AI-901 skills measured in 2026
The current exam has two official skill groups. Use these focused guides with Microsoft Learn, updated for the objectives measured from 15 April 2026.
The complete 10-day AI-901 study plan
Seven days to build the official skills, followed by diagnosis, targeted review and final recall.
| Day | Focus |
|---|---|
| 1 | Responsible AI principles and scenario decisions. |
| 2 | Generative models, model selection, deployment and inference parameters. |
| 3 | AI workloads: generative AI, agents, language, speech, vision and extraction. |
| 4 | Foundry portal, model deployment, prompts and SDK client basics. |
| 5 | Single-agent solutions, tools and lightweight client applications. |
| 6 | Text, speech, vision and image-generation implementation. |
| 7 | Content Understanding for documents, images, audio and video. |
| 8 | Take the fixed 20-question diagnostic and record misconceptions. |
| 9 | Review only weak and uncertain answers; replay audio at 1.5–2×. |
| 10 | Final recall, official study-guide check and exam-day preparation. |
Author, review and content method
Question banks and explanations follow 2026 official sources. Last reviewed: 2026-09-13.
Author and reviewer: ChengYuan Chang, software developer and AiCert creator; passed AI-901 with 916/1000 on 3 September 2026.
Method: Scope follows the Microsoft study guide effective 15 April 2026. Explanations are checked against Microsoft Learn and edited for concepts rather than answer-letter memorisation. The free diagnostic remains a fixed 20 questions.
Disclosure: AiCert is independent and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Microsoft.
Change log: 5 September 2026 — added two skill guides, the full 10-day plan and fixed 20-question web practice.
My prepare tips
Use AI tools to prepare for an AI exam: plan the course, merge practice topics, and turn lessons into audio you can replay anywhere.
- Ask ChatGPT for a 7-day detailed outline and plain-language lessons (two halves each day).
- Feed practice questions into ChatGPT so daily notes and hard-item explanations match real exam topics.
- Generate high-quality lesson and Q&A audio with Azure AI Speech so you can study while commuting or walking.
- Days 1–7: one focused hour plus repeated audio; Day 8: full question-bank pass; Day 9: weak items only + 1.5–2.0× replay; Day 10: final rapid review.
Hands-on report: my 10-day AI workflow for passing AI-901 with 916
A practical guide to the new objectives, half-price route, ten-day sprint and test-day pitfalls—without needing a deep programming background.
Some searchers omit the hyphen and write AI901; AI901 and AI-901 refer to the same Microsoft Azure AI Fundamentals exam, whose official code is AI-901.
Written by ChengYuan Chang · passed with 916/1000 · ·
AI-900 retired on 30 June 2026. Its successor, AI-901 (Azure AI Fundamentals), is the new baseline for AI literacy and Foundry-oriented practice concepts.
I took AI-901 on 3 September 2026. In a 60-minute sitting I finished and reviewed in about 45 minutes. The result appeared immediately: 916 — Passed (out of 1000; pass mark 700).
This page shares the latest exam picture I used, how to pursue a half-price route, my 10-day AI study workflow, and the traps I hit on site. If you do not want to build the toolchain yourself, the AiCert AI-901 app at the end packages the same audio-first loop.
Question count, timing and question-bank overlap are from this sitting. Exam content and promotions can change — confirm on Microsoft’s official pages.
1. AI-901 exam facts: Microsoft Foundry is the core
AI-901 is still a fundamentals certification and does not require a deep coding background, but the emphasis shifted sharply from AI-900:
- AI-900 leaned on AI concepts and Azure service recognition.
- AI-901 centers on Microsoft Foundry (formerly Azure AI Foundry): portal workflow, basic Python ideas, and Azure resource awareness.
Three study clusters that covered my sitting:
- AI fundamentals: ML flow (data, train, evaluate, deploy), generative AI and prompting, hallucination and leakage risks.
- Azure AI scenarios: vision (OCR, object detection), language (sentiment, translation), and Azure OpenAI-style usage.
- Responsible AI: fairness, reliability & safety, privacy & security, inclusiveness, transparency, accountability — governance scenarios appear often.
Official skill areas remain two blocks: identify AI concepts and capabilities (40–45%) and implement AI solutions with Microsoft Foundry (55–60%). Form: about 40–60 questions (I had 42, weighted), 60 minutes at a test center.
Check the official AI-901 exam page for current pricing, languages and objectives.
2. Half-price route: Microsoft Virtual Training Days
List prices are often in the US$50–99 range depending on region. A common saving path:
- Register for an official Microsoft Virtual Training Day (VTD) related to AI-901 / Foundry and complete attendance requirements.
- Within about 5–10 business days, an eligible 50% exam benefit may attach to the same Microsoft Learn profile email.
- When booking on Pearson VUE with that email, confirm the discount at checkout (often valid about 90 days — follow the event terms).
Pitfall: not every event, region or exam guarantees a discount. Save the event terms and completion notice; contact Microsoft Credentials Support if an eligible offer does not appear.
3. My 10-day AI study workflow
Core idea: use AI to learn AI — protect one focused hour a day, then use commute and walking time for audio memory.
- Days 1–7 (about 1 hour/day): understand that day’s audio lesson, skim notes, then replay audio while commuting, walking or waiting.
- Day 8: run a full pass of practice questions (I used a 128-question bank) and split into “understood” vs “weak / ambiguous”. Use unofficial banks to find gaps, not as an answer authority.
- Day 9: only the weak pile; replay all lessons at 1.5–2.0×.
- Day 10: rapid Q&A from first to last until no hesitation remains.
Toolchain: ChatGPT for a 7-day outline and plain lessons; merge bank topics into daily notes and hard-item explanations; Cursor for the mobile player; Azure AI Speech for natural TTS of lessons, questions and explanations.
4. Test day and old-vs-new answer traps
I tested at a Taipei test center. Before you sit:
- Two IDs — preferably one with your Latin-alphabet name (e.g. a credit card) for phonetic matching.
- Phone, wallet, watch and other belongings go in the locker; the proctor seats you and leaves after confirming the exam has started.
Difficulty felt higher than AI-900 lore, but roughly 85% of concepts still appeared in practice. Options were reordered; some wording or scenarios changed — memorizing positions is risky.
Biggest trap: unofficial AI-900-era answers can conflict with current Microsoft Foundry workflows. Example: after you create and save an Agent (prompt, model, tools) in the portal, you can test it live in Agent Playground without writing code. When to use Playground vs deploy an API endpoint depends on the new scenario — study current Foundry behavior, not old portal folklore.
5. Prefer not to build the app? Use AiCert
The same audio-first loop produced my 916. AiCert: AI-901 packages that workflow and is now available on Google Play:
- Daily loop: learn → practice → diagnose → review.
- High-quality voice: Azure AI Speech lessons and Q&A audio for commute and walking study.
- Day 1 free: no credit card required for the full first-day experience; remaining days unlock with a one-time purchase.
Passing is realistic once concepts are familiar; a high score still needs current AI-901 terminology and Foundry behavior—not memorized option letters.
AI-901 exam facts
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Official name | Microsoft Azure AI Fundamentals (AI-901) |
| Questions | About 40–60 (author sat 42, weighted) |
| Time | 60 minutes (test center) |
| Passing score | 700 / 1000 |
| Author score | 916 on 2026-09-03 |
| Recommended prep | 10 days (concepts + audio, then bank + weak review) |
| App launch | Available on the App Store and Google Play · Day 1 free |
Verify current details with Microsoft’s official sources:
AI-901 FAQ
How is AI-901 different from AI-900?
AI-900 focused more on concepts and Azure service recognition. AI-901 shifts heavily to Microsoft Foundry workflows, prompting, agents and lightweight implementation ideas, while keeping Responsible AI.
Can I get half price?
Often via an eligible Microsoft Virtual Training Day: complete the event with your Learn profile email, wait for the benefit to attach, then confirm at Pearson VUE checkout. Not every event guarantees a discount — read that event’s terms.
How long should I prepare?
A focused 10-day sprint worked for the author: seven days of audio-first concepts, then bank triage, weak-item work and a final review. Adjust if you already know Foundry.
Do I need to write code in the exam?
You do not need a deep coding background, but objectives expect familiarity with Python ideas, Azure resources, and calling models via portal, SDK or API. “No coding” describes the author’s study style, not a blank slate of technical concepts.
Playground or API endpoint?
A saved Agent in Foundry can be tested in Agent Playground interactively. Client apps and API/SDK calls fit deployment scenarios. Prefer current Foundry docs over AI-900-era answer keys.
Is the AiCert AI-901 app available? Is Day 1 free?
Yes — it is live on the App Store and Google Play. The full Day 1 lesson, audio, review and practice are free without a credit card; remaining days unlock with a one-time purchase (App Store or Play in-app purchase, or website PayPal).