AZ-900 study plan

Week 1chapters 1–5 · about 9 hours Done

• Read these chapters:
  • 1. Cloud computing, cloud models and pricing
  • 2. Benefits of the cloud and cloud service types
  • 3. Azure's core architecture: regions, zones and the resource hierarchy
  • 4. Compute and application hosting
  • 5. Azure networking
• After each chapter, cover its key takeaways and explain each one out loud. Re-read any you can’t.
• Free study notes for this week: Shared responsibility model in Azure: who secures what in IaaS, PaaS and SaaS, IaaS vs PaaS vs SaaS: Azure cloud service types compared, Azure sovereign regions: Azure Government and Azure in China, Azure virtual network peering explained.
• Look up any unfamiliar term in the AZ-900 glossary.

Exam skill areas this week: Describe cloud concepts · 25–30%Describe Azure architecture and services · 35–40%

Week 2chapters 6–9 · about 8 hours Done

• Read these chapters:
  • 6. Azure Storage, data movement and migration
  • 7. Identity, access and security
  • 8. Cost management and governance
  • 9. Managing, deploying and monitoring Azure
• After each chapter, cover its key takeaways and explain each one out loud. Re-read any you can’t.
• Free study notes for this week: Azure Storage redundancy: LRS, ZRS, GRS and GZRS compared, Zero Trust in Azure: verify explicitly, least privilege, assume breach, Azure resource locks: CanNotDelete vs ReadOnly, Azure Advisor: personalised recommendations for reliability, security and cost.
• Look up any unfamiliar term in the AZ-900 glossary.

Exam skill areas this week: Describe Azure architecture and services · 35–40%Describe Azure management and governance · 30–35%

Week 3review Done

• Go back through every chapter’s key takeaways. Anything you can’t explain without looking, re-read that section.
• Re-read the common-trap callouts: they mark the answers that look right but aren’t.
• Check the exam coverage map against Microsoft’s own outline, in case it has changed since the book was checked.
• Take Microsoft’s free practice assessment, if your exam has one, from the official AZ-900 study guide page. Revisit the chapters behind any weak area.
• Try the exam sandbox to get used to the exam’s screens and question formats.
• Get the free exam-day checklist and work through it a few days before your exam.

Week 1chapters 1–2 · about 3 hours Done

• Read these chapters:
  • 1. Cloud computing, cloud models and pricing
  • 2. Benefits of the cloud and cloud service types
• After each chapter, cover its key takeaways and explain each one out loud. Re-read any you can’t.
• Free study notes for this week: Shared responsibility model in Azure: who secures what in IaaS, PaaS and SaaS, IaaS vs PaaS vs SaaS: Azure cloud service types compared.
• Look up any unfamiliar term in the AZ-900 glossary.

Exam skill areas this week: Describe cloud concepts · 25–30%

Week 2chapters 3–4 · about 4 hours Done

• Read these chapters:
  • 3. Azure's core architecture: regions, zones and the resource hierarchy
  • 4. Compute and application hosting
• After each chapter, cover its key takeaways and explain each one out loud. Re-read any you can’t.
• Free study notes for this week: Azure sovereign regions: Azure Government and Azure in China.
• Look up any unfamiliar term in the AZ-900 glossary.

Exam skill areas this week: Describe Azure architecture and services · 35–40%

Week 3chapter 5 · about 2 hours Done

• Read chapter:
  • 5. Azure networking
• After each chapter, cover its key takeaways and explain each one out loud. Re-read any you can’t.
• Free study notes for this week: Azure virtual network peering explained.
• Look up any unfamiliar term in the AZ-900 glossary.

Exam skill areas this week: Describe Azure architecture and services · 35–40%

Week 4chapters 6–7 · about 4 hours Done

• Read these chapters:
  • 6. Azure Storage, data movement and migration
  • 7. Identity, access and security
• After each chapter, cover its key takeaways and explain each one out loud. Re-read any you can’t.
• Free study notes for this week: Azure Storage redundancy: LRS, ZRS, GRS and GZRS compared, Zero Trust in Azure: verify explicitly, least privilege, assume breach.
• Look up any unfamiliar term in the AZ-900 glossary.

Exam skill areas this week: Describe Azure architecture and services · 35–40%

Week 5chapters 8–9 · about 4 hours Done

• Read these chapters:
  • 8. Cost management and governance
  • 9. Managing, deploying and monitoring Azure
• After each chapter, cover its key takeaways and explain each one out loud. Re-read any you can’t.
• Free study notes for this week: Azure resource locks: CanNotDelete vs ReadOnly, Azure Advisor: personalised recommendations for reliability, security and cost.
• Look up any unfamiliar term in the AZ-900 glossary.

Exam skill areas this week: Describe Azure management and governance · 30–35%

Week 6review Done

• Go back through every chapter’s key takeaways. Anything you can’t explain without looking, re-read that section.
• Re-read the common-trap callouts: they mark the answers that look right but aren’t.
• Check the exam coverage map against Microsoft’s own outline, in case it has changed since the book was checked.
• Take Microsoft’s free practice assessment, if your exam has one, from the official AZ-900 study guide page. Revisit the chapters behind any weak area.
• Try the exam sandbox to get used to the exam’s screens and question formats.
• Get the free exam-day checklist and work through it a few days before your exam.