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Free course · AI and machine learning

Microsoft Azure AI Fundamentals (AI-901) Exam Preparation

Preparation for Microsoft's AI-901 exam, built on the skills measured as of 15 April 2026: AI workloads and responsible AI, how generative models work and how to choose and deploy one, Microsoft Foundry projects and the model catalogue, prompts and a Python chat client, a single agent, text analysis, speech, vision and image generation, and information extraction with Content Understanding. Preparation for the exam, not the Microsoft certification itself.

See the modules

Free to learn. Verifiable certificate £19 when you pass the final exam (optional, VAT included).

Level
Beginner
Modules
12
Video
13 hours
Price
Free

Outcome

What you will be able to do

Name the AI-901 skill areas and their weights and plan your study against them; match a scenario to an AI workload and a responsible AI principle; explain tokens, embeddings and model parameters and choose a model and deployment type; create a Foundry project, deploy a model and test it; write system and user prompts and call a model from a Python client; build and test a single agent; use text analysis, speech, vision, image generation and Content Understanding for a stated task; and sit Microsoft's exam with a method for scenario questions.

  • Map your study to the AI-901 skills measured as of 15 April 2026 and their weights
  • Match scenarios to AI workloads and to Microsoft's six responsible AI principles
  • Explain tokens, embeddings, temperature and top-p, and choose a model and deployment type
  • Create a Foundry project, deploy a model and test it in the playground
  • Call a deployed model from Python with the Foundry SDK and a well-written system prompt
  • Build, test and call a single agent with file search, behind human approval for actions
  • Use text analysis, speech, vision and image generation in Foundry for a stated task
  • Extract fields with Content Understanding and route them by confidence and grounding

Software

An Azure subscription: an Azure free account, or Azure for Students where you qualify. The Microsoft Foundry portal in the browser, Python 3 with the azure-ai-projects, azure-identity, azure-ai-textanalytics and azure-cognitiveservices-speech packages, the Azure CLI for sign-in, and Visual Studio Code, all free. Some exercises can be followed in the portal only. Delete resources you no longer use, because some Foundry features are billed by use.

Hardware

A computer with a browser; a microphone for the speech module.

Syllabus

12 modules

Each module has video lessons, notes and a short quiz. The final exam closes the course.

  1. 1The AI-901 exam: what it measures, what changed from AI-900, and how to prepare2 lessons
  2. 2AI concepts, AI workloads and the six principles of responsible AI2 lessonsLab
  3. 3How generative AI models work: tokens, embeddings, choosing a model and deployment settings1 lesson
  4. 4Microsoft Foundry: resources, projects, the model catalogue and deployments1 lesson
  5. 5Prompts and a lightweight chat client with the Foundry SDK in Python1 lessonLab
  6. 6Building and testing a single agent in Foundry2 lessonsLab
  7. 7Text analysis: key phrases, entities, sentiment and summarisation2 lessons
  8. 8Speech: recognition, synthesis and spoken prompts2 lessons
  9. 9Computer vision and image generation with multimodal models2 lessons
  10. 10Information extraction with Azure Content Understanding3 lessonsLab
  11. 11Exam technique and a full cram review of AI-9011 lesson
  12. 12Final Assessment1 lesson

How it works

How this course works

  1. Watch the video lessonsOne module at a time, at your own pace.
  2. Take the module quizA short quiz at the end of each module shows what stuck.
  3. Keep your notesWrite in My notes beside each module and ask the trainer if you are stuck.
  4. Practise in the labOptionalTry a task from the module in the EDWartens Lab, in your browser.
  5. Sit the final examPass it once you have been through the modules.
  6. Certificate, if you want oneOptionalPaid, and only after you pass. Anyone can check it online.

EDWartens Lab

Practise this in the EDWartens Lab

Practise the ideas behind the exam topics in the AI Workbench: fairness, prompts with limits, a simple agent and answers that come from supplied facts.

Works alongside Microsoft Azure AI Fundamentals (AI-901) Exam Preparation. The Lab is ai for industry practice in your browser: no install, no hardware, free to use. Sign in as a learner and it opens with your account.

Open the free lab See the Lab
AI for industry: Build AI models.

Levels to try with this course

Optional. Skip it whenever you like: it never blocks your progress or your certificate.

Why practise in a lab

Technical work is judged on what you can do: wiring, commissioning, finding a fault. Doing a task yourself teaches more than watching it a second time, and a lab lets you try it safely before you meet real equipment. It does not replace working on real hardware.

  • Practise safely, so a mistake costs nothing.
  • The lab checks your work like a site test, so you know when it is right.
  • Free, in your browser, with nothing to install.

Certificate

An optional certificate when you pass

Learning is free. Pass the final exam and you can have a certificate for £19, including VAT, with a number employers can check online. It records that you completed a free online course; it is not a regulated qualification or a CPD certificate.

  • Your name, the course, its study time and your final exam score
  • A unique certificate number and a QR code to its verification page
  • Issued by Wartens Ltd; add it to your LinkedIn profile in one click
  • Pay now or after you pass: it is issued the moment you pass the final

How the certificate works

Sample certificate for Microsoft Azure AI Fundamentals (AI-901) Exam Preparation

Credits

Who made the lessons

The video lessons belong to their creators. EDWartens wrote the study plan, notes, quizzes and the final exam.

  • Microsoft Learn

    the fifteen-part AI-901 Introduction to AI in Azure video series (AI concepts, Foundry, generative AI and agents, text analysis, speech, computer vision and information extraction, each as concepts and as hands-on in Azure) and the responsible AI principles episode

  • John Savill's Technical Training

    the AI-901 study cram used for the full review before the exam

  • Microsoft Mechanics

    the explainer on Foundry Agent Service and Microsoft Agent Framework

  • Azure Innovation Station | Azure AI Agents

    the walkthrough of building an agent from scratch in Microsoft Foundry

  • Dani Kahil

    the beginner overview of Document Intelligence and Content Understanding in Foundry Tools

Questions

About this course

Is this the Microsoft Azure AI Fundamentals certification?
No. This is a free preparation course for Microsoft's AI-901 exam. The Microsoft Certified: Azure AI Fundamentals certification is awarded only by Microsoft after you pass its proctored AI-901 exam, which you book and pay for with Microsoft on Microsoft Learn. EDWartens is not affiliated with Microsoft, and the EDWartens certificate is a certificate of completion for this course.
Who is this AI-901 preparation course for?
Engineers, IT and OT staff, graduates and students who want a first Microsoft AI credential, including those in companies worldwide that run on Microsoft. The exam expects basic Python and familiarity with Azure resources; no AI experience is needed.
What changed from AI-900 to AI-901?
AI-900 retired on 30 June 2026 and Azure AI Fundamentals now requires AI-901. The new exam is more hands-on: implementing AI solutions with Microsoft Foundry is 55 to 60 percent of it, it expects Python, and it adds generative and agentic AI and Content Understanding. An AI-900 certification already earned stays valid.
What does the AI-901 exam measure?
Two skill areas, as measured on 15 April 2026: identify AI concepts and capabilities (40 to 45 percent) and implement AI solutions by using Microsoft Foundry (55 to 60 percent). Check the study guide on Microsoft Learn before you book, because Microsoft updates the outline.
Is the course free to learn?
Yes. Every module, the notes, the worked problems, the project and the final assessment are free. Only the EDWartens certificate is paid, if you want one. The Microsoft exam is booked and paid for separately with Microsoft.
Do I need an Azure subscription?
For the hands-on modules, yes: an Azure free account, or Azure for Students if you are eligible, is enough. The concept modules and the notes need only a browser. Delete resources after each module so nothing keeps running.
How long does the course take?
About 13 hours of video, notes and practice at your own pace, of which about 8 hours is video, most of it Microsoft Learn's own AI-901 series. The optional datasheet project takes about 10 hours more.
What should I take next?
Go on to the Azure AI Apps and Agents Developer (AI-103) Exam Preparation course for the associate-level developer exam, or to AI Agents and MCP for Engineers and Generative AI and LLM Foundations for deeper hands-on work.

The Professional Module is five live days of Siemens PLC, HMI and SCADA with an instructor, then a resume session and a CPD certificate.

See the Professional Module