The short version
SC-300 is Microsoft’s associate-level exam for people who run identity and access with Microsoft Entra. It asks you to choose, configure, and troubleshoot: which authentication method, which Conditional Access control, which role, which governance feature. This guide follows the study guide that Microsoft lists as “Skills measured as of October 28, 2026”. Microsoft updated the English exam on that date, and other languages follow about eight weeks later, so check which version applies to your exam date.
What the exam is
The full name is Microsoft Identity and Access Administrator. Passing it earns the Microsoft Certified: Identity and Access Administrator Associate credential, which Microsoft labels intermediate level. Microsoft describes the job as designing, implementing, and operating identity and access management with Microsoft Entra, for users, devices, Azure resources, and applications, while applying Zero Trust principles.
That is a wide job, and the exam is wide too. You will move from hybrid sync to passkeys, from app registrations to access reviews. Many questions give you two features that both sound right and a single requirement that separates them: a license, a hybrid setup, an external user, or the least effort.
Who it is for
Microsoft’s audience profile is an identity and access administrator who works with other roles on identity projects, modernizes identity solutions, and implements hybrid identity and identity governance. Microsoft says you should be familiar with Azure, Microsoft 365 services and workloads, and Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS), plus PowerShell and Kusto Query Language (KQL). The prerequisites page turns that into a checklist.
Format at a glance
| Item | What Microsoft says |
|---|---|
| Exam code | SC-300 |
| Level | Intermediate (associate) |
| Time | 100 minutes of exam time |
| Passing score | 700 or higher on a scale of 1 to 1,000 |
| Delivery | Proctored, scheduled through Pearson VUE |
| Languages | English, German, Spanish, French, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese (Brazil), Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional) |
| Number of questions | Not published for this exam; Microsoft says most exams have 40 to 60 and that the number can vary |
| Renewal | Every 12 months, free, through an online assessment |
Details on scoring, question types, and retakes are on the exam format page.
The four domains and their weightings
| Domain | Weighting |
|---|---|
| Implement and manage user identities | 20-25% |
| Implement authentication and access management | 25-30% |
| Plan and implement workload identities | 20-25% |
| Plan and automate identity governance | 20-25% |
One quirk: Microsoft’s study guide shows 25-30% for the authentication domain in its “skills at a glance” list but 20-25% in that domain’s own heading. We use the summary figure and treat the second domain as the biggest. Either way, the four domains are close in size, so no area is safe to skip.
Implement and manage user identities
The foundation. Microsoft Entra roles and administrative units, tenant settings and domains, users, groups, custom security attributes, device join and registration, licenses, external users and cross-tenant access, and hybrid identity with Entra Connect Sync and Cloud Sync.
Implement authentication and access management
Authentication methods (certificate-based authentication, Temporary Access Pass, Microsoft Authenticator, passkeys), multifactor authentication, self-service password reset, Windows Hello for Business, Conditional Access, ID Protection, and Global Secure Access.
Plan and implement workload identities
Identities for apps and Azure workloads (managed identities, service principals), enterprise applications and consent, Application Proxy, app registrations, and app control with Microsoft Defender for Cloud Apps.
Plan and automate identity governance
Entitlement management with catalogs and access packages, access reviews, Privileged Identity Management, emergency access accounts, and monitoring with logs, KQL, workbooks, and Identity Secure Score.
Official source
For the vendor’s own page, see the Microsoft Learn SC-300 study guide. It is the final authority if anything here differs.
More guides for SC-300
- SC-300 Study Plan: 4 and 8 Week Schedules
- SC-300 Sample Questions With Answers
- Is SC-300 Hard? An Honest Difficulty Check
- SC-300 Renewal and Retakes Explained
- Is SC-300 Worth It? An Honest Look
- SC-300 Cheat Sheet: Key Facts to Review
- SC-300 vs SC-500: Which Exam First?
Next step
Read the domains explained page to see where your time should go. When you want to check yourself, our SC-300 practice tests are original practice sets built around these four domains.
Frequently asked questions
Does SC-300 expire?
The credential does. Microsoft says associate certifications expire unless renewed, and renewal is a free online assessment on Microsoft Learn, taken within a six-month window before expiry. Each renewal extends the certification by one year.
Did the exam change recently?
Yes. Microsoft updated the English version on October 28, 2026, and other languages usually follow about eight weeks later. The change log marks the user authentication, Global Secure Access, and privileged access areas as minor changes.
Do I need to know PowerShell?
Microsoft lists PowerShell and KQL as things you should be familiar with. Expect to read and recognize commands and queries rather than write long scripts from memory.