AZ-500Microsoft Azure Security Engineer Associate
Secure Azure infrastructure and workloads
CertPath Score
8.7
/10
About this certification
AZ-500 validates skills in implementing security controls, maintaining an organization's security posture, and managing identity, access, data, and application security in Azure. It's the primary security credential for Azure engineers and pairs well with AZ-104.
What you'll validate
- ✓Azure Active Directory / Entra ID
- ✓Identity and access management
- ✓Azure Key Vault
- ✓Network security (NSGs, Firewalls, DDoS)
- ✓Microsoft Defender for Cloud
- ✓Azure Sentinel (SIEM)
- ✓Data and application security
Pros & Cons
Advantages
- +Covers both identity and infrastructure security in Azure
- +High demand as enterprises migrate to Azure
- +Free annual renewal via Microsoft Learn
Disadvantages
- −Requires solid Azure fundamentals first
- −Annual renewal required
Who it's for
Best for
- →Azure admins adding security specialization
- →Security engineers in Azure-heavy enterprises
- →Cloud engineers targeting security architect roles
Not ideal for
- ×Azure beginners
- ×Those focused on multi-cloud (AWS/GCP)
Career paths this unlocks
Study Resources
Affiliate links — we may earn a commissionTop picks for AZ-500
Register for the exam
Free practice assessments on Microsoft Learn; 50% discount exams often available via Microsoft events
More places to study
Most popular cert prep courses, often on sale for $14.99
Highest-rated practice exams for AWS, Azure, and GCP
University-backed courses from Google, IBM, DeepLearning.AI
Practice tests and hands-on labs for 30+ cert tracks
Official study guides and exam prep books
Hands-on cloud sandboxes and cert prep subscriptions
1-month free trial — includes 21,000+ cert prep courses
CertPath earns a commission when you purchase through these links — at no extra cost to you. We only recommend resources we'd stand behind.
Jobs for AZ-500 holders
AZ-500 holders report $10k–$30k+ salary uplift on average.
LinkedIn Jobs
Updated daily
Indeed
Dice (tech roles)
Tech-focused job board
Job links open external sites. Search results are live and not curated by CertPath.
Quick Facts
- Exam Cost
- $165
- Exam Duration
- 100 minutes
- Questions
- ~60
- Passing Score
- 700/1000
- Exam Format
- Multiple Choice
- Study Time
- ~150 hours
- Validity
- 1 years
- Salary Impact
- Strong ($10k–$30k+ uplift reported)
Prerequisites
- !AZ-104 or equivalent Azure admin experience recommended
Actyra Training
Custom eLearning built on the science of how people actually learn
Actyra designs and builds cert-prep training programs for enterprise teams — custom courseware grounded in cognitive science.
Talk to a training expert →