- passed the AI-901 beta exam and earned the Microsoft Certified: Azure AI Fundamentals credential
- used Microsoft Learn and hands-on Python exercises as my primary preparation resources
- focused on AI concepts, Microsoft Foundry, Azure AI services, and responsible AI rather than rote memorization
I recently earned the Azure AI Fundamentals certification, and I wanted to capture the study resources and approach that helped me pass the exam.
Verify this credential on Microsoft Learn
Why Azure AI Fundamentals
This certification is a great entry point for developers who want to understand and build AI solutions on Azure. It is not about becoming a machine learning engineer overnight. Instead, it covers responsible AI principles and common workloads such as language, vision, generative AI, and agents. AI-901 also introduces practical foundations, including using Microsoft Foundry to deploy models, understanding how applications consume AI services, and reading Python code examples.
For me, the exam was worth it because it gave me a structured way to organize my knowledge of Azure’s AI ecosystem and build a mental map of its products and capabilities that I can refer back to.
What I used to prepare
- Microsoft Learn: the official AI-901 course is the best starting point. I completed every module and hands-on exercise, including the practical labs in Python. This helped me recognize the SDK and sample code patterns used in Azure AI.
- Azure free account: My free-trial credits had already expired, but completing all the exercises cost me only R$1.70—about US$0.30 at the time.
- NotebookLM: Because I took AI-901 while it was in beta, Microsoft did not yet offer an official practice assessment. I used NotebookLM to generate practice questions for each topic instead.
What helped the most
The combination of hands-on practice and official learning content made the biggest difference. Microsoft Learn provided the structure, while completing each exercise in my own Azure account turned abstract product descriptions into practical understanding.
If you are planning to take the exam, I recommend:
- Start with the official AI-901 course on Microsoft Learn.
- Build a few small apps using Azure, such as a Q&A bot or an image analyzer.
- Use NotebookLM to generate notes and quizzes.
Final thought
Azure AI Fundamentals rewards practical understanding more than deep technical detail. Preparing for AI-901 gave me a clearer map of Microsoft’s AI offerings and practical experience with Microsoft Foundry, Azure AI services, and the Python SDK.