Microsoft 365: Fundamentals (MS-900) Exam Prep Guide

This blog is part of a series. For more exam prep guides check back in the future

LAST UPDATED: 23/05/2020 (v.4.0)

I’ve always liked and recommended Microsoft Fundamentals exams. Back in 2018, before this new generation was created, I went back to gap fill my Office 365 MCSA with the Cloud, Mobility and Security Fundamental MTA’s (98-367, 368, 369). And even though these new generation MCF’s – like MTA’s – are optional (they don’t count towards the associate workloads) I don’t personally believe in bypassing them. No shortcuts. But Others may disagree. I respect that

Microsoft 365 Fundamentals is the natural successor to the Cloud Fundamentals (98-369) MTA. It’s about understanding the components of Microsoft 365 and the concepts which underpin it. It’s about what those components are designed to do and how they can be deployed and managed. It’s also about SKU’s and Support offerings. Now – even with this last element – it would be a mistake to assume that this exam isn’t technical. Yes, it won’t go into the nuts and bolts of the workloads, but there is a lot of value of understanding broad concepts at a high level

If you have never taken a fundamentals exam in the past, it’s typically around 60 minutes once past the regulations and usually has between 45 and 55 questions so you must think on your feet. An official practice test and MOC courses are available (I know this as I teach them). The short form course has surfaced on Microsoft Learn here and I have since found an effective Open EDX course to supplement learning here. Bear in mind that the MCF’s are also about broader concepts as opposed to very defined subject matter so it’s more than simply using docs.com for definitive articles. A combination of docs, Learn, the MOC course, the Microsoft product, licencing and trust websites, the Microsoft 365 Blog and the Microsoft 365 Partner site should be enough

Link to Exam: Here
Released: 31st January 2019
Practice Test: Here
Microsoft Learn: Here
MOC Course: MS-900TO1A
EDX: Here
Udemy: Here

Important Note: this exam prep guide should be used to supplement your own resources and should not be used for the whole of your learning. Some of the resources may be not completely cover the requirements especially if the requirement is vague. If you find better articles than the ones below, please feel free to reach out and I’ll amend

Status: I passed this exam on 31/01/2019 the day of the release. I had 63 questions in this particular paper. Many of the questions I had focused on security/compliance aspects

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Describe Cloud Concepts (15 – 20%)

Detail and understand the benefits and considerations of using cloud services

Describe the different types of cloud services available

Position Microsoft 365 in a SaaS scenario, IaaS, PaaS, SaaS, Public, Private, and Hybrid scenarios

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Describe Core Microsoft 365 Services and Concepts (30 – 35%)

Identify the core Microsoft 365 components

Windows 10 Enterprise

Exchange Online

SharePoint Online

Teams

Enterprise Mobility + Security

Compare core services in Microsoft 365 with corresponding on-premises service

Identify scenarios when usage of M365 services is more beneficial than on-premise services

Describe the concept of modern management

Describe the Windows-as-a-Service (WaaS) model

Describe the usage of the Microsoft 365 Admin Centre and M365 user portal

Describe the Microsoft deployment and release model for Windows and cloud business apps

Describe Office 365 ProPlus offerings

Compare with on-premise Office 2016 deployment

Describe collaboration and mobility with Microsoft 365

Describe the concept of effective collaboration with Microsoft 365

Describe the concept of enterprise mobility, device management, and application management within an organization

Describe Analytics Capabilities in Microsoft 365

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Describe Security, Compliance, Privacy and Trust in Microsoft 365 (25 – 30%)

Describe security and compliance concepts with Microsoft 365

Identify key components within an organization’s cloud and on-premise infrastructure that need protection

Describe key security pillars of protection, including identity, documents, network, and devices

Describe identity protection and management options

Describe concepts of cloud identity, on-premise identity, and hybrid identity

Identify document protection needs & capabilities of Azure Information Protection (AIP)

Describe Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)

Describe the need for unified endpoint management, security usage scenarios and services

Compare security usage scenarios and services available with Azure Active Directory P1, P2, and Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS)

Describe how Microsoft 365 services addresses the most common current threats

Describe capabilities of the Service Trust portal and Compliance Manager

Describe the trust relationship with Microsoft

Service locations

Explain how to address most common cloud adoption issues

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Describe Microsoft 365 Pricing and Support options (25 – 30%)

Describe Licensing options available in Microsoft 365

Identify M365 subscriptions and management options

Describe key selling points of M365 in segments of productivity, collaboration, security, and compliance

Identify the different licensing and payment models available for M365

Understand how to determine and implement best practices

Describe Pricing Options

Describe the Cloud Solution Provider (CSP) pricing model for Windows and Microsoft cloud services

Describe the basics of cost benefit analysis for on-premise versus cloud services

Identify available billing and bill management options

Describe support offerings for Microsoft 365 services

Describe how to create a support request for Microsoft 365 services

Identify Service Level Agreements (SLAs)

Describe how to determine service health status

Describe the Service Health Dashboard

Describe the service lifecycle in Microsoft 365

Describe private preview, public preview, and General Availability (GA) and their correlation to support policy and pricing

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Legacy Sections/Links (Retired in Latest Version of the Exam)

The following sections have been removed from the MS-900 exam skills as of May 2020. However, I would still recommend including this material into your studies for wider knowledge of Microsoft 365, and in case questions still emerge in the exam pool for these subjects

Skype for Business Online

Describe usage scenarios and capabilities for directory synchronization and authentication of on-premises AD with Azure AD

Understand the need for unified platform for device management

Understand Mobile Device Management (MDM)

Understand Mobile Application Management (MAM)

Understand capabilities of Intune