AZ-500
The AZ-500 (Microsoft Azure Security Technologies) is the exam behind the Microsoft Certified: Azure Security Engineer Associate credential — proof that you can implement security controls, manage identity and access, and harden compute, network, and storage across Azure and hybrid environments. For security engineers, this badge is often the difference between a shortlist and a screen-out, and a failed sitting means another ~$165 fee plus a forced 24-hour wait before you can retake. This page breaks down exactly what AZ-500 tests, how it's delivered, and how to pass it the first time. (Note: Microsoft has announced this exam will retire on August 31, 2026.)
Pay Only After You Pass
No upfront fee — you settle only after your verified passing score. We advertise guaranteed results — 100% pass guaranteed or money back.
How the AZ-500 is built — at a glance
100
A tight 100-minute window for 40–60 items. Case studies and labs eat time, so pacing — not just knowledge — decides borderline passes.
4
Identity & access, networking, compute/storage/databases, and security operations with Defender for Cloud and Sentinel — unevenly weighted.
700
Out of 1000. Microsoft uses scaled scoring, so 700 isn't a flat 70% — it's pass or fail with no partial credit toward the credential.
Expect single- and multiple-answer multiple choice, drag-and-drop ordering, build-list, hot-area, and case studies that bundle several questions around one scenario. Some forms include interactive labs or scenario-based tasks. Once you advance past a case study you usually can't return to it, so read the scenario carefully the first time.
A single 700/1000 scaled score is all that's required — there's no per-domain minimum. Passing earns the Microsoft Certified: Azure Security Engineer Associate certification, which must be renewed every 12 months via a free online assessment on Microsoft Learn. Microsoft has flagged this exam and certification for retirement on August 31, 2026.
Four official skill domains — bars show each domain's share of the exam (Microsoft Learn, 2026)
Microsoft Entra ID identities, app registrations, conditional access, RBAC, Privileged Identity Management (PIM), and securing access to Azure resources and Key Vault.
Virtual network security, NSGs and ASGs, Azure Firewall, Web Application Firewall, DDoS Protection, private endpoints, and securing connectivity to PaaS services.
Hardening VMs and containers, encryption at rest and in transit, storage account security, SQL/database security, and managing keys, secrets, and certificates in Key Vault.
The heaviest domain: Microsoft Defender for Cloud posture and threat protection, secure score, regulatory compliance, plus Microsoft Sentinel for SIEM/SOAR, analytics rules, and incident response.
Notice the skew: security operations with Defender for Cloud and Microsoft Sentinel makes up roughly a third of the exam — more than any other domain. Candidates who are strong on configuration but thin on monitoring, alerting, and incident response often fall just short of 700. Percentage ranges are taken from the current Microsoft Learn AZ-500 study guide and can shift between exam updates.
Two ways to sit AZ-500 — and what to expect on test day
You schedule through Pearson VUE and sit the exam in a quiet, monitored room. Staff verify your government-issued ID, store your belongings, and provide an erasable noteboard. There's no software to install and no home-environment risk — a good fit if your internet or workspace isn't exam-grade. The fee is about $165 USD.
You take AZ-500 from a private room at home through Pearson VUE's OnVUE software, watched by a live proctor. Beforehand you run a system check, take ID and room-scan photos, and close all other apps. No physical scratch paper is allowed — only the built-in digital whiteboard. The fee is the same, about $165 USD.
A valid, unexpired government photo ID whose name matches your Microsoft / Pearson VUE profile exactly. The proctor captures your photo before the exam unlocks.
A clear desk, no second monitor, no phone or notes within reach, and a webcam scan of the room. No one else may be present for the duration of the session.
Stay on-camera and in frame the whole time. There are no scheduled breaks in the 100 minutes. Talking aloud, looking off-screen, or losing connection can flag or void the session.
AZ-500 is built for hands-on Azure security practitioners
No formal prerequisite — but real Azure experience is assumed
Difficulty: AZ-500 is an intermediate-to-advanced exam. The breadth is the killer — it spans Entra ID, networking, encryption, Key Vault, Defender for Cloud, and Sentinel, with portal screens that change as Azure evolves. Most candidates invest 60–120 hours of focused, hands-on prep, which is exactly the pressure point our help is built to remove.
AZ-500 is a broad, time-boxed security exam standing between you and an Azure Security Engineer role. Exam Assist pairs you with a vetted Azure security specialist and works on a pay-after-you-pass model — so the risk sits with us, not you. No upfront fee, guaranteed results: Exam Assist handles the sitting end to end, and you settle only after the verified result.
Tell us your delivery method (test center or OnVUE), your target date, and your current Azure experience. Takes a couple of minutes over WhatsApp, Telegram, or Discord.
We review your timeline against the August 2026 retirement window and tell you plainly whether it's realistic — before any money is discussed. If it isn't a fit, we say so.
Exam Assist handles the sitting end to end. You're matched with an Azure security specialist who maps the work around the four domains — especially the heavy Defender for Cloud and Sentinel section — and the OnVUE environment, discreetly and confidentially.
You only pay once your passing score is confirmed on your official Microsoft transcript. No verified result, nothing owed.
See the full pay-after-you-pass Azure exam service, pricing model, and how matching works.
Straight answers about the AZ-500 Azure Security Engineer exam
Service, guides, and sibling Azure exams
Pair with a vetted Azure security specialist on a results-first arrangement. No upfront fee — settle only after a verified passing score.
Explore the service GuideWhere AZ-500 fits among Fundamentals, Administrator, and the expert-level Azure tracks — and which order to take them in.
Read the guide Get StartedShare your exam details and get a straight, no-obligation feasibility answer before any money changes hands.
Start now AZ-104The associate-level admin exam most candidates pass before AZ-500 — covering identity, storage, compute, and networking.
View exam AZ-305The expert-level design exam — a natural next step for security engineers moving into Azure architecture.
View exam SCS-C03The AWS equivalent for cloud security engineers — useful if your environment is multi-cloud or AWS-first.
View examGet expert AZ-500 help with no upfront fee — you settle only after your verified passing score. Honest feasibility answer first, results-first arrangement always.