The following certifications are currently available:

Certifications

• Fundamentals
  
• Microsoft Technology Associate (MTA)
  
• Microsoft Certified Educator (MCE)
  
• Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS)
  
• Role-based:
          Microsoft Azure
          Microsoft 365
          Dynamics 365
          Microsoft Power Platform
          Microsoft Teams
  
• Specialty:
          Windows Virtual Desktop Specialty
          Azure IoT Developer Specialty
          Azure for SAP Workloads Specialty
  

Microsoft Certification Exam at a Glance

What changed for Microsoft Certification in 2026

• Oct 25, 2026: Passing score (Technical exams) changed to 700 or greater on a 1–1,000 scale (previously 700 or higher).^[2]
• Oct 25, 2026: Registration opens (Pearson VUE scheduling) changed to Schedule no more than 90 days ahead; max two exams scheduled at once (previously Book no more than 90 days ahead).^[8]
• Oct 25, 2026: Renewal (Associate, Expert, and Specialty certifications) changed to Free, unproctored online assessment within a six-month window before expiration (previously Free online assessment before expiration).^[6]
• Oct 25, 2026: Delivery (Pearson VUE online exams) changed to Online proctored delivery to home or office, or at a test center (previously Online delivery to home or office).^[7]
• Oct 25, 2026: Eligibility (Pearson VUE online exams) changed to Current government-issued ID required; name must match certification profile (previously Current government-issued ID required).^[7]

Free Microsoft Certification Study Tools

Interactive Microsoft Certification resources on PracticeTestGeeks, free to start:

• Microsoft (Azure Fundamentals) Practice Test 1 — 25 questions with instant scoring and answer explanations
• Microsoft Certification flashcards — review key terms and concepts card by card
• Microsoft Certification study guide — topic-by-topic overview of what the exam covers
• Microsoft Certification cheat sheet — one-page printable summary for last-minute review

According to Microsoft Learn / Microsoft Credentials, “Most Microsoft Certification exams typically contain between 40-60 questions; however, the number can vary depending on the exam.”^[1]

Worked examples: how to reason through Microsoft Certification questions

These are practice questions written for this site, not questions from the real exam. Each explanation shows why the right answer is right and why the others are wrong.

Example 1

Question: Which Azure service allows you to manage and deploy infrastructure using declarative templates?

1. Azure CLI
2. Azure Resource Manager (ARM) templates
3. Azure Monitor
4. Azure Advisor

Answer: B. Azure Resource Manager (ARM) templates

Explanation:

The correct answer is Azure Resource Manager (ARM) templates. They are JSON files that describe the infrastructure you want, and Azure works out how to create it. Because they are declarative and idempotent, deploying the same template again gives the same result instead of duplicating resources.

Azure CLI is wrong because it is a command-line tool where you usually give step-by-step instructions, which is imperative rather than declarative. Azure Monitor is wrong because it collects metrics and logs to show how resources are performing; it does not deploy anything. Azure Advisor is wrong because it only gives recommendations about cost, security and reliability.

Rule to remember: when a question says declarative templates or infrastructure as code in Azure, think of ARM templates. When it says observe, think Monitor. When it says recommend, think Advisor.

Example 2

Question: What is Azure Policy used for?

1. Creating virtual networks
2. Enforcing organizational standards and assessing compliance of Azure resources
3. Managing Azure billing accounts
4. Configuring Azure AD roles

Answer: B. Enforcing organizational standards and assessing compliance of Azure resources

Explanation:

The correct answer is enforcing organizational standards and assessing compliance of Azure resources. Azure Policy lets you define rules, such as allowed regions or required tags, and then checks existing and new resources against them. This is how organizations apply governance at scale.

Creating virtual networks is wrong because that is a networking task done through the portal, the command line or templates, not a governance feature. Managing billing accounts is wrong because billing is handled in Cost Management and billing, which is separate from policy rules. Configuring Azure AD roles is wrong because roles control who can do what, and that belongs to identity and role-based access control.

Rule to remember: Policy controls what resources are allowed to look like, while role-based access control controls who may act on them. Exam questions often test whether you can tell those two apart.

Example 3

Question: Which of the following is the entire time it takes to complete a disk IO request?

1. Expectancy
2. Latency
3. Torpidity
4. Throughput

Answer: B. Latency

Explanation:

The correct answer is latency. Latency is the full delay between issuing a disk I/O request and receiving its completion, covering the application, the operating system, the storage stack and the disk itself. Lower latency means storage responds faster.

Expectancy is wrong because it is not a storage performance term; it is a distractor that only sounds technical. Torpidity is wrong for the same reason: it is an ordinary word meaning sluggishness, not a measurement used for disks. Throughput is wrong because it measures how much data moves in a given time, not how long a single request takes.

Rule to remember: latency is time per request, throughput is data per unit of time. A system can have high throughput and still have poor latency, so read the question to see whether it asks about a delay or a volume.

How to use these practice tests

Start with the official skills outline on Microsoft Learn for your exam, because Microsoft updates these and the outline tells you what is measured. Pick the matching practice set from this page, such as Azure Fundamentals, Azure Administrator or Power Platform Fundamentals.

1. Take a first set cold, without notes, to see where you stand. Do not worry about the score.
2. For every miss, write down the service or concept and the reason you chose the wrong option. Read the explanation, then open the Microsoft Learn page on that topic.
3. Practise in the Azure portal or a free sandbox where you can. Role-based exams may contain labs, so hands-on time matters more there than on fundamentals exams.
4. Return to the same topics a few days later with a fresh set. If you still miss the same idea, go back to the documentation rather than memorizing answers.
5. Before test day, time yourself against the limit for your exam family and check your ID, your profile name and your online-exam setup.

Our questions are written by us with AI tools and are not real exam questions, so use them to find gaps and not to predict what you will see.

Required Skills

• Good communication skills
  
• Originality and innovativeness
  
• Ability to think in three-dimensions
  
• Goal oriented
  
• Eye for detail
  
• Good understanding of soft skills
  
• Persuasiveness
  
• Observation
  

Certification Process

Any skill level can benefit from the Microsoft certification process. There are three levels of certifications to seek in order to meet you at your individual level: Practice with the free Microsoft Certification practice test on PracticeTestGeeks (25 questions with answer explanations).

1. Fundamental: For Microsoft's certification program, this is the entry level Microsoft certifications. If you're transitioning into a new career or are new to the IT area, start here.

2. Associate: If you have two years of experience in the tech industry, start here. Microsoft recommends that you obtain Fundamental qualifications before moving on to Associate certifications, but they are not needed.

3. Expert: If you have between two and five years of technical experience, start at the Expert level. To be eligible for Expert-level credentials, you may need to pass Associate-level tests.

You'll take a qualifying exam at the start of the certification process, and if you pass, you'll be a Microsoft Certified Professional (MCP). You'll be able to take more advanced examinations and take advantage of program perks once you've earned MCP status. You can then choose a specialized path.

Candidates preparing for gmetrix can build exam confidence with our GMetrix practice exam 2026, which covers all key topics and question formats used in the real assessment.

Students preparing for standardized admissions tests should also practice with our AZ-900 practice test 2026, covering the quantitative, verbal, and analytical sections tested in the real exam.

Certification Categories

You can choose whether to take each exam in order to become an expert in numerous fields or to focus on just one. For Microsoft training, there are numerous pathways and specializations to choose from. Microsoft has certificates in the following categories to meet your needs:

• Cloud
• Productivity
• Mobility
• App Builder
• Data
• Business Applications

Exam Duration

Microsoft Certification Exam

The number of questions on a certification exam is subject to change as they update it to keep up with current technological and job role developments. Most Microsoft Certification examinations have between 40 and 60 questions; however, the number of questions varies every exam.

Exam duration varies depending on the type of exam.

Score Release Schedule

You will obtain your pass or fail result for most examinations within a few minutes of finishing them. You'll also get a report that includes your exam score as well as feedback on your performance in the skill areas that were assessed. Exams that include labs may take longer to score, and you may have to wait up to 30 minutes for your results. Within 24 hours, the exam delivery team will offer your score to Microsoft.

Exam Grading Methods

• Some questions are worth one point, while others are worth several. This information will be supplied in the question if the question is worth more than one point. You will receive one point for each successfully answered component while answering these questions, thus you can earn all, some, or none of the points available for that question.
• There are no consequences for guessing. You simply do not receive a point for that item or part of the item if you chose the incorrect answer. For erroneous replies, no points are removed.
• Some exam questions may not be taken into account when calculating your score. They provide new questions to candidates without counting the results toward their score in order to collect data for updating and improving the quality of each exam. Items that meet Microsoft's psychometric requirements will be assessed as soon as it receives the relevant data to evaluate the question's quality. As a result, you should answer every question as if it will be scored. Microsoft will not tell you which questions are unscored.
• Microsoft continues to develop new and inventive question kinds that may necessitate different scoring methods. If a question is scored differently, Microsoft will indicate it in the question's text.

Sample Microsoft Certification Practice Questions

Try these questions from our free Microsoft Certification practice tests. The correct answer and an explanation follow each question.

1. What is the purpose of Microsoft Intune within Microsoft 365?

   • A. Email encryption
   • B. Mobile device and application management
   • C. File storage
   • D. Video streaming

   Answer: B. Mobile device and application management

   Microsoft Intune is a cloud-based endpoint management solution that controls how devices and apps access organizational data.

2. Which Microsoft 365 licensing tier includes advanced security features like Microsoft Defender for Identity?

   • A. Microsoft 365 Business Basic
   • B. Microsoft 365 E5
   • C. Microsoft 365 F1
   • D. Microsoft 365 Apps for Business

   Answer: B. Microsoft 365 E5

   Microsoft 365 E5 is the highest enterprise tier and includes advanced security, compliance, and analytics tools including Defender for Identity.

3. What is Microsoft Power Automate used for in Microsoft 365?

   • A. Creating spreadsheets
   • B. Automating repetitive workflows and business processes
   • C. Managing user accounts
   • D. Generating reports from databases

   Answer: B. Automating repetitive workflows and business processes

   Power Automate (formerly Flow) allows users to create automated workflows between apps and services without writing code.

4. What is the role of Microsoft Entra ID (formerly Azure Active Directory) in Microsoft 365?

   • A. Cloud storage management
   • B. Identity and access management for users and services
   • C. Email filtering
   • D. Document co-authoring

   Answer: B. Identity and access management for users and services

   Microsoft Entra ID is the identity platform that handles authentication and authorization for Microsoft 365 and connected services.

Take the full Microsoft Certification practice test

Sources & last verified

1. Microsoft Learn / Microsoft Credentials — number of questions, time limit (official source). “Most Microsoft Certification exams typically contain between 40-60 questions; however, the number can vary depending on the exam.” Verified Oct 25, 2026 · source checked Oct 17, 2026.
2. Microsoft Learn / Microsoft Credentials — passing score (official source). “All technical exam scores are reported on a scale of 1 to 1,000. A passing score is 700 or greater.” Verified Oct 25, 2026 · source checked Oct 17, 2026.
3. Microsoft Learn / Microsoft Credentials — exam fee (official source). “Associate and Expert exams typically cost US$165 but are priced according to currency values in specific countries and regions.” Verified Oct 25, 2026 · source checked Oct 17, 2026.
4. Microsoft Learn / Microsoft Credentials — retake fee (official source). “You must pay to retake the exam (if applicable.)” Verified Oct 25, 2026 · source checked Oct 17, 2026.
5. Microsoft Learn / Microsoft Credentials — validity (official source). “Microsoft fundamentals Certifications do not expire.” Verified Oct 25, 2026 · source checked Oct 17, 2026.
6. Microsoft Learn / Microsoft Credentials — renewal (official source). “There’s no cost to renew your certification, just make sure you pass the online assessment before your certification expires.” Verified Oct 25, 2026 · source checked Oct 17, 2026.
7. Microsoft Learn / Microsoft Credentials — delivery, eligibility (official source). “Microsoft partners with Pearson VUE to deliver online exams to your home or office.” Verified Oct 25, 2026 · source checked Oct 17, 2026.
8. Microsoft Learn / Microsoft Credentials — delivery, registration opens (official source). “In most cases, you can choose to take your exam online or at one of our local test centers.” Verified Oct 25, 2026 · source checked Oct 17, 2026.

How we verify: editorial & fact-checking policy. Report an error: contact us.