The short version
AB-900 is Microsoft’s beginner-level exam on administering an AI-enabled Microsoft 365 environment. It checks that you know the core Microsoft 365 objects and security features, the data protection and governance tools that matter when Copilot is switched on, and the basic admin tasks for Copilot and agents. This guide uses the study guide that Microsoft lists as “Skills measured as of October 14, 2026”.
What the exam is
The full name is Microsoft 365 Copilot and Agent Administration Fundamentals. Microsoft places it at the Beginner level and describes the goal as showing that you can support, secure, and protect an AI-enabled Microsoft 365 environment.
Notice what the exam is not. It is not a Copilot user exam about writing good prompts, and it is not a deep engineering exam. It sits in the middle: you act as the person who decides who gets a license, where data may be shared, which agents are allowed, and where to look when something goes wrong. Many questions give you a short admin situation and ask which feature, role, or admin center fits.
A useful mental model is a three-layer cake. The bottom layer is Microsoft 365 itself: users, groups, mailboxes, sites, teams, and the identity and security tools around them. The middle layer is data protection: labels, loss prevention, retention, and finding oversharing. The top layer is Copilot and agents, which only behave safely if the layers below are in order.
Who it is for
Microsoft’s audience profile says you should be familiar with Microsoft 365, including core services, security, identity and access, data protection, and governance, along with Microsoft 365 Copilot and agents. You should also know the admin centers used for Exchange Online, SharePoint, Teams, Microsoft Entra, and Microsoft Purview, and have some experience with AI-driven productivity tools and modern IT management. Help desk staff, new administrators, and people moving into Microsoft 365 or Copilot rollout work are the natural readers. The prerequisites page covers what to know first.
Format at a glance
| Item | What Microsoft says |
|---|---|
| Exam code | AB-900 |
| Level | Beginner |
| Exam time | 45 minutes |
| Passing score | 700 or higher on a scale of 1 to 1,000 |
| Delivery | Proctored, scheduled through Pearson VUE (students and educators can use Certiport) |
| Languages | 13, including English, Spanish, French, and Portuguese (Brazil) |
| Number of questions | Not published for this exam; Microsoft says most exams have 40 to 60 |
Details, including scoring and retakes, are on the exam format page.
The three domains and their weightings
| Domain | Weighting |
|---|---|
| Identify the core features and objects of Microsoft 365 services | 30-35% |
| Understand data protection and governance tasks for Microsoft 365 and Copilot | 35-40% |
| Perform basic administrative tasks for Copilot and agents | 25-30% |
Core features and objects of Microsoft 365
The foundation. It covers license types, the Microsoft 365, Exchange, SharePoint, and Teams admin centers, Zero Trust, authentication methods, Microsoft Defender XDR, and the main Microsoft Entra ID features: Conditional Access, single sign-on, Identity Secure Score, Privileged Identity Management, and app registrations.
Data protection and governance
The largest domain. It centers on Microsoft Purview (sensitivity labels, data loss prevention, Insider Risk Management, Communication Compliance, retention, classification, and Data Security Posture Management for AI), how Copilot reaches data through Microsoft Graph and permissions, and how to find and fix oversharing in SharePoint.
Administering Copilot and agents
Comparing Copilot and agent capabilities, license and pay-as-you-go models, assigning licenses, monitoring usage, managing prompts, and handling agents: user access, creating them, the approval process, and monitoring.
Official source
For the vendor’s own page, see the Microsoft Learn AB-900 study guide. It is the final authority if anything here differs.
More guides for AB-900
- AB-900 Study Plan: 4-Week and 8-Week
- AB-900 Sample Questions With Answers
- Is the AB-900 Exam Hard? An Honest Look
- AB-900 Renewal and Retakes Explained
- Is AB-900 Worth It? An Honest Look
- AB-900 Cheat Sheet: Key Facts to Review
- AB-900 vs AI-901: Which Exam First?
Next step
Read the domains explained page to see where your time should go. When you want to check yourself, our AB-900 practice tests are original practice sets built around these domains.
Frequently asked questions
Does AB-900 expire?
Microsoft states that fundamentals certifications do not expire, so there is nothing to renew.
Is the exam available in English only?
No. Microsoft lists 13 languages. Localized versions are updated about eight weeks after the English version.
Do I need a Copilot license to study?
Not required. Reading the documentation and watching demos gets you far, but a trial tenant with the admin centers makes the terms stick.