MS-900 - 3-Week Practice Plan¶

MS-900 is foundational and tests awareness of M365 services, security, compliance, and licensing. No labs required.

This plan assumes 1-2 hours per day of focused study.

Week 1 - Cloud, M365 Apps and Services¶

Reading¶

• README.md full read
• fact-sheet.md skim
• notes/01-cloud-and-m365-overview.md
• notes/02-m365-apps-and-services.md
• Microsoft Learn: "Describe Microsoft 365 apps and services" learning path

Optional hands-on¶

• Sign up for Microsoft 365 Developer Program free 90-day E5 sandbox
• Tour the Microsoft 365 admin center
• Try Teams, SharePoint, Outlook in the sandbox

Self-check¶

• Can I list 5 productivity apps in M365?
• Do I know the difference between Office 365 and Microsoft 365?
• Do I know what Power Platform includes?
• Can I describe what Teams, SharePoint, OneDrive, Exchange do at a high level?

Week 2 - Security, Compliance, Privacy, Trust¶

Reading¶

• notes/03-security-compliance-trust.md
• Microsoft Learn: "Describe security, compliance, privacy, and trust in Microsoft 365"

Concepts to memorize¶

• Defender XDR products (Office 365, Endpoint, Identity, Cloud Apps)
• Microsoft Sentinel (SIEM/SOAR)
• Microsoft Purview modules (IP, DLP, Records, Communication Compliance, Insider Risk, eDiscovery)
• Compliance Manager + score-based posture
• Service Trust Portal (where to download audit reports)
• Zero Trust pillars
• Conditional Access common scenarios
• MFA methods (Authenticator, FIDO2, etc.)
• Privileged Identity Management (PIM)

Self-check¶

• Can I name 4 Defender products and what they protect?
• Can I describe Purview Information Protection vs DLP?
• Do I know the 3 Zero Trust principles?
• Do I know the difference between Insider Risk Management and Communication Compliance?

Week 3 - Pricing, Licensing, Support + Practice¶

Reading¶

• notes/04-licensing-pricing-support.md
• Microsoft Learn: "Describe Microsoft 365 pricing, licensing, and support"

Memorize¶

• M365 SKU differences (Business Basic / Standard / Premium for SMB; E3 / E5 for enterprise; F1 / F3 for frontline)
• Common add-ons (Audio Conferencing, Phone System, Defender plans, Copilot)
• Procurement models (Direct, CSP, EA, MCA)
• Support plans (Standard, Unified)
• FastTrack (free deployment guidance for 150+ seat customers)
• M365 SLA (99.9%)
• Service Health Dashboard, Message Center, Roadmap

Practice exams¶

• Microsoft Learn MS-900 Practice Assessment - free official
• Whizlabs / MeasureUp practice exam
• Aim for 80%+ on multiple practice exams

Drill weak areas¶

• Identify 2-3 weakest topics
• Re-read those notes
• Re-test on those topics

Schedule the exam¶

• Book through Pearson VUE or Microsoft Learn
• Confirm 65-minute slot

Daily routine (suggested)¶

Stop signals (you're ready)¶

• You can name 5+ Defender products / Purview modules from memory
• You can describe SKU differences (Business Basic vs E3 vs E5)
• You score 85%+ on Microsoft Learn practice assessment twice in a row
• You can spot the right SKU / service for any prompt without notes

When all are true, schedule the exam. MS-900 is high pass rate (~80%); most candidates pass in 2-4 weeks.