Microsoft Azure certifications

Every Microsoft Azure certification at a glance

The exams we cover for Microsoft Azure, with the figures each certification publishes. Levels are guidance rather than gates — Microsoft Azure sets no prerequisites, so you can book any of these directly.

Where to start with Microsoft Azure

If Microsoft Azure is new to you, begin with Microsoft Certified: Azure Fundamentals (AZ-900). It is the foundational exam: no prerequisites, no hands-on experience assumed, and it teaches the vocabulary every later exam takes for granted. Skipping it and going straight to a higher-level exam is the single most common reason people fail one.

Once that is behind you — or straight away, if you already work with Microsoft Azure day to day — take the exam that matches your role rather than collecting the set. One certification that maps to your work is a stronger signal than three that do not.

How Microsoft Azure certifications are renewed

Renewal is the cost people forget, and it varies more between vendors than the exam fees do.

Microsoft role-based and specialty certifications expire after one year, but renewing is free: you take a shorter unproctored assessment on Microsoft Learn within the six months before expiry. Fundamentals certifications do not expire at all.

Microsoft exam prices vary by country, and the figure shown is the commonly quoted US price. Check the exam page on Microsoft Learn for the price where you live. See Microsoft’s own certification page for the current terms.

Compare these exams side by side

Deciding between two of them, or weighing this platform against another? These break the choice down.