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Microsoft Exam Syllabus

SC-900 syllabus, skills measured, and exam topics

The SC-900 exam measures Describe the concepts of security, compliance, and identity, Describe the capabilities of Microsoft Entra, and Describe the capabilities of Microsoft security solutions. Use this page to review the current official syllabus, major domains, and source links before exam day.

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Skills measured by domain

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

Domain Weight
Describe the concepts of security, compliance, and identity 10–15%
Describe the capabilities of Microsoft Entra 25–30%
Describe the capabilities of Microsoft security solutions 35–40%
Describe the capabilities of Microsoft compliance solutions 20–25%

Detailed outline

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

Describe the concepts of security, compliance, and identity (10–15%)

  • Describe the shared responsibility model
  • Describe defense-in-depth
  • Describe the Zero Trust model
  • Describe encryption and hashing
  • Describe Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC) concepts
  • Define identity as the primary security perimeter
  • Define authentication
  • Define authorization
  • Describe identity providers
  • Describe the concept of directory services and Active Directory
  • Describe the concept of federation

Describe the capabilities of Microsoft Entra (25–30%)

  • Describe Microsoft Entra ID
  • Describe types of identities, including agent ID
  • Describe hybrid identity
  • Describe the authentication methods
  • Describe multifactor authentication (MFA)
  • Describe password protection and management capabilities
  • Describe Microsoft Entra Conditional Access
  • Describe Microsoft Entra roles and role-based access control (RBAC)
  • Describe Microsoft Entra ID Governance
  • Describe access reviews
  • Describe the capabilities of Microsoft Entra Privileged Identity Management
  • Describe Microsoft Entra ID Protection

Describe the capabilities of Microsoft security solutions (35–40%)

  • Describe Azure DDoS Protection
  • Describe Azure Firewall
  • Describe Azure Web Application Firewall (WAF)
  • Describe network segmentation with Azure virtual networks
  • Describe network security groups (NSGs)
  • Describe Azure Bastion
  • Describe Azure Key Vault
  • Describe Microsoft Defender for Cloud
  • Describe Cloud Security Posture Management (CSPM)
  • Describe how security policies, standards, and recommendations improve the cloud security posture
  • Describe enhanced security features provided by cloud workload protection
  • Define the concepts of security information and event management (SIEM) and security orchestration automated response (SOAR)

Describe the capabilities of Microsoft compliance solutions (20–25%)

  • Describe the Service Trust Portal offerings
  • Describe the privacy principles of Microsoft
  • Describe the Microsoft Purview portal
  • Describe Compliance Manager
  • Describe the uses and benefits of compliance score
  • Describe the data classification capabilities
  • Describe the benefits of Content explorer and Activity explorer
  • Describe sensitivity labels and sensitivity label policies
  • Describe data loss prevention (DLP)
  • Describe records management
  • Describe retention policies, retention labels, and retention label policies
  • Describe insider risk management

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
  • 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.
  • Take a free Practice Assessment: Test your skills with practice questions to help you prepare for the exam.

Updates to the exam

  • Our exams are updated periodically to reflect skills that are required to perform a role. We have included two versions of the Skills Measured objectives depending on when you are taking the exam.
  • We always update the English language version of the exam first. Some exams are localized into other languages, and those are updated approximately eight weeks after the English version is updated. While Microsoft makes every effort to update localized versions as noted, there may be times when the localized versions of an exam are not updated on this schedule. Other available languages are listed in the Schedule Exam section of the Exam Details webpage. 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

  • This exam is targeted to you, if you’re looking to familiarize yourself with the fundamentals of security, compliance, and identity (SCI) across cloud-based and related Microsoft services.
  • If you have an interest in Microsoft SCI solutions, this exam is for you, whether you’re a:
  • Business stakeholder
  • New or existing IT professional
  • Student
  • You should be familiar with Microsoft Azure and Microsoft 365 and want to understand how Microsoft SCI solutions can span across these solution areas to provide a holistic and end-to-end solution.