I work in cloud and infrastructure operations, so security is something I have always been familiar with. Security has shown its ugly head several times in my career, including at 2:00 in the morning when an employee's permission to access a Service was granted with too many rights, an employee's password was uploaded to a public GitHub repository, or a Service was found to be reachable from a location it was not intended to be accessed from. Those are just some of the incidents that drove me to pursue the Microsoft Certified: Azure Security Engineer Associate certification. I was looking for a certification that provided me with the opportunity to demonstrate my accomplishments in the Azure environment, as well as to fill in weaknesses I had with Microsoft Defender for Cloud, Microsoft Sentinel, identity protection, and secure networking. Microsoft states that this certification will verify the candidate's ability to implement security controls, maintain a secure posture, and identify and remediate vulnerabilities; those tasks are very similar to my day-to-day responsibilities.
Before I began studying for the AZ-500 exam, I checked the official Microsoft certification page to ensure it was still active. Microsoft tends to upgrade its exam portfolios more than many individuals are aware of; as of April 2023, the exam is still active but set to retire on August 31, 2023. Microsoft has also placed AZ-500 on its list of certificates that will be retired on this date; the community seems to agree with this conclusion, as several Microsoft posts on their Community forum show they are discussing an alternative certification to cover the AZ-500 that uses the new SC-500 track. Details related to the new certification, including its name and rollout, are all pending; I wouldn’t want to start preparing for a certification that’s no longer being offered!
AZ-500 is an excellent indicator for evaluating your current skills in Azure security. According to Microsoft, it is geared toward those who work with all three of its clouds and have experience managing Azure resources. You will have no formal prerequisites for the certification (but Microsoft strongly recommends real-world experience with Azure). Microsoft encourages you to take the exam based on your own skill level rather than on entry-level theoretical knowledge.
This is what to expect when taking AZ-500
The first thing I liked about the AZ-500 Microsoft certification webpage is that they are much more thorough than the average website for a certification. You will have 100 minutes to complete the exam, which is closely monitored; the exam may contain hands-on exercises that allow you to demonstrate the technical knowledge you acquired during the exam. The AZ-500 exam is available in many languages. All AZ-500 testing is done through Pearson VUE, and you can take the exam either at an authorized Pearson test center, or through OnVUE, which would allow you to not have to go anywhere for your test at all.
Microsoft also makes it very clear how the AZ-500 exam scoring is determined. Microsoft uses a scaled score of 1 to 1,000 for AZ-500 technical exams, with 700 being the minimum score required to pass the AZ-500 exam. Microsoft makes it clear that this is not the same as 70 percent, and no marks will be taken away for guessing. Therefore, this small detail may change the approach used to complete your AZ-500 exam.
I began using time management as an integral part of the test rather than treating each challenging question as if they are traps.
In relation to pricing, Microsoft’s FAQ page about general certification states that Associate and Expert level exams are around US$165 but prices do differ from country/region, and/or depending upon currency conversion & applicable taxes.
In reference to the aforementioned AZ-500 certification page located on Microsoft’s site, it does refer to exam pricing being relative to the country/region where the exam was delivered.
Additionally, I was able to verify that the standard US price of the exam does exist, and that the price varies from country/region, but I was unable to locate a publically available table that provided pricing of AZ-500 for all countries along with their currency conversion rates without going through separate steps according to each.
The scheduling of exams does not occur during pre-set dates/seasons, rather, the scheduling, re-scheduling, and cancellation options for the AZ-500 Type of Exam continues indefinitely through Pearson VUE’s Microsoft Page, as well as providing directions to either find a test center or sit the exam online.
Therefore, the AZ-500 Type of Exam does not exhibit seasonal testing, but rather is continuously scheduled/testing.
One of the biggest challenges of the AZ-500 is that, while it has many questions, all individuals learn some portion of the content through their job roles. Basically, if it comes down to how Microsoft has defined the exam, there are four primary categories being assessed across the AZ-500 Exam: “Secure identity and access”; “Secure networking”; “Secure compute/storage/databases”; and “Secure Azure through Microsoft Defender for Cloud and Microsoft Sentinel.”The Defender for Cloud and Sentinel area makes up the largest percentage (30 to 35%) of the overall weighted examination. The remaining three weighted sections have significant weight, as well.
Therefore, even if you are a technically capable Azure administrator, you may feel that the exam is not the most enjoyable experience. You may be comfortable when working with role assignments, Network Security Groups (NSGs), private endpoints, and Azure Key Vault; however, if your Security Operations instincts are less developed, you will likely run out of time.
For me, my biggest weakness was not related to a single product, it simply was being able to switch contexts quickly enough. One moment I would be working with an Identity Governance question, the next on a Network Pathing question; then I am working with Defender for Cloud recommendations. Finally, I am back to working with Application Access and Consent. The exam rewards those that have an ability to look up and down the stack, rather than to just memorise 1 product prior to the exam.
This conclusion comes not only from my own experiences, but also is aligned with the role in which Microsoft describes: Azure Security Engineer - focused on Posture, Threat Protection, Vulnerabilities, Compliance, Identity, Network, Compute, Storage, and Incident Response.
How I Studied Before I Figured Out a Rhythm
Like other engineers working my first week, I ended up opening too many tabs as well. I combined Microsoft Learn modules, random notes, Diagrams, old Bookmarks, and YouTube Playlists. I also spent time reading articles that boasted quick wins. I knew I was going to need to take practice questions; however, I did not want to do any other practice questions with a page of AZ-500 Dumps by simply using a page(s) to measure performance.
My study method before I found a rhythm
I did not really practice much during my first week of study, instead, I did a lot of reading of content.Then I over-corrected by doing too many isolated questions then isolating every isolated question did not solve my issues with underlying weak areas, and this created the worst type of false confidence in my ability to answer some questions that had answer patterns attached to them, but I could not yet think in the way the exam was trying to get me to think.
What worked for & against me lying around were as follows: a very simple routine:
Performing one official topic block at a time; timed questions when finished with each block; a log book for every miss or unanswered question; and then going back through and focusing only on what I did wrong in that area.
That last point was the most important. Rarely were any of my wrong answers random. The majority of my wrong answers fit into one of four categories, either I misread the scope of the permission I was given, I chose something that had wider scope than what I should have chosen, I forgot a restriction specific to a service I was working on, or I recognized what I was supposed to be doing, but did not practice how I would perform the steps under time.
Why I went with THE CERTIFICATION EXAM:
I did not select THE CERTIFICATION EXAM because it was a noteworthy/exclusive item. I selected THE CERTIFICATION EXAM based on factual information I could verify.
For example, for the AZ-500, THE CERTIFICATION EXAM clearly provides 492 questions, provides both a practice version (for 10 out of the 492) as well as an exam version (the full 492); provides the date that THE CERTIFICATION EXAM was updated, which was March 18, 2026; provides a configuration for how many questions will appear on the test (50 questions); and provides explanations and references for the sample questions displayed to the public. I was able to treat it like a realistic simulator rather than just another web page for me.
Not only did I prefer the way that this platform appeared to be designed for doing repeated attempts, but I also appreciated how the platform provided an explicit way to swap back and forth between practices versus exams and choose one of those modes at any point during your experiences. Personally, this was not just another feature; it matched my own personal studying style; I need one mode to learn at a slower pace (for study purposes) and another for testing myself to see if I can still process information quickly when being timed.
Another consideration in my decision was simply the complete coverage of material. If I am preparing for a Microsoft Certification exam that encompasses identity, networking, storage, computing, posture management and monitoring, I want a large pool of questions to choose from - a thin, limited question bank is not sufficient. While a larger question bank doesn't necessarily mean better quality questions, a greater pool of questions generally gives more opportunities to have different points of view on the same subject matter - this was true in my preparation.
How I used the CERTIFICATION EXAM
I did not just use it as a question-answer tool, I developed an entire system around the simulator.
For the first 2 weeks, I primarily used practice mode. In this mode, I would immediately see the rationale behind my incorrect answers and fix my misjudgment before moving forward. For instance, on conditions access, PIM, Defender recommendations and secure networking, I would record a one-sentence summary on why the incorrect choice was an incorrect choice versus simply outlining why the correct choice was a correct choice. This process slowed my progress but significantly improved my retention of previously perceived shallow learning.
Once I was done with my review process, I began to use exam mode in smaller setsI kept the size and position of the items in the Test as consistent as possible with the example screenshots on the Website. The question sets served as my markers, rather than proof of my readiness to take the Exam. The only way I could tell that I was having good sessions, however, was when I didn’t have an excess of lucky guesses, which I found when I got past this Exam.
The repetitive question sets in the weak areas worked best for me. There were many broad failure areas on the AZ-500 domains, however the mistakes in those areas tend to cluster within specific failures. After sufficient simulated testing history, I could see the pattern changes emerge. Prior to taking the exam, I was unfamiliar with the performance profile of problem solutions based on the fact that Microsoft Entra Permissions, Azure Resource Roles and Conditional Controls all tie to the same issue and I was taking longer than normal to provide solutions to situations that appeared to be totally functional, but were all tied to Security Posture. The benefits of having a larger question set allowed me to see these patterns much earlier.
I liked that the CERTIFICATION EXAM sample pages had visual representations of the explanations and references regarding every individual question. However, that does not mean all of the explanations were accurate. I'm not saying that at all. But having an explanation and reference for all of the public sample questions at least let me know that the product was not just feeding me answer letters randomly.
What helped me most on exam day was not the memorised information, but rather the consistent pacing.
Since Microsoft uses scaled scoring for its exams, and because one cannot be penalised for guessing, I made sure I controlled the amount of time I spent on one particular question (that interrupted my ability to answer the remaining five questions that I solved).It’s obvious advice, but once you’ve had experience using a simulator that requires your input come before moving on, following this advice becomes easier.
Another item that helped was familiarity with mixed question types and the feel of the interface. Microsoft offers both an exam sandbox as well as free practice exams which gives the candidate an idea of the types of style, wording and question feel. I used official resources to calibrate me and use the simulator for volume and repetition. To me this was a good combination of using official material for orientation and intensive practice for execution.
The biggest surprise was that there is not really a lot of value in knowing merely the name of a service. You must understand the intent and fit of a service. Many of the answer choices may appear to be plausible answers if you only know the product names. Many times the exam will turn on whether the control matches the requirement exactly, the scope is accurate or whether the security feature applies to the correct layer. Therefore, broad reading is not enough when it comes to passing.
What passing changed for me
Passing also changed the way I view my certification. I do not think an individual certification can completely transform your career, but I do believe the AZ-500 certification helps create a more easily understood profile prior to receiving an interview from a hiring potential and internal team perspective. Microsoft frames the certification content to the security engineer skill set in terms of managing security posture, deploying threat protection, identifying and remediating vulnerabilities, and aligning infrastructure to standards and best practices.
Once I have that type of work established in my career, this certification will help clarify the work I have done. When it comes to salary, I would be cautious to set realistic expectations. Your salary depends on your job role, the country that you work in, and the market you're in. In other words, a certification does not assure you a salary increase by itself. However, the current pubic salary websites are good context. Currently, Indeed shows the average security engineer salary in the US to be $84,735, $9,31,669 in India, and £38,696 in the UK. For continental Europe, you will find more variability in public sources based on country and city, but one current Glassdoor estimate has the average salary in Germany being €76,000 as of the time I wrote this. These figures are total job market numbers and not a guaranteed AZ-500-specific salary, but they are a good indication of the general role family of the certification.
In addition, this certification naturally aligns with the broader Microsoft Security paths. The Microsoft Ecosystem related to Azure Security, Security Operations, Identity, and Architecture makes AZ-500 Certification a great bridge credential for professionals who use Microsoft Defender for Cloud, Microsoft Sentinel, and Security of the Azure Platform.
Alternatives to CERTIFICATION EXAMS and an actual comparison:
This section is what I wish I had seen when considering any purchases of these Products, considering most review articles avoid it.
Microsoft Learn Practice Assessment
This will be the most beneficial, since it is an official source (i.e., free!) for Certification exam prep. Through its practices, Microsoft states that Practice Assessments can be done at no cost, you can take them as many times as you want to, each practice has Rationales with Links to Further Information, and they are kept current with the current certifications. If you are searching for the grounding of what Microsoft wants in terms of tone and current topics, this is your best place. The only area that CERTIFICATION EXAMS seemed to have a much higher volume of practice opportunities for my use would be with Practical Experience.
There are a lot of elements that Tutorial Dojo has built into their AZ-500 page, many of which would be difficult, if not impossible, to find elsewhere from any of the competing practice tests. For example, you will find links to all of Microsoft's official documentation (so, if a question is incorrect/obsolete, you can simply check the covered mechanics directly). Many have tried copying this format with varying degrees of success; however, most cannot present the original Microsoft documentation as its own ip 100% of the time.
Flexible Practice Modes and Custom Exam Configuration
In addition, the AZ-500 section, it lists out 12 different practice/exam styles. Some examples include simulation mode, exam-like questions, etc. It will also break down where the specific questions were found in relation to each of Microsoft's objectives. This type of additional detail makes Tutorial Dojo very unique within the AZ-500 realm.
When it comes to the practice examinations themselves, there are some unique options available from Tutorials Dojo. Currently, you have the option to:
Create a pre-defined number of questions (from an unlimited number of UT) to use for your practice at a specific duration/evaluation (1 hour, etc.). So, if you are interested in answering 100 practice questions over 12 minutes, you can do that with Tutorials Dojo.
Choose an "exam" style (usually 4-5 questions per exam) to get your reps up on each objective (i.e. Application), but you also have the opportunity (in the simulated exam section) to adjust your number of questions for what might work better for you or your testing environment.
Set an adjustable time limit to give yourself more time to complete your exam.
Detailed Analytics and Smart Review Features
I believe it will take some time for people to realize how advanced Tutorials Dojo has been in helping learners, ultimately by providing them with a well-rounded collection of high-quality practice examinations all built around Microsoft's latest objectives. In fact, they have provided so many additional elements to their practice examination process (including built-in bookmarks, additional tests, and customizable exams) it's difficult to ignore them as an option for AZ-500 preparation – you can clearly see from the features available that Tutorials Dojo should be on your radar for AZ-500 preparation regardless of the reason you are preparing for this exam. There are four different ways that this site will allow you to work on your exam preparedness: timed mode, review mode, section-based tests mode, and final test mode. It also mentions that it provides users with very detailed answers and explanations of subject matter; reference links, cheat sheets, progress reports; mobile versions of all content; and frequent updates made as a result of student feedback. These things make for a thoughtful learning environment.
MeasureUp
In terms of what I found to support my assertion about the CERTIFICATION EXAM having a competitive advantage over Tutorials Dojo with regards to bank size, the clearest thing I could see is that while Tutorials Dojo markets its AZ-500 course as offering roughly 110+ questions, CERTIFICATION EXAM lists 492 questions. However, Tutorials Dojo is far more effective in terms of clearly outlining each of its modes of learning and does a better job of documenting its progression tracking system publicly. Based on this, I would suggest that Tutorials Dojo has a more structured / coaching-type practice environment, whereas CERTIFICATION EXAM has a larger question bank and simpler method for distinguishing between practice and exam-type experiences; therefore, if you are looking to have a larger bank count than actual practice-testing, you would likely choose CERTIFICATION EXAM.
Whizlabs offers students the ability to bundle together a course, practice exams, and labs related to
The Azure Solutions Architect Expert certification (AZ-500). The Whizlabs Azure Solutions Architect Expert (AZ-500) page indicates that they provide their customers with 220+ practice exams, each of which includes a detailed explanation of the correct answer; therefore, Whizlabs would be attractive to people who are seeking more than just questions; they would prefer a solution that includes hands-on exercises to reinforce concepts they have learned. As such, Whizlabs is not strictly a simulator-type product but has more of a training package for individuals looking to become Azure certified.
When comparing the two products against each other, it again appears that CERTIFICATION EXAM has a greater number of questions available than does Whizlabs. On the other hand, if you have a need for hands-on training to support your exam preparation rather than simply repeating the same question multiple times, Whizlabs would likely be a better solution for you than the Certification Exam.
Overall, I am unable to say that the Certification Exam is a superior choice to Whizlabs based solely upon their respective question counts.In my opinion, it is a better match for me because I had already experienced enough in Azure and needed more volume of assessment versus structured course work.
Microsoft Press Exam Ref
Because the Microsoft Press Exam Ref book is not a simulation of what you're about to take (see "Comparing the two" above), it isn't an ideal comparison either. It is done around the official objectives, requires you to have had some experience with Azure or hybrid plant administration, and the objectives of the test are based on a scenario-based reasoning platform. You should look at it as more of a structured study book instead of a testing engine.
The one (and only) area where the CERTIFICATION EXAM is ahead of this product is having a place to practice exam questions on a scale. The Exam Ref will help you have a slower, more methodical study option, broken up by objective, and printed by Microsoft's own publishing company. For a lot of potential candidates, the best approach is not to choose one or the other, but to take both the structured text resource or simulator into account together.
Advice to anyone currently preparing
Don't underestimate the cross-domain nature of this exam. Microsoft's own weighting shows that you need to be comfortable in multiple areas: Identity, Networking, Platform Security, and Security Operations.
Three layers, not just one:
- Microsoft's Official Resources to get the latest scope, style, and/or structure of the test.
- Hands-on Azure experience with the features/services you will touch.
- A simulator and/or a testing platform where you will train with the most speed, error recognition, and endurance.
Do not discount the retirement release date for the AZ-500 exam. If you want to concentrate on earning the AZ-500 exam, don’t drift; Microsoft published that the test will retire/on August 31, 2026.
Final Thoughts
Completing the AZ-500 exam felt more like fixing personal blind spots than simply collecting a badge for passing the test. The reason I endorse the certification process is that it is a legitimate product that is timely, professional, and as challenging as any certification associated with the Cloud Security Space should be.
With the certification exam, I would recommend writing about your experience with this certification in a measured way rather than a dramatic way. It was not magic, nor did it take the place of other learning like Microsoft Learn, Documentation, or hands-on experience. The experience that I gained through the CERTIFICATION EXAM was enough to provide me with adequate repetitions of similar questions/answer choices, exposure to the breadth of Microsoft Certified Azure Cloud Certification Exams and enough pressure-testing scenarios to build a solid knowledge base.
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