CertBlaze

Microsoft Exam Syllabus

AB-731 syllabus, skills measured, and exam topics

The AB-731 exam measures Identify the business value of generative AI solutions, Identify benefits, capabilities, and opportunities for Microsoft’s AI apps and services, and Identify an implementation and adoption strategy for Microsoft’s AI apps and services. Use this page to review the current official syllabus, major domains, and source links before exam day.

Open the practice page

Skills measured by domain

Use the weighting table to decide where to spend the most study time.

Domain Weight
Identify the business value of generative AI solutions 35–40%
Identify benefits, capabilities, and opportunities for Microsoft’s AI apps and services 35–40%
Identify an implementation and adoption strategy for Microsoft’s AI apps and services 20–25%

Detailed outline

Scan each section as a working study checklist instead of one long wall of text.

Identify the business value of generative AI solutions (35–40%)

  • Describe the differences between generative AI and other types of AI
  • Select a generative AI solution to meet a business need
  • Describe the differences between AI models, including fine-tuned and pretrained models
  • Explain the cost drivers in generative AI usage, including tokens and return-on-investment (ROI) considerations
  • Identify the challenges of using generative AI solutions, including fabrications, reliability, and bias
  • Identify when generative AI solutions can provide business value, including scalability and automation
  • Describe the impact of prompt engineering
  • Understand techniques of prompt engineering
  • Identify business requirements for grounding solutions
  • Understand how retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) is used for AI solutions
  • Understand the impact of data on AI solutions, including data type, data quality, and representative datasets
  • Describe the importance of secure AI

Identify benefits, capabilities, and opportunities for Microsoft’s AI apps and services (35–40%)

  • Map business processes and use cases to Copilot
  • Understand differences in capabilities between versions of Copilot
  • Understand capabilities of Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat web and mobile experiences
  • Understand capabilities of the Copilot experience in various Microsoft 365 apps
  • Understand capabilities of Microsoft Copilot Studio
  • Understand capabilities of Microsoft Graph
  • Identify benefits and capabilities of an integrated Microsoft AI solution, including risk mitigation and safety benefits
  • Map business processes and use cases to Microsoft’s AI apps and services
  • Identify when to use Researcher or Analyst in Copilot
  • Identify when to build, buy, or extend, including the Microsoft 365 Copilot extensibility framework
  • Map business processes and use cases to Foundry Tools
  • Identify capabilities of Foundry Tools, including Azure Vision in Foundry Tools, Azure AI Search, and Microsoft Foundry

Identify an implementation and adoption strategy for Microsoft’s AI apps and services (20–25%)

  • Explain the importance of responsible AI
  • Establish governance principles for AI use
  • Establish an AI council to guide strategy, oversight, and cross-functional alignment
  • Ensure that AI solutions meet responsible AI standards, including fairness, reliability, safety, privacy, security, inclusiveness, transparency, and accountability
  • Establish an adoption team
  • Identify common barriers to adoption
  • Establish an AI champions program
  • Understand potential impacts to data, security, privacy, and cost
  • Understand Copilot license types, including pay-as-you go, monthly, and included with Microsoft 365 subscription
  • Understand Foundry Tools subscription models, including pay-as-you-go and commitment tiers

Purpose of this document

  • This study guide should help you understand what to expect on the exam and includes a summary of the topics the exam might cover and links to additional resources. The information and materials in this document should help you focus your studies as you prepare for the exam.
  • Useful links: Description
  • Certification renewal: Microsoft associate, expert, and specialty certifications expire annually. You can renew by passing a free online assessment on Microsoft Learn.
  • Your Microsoft Learn profile: Connecting your certification profile to Microsoft Learn allows you to schedule and renew exams and share and print certificates.
  • Exam scoring and score reports: A score of 700 or greater is required to pass.
  • Exam sandbox: You can explore the exam environment by visiting our exam sandbox.
  • Request accommodations: If you use assistive devices, require extra time, or need modification to any part of the exam experience, you can request an accommodation.

Updates to the exam

  • Some exams are localized into other languages, and those are updated approximately eight weeks after the English version is updated. If the exam isn't available in your preferred language, you can request an additional 30 minutes to complete the exam.
  • The bullets that follow each of the skills measured are intended to illustrate how we are assessing that skill. Related topics may be covered in the exam.
  • Most questions cover features that are general availability (GA). The exam may contain questions on Preview features if those features are commonly used.

Audience profile

  • As a candidate for this Microsoft Certification, you should understand how to recognize opportunities for AI transformation, identify the right AI tools and resources, plan for AI adoption, optimize business processes, and drive innovation by using Microsoft 365 Copilot and Foundry Tools.
  • This Certification is designed for business decision-makers at all levels who are responsible for guiding transformation and innovation within their teams or organizations. In this role, you’re expected to demonstrate AI fluency, strategic vision, and the ability to lead AI adoption across teams and functions but are not expected to write any code.
  • As a candidate for this Certification, you should be able to evaluate AI opportunities, champion responsible AI practices, and align AI investments with business goals. You need experience leading adoption or change management in a business context. You must also be familiar with Microsoft 365 services, Microsoft Foundry, and general AI capabilities.