A public cloud is a cloud deployment model in which a cloud provider owns and operates the infrastructure and delivers computing resources over the public internet to multiple tenants.

A private cloud is a cloud deployment model in which cloud resources are used exclusively by a single organization, either hosted on-premises or by a third-party provider.

A hybrid cloud is a computing environment that combines public and private clouds, allowing data and applications to be shared between them.

What is Azure Policy?

Azure Policy is a service in Azure that you use to create, assign, and manage policies that enforce rules and effects over your resources, so those resources stay compliant with your corporate standards and service level agreements.

What is hybrid cloud?

A hybrid cloud is a computing environment that combines public and private clouds, allowing data and applications to be shared between them.

What is public cloud?

A public cloud is a cloud deployment model in which a cloud provider owns and operates the infrastructure and delivers computing resources over the public internet to multiple tenants.

AZ-900 Orientation: Exam Structure, Strategy, and Study Plan — Microsoft Azure Fundamentals (AZ-900) Deep-Dive Exam Prep

Q: Which AZ-900 domain most directly covers Azure regions, region pairs, Availability Zones, and resource groups?

Azure Architecture and Services: 38%. Azure regions, region pairs, Availability Zones, Azure resources, resource groups, and subscriptions are part of the Azure core architectural components, which belong to the 'Azure Architecture and Services: 38%' domain.

Welcome to AZ-900: What This Module Will Do For You

Why This Orientation Matters

This module is your on-ramp to Microsoft Azure Fundamentals (AZ-900). You will learn how the exam is structured, what Microsoft expects at BL2, and how to turn this course into a focused study plan.

What You Will Achieve

By the end, you will be able to describe the three AZ-900 domains and their weightings, recognize common question types and scoring expectations, and build a realistic personal study plan.

One Primary Path

You can treat this Skarp course as your main prep path. It is aligned with the current AZ-900 skills outline, so you do not need external guides to understand domains or weights.

AZ-900 Exam Blueprint: Domains and Weights

The Three AZ-900 Domains

AZ-900 is organized into three domains: Cloud Concepts, Azure Architecture and Services, and Azure Management and Governance. Each domain has a specific weight in your final score.

Cloud Concepts: 28%

Cloud Concepts (28%) covers core cloud ideas: terms, benefits like scalability and elasticity, and the main cloud deployment and service models.

Azure Architecture and Services: 38%

Azure Architecture and Services (38%) focuses on Azure regions, region pairs, Availability Zones, datacenters, resources, resource groups, subscriptions, and key Azure services.

Azure Management and Governance: 34%

Azure Management and Governance (34%) covers identity and access, Microsoft Entra ID, RBAC, Azure Policy, cost management, monitoring, and basic security and governance tools.

Bloom’s Taxonomy BL2: What Level of Depth AZ-900 Expects

What Is BL2?

AZ-900 is set at Bloom’s taxonomy level BL2: Remember and Understand. You need to recall definitions and explain basic ideas, not design complex architectures.

What You Must Do at BL2

At BL2 you should recognize key terms, explain concepts in your own words, compare simple options, and pick the most appropriate Azure concept for a short scenario.

How This Affects Your Study

Focus on clear definitions and being able to explain “why” at a simple level. If you can answer a short scenario in one or two sentences, you are working at the right depth.

Core Cloud Concepts You Will See Repeatedly

Cloud Computing: Core Definition

You must know: "Cloud computing is the delivery of computing services over the internet, enabling faster innovation, flexible resources, and economies of scale."

Deployment Models (3)

Cloud deployment models: public cloud, private cloud, hybrid cloud. These describe who owns the infrastructure and how resources are shared.

Service Models (3)

Cloud service models: Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), Platform as a Service (PaaS), Software as a Service (SaaS). These describe what you manage vs what the provider manages.

Scenarios on the Exam

Expect short scenarios like “wants to avoid managing servers and just deploy code” (PaaS) or “wants control over VMs and OS” (IaaS).

Exam-Like Scenarios: Domains and BL2 in Action

Scenario 1: Deployment Model

A startup wants to avoid buying hardware and pay only for what it uses, with a provider owning infrastructure and serving many customers. This describes the public cloud deployment model.

Scenario 2: Availability Zones

An app needs two physically separate locations in one region for higher availability. Azure’s feature for separate locations within a region is Availability Zones.

Scenario 3: Governance with Azure Policy

To restrict resources to approved regions and flag non-compliance, you use Azure Policy, which creates and enforces rules over resources to keep them compliant.

Question Types and Scoring: What to Expect Inside the Exam

Multiple Choice Basics

You will see single-answer multiple choice and multiple-answer (“choose two”) questions. Multi-select items usually require all correct choices for credit.

Drag-and-Drop and Matching

Some questions ask you to match terms to definitions or features to scenarios, often via drag-and-drop. These test whether you can connect concepts, not just memorize names.

Scenario and Table Questions

Short scenarios and Yes/No tables appear often. You interpret a paragraph or statements and choose the most appropriate Azure concept or mark each row as true or false.

How Scoring Works

The exam uses a 100–1000 scale, with 700 as the typical passing score. Some items are multi-point, and multi-select questions often give credit only if all correct options are chosen.

Quick Check: Domains and Concepts

Test your understanding of domains and key concepts so far.

Which AZ-900 domain most directly covers Azure regions, region pairs, Availability Zones, and resource groups?

Cloud Concepts: 28%
Azure Architecture and Services: 38%
Azure Management and Governance: 34%
None of the above

Show Answer

Answer: B) Azure Architecture and Services: 38%

Azure regions, region pairs, Availability Zones, Azure resources, resource groups, and subscriptions are part of the Azure core architectural components, which belong to the 'Azure Architecture and Services: 38%' domain.

Quick Check: BL2 and Question Style

One more small quiz to reinforce how BL2 shapes exam questions.

Which of the following best matches the BL2 level expected for AZ-900?

Designing complex multi-region architectures with detailed failover plans
Memorizing every Azure service SKU and exact pricing numbers
Remembering definitions and explaining which Azure concept fits a simple scenario
Writing production-grade scripts to automate Azure deployments

Show Answer

Answer: C) Remembering definitions and explaining which Azure concept fits a simple scenario

BL2 focuses on Remember and Understand. For AZ-900, that means you should recall definitions and explain which concept fits a simple scenario, not design complex systems or write production code.

Building Your Personal Study Plan: Inputs and Strategy

Start With a Baseline

Begin by estimating your current level in each domain, or take the Skarp diagnostic. Rate yourself 1–5 in Cloud Concepts, Architecture and Services, and Management and Governance.

Weight Your Study Time

Because Architecture and Services is 38% of the exam, give it the largest share of time, followed by Management and Governance, then Cloud Concepts.

A Simple Time Split

As a starting point, spend about 40% of your time on Architecture and Services, 35% on Management and Governance, and 25% on Cloud Concepts, then adjust based on your diagnostic.

Design Your Weekly AZ-900 Study Schedule

Use this guided exercise to sketch a realistic weekly plan that fits your life and leverages this Skarp course.

1. Choose your weekly study hours

Think honestly about your schedule for the next 4–6 weeks.

If you are very busy: 3–4 hours/week
Moderate load: 5–7 hours/week
Aggressive pace: 8–10+ hours/week

Write down a number that feels sustainable for at least a month.

2. Split hours across domains

Multiply your weekly hours by the suggested split (adjust if needed):

40% for Azure Architecture and Services
35% for Azure Management and Governance
25% for Cloud Concepts

Example (6 hours/week):

Architecture and Services: 2.4 hours (~2.5 hours)
Management and Governance: 2.1 hours (~2 hours)
Cloud Concepts: 1.5 hours

3. Map hours to specific course elements

For each domain, decide how you will use your time:

Concept lessons in this course (watch, take notes, pause and rephrase in your own words)
Short quizzes after lessons to confirm BL2 understanding
Spaced review queue for weak items (Skarp will surface these as you go)
Mock exams every 1–2 weeks to pressure-test your progress

Your task now:

On paper or in a note app, write a simple plan like:

Monday/Wednesday evenings: 45 minutes each on Architecture and Services lessons + quizzes
Friday: 45 minutes on Management and Governance
Sunday: 45 minutes on Cloud Concepts + review weak items in my spaced review queue

Keep it short and realistic. You can refine it after your first diagnostic or mock exam.

Key AZ-900 Orientation Terms

Use these flashcards to reinforce core terms that will appear throughout the course and on the exam.

cloud computing: Cloud computing is the delivery of computing services over the internet, enabling faster innovation, flexible resources, and economies of scale.
public cloud: A public cloud is a cloud deployment model in which a cloud provider owns and operates the infrastructure and delivers computing resources over the public internet to multiple tenants.
private cloud: A private cloud is a cloud deployment model in which cloud resources are used exclusively by a single organization, either hosted on-premises or by a third-party provider.
hybrid cloud: A hybrid cloud is a computing environment that combines public and private clouds, allowing data and applications to be shared between them.
Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS): Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) is a cloud service model that provides virtualized computing resources such as servers, storage, and networking on demand.
Platform as a Service (PaaS): Platform as a Service (PaaS) is a cloud service model that provides a complete development and deployment environment in the cloud, including infrastructure, middleware, and development tools.
Software as a Service (SaaS): Software as a Service (SaaS) is a cloud service model that delivers software applications over the internet on a subscription basis.
Microsoft Entra ID: Microsoft Entra ID is Microsoft’s cloud-based identity and access management service that helps employees sign in and access resources such as Microsoft 365, the Azure portal, and thousands of other SaaS applications.
role-based access control (RBAC): Role-based access control (RBAC) is an authorization system built on Azure Resource Manager that provides fine-grained access management of Azure resources based on roles assigned to users, groups, and service principals.
Azure Policy: Azure Policy is a service in Azure that you use to create, assign, and manage policies that enforce rules and effects over your resources, so those resources stay compliant with your corporate standards and service level agreements.

How to Use This Skarp Course for Maximum Impact

Start With Foundations

After this orientation, move into Cloud Concepts. Learn the core definitions and benefits of cloud computing, deployment models, and service models.

Let Diagnostics Guide You

Use the course diagnostic to see which domains are weak. Weak items will feed into your spaced review queue so you revisit them over time.

Study in Short Sprints

In each session, study one topic, summarize it in your own words, then do the quiz. Notice which questions felt shaky so you can focus your review.

Use Mock Exams and Gap Guides

Every 1–2 weeks, take a mock exam. Then read the gap guide to see which domains need more attention and adjust your weekly plan accordingly.

Key Terms

Azure Policy: Azure Policy is a service in Azure that you use to create, assign, and manage policies that enforce rules and effects over your resources, so those resources stay compliant with your corporate standards and service level agreements.
hybrid cloud: A hybrid cloud is a computing environment that combines public and private clouds, allowing data and applications to be shared between them.
public cloud: A public cloud is a cloud deployment model in which a cloud provider owns and operates the infrastructure and delivers computing resources over the public internet to multiple tenants.
private cloud: A private cloud is a cloud deployment model in which cloud resources are used exclusively by a single organization, either hosted on-premises or by a third-party provider.
AZ-900 domains: The three AZ-900 domains and weights are: Cloud Concepts: 28%, Azure Architecture and Services: 38%, Azure Management and Governance: 34%.
cloud computing: Cloud computing is the delivery of computing services over the internet, enabling faster innovation, flexible resources, and economies of scale.
Microsoft Entra ID: Microsoft Entra ID is Microsoft’s cloud-based identity and access management service that helps employees sign in and access resources such as Microsoft 365, the Azure portal, and thousands of other SaaS applications.
Bloom’s taxonomy BL2: An assessment level focusing on Remember and Understand, where candidates recall definitions and explain concepts or choose appropriate options for simple scenarios.
Platform as a Service (PaaS): Platform as a Service (PaaS) is a cloud service model that provides a complete development and deployment environment in the cloud, including infrastructure, middleware, and development tools.
Software as a Service (SaaS): Software as a Service (SaaS) is a cloud service model that delivers software applications over the internet on a subscription basis.
role-based access control (RBAC): Role-based access control (RBAC) is an authorization system built on Azure Resource Manager that provides fine-grained access management of Azure resources based on roles assigned to users, groups, and service principals.
Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS): Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) is a cloud service model that provides virtualized computing resources such as servers, storage, and networking on demand.