Microsoft SC-500 (Cloud and AI Security Engineer Associate)
Exam fee
$165
≈ 130 GBP · 223 CAD · 152 EUR · rolling-avg FX; verify with your bank before any payment
Exam code
SC-500
Renewal
1yr
The Microsoft SC-500 (Cloud and AI Security Engineer Associate) is a cybersecurity certification from Microsoft with an exam fee of $165 and a 1-year renewal cycle. Built from the Bureau of Labor Statistics and Microsoft's official exam requirements.
About the Microsoft SC-500 (Cloud and AI Security Engineer Associate)
SC-500 is Microsoft's current Azure-and-AI security engineering cert, replacing the retired AZ-500 (Azure Security Engineer Associate, retired August 31, 2026). It carries forward AZ-500's scope, identity and access with Entra ID, storage/database/network security, security posture management with Microsoft Defender and Sentinel, and adds an entire AI-security sub-domain with no AZ-500 equivalent: securing Microsoft Copilot, Microsoft Foundry agents, and Microsoft Entra Agent ID against overexposure, prompt-injection-adjacent data risk, and agent blast radius. Renewal is annual and free through an online assessment rather than CPE credits. For practitioners in Microsoft shops (most of the federal sector and much of healthcare), SC-500 is now the cloud security cert hiring managers look for first.
Who should earn it
Security engineers in Microsoft-heavy environments, federal contractors on GCC High, and practitioners moving from Active Directory to Entra ID, hybrid cloud, and now Copilot/agent security governance.
Exam details
- Provider
- Microsoft
- Exam code
- SC-500
- Questions
- 40-60
- Duration
- 100 minutes
- Passing score
- 700/1000
- Exam fee
- $165 (verify with Microsoft)
- Renewal
- Every 1 years via CPE
- Experience level
- Specialized
- DoD 8570/8140
- Not on the list
Prerequisites
No formal prerequisite. Microsoft recommends practical experience administering Azure and hybrid environments, plus strong familiarity with Microsoft Entra ID.
Key domains
- Manage Identity, Access, and Governance (20-25%)
- Secure Storage, Databases, and Networking (25-30%)
- Secure Compute (20-25%, includes the new AI-security sub-domain)
- Manage and Monitor Security Posture (20-25%)
Salary impact
Early job postings carry the same $10,000-$25,000 premium AZ-500 held for Azure-focused security engineers, with signs the added AI-security scope commands a further premium as enterprises staff up for Copilot and agent governance. Salary bands of $125,000-$180,000 for cloud security engineers in Microsoft-first shops commonly list it.
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Exam code SC-500. Microsoft publishes 4 domains: Manage Identity, Access, and Governance (20-25%), Secure Storage, Databases, and Networking (25-30%), Secure Compute (20-25%, includes the new AI-security sub-domain), Manage and Monitor Security Posture (20-25%). Practice questions on DecipherU are grouped by those domains.
Up to 40-60 questions in 100 minutes, with a passing score of 700/1000, according to Microsoft. Formats and counts change between exam versions, so confirm on the Microsoft site before you book.
Microsoft lists the exam fee at $165 USD. Vouchers, bundles and regional pricing differ; the fee on the Microsoft site at checkout is the one that applies.
1 years, per Microsoft. Renewal is through continuing education credits or by passing a current exam; Microsoft sets the credit count and the deadline.
No formal prerequisite. Microsoft recommends practical experience administering Azure and hybrid environments, plus strong familiarity with Microsoft Entra ID.
Sources
- Microsoft official website · Certification pricing, exam format, and renewal requirements
- Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2024
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DecipherU's career insights are developed by Julian Calvo, Ed.D., M.S., with AI-assisted research and drafting, then reviewed and edited by DecipherU Editorial. Career and compensation data come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, O*NET, and industry compensation databases. Assessment frameworks are grounded in peer-reviewed psychometric research, learning sciences (University of Miami), organizational learning (Barry University), and applied AI (Northeastern University). AI is used as a research and drafting tool; all methodology, framework design, scoring, and editorial standards are owned by the DecipherU team.