Azure AI Fundamentals (AI-901)
Microsoft retired AI-900 and replaced it with AI-901 — a different exam, not a renamed one. Learn the two domains it actually tests, responsible AI and implementation on Microsoft Foundry, and remember them with spaced repetition.
- flashcards
- 112
- flashcards
- per day
- ~10 min
- per day
- level
- Beginner
- level
- modules
- 7
- modules
What changed when AI-901 replaced AI-900?
Exam AI-901 replaced AI-900 on 30 June 2026 as the single exam behind the Microsoft Certified: Azure AI Fundamentals certification. The certification itself did not retire — only the exam changed, and anyone who already passed AI-900 keeps their credential.
The replacement is not a rename. AI-900 was organised around machine learning principles and a service-per-workload tour; AI-901 drops that framing for two domains: identify AI concepts and capabilities (40–45%) and implement AI solutions by using Microsoft Foundry (55–60%). More than half the paper is now about building on Foundry, including generative and agentic solutions.
A second trap sits underneath the first: Microsoft renamed most of the product surface. Azure AI Foundry is now Microsoft Foundry, Azure AI Services are now Foundry Tools, and the Assistants API became the Responses API. Most prep material still uses the old names, so this deck treats them as distractors and teaches the current ones.
These {modules} modules follow the published skills measured at their stated weights, so the time you spend tracks how the exam is actually weighted rather than how easy a topic is to write questions about. Two companion guides go deeper on the decision itself: what changed between AI-900 and AI-901, and AI-901 vs the AWS AI Practitioner if you are choosing between clouds.
7 modules, seed to bloom
Each module is a set of flashcards — 112 in total. Answer, review, and watch your knowledge grow from seed to full bloom.
Responsible AI
Microsoft's six principles, guardrails and governance in Foundry
16 cardsModels & Configuration
Generation parameters, model choice and deployment types
16 cardsAI Workloads
Matching text, speech, vision and extraction workloads to the right tool
16 cardsFoundry Platform
Resources, projects, the model catalog, playgrounds and SDKs
16 cardsFoundry Agents
Prompt and hosted agents, the Responses API, tools and toolboxes
16 cardsSpeech & Vision in Foundry
Azure Speech capabilities plus multimodal and image-generation workflows
16 cardsContent Understanding
Analyzers, field extraction, confidence and grounding across modalities
16 cardsSample questions
A taste of the real flashcards. Pick an answer, then reveal the explanation.
How many principles does Microsoft's Responsible AI Standard define, and what are they?
- ASix — fairness, reliability and safety, privacy and security, inclusiveness, transparency, and accountability
- BFive — fairness, robustness, privacy, explainability, and human oversight of automated decisions
- CFour — accountability, transparency, safety, and lawfulness, applied across the whole model lifecycle
- DSeven — fairness, safety, privacy, inclusiveness, transparency, accountability, and sustainability
A team must keep prompt processing inside the EU. Which deployment type meets that requirement?
- AData Zone Standard — processing stays within the Microsoft-defined EU data zone
- BGlobal Standard — processing follows the region where the resource was created
- CDeveloper — processing is pinned to the geography of the fine-tuned model's origin
- DGlobal Batch — processing is deferred, so requests are queued inside the caller's region
What do you supply when creating a prompt agent?
- AInstructions, a model selection and tools, with Foundry running the agent for you
- BA container image plus a manifest describing the endpoint the runtime should expose
- CA fine-tuned model and a labelled evaluation set for the runtime to score against
- DAn orchestration graph describing every step the agent may take through its tools
Which three methods can field extraction use to produce a field value?
- AExtract, classify and generate — taking values verbatim, categorising, or creating new text
- BExtract, validate and enrich — taking values verbatim, checking them, then adding context
- CDetect, label and normalise — locating spans, tagging them, then converting to canonical form
- DParse, map and merge — reading the structure, aligning it to a schema, then consolidating
Learn it once, keep it for good
Answer a question
Each card is one practical concept with multiple options. Pick what you think is right.
Get the full answer
See the correct option plus a clear explanation, and a link to deeper docs when one is available.
Review at the right time
A spaced-repetition engine (SM-2 or FSRS) resurfaces each card just before you would forget it.
Why this exam is worth the time right now
Inherited demand, new exam
AI-900 was one of Microsoft’s most-taken exams. That demand moved to AI-901 while almost every prep product still targets the retired code.
Azure is the second cloud
Azure appears in roughly a quarter of cloud job postings. AI-901 is the cheapest entry point into its AI stack.
Current names, not stale ones
Foundry, Foundry Tools and the Responses API — the vocabulary the exam uses today, with the old names taught as the wrong answers.
Weighted like the real paper
Module sizes follow the published 40–45% and 55–60% domain weights rather than an even split.
Common questions
Is AI-900 still available? +
No. Exam AI-900 retired on 30 June 2026 and AI-901 replaced it. The Microsoft Certified: Azure AI Fundamentals certification continues, and an AI-900 pass remains valid on your transcript.
What score do I need to pass AI-901? +
Microsoft requires a score of 700 or greater. Check the exam page for the current price in your region, since Microsoft sets it per country and does not publish a single figure.
Do I need to know Python? +
The audience profile assumes conceptual knowledge of AI on Azure plus foundational technical skills, including Python syntax and familiarity with Azure resources. You are not asked to write applications in the exam, but the implementation domain assumes you have seen code.
Is it free? +
Yes, completely free. No registration or credit card is required, and all your progress is stored locally in your browser.
Will this prepare me for the AI-901 exam? +
It covers both skills-measured domains at their published weights, using the current product names. It is a companion, not a full course — pair it with the official study guide and some time in the Foundry portal, and verify every exam fact at the source before you book.
Ready for AI-901?
Plant your first seed today. Ten minutes a day is all it takes to grow lasting Azure AI fundamentals.
