give you is a large bank of scenario questions or a full timed mock, which is where a practice-test product helps. Use them together.
What practice-test score means I'm ready for AZ-900?
Consistently 80% or higher on questions you have not seen before, in all three skill areas, and a full timed mock at that level. AZ-900 is scored 700 out of 1000 on a scaled score and Microsoft does not publish the question count, so a 70% mock pass line mirrors the bar but is the floor, not the target.
Does the AZ-900 exam have labs?
No. AZ-900 has no labs or case studies. The item types are single choice, multiple answer, drag-and-drop (ordering or matching) and Yes/No statement sets. CrushCert's drag-and-drop labs are there to practice the matching and ordering items and to help similar Azure services stick, not because the exam asks you to configure anything.