By Mufy Pachorawala, founder of getAIwork · Last updated: September 1, 2026
Key facts
- AI-900 retired June 30, 2026. Its replacement is AI-901, Microsoft Azure AI Fundamentals, with a passing score of 700 out of 1000
- AI-102 was retired too, along with its renewal assessment, replaced by AI-103 for the Azure AI Apps and Agents Developer Associate certification
- AI-901 is weighted toward Microsoft Foundry. Roughly 40 to 45% covers AI concepts and capabilities, and 55 to 60% covers implementing AI solutions using Microsoft Foundry
- Fundamentals certifications do not expire. Associate ones do, annually, with a free unproctored open-book online renewal available six months before expiry
- 67% of the 1,279 live listings on the getAIwork board are technical as of August 27, 2026, from 38,853 posts screened, and enterprise employers are where Microsoft credentials carry real weight
What changed in Microsoft AI certification in 2026?
Both rungs of the Azure AI ladder were replaced. The fundamentals exam AI-900 retired on June 30, 2026 and became AI-901. The engineer-level AI-102 was retired along with its renewal assessment and became AI-103, under a renamed certification, Azure AI Apps and Agents Developer Associate. This is a content refresh, not a renumbering exercise.
The word “agents” in that new title is the tell. Microsoft moved the associate-level exam from “build AI solutions with Azure AI services” toward “build applications and agents on Microsoft Foundry”, which reflects what enterprises actually asked for over the last eighteen months. Whether you find that exciting or exhausting probably depends on how recently you bought a study guide.
Practically, this creates a mess worth being careful about. A very large amount of AI certification content online was written in 2024 and 2025, ranks well, and now describes retired exams with confidence. Before you buy any course, check the exam code on the Microsoft Learn page rather than on the course’s sales page.
What is on the AI-901 exam?
Two domains. Identifying AI concepts and capabilities makes up roughly 40 to 45% of the exam, and implementing AI solutions using Microsoft Foundry makes up roughly 55 to 60%. The passing score is 700 out of 1000. It is a fundamentals-level exam, so the depth is conceptual, but the Foundry weighting means pure theory will not carry you.
| Area | Approximate weight | What it actually asks |
|---|---|---|
| AI concepts and capabilities | 40 to 45% | Workloads and considerations, machine learning principles, computer vision, natural language processing, generative AI |
| Implementing AI solutions with Microsoft Foundry | 55 to 60% | Choosing and configuring the right Azure AI service for a described scenario |
Microsoft lists useful background rather than hard prerequisites: conceptual knowledge of AI solutions in Azure, familiarity with Azure resources, basic Python syntax, and awareness of REST APIs, SDKs and CLIs. You will not be writing code in the exam. You will be expected to recognise what code is for.
Microsoft publishes an official study guide, a free exam sandbox so you can see the interface before exam day, and a free practice assessment. Use all three. The sandbox in particular removes a surprising amount of exam-day anxiety, since the format catches more people than the content does.
Take the 2-minute match quiz and see which of the 1,279 live AI listings fit your skills and level, and which name a credential.
Take the 2-minute match quiz →
What is AI-103 and who is it actually for?
AI-103 is the exam behind the Azure AI Apps and Agents Developer Associate certification, and it replaced AI-102. It is for developers who build, deploy and maintain AI applications and agents on Microsoft Foundry, which means it assumes real coding ability and Azure familiarity. It is not a next step for someone who just passed a fundamentals exam last week.
The honest gap between AI-901 and AI-103 is larger than the numbers suggest. Fundamentals asks you to recognise services. Associate asks you to build with them, handle failure, and make architectural choices. Most people who cross that gap successfully do it by building something real in between, not by reading twice as much.
Which Microsoft AI certification should you take?
Take AI-901 if you work near AI without building it, and AI-103 if you build applications on Azure. If your employer does not run Microsoft, take neither, because the value of a vendor credential comes almost entirely from the vendor already being in the building. A Microsoft credential at an AWS shop is a conversation piece, not a qualification.
| You are | Take | Why | Expires? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Business analyst, PM, marketer at a Microsoft shop | AI-901 | Shared vocabulary with the engineers, recognised internally | No |
| IT support or admin moving toward AI | AI-901 first | Fills conceptual gaps cheaply before a bigger commitment | No |
| Developer building on Azure | AI-103 | Directly matches the work, and partner requirements often name it | Yes, annually, free renewal |
| Career changer with no Azure exposure | AI-901, plus a built project | The certificate opens the filter, the project wins the interview | No |
| Working at an AWS or Google shop | Neither | Match the vendor your employer runs | Not applicable |
| Aiming at paid AI training or annotation work | Neither | Those platforms screen with qualification tasks, not credentials | Not applicable |
That last row catches people out. If your route into AI work is platform task work rather than employment, no Microsoft credential helps at all. See AI training jobs with no experience for how those gates actually work.
What does a Microsoft AI certification cost, and does it expire?
Microsoft does not publish a single global price, listing instead that the fee depends on the country or region where the exam is proctored. Microsoft’s own FAQ states associate and expert exams typically cost $165 USD. Fundamentals exams are cheaper. Renewal for associate certifications is free, which is genuinely unusual and worth factoring in.
- Fundamentals certifications, including AI-901, do not expire. Buy once, keep it.
- Associate, expert and specialty certifications expire after 12 months. That sounds aggressive until you see the renewal terms.
- Renewal is free, unproctored and open book, available online in the six months before expiry. Compared with vendors that charge a full retake every two or three years, this is the cheapest long-term ladder in the industry.
- Training is free. Microsoft Learn covers the exam objectives at no cost, which means the exam fee can genuinely be your only spend.
For a full price comparison across vendors, see AI certification cost in 2026, which lists every major exam fee side by side.
How do you prepare for AI-901 without wasting money?
Use the free official material first and buy nothing until the free practice assessment says you are close. Microsoft publishes the study guide, a sandbox showing the exam interface, and a practice assessment, all free. Most candidates who fail did not run out of knowledge; they ran out of familiarity with the question format.
- Read the AI-901 study guide first, not last. It lists exactly what is measured. Studying without it is choosing to be surprised.
- Work the Microsoft Learn path end to end. Free, official, and aligned to the objectives by the people who wrote them.
- Actually open Microsoft Foundry. The exam is 55 to 60% implementation. Clicking through the service once teaches more than a chapter about it.
- Run the free practice assessment twice. Once early to find gaps, once late to confirm. Book the exam only after the second one clears comfortably.
- Use the sandbox. Five minutes with the exam interface removes an entire category of exam-day distraction.
One last note on sequencing. A credential is a filter-clearing token, and filters only matter if something is behind them. Before you book anything, read 20 live listings in your target role and count how many name a Microsoft credential. That number should decide this, not a comparison table. More on that logic in are AI certifications worth it.
1,279 live AI listings, screened and human-approved, filled ones deleted daily. Filter to your skills and level in two minutes.
Frequently asked questions
Is AI-900 still available in 2026?
No. AI-900 Microsoft Azure AI Fundamentals retired on June 30, 2026 and was replaced by AI-901. A great deal of study material online still references AI-900, so check the exam code on the Microsoft Learn page before buying any course.
What replaced Microsoft AI-102?
AI-103, under the renamed certification Azure AI Apps and Agents Developer Associate. AI-102 and its renewal assessment are both retired. The new exam shifts toward building applications and agents on Microsoft Foundry rather than assembling Azure AI services.
What is the passing score for AI-901?
700 out of 1000. The exam is split into two domains: identifying AI concepts and capabilities at roughly 40 to 45%, and implementing AI solutions using Microsoft Foundry at roughly 55 to 60%.
How much does the Microsoft AI certification cost?
Microsoft prices exams by country or region rather than publishing one global figure. Its FAQ states that associate and expert exams typically cost $165 USD, with fundamentals-level exams priced lower. Check the exam page for your country before booking.
Does the Microsoft AI certification expire?
Fundamentals certifications such as AI-901 do not expire. Associate, expert and specialty certifications expire after 12 months, but renewal is a free, unproctored, open-book online assessment available in the six months before expiry.
Do I need coding experience for AI-901?
Not to write code in the exam. Microsoft lists Python syntax awareness and familiarity with REST APIs, SDKs and CLIs as recommended background, meaning you should recognise what code does rather than produce it. AI-103 does assume real development ability.
Is AI-901 worth it if my employer uses AWS?
Generally no. Vendor credentials draw their weight from the vendor already being in the building, so match the certification to the cloud your target employers run. An AWS or Google credential would serve you better in that situation.
How long does it take to prepare for AI-901?
For someone with basic cloud familiarity, a few weeks of part-time study on the free Microsoft Learn path is a common range. The reliable signal is the free practice assessment: book the exam once you clear it comfortably, not on a fixed schedule.
Mufy Pachorawala · Founder, getAIwork
My AI scans thousands of AI-job posts (38,853 screened so far) and I personally approve every listing before it reaches the board. I write these articles by the same rules: pay quoted only as listed, and no income promises. Read our editorial rules.
Related: Best AI certifications in 2026 · AI certification cost · Are AI certifications worth it? · AI jobs in 2026
