Cloud computing is a relatively new and lucrative career path. As proof of its legitimacy, certification exams already require you to prove that you are ready for such a career. For potential cloud programmers, researchers, and marketers who want to work with Microsoft Azure, Microsoft has established several certification exams focused on this career.
But just how difficult is the Azure Fundamentals Exam? What does it say about both the more advanced certifications and your potential in a career in a new subject matter? Thankfully for you, this article is eager to answer these questions and many more.
What is the Azure Fundamentals Exam?
What is the Azure Fundamentals Exam?The Microsoft Azure Fundamentals AZ-900 Exam—which we will refer to as the Azure Fundamentals Exam—is a certification exam meant to test and test your understanding of cloud concepts and computing, especially of Microsoft Azure’s services, security, privacy, and support.
However, just because it is an exam about fundamentals does not necessarily mean that it will be fundamentally easy. In truth, this will be the first in many hurdles for people looking to get into cloud computing; for those people, the first hurdle may be the most difficult. But is that necessarily the truth?
Microsoft Azure is one of the most well-known and popular public cloud computing platforms. Microsoft’s lucrative system has been around for thirteen years, and through its age and years of improvements and research, it remains a juggernaut in the cloud industry. People use Microsoft Azure to save information and files across a cloud service that is not restricted or threatened by hardware space or issues, as well as to provide networking and communication between different groups and companies. The Azure Fundamentals Exam is one of many certification tests for Microsoft Azure; additional certification tests include the Azure Developer Associate Exam, the Azure Security Engineer Associate Exam, and the Azure DevOps Engineer Expert.
Suppose you want to pass the Azure Fundamentals Test. In that case, you must be a person who is interested in working on Microsoft Azure—this means managing cloud services on a more complicated level that Microsoft allows people to use publicly and possibly even develop new ways to interact with the cloud systems.
We will get into the structure and format of the Azure Fundamentals Exam later, but first, we must establish that the exam will be fundamentally broken down into four major subject areas: Cloud Concepts, Core Azure Services, Security and Trust, and finally, Azure Pricing, Service, and Lifecycles. To take the Azure Fundamentals Exam will cost you a scheduled appointment at a Pearson institution and $99 for every time you want to take the test. However, you can retake the certification exam as often as necessary.
What is the Azure Fundamental Test Format?
The Azure Fundamental Exam consists of thirty to fifty questions, all of which must be answered within eighty-five minutes. Most questions on the test will be in multiple-choice format, but some will be drag-and-drop questions or require that you answer questions through a graph or graphical question format.
What Does the Exam Covers?
Now we finally get back into what the Azure Fundamentals Exam covers. We have stated that the exam consists of four core areas, which are:
- Cloud Concepts is the most fundamental part of the exam, quizzing you on your knowledge of the basic ideas of cloud computing, which includes understanding the benefits of cloud computing and explaining concepts like scalability, elasticity, and disaster recovery. Cloud computing is a very general topic, but the certification exam will focus on cloud concepts in service of Microsoft Azure.
- Core Azure Services is the understanding of the various essential services featured in Microsoft Azure, including computing, networking, storage, and database, as well as other in-depth services like using SQL, VPN, and Azure’s copyrighted and individual services.
- Security and Trust will examine your knowledge and understanding of general cloud security, including ensuring that what goes into your cloud stays in your cloud and that no unauthorized person can enter the service without sufficient permissions.
- Finally, the Azure Pricing, Service, and Lifecycles section will test your understanding of how Microsoft Azure is priced and the associated costs, in terms of both money and manpower, that are necessary to keep such services up. This field will also include knowing how service-level agreements affect your ability to design and plan Microsoft Azure applications.
Who Can Take the Exam?
Anyone can take the Azure Fundamentals Exam, provided you have the money and the open spot in your schedule to take it. However, we must stress that you can retake the exam as often as you need. There are no prior expectations to taking the exam besides being willing and able. It is passing the exam that is the essential aspect.
We have defined the structure of the exam, but it only begs the question of exactly how hard the Azure Fundamentals Exam is. A certification exam will undoubtedly require more than bog-standard knowledge about the subject!
Is the Azure Fundamental Exam Difficult?
Do not take the Azure Fundamentals Exam lightly if you’re going to succeed! As stated before, just because the Azure Fundamentals Exam is considered entry-level does not, by any means, mean it is easy to pass. An entry-level fundamentals exam is the bare minimum required by Microsoft. Indeed, many other companies dealing in cloud computing would see a lack of certification in this field as something that isn’t working their time regarding what they want from a potential employee.
Rest assured, however, that the Azure Fundamentals Exam is on the more accessible end of certifications in computer sciences, as it primarily deals with the basic understanding of cloud concepts and this specific computing software. It does not ask for much, even if it is a relatively high amount for people getting into the industry. If you are one of the more experienced test takers, you should have no problem taking and acing this exam.
But you are probably not reading this article because you are confident in your skill and experience. No, you may be looking to see how to be able to pass this exam and what it will take to pass it. You are likely asking one question: how long would it take to study for this exam?
What is the Passing Score for Azure Fundamentals Exam?
In order to pass the Azure Fundamentals Exam, you need to score 700 out of 1000 points or more. After you pass the exam, you will earn the Azure Fundamentals Badge, a certificate showing your proven ability and skills in many different criteria, including Cloud Data, Cloud Networking, Cloud Storage, and Virtualization.
As we’ve stated before, the cloud computing industry is very lucrative, and many companies, including Microsoft themselves, are looking for employees who demonstrate a strong understanding of cloud concepts and computing. Passing the Azure Fundamentals Exam proves that you know how to use Microsoft Azure and, in turn, that you have a basic but necessary understanding of cloud concepts to work on the software and other software like it professionally. Getting this certification is nothing but a boon to any prospective person in the cloud industry.
We have explained the most critical parts of the exam, but now we need to ensure that you are prepared to take it and become a certified Microsoft Azure professional.
5 Things to Prepare Before Your Azure Fundamentals Exam
Now we get into the nitty-gritty. Ask yourself: are you prepared to take the Azure Fundamentals Exam? If your answer is no, we thank you for being honest. If your answer is yes, you wouldn’t be on this article, now would you?
Studying for the Azure Fundamentals Exam will take at least two months of regular study, practice, and experience. Regardless of your experience or confidence, we are nevertheless here to present five essential tips to help you properly prepare for your exam and pass it with flying colors.
Microsoft’s Study Guide
Microsoft has published its own study guide that will instruct you on how to tackle the Azure Fundamentals Exam and pass it with the expertise of a future Microsoft Azure employee. To give a brief rundown of the study guide, it instructs you on the full scope of the exam and even explains similar advice to ourselves, though it is individually less in-depth than what we can give you!
However, suppose you are interested in knowing every possible topic that may emerge on the exam to become better prepared. In that case, the Azure Fundamentals Study Guide is the perfect fit for you. The study guide will work exceptionally well when you pair it with the following advice on getting some real-time experience.
Hands-on Experience
If there is any way to understand Microsoft Azure, use it yourself. We are talking about knowing and understanding the services through a customer’s lens, which can give you an idea of how these programs and services are made and who they are made for. While this method of preparation does not have much in the way of technical knowledge of Microsoft Azure, it will prove beneficial for anyone looking to engage with Microsoft in their future career. You will understand how to make software for people and what you would or would not want in a working cloud service.
Research
In the field of computer science, there are so many different research materials, textbooks, and online guides that you can use to get a more substantial and broader idea of how cloud services are made. Keeping your scope to just Microsoft Azure is, in our opinion, a minimal way to approach the subject. It is vital that you research non-Azure related cloud concepts and gain general knowledge on cloud computing. This knowledge will be indispensable in taking and passing the Azure Fundamentals Exam.
Study Schedule
Another significant part of your studies is the creation of a schedule that will force you to understand these concepts more than just memorizing everything. When you create your study schedule, you should emphasize your ability to consistently follow the schedule, making studying a regular thing in your life so that all of your knowledge and understanding do not get rusty or fall to the wayside. It is also crucial to leave time for things that engage with your life outside of study and breaks—it is equally as important to keep your mind refreshed between study sessions.
Your study schedule shouldn’t be just reading books or playing around with Azure. We have one more tip we want you to consider, and that is taking the exam itself.
Sample Questions & Practice Tests
You should take practice exams and tests to get a feeling of what it’s like to take the exam. Several practice exams, even some recommended and offered by Microsoft themselves, will give you an idea of what it will look and feel like to take the test.
The sample questions on the practice exams will not be questions that will appear on the actual exam. You are not here to use the practice test as a proxy for the real exam; using the practice tests alone to study is a bad idea. Instead, it would be best to use practice tests to gauge your accumulated study knowledge and see how well you understand Microsoft Azure. For this reason, taking practice tests should also be a regular part of your study schedule, perhaps at the end of a week of rigorous study.
Wrapping Things Up: How Hard is Azure Fundamentals Exam?
If you have successfully gotten to the end of this article, renewed with hope instead of fear, we will have hoped that you have come away with a greater understanding of the Azure Fundamentals Exam. We hope you understand what the exam entails, how it is designed, what it expects you to know, what you need to pass, and how to prepare to take the test yourself. How hard is the Azure Fundamentals Exam? It may be challenging for anyone who isn’t willing and ready to take it, but if you heed our advice and keep your chin up, you will soon find yourself a certified Microsoft Azure professional!
