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AZ-900 · Practice questions

Ten AZ-900 scenario questions, and why the runner-up answer loses

By Mustafa K. Al-Dori · Checked against official documents on 9 October 2026 · 6 min read

The short answer

AZ-900 questions describe a short need and ask you to choose a service, tool or cloud model. You get 45 minutes, most Microsoft exams have 40 to 60 questions, and 700 on a scale of 1 to 1,000 passes. Below are ten original scenario questions weighted by skill group, each explaining why the runner-up loses.

Many candidates learn AZ-900 definitions and stop there. The exam then asks which service, tool or model fits a situation, and two options look right. A fail costs a second fee and a wait before the retake.

How is AZ-900 scored, and which formats will you meet?

You have 45 minutes, and most Microsoft exams have 40 to 60 questions. Some may be unscored trial items that look like the rest, so treat every question as if it counts.

Scores run from 1 to 1,000, and 700 passes. The score is scaled, so 700 is not 70 per cent of the points. Guessing costs nothing, so never leave a question blank.

Format What you do
Multiple choice Choose one or more correct answers, as the question states
Active screen Change settings on a simulated screen, such as a drop-down list
Drag and drop Match services or terms to descriptions
Hot area Select the correct option in a diagram or table
Build list Put steps or items in the correct order

Microsoft does not say in advance which types each exam uses. The questions below are single-answer multiple choice, so meet the other screens in Microsoft's free exam sandbox. Read the last line of each stem first.

The questions are original and follow the skill group weights in the skills measured as of 20 July 2026. Allow 13 minutes. Facts were checked against Microsoft Learn's documents in October 2026.

Describe cloud concepts (25 to 30 per cent): three questions

Question 1 · Describe cloud concepts

A ministry wants its teams to create virtual machines, software-based computers, through a self-service portal. Its rules require hardware used by the ministry alone, in its own datacentre. Which cloud model fits?

A. Public cloud
B. Private cloud
C. Hybrid cloud
D. Software as a service (SaaS)

Show answer
Answer: B. Skill area: Describe cloud computing. A private cloud gives cloud-style self-service on infrastructure that one organisation uses alone. C is the runner-up: a hybrid cloud adds a public cloud, whose hardware other customers share.

Question 2 · Describe cloud concepts

A company is moving an old accounting application to Azure. It needs a specific operating system version and a driver the company's team installs. Which service type fits best?

A. Infrastructure as a service (IaaS)
B. Platform as a service (PaaS)
C. Software as a service (SaaS)
D. Serverless computing

Show answer
Answer: A. Skill area: Describe cloud service types. IaaS gives you a virtual machine whose operating system you control. B is the runner-up: PaaS manages the operating system for you, which removes exactly that control.

Question 3 · Describe cloud concepts

A team moves its web application from an Azure virtual machine (IaaS) to a PaaS service. Under the shared responsibility model, which task moves from the team to Microsoft?

A. Physical security of the datacentre
B. Updating the operating system
C. Managing user identities
D. Protecting the information and data

Show answer
Answer: B. Skill area: Describe cloud computing. Under IaaS you update the operating system yourself, and under PaaS Microsoft does it. C is the runner-up: identities are the team's job under IaaS, and they remain the team's job under PaaS and SaaS.

Describe Azure architecture and services (35 to 40 per cent): four questions

Question 4 · Describe Azure architecture and services

A company wants its sales and research departments to have separate Azure bills and access boundaries. What should it create for each department?

A. A resource group
B. A subscription
C. A management group
D. A tag

Show answer
Answer: B. Skill area: Describe the core architectural components of Azure. A subscription is a billing and access boundary for the resources inside it. A is the runner-up: a resource group holds resources that share a life cycle, but it sits inside a subscription with no bill of its own.

Question 5 · Describe Azure architecture and services

A team needs code that runs each time a customer uploads a file. It wants no servers to manage and to pay only when the code runs. Which service fits best?

A. Azure Virtual Machines
B. Virtual Machine Scale Sets
C. Azure Functions
D. Azure Virtual Desktop

Show answer
Answer: C. Skill area: Describe Azure compute and networking services. Functions is serverless: Azure runs the code when an event occurs, and on a consumption plan you pay for the runs. B is the runner-up: scale sets add and remove virtual machines, but you still manage them and pay while they run.

Question 6 · Describe Azure architecture and services

A firm must move 60 terabytes of archived files into Azure Storage, and its internet connection would take weeks. Which option fits best?

A. AzCopy
B. Azure File Sync
C. Azure Data Box
D. Azure Storage Explorer

Show answer
Answer: C. Skill area: Describe Azure storage services. With Data Box, Microsoft ships you a storage device, you load the files and Microsoft uploads them. A is the runner-up: AzCopy is a command-line copying tool, but it copies over the same slow connection.

Question 7 · Describe Azure architecture and services

An older application's servers must join a domain, the central directory older Windows networks use for sign-in. The company will not run its own domain controllers. Which service fits best?

A. Microsoft Entra ID
B. Microsoft Entra Domain Services
C. Microsoft Entra Conditional Access
D. Azure role-based access control (Azure RBAC)

Show answer
Answer: B. Skill area: Describe Azure identity, access, and security. Entra Domain Services provides managed domain features, such as domain join, for older applications. A is the runner-up: Entra ID is Microsoft's cloud identity and sign-in service, but it does not provide the classic domain these servers expect.

Describe Azure management and governance (30 to 35 per cent): three questions

Question 8 · Describe Azure management and governance

Before approving a project, a finance manager wants the monthly cost of three virtual machines and a database that do not exist yet. Which tool should she use?

A. The pricing calculator
B. Cost Management
C. Azure Advisor
D. Resource tags

Show answer
Answer: A. Skill area: Describe cost management in Azure. The pricing calculator estimates cost before you build anything. B is the runner-up: Cost Management tracks and analyses spending, but these resources do not exist yet.

Question 9 · Describe Azure management and governance

A company must catalogue the data it holds across Azure and its own datacentre, and label the stores that contain personal data. Which service fits best?

A. Microsoft Purview
B. Microsoft Defender for Cloud
C. Azure Policy
D. Resource locks

Show answer
Answer: A. Skill area: Describe features and tools for governance and compliance. Purview governs and protects data, including finding and classifying it. B is the runner-up: Defender for Cloud assesses and protects resources against threats; it does not catalogue data.

Question 10 · Describe Azure management and governance

An IT lead wants Azure to suggest ways to cut cost and improve security, such as flagging virtual machines far bigger than their workloads need. Which service fits best?

A. Azure Monitor
B. Azure Service Health
C. Azure Arc
D. Azure Advisor

Show answer
Answer: D. Skill area: Describe monitoring tools in Azure. Advisor reviews your resources and recommends improvements like these. A is the runner-up: Azure Monitor collects the metrics that show low use, but it does not turn them into recommendations.

What your score tells you

Count first answers only, then sort your misses by habit.

If you missed The habit to fix
1, 2 or 3 Learning models and service types as definitions, not as who controls what
4 Not picturing the hierarchy from management groups down to resources
5 or 6 Choosing a tool that works but ignores a stated limit, such as cost or bandwidth
7 or 9 Confusing services with related names or purposes
8 or 10 Mixing up tools that estimate, track, monitor and recommend

The Azure services candidates confuse sets out these pairs as contrasts. How to build your AZ-900 study plan turns your misses into dated hours.

Chapter 5 of the book has you rate yourself on all 11 skill areas, and Appendix G adds 17 more timed questions.

Your next step
  1. Answer all ten questions in 13 minutes, counting only your first choice.
  2. Note the skill area behind each miss and rate yourself from 1 to 5 on it.
  3. Check that your question bank lists skills measured as of 20 July 2026 and says Microsoft Entra ID.
  4. Try Microsoft's free exam sandbox so the other question screens are familiar on the day.

Questions readers ask

Are these real Microsoft exam questions?
No. They were written for this page and are not Microsoft questions. Each is mapped to a skill group and skill area, so use them to find weak areas rather than to predict the wording you will meet.
Where can I find official practice questions?
The Azure Fundamentals page on Microsoft Learn links a free practice assessment and a free exam sandbox. Take the assessment once at the start of your plan to see where you stand, and again as a final check.
What practice results show I am ready to book?
Look for a pattern, not one good score. You want consistent results across two or three attempts and no skill group far behind the others. You should also explain each commonly confused set of services aloud without notes.
Can I use a question bank that still says Azure Active Directory?
With care. Translate every old name into the current one, such as Microsoft Entra ID for Azure Active Directory and Microsoft Defender for Cloud for Azure Security Center. Then use Microsoft's free practice assessment as your final check.
Can I look things up on Microsoft Learn during the exam?
No. Microsoft's Associate and Expert exams give access to Microsoft Learn, but Fundamentals exams do not. Everything you need for AZ-900 has to be in your head when the clock starts.
Sources

This guide is independent and is not endorsed by Microsoft. Facts change: confirm them on the official page before you act.