5 mistakes people make when studying for the AZ-900

The AZ-900 has a reputation for being "easy" — and technically it is, if you study it well. The problem is that many people underestimate it or study it the wrong way. Here are the 5 most common mistakes.

1. Memorizing services instead of understanding when to use them

The exam doesn't ask you "what is Azure Functions?". It asks "when should you use Azure Functions instead of Azure App Service?". The difference is huge. Study the context, not just the definition.

2. Ignoring the governance domain

Many candidates obsess over compute services and forget that management and governance make up between 30% and 35% of the exam. Azure Policy, RBAC, resource locks, and Cost Management are almost guaranteed questions. If your material still talks about Azure Blueprints, watch out: that service was retired in July 2026.

3. Not practicing with a timer

You have 45 minutes for 40-60 questions. That's between 45 seconds and just over 1 minute per question. If you've never timed yourself before the exam, exam day will stress you out more than it needs to.

💡 Take at least 3 full practice exams with a timer before you register for the real exam.

4. Studying only with videos without practicing questions

Watching 20 hours of Azure on YouTube isn't the same as answering 200 practice questions. Your brain learns differently when it has to retrieve information than when it receives it passively.

5. Not reviewing the questions you got wrong

The biggest value of a practice exam is in the questions you got wrong and why you got them wrong. If you only look at your final score and move on, you're wasting 80% of the value of practicing.

Weak-spot detector Our practice exam automatically analyzes which domains you're weakest in and shows you after every session. No guesswork. Complement it with the AZ-900 guide and create your free account to get started.