Microsoft SC-900 Study Guide: Pass Security Fundamentals (2026)

SC-900 is Microsoft's entry point into security, compliance, and identity — and one of the best beginner certifications for IT, audit, compliance, and business roles moving into cloud security.

Start practicing: Free SC-900 practice questions → — 300+ questions across all exam domains.

SC-900 Exam Overview

The exam is conceptual — you need to recognize Microsoft security services and when to use them, not configure them in a portal.

Exam Domains (2026)

1. Security, Compliance, and Identity Concepts (10–15%)

Zero Trust, defense in depth, shared responsibility, encryption, authentication vs authorization, threat landscape basics.

2. Microsoft Entra Capabilities (25–30%)

Entra ID (Azure AD), Conditional Access, MFA, SSO, PIM, identity governance, hybrid identity overview.

3. Microsoft Security Solutions (35–40%)

Defender for Cloud, Endpoint, Office 365; Microsoft Sentinel; Azure Firewall, WAF, DDoS protection; security operations concepts.

4. Microsoft Compliance Solutions (20–25%)

Microsoft Purview, DLP, eDiscovery, Compliance Manager, insider risk management, information protection.

4-Week Study Plan

Total time: 30–50 hours. Pair with Microsoft Learn SC-900 path.

SC-900 vs AZ-900: Which First?

Many professionals take both — they complement each other and neither requires the other.

Resources on CertStud

• 300+ SC-900 practice questions
• Flashcards
• Study notes
• Practice exams

Next steps after SC-900: SC-200 (Security Operations Analyst) or AZ-500 (Azure Security Engineer).

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