Microsoft AI Exam Updates, 22 July 2026: What Actually Changed

Last updated: July 2026. Sourced from the official Microsoft Learn study guides, exam pages and certification policy documentation, with before-and-after comparisons drawn from Internet Archive snapshots captured in April and May 2026.

TL;DR Microsoft refreshed the skills measured outlines for AB-730, AB-731, AB-900 and AB-100 on 22 July 2026. Every logged change is terminology rather than new content: no domain weighting moved, and no objective was added or removed. Candidates already revising need a vocabulary update, not a new study plan. AI-901, AI-103 and AB-620 were not part of this refresh.

If you booked one of Microsoft's AI certification exams before 22 July 2026, the syllabus you printed out is now technically out of date. That sounds alarming, and most of the coverage you will find treats it that way. It is not alarming, and this article exists to show you exactly why, objective by objective, using Microsoft's own change logs alongside archived copies of the same pages from before the refresh.

Four exams were updated: AB-730 (AI Business Professional), AB-731 (AI Transformation Leader), AB-900 (Microsoft 365 Copilot and Agent Administration Fundamentals) and AB-100 (Agentic AI Business Solutions Architect). All four study guides now carry the heading "Skills measured as of July 22, 2026" [1][2][3][4], and all four certification pages show a matching "Last Updated 07/22/2026" field.

What Microsoft changed on 22 July 2026

Microsoft publishes a change log at the bottom of every skills measured page, labelling each affected objective as a major change, a minor change, or no change. Across all four refreshed exams, not one objective is labelled as a major change. Every flagged row is minor, and the substance behind those labels is consistently the same thing: product names being brought into line with Microsoft's current branding.

That last column is the one that matters, and it is the reason this article is not a panic piece. We compared every current objective against archived copies of the same study guides from April and May 2026 [17][18][19][20]. Every bullet that appears on the pages today also appeared before the refresh, with four small groups of exceptions covered in detail below, all of which are renamings of things that were already examinable.

How to read a Microsoft skills measured change log

Microsoft explains the format on each page itself: "The table below summarizes the changes between the current and previous version of the skills measured. The functional groups are in bold typeface followed by the objectives within each group. The table is a comparison between the previous and current version of the exam skills measured and the third column describes the extent of the changes." [2]

Two features of these tables trip people up, and both are worth understanding before you read the per-exam sections below.

A domain missing from the change log had zero changes. It has not been cut from the exam, and the table has not been truncated. AB-900's third domain, "Perform basic administrative tasks for Copilot and agents", is worth 25-30% of the exam and appears nowhere in its change log [3]. That absence is the point: nothing in it moved.

A bold row labelled "No change" refers to the functional group heading, not its contents. You will often see a bold group marked "No change" immediately followed by an indented objective marked "Minor". That means the domain name stayed the same while one objective inside it was reworded.

One note on spelling before we go further. Objective titles and quoted Microsoft text throughout this article are reproduced verbatim, so they carry Microsoft's American spelling ("analyze", "organization", "center"). Our own prose stays in British English.

AB-730 (AI Business Professional): what changed

AB-730 keeps all three domains and all three weightings exactly as they were: "Understand generative AI fundamentals" (25-30%), "Manage prompts and conversations by using AI" (35-40%), and "Draft and analyze business content by using AI" (25-30%) [1].

Three rows are flagged minor, and all three are the same edit applied in different places. Microsoft is spelling out "Microsoft 365 Copilot" where the page previously said just "Copilot".

The audience profile edit is the most interesting of the three, because it reclassifies rather than adds. Researcher and Analyst were already named in the audience profile in the May 2026 version of the page [17]. What changed is that Microsoft now describes them as agents, which is a small signal about how it wants candidates to think about the distinction between Copilot itself and the agents that run on top of it.

What did not change on AB-730

Several topics that look new are not. Copilot memory and custom instructions, Copilot Pages, notebooks, and saving, scheduling and sharing prompts were all already examinable before this refresh, appearing word for word in the May 2026 archived page [17]. If your revision plan already covered them, it was correct then and it is correct now. If it did not, that is a gap you have had for months, not one created last week. Our AB-730 study guide and full AB-730 exam guide both cover this domain in depth.

The entire first domain, "Understand generative AI fundamentals", is absent from AB-730's change log and identical to the archived version bullet for bullet.

AB-731 (AI Transformation Leader): what changed

AB-731's three domains and weightings are untouched: "Identify the business value of generative AI solutions" (35-40%), "Identify benefits, capabilities, and opportunities for Microsoft's AI apps and services" (35-40%), and "Identify an implementation and adoption strategy for Microsoft's AI apps and services" (20-25%) [2].

This is the exam where the terminology shift has the most teeth, because it involves a product that Microsoft renamed during 2026. Azure AI Foundry is now Microsoft Foundry, and the associated service family is now branded Foundry Tools. AB-731's refresh completes that rename inside the objective bullets.

Worth correcting a claim circulating elsewhere: the objective heading "Identify benefits and capabilities of Foundry Tools" was not renamed in this refresh. It already used the Foundry Tools name in the April 2026 archived version of the page [18]. Only the wording inside two bullets and the audience profile changed. Similarly, "Microsoft Foundry" was already named in the audience profile's third paragraph before 22 July.

The commercial-model edit is the one to actually revise. "Prepaid" and "commitment tiers" describe the same broad idea of paying up front for capacity, but commitment tiers is now the term Microsoft uses, and a question written against the current outline will use it. Our AB-731 services comparison guide walks through the Foundry Tools family in detail, and the AB-731 exam guide covers the adoption-strategy domain.

AB-900 (Copilot and Agent Administration Fundamentals): what changed

AB-900 is Examinotion's most popular exam, so it is worth being precise here. All three domains and weightings are unchanged: "Identify the core features and objects of Microsoft 365 services" (30-35%), "Understand data protection and governance tasks for Microsoft 365 and Copilot" (35-40%), and "Perform basic administrative tasks for Copilot and agents" (25-30%) [3].

The audience profile is explicitly labelled "No change", which is a useful contrast with AB-730 where the same row is labelled minor. Four bullets were reworded, three of them in the first domain and one in the second.

Three of those four are admin centre names being trimmed to their current official forms, which is genuinely worth absorbing because Microsoft names admin centres precisely in exam questions. The fourth, distribution lists becoming distribution groups, corrects Microsoft's own terminology: Exchange calls these objects distribution groups.

The 25-30% administration domain has no logged changes

The domain covering agent administration is absent from AB-900's change log entirely, and the archived April 2026 page confirms it is identical bullet for bullet [19]. That matters because several topics in it are frequently reported as new additions. They are not.

DSPM for AI, running a data access governance report in SharePoint, the agent approval process, and monitoring agent lifecycle were all already in the AB-900 study guide by at least 19 April 2026 [19]. The bullet "Discover and manage AI activity by using DSPM for AI" appears verbatim in both versions. So does "Monitor agents, including usage, operational insights, and agent lifecycle, by working with the Microsoft 365 admin center and the Microsoft Power Platform admin center".

One correction while we are here, because it is a common error: the AB-900 study guide does not use the phrase "Restricted Content Discovery" in either version. It says restricted site access before the refresh and restricted access control after it. If a study resource attributes "Restricted Content Discovery" to the AB-900 outline, it is paraphrasing rather than quoting.

The admin centres AB-900 actually names are the Microsoft 365 admin center, Exchange admin center, SharePoint admin center, Teams admin center, Microsoft Entra, Microsoft Purview, and the Microsoft Power Platform admin center [3]. Our AB-900 exam guide explains why this exam is harder than its Fundamentals label suggests, and our AB-900 practice questions let you test the governance domain that carries the heaviest weighting.

AB-100: the fourth exam almost nobody has noticed

AB-100 (Agentic AI Business Solutions Architect) was refreshed on exactly the same date, and it has been largely absent from third-party coverage of this update. Its study guide carries the same "Skills measured as of July 22, 2026" heading and its certification page shows the same 07/22/2026 last-updated date [4].

Three rows are flagged minor, and the pattern is identical to the other three exams.

The Responsible AI edit is the most substantive change in the entire refresh across all four exams, because the Microsoft Responsible AI Standard is a specific published document, whereas "responsible AI guidelines" was generic. A question written against the current wording can reasonably expect you to know the Standard by name.

AB-100's weightings are unchanged at 25-30% / 25-30% / 40-45%. One oddity to flag so you do not think you have misread a screenshot: the domain names in AB-100's own change log table ("Design AI business solutions", "Deploy AI business solutions") do not exactly match the names in its skills-at-a-glance list, which include "-powered". That inconsistency is Microsoft's, and we have reproduced both verbatim rather than tidying either.

AB-100 is also the only one of the four with a stated renewal frequency of 12 months on its exam page, and the only one running 100 minutes rather than 45 [8]. Our AB-100 exam guide and candidate experience report cover what that longer format feels like in practice.

Which Microsoft AI exams were not touched

Three exams in the current landscape were not part of this refresh.

AI-901 and AI-103 both matter here because they are the successor exams for AI-900 and AI-102, which retired on 30 June 2026. Their outlines have been stable since mid-April, which is reassuring if you are working through either one. AI-901 remains split across Identify AI concepts and capabilities (40-45%) and Implement AI solutions by using Microsoft Foundry (55-60%) [9], and AI-103 keeps its five domains [10]. If you are choosing between them, our AI-901 exam guide and the AI-900 retirement explainer are the places to start.

AB-620's study guide is the outlier: its heading reads simply "Skills measured", with no "as of" date, and its page metadata shows it was last touched in late June rather than 22 July [11]. Note also that AB-620's visible page title omits the word "Agent" that appears in some listings of the exam, so treat the study guide's own heading as authoritative. Examinotion does not currently sell AB-620 practice tests, but our AB-620 exam guide covers the certification.

Why a terminology-only refresh still matters

It would be easy to read all of the above and conclude that nothing happened. That is the wrong conclusion, for two reasons.

Renamed products are a real source of wrong answers. Microsoft's exams name services precisely. If your revision notes say "Azure AI services" and the exam says "Foundry Tools", or your notes say "prepaid" and the exam says "commitment tiers", you are matching a question stem against vocabulary that no longer appears in it. That is a genuinely avoidable way to lose marks, and it is the single most useful thing to take from this refresh. The Foundry rename in particular caught out a lot of published study material during 2026, because the documentation moved as well as the branding.

Objectives can be tested before you have the feature. Microsoft's own policy is explicit: "Most questions cover features that are general availability (GA). The exam may contain questions on Preview features if those features are commonly used." [12] So a feature you cannot see in your own tenant can still appear in the exam, which is a common and understandable complaint. It is also why hands-on experience alone is not sufficient preparation, and why the published outline is the thing to revise against.

What this means if you have already booked

The update is live now. Microsoft states that it "reserves the right to update content for any reason at any time to maintain the validity and relevance of our certifications" [12], and the "as of" date functions as the effective date rather than an advance warning. Microsoft does not publish a lag between the date on the study guide and the questions reaching the live exam, so do not assume you have a grace period.

Microsoft also does not proactively contact candidates who have already booked when an outline changes. Its own guidance points you back to the exam page instead: "The best way to prepare for an exam is to practice the skills listed in the 'Skills measured' section of the exam details page." [12] The practical version of that advice is simple. If you booked before 22 July 2026 and have not re-opened the study guide since, open it once now and skim the change log. For these four exams that will take you a few minutes, because the diffs are small.

On languages, Microsoft's standard policy is that "Some exams are localized into other languages, and those are updated approximately eight weeks after the English version is updated" [2]. That is real policy, but it currently has nothing to act on for these exams: AB-730, AB-731 and AB-900 are each offered in English only [5][6][7]. If a translated exam is not available in your preferred language, Microsoft states that "If the exam isn't available in your preferred language, you can request an additional 30 minutes to complete the exam" [2], requested in advance through the English as a Second Language process [13].

What this means if you are already certified

Renewal assessments track the current outline, not the one you originally passed. Microsoft's renewal FAQ answers this directly: asked whether renewal assessments are aligned to the regular exam update cadence, it says "Yes. Updates to the assessments are aligned with certification exam updates." [14] So the 22 July wording reaches renewal assessments too.

AB-900 holders can ignore this entirely from a renewal perspective. Fundamentals certifications do not expire [15][16], so there is no renewal assessment to sit and no clock running. AB-100 states a renewal frequency of 12 months on its exam page [8]. For AB-730 and AB-731, check the renewal status shown on your own certification page rather than assuming, because Microsoft's boilerplate renewal wording groups associate, expert and specialty certifications together and both of these sit at Beginner level.

Microsoft reviews its cloud-based exams on a quarterly cycle: "We review our cloud-based exams quarterly. Any changes that affect the objective domain and the existing questions are incorporated into the exam." [12] A refresh like this one is therefore routine rather than exceptional, and the next one is a matter of when rather than if.

How to re-check your own study plan in 15 minutes

1. Open the study guide for your exam and scroll straight to the change log at the bottom. Read only the rows that are not labelled "No change".
2. Search your own notes for the retired terms. For AB-731, search for "Azure AI services" and "prepaid". For AB-900, search for "Exchange Online admin center", "distribution lists" and "restricted site access". For AB-100, search for "responsible AI guidelines".
3. Replace the term, not the topic. In every case in this refresh, the underlying concept is unchanged, so you are editing vocabulary rather than learning anything new.
4. Re-read the audience profile. It is the row most often flagged minor, and it tells you which roles and tools Microsoft assumes you have worked with.
5. Take one full-length timed practice test before you sit the real thing. With 45 minutes on AB-730, AB-731 and AB-900 [5][6][7], pacing is a bigger risk than any single terminology change.

An honest word on difficulty. This refresh does not make any of these four exams harder or easier, and nobody should tell you otherwise. AB-900 in particular remains a demanding paper despite its Fundamentals label, because its governance and administration domains expect real familiarity with Purview and the Microsoft 365 admin centres. The work you had to do before 22 July is the work you have to do now.

Frequently Asked Questions

Did the AB-900 exam change in July 2026?

Yes, but only in wording. AB-900's study guide was refreshed on 22 July 2026 with four reworded bullets, mostly admin centre names such as Exchange admin center and Microsoft Entra ID. No domain weighting changed, no objective was added, and the 25-30% agent administration domain has no logged changes at all.

What does "skills measured as of 22 July 2026" mean for my booked exam?

It means the outline is already live. Microsoft treats the "as of" date as the effective date and does not publish a delay between the study guide update and the questions reaching the exam. If you booked before 22 July 2026, re-read the change log once. For these four exams the differences are small.

Are Azure AI services and Foundry Tools the same thing on AB-731?

Effectively yes, in exam terms. AB-731's outline now says Foundry Tools where it previously said Azure AI services, following Microsoft's 2026 rename of Azure AI Foundry to Microsoft Foundry. The underlying services are the same, so revise the new vocabulary rather than relearning the concepts behind it.

Will I be tested on the old or the new objectives next week?

The new ones. The 22 July 2026 outline is the current version for AB-730, AB-731, AB-900 and AB-100, and there is no published transition window during which the previous wording still applies. Because every change in this refresh is terminology, preparation based on the older outline remains almost entirely valid.

How often does Microsoft update exam objectives?

Quarterly for cloud-based exams. Microsoft states that it reviews these exams every quarter and incorporates any changes affecting the objective domain into the live exam, removing technically inaccurate questions and adding new ones for related skills. It also reserves the right to update content at any time to keep certifications relevant.

Does Microsoft test features that are still in Preview?

Sometimes. Microsoft's published policy is that most questions cover generally available features, but that an exam may include questions on Preview features when those features are commonly used. This is why a feature missing from your own tenant can still appear, and why the published skills outline matters more than hands-on access alone.

Do I need to re-certify because the objectives changed?

No. Existing certifications remain valid, and AB-900 as a Fundamentals certification does not expire at all. Where a renewal does apply, such as AB-100's 12-month cycle, the renewal assessment tracks whatever the current skills outline is at that point rather than the version you originally passed.

The bottom line

Microsoft tidied up four AI certification outlines on 22 July 2026 and told candidates about it through change logs that most people will never open. The correct response is a fifteen-minute vocabulary check, not a rebuilt revision plan. The one edit genuinely worth internalising is AB-731's shift to Foundry Tools and commitment tiers, followed by AB-100's move to naming the Microsoft Responsible AI Standard specifically.

If you are preparing for any of these exams, the most useful next step is to practise against full-length timed tests so that pacing and question format stop being variables. Examinotion runs seven practice tests of 40 questions each for AB-730, AB-731, AB-900, AB-100, AI-901 and AI-103, with worked explanations on every answer. You can compare all six exams side by side to work out which one fits your role, and the Microsoft AI certification roadmap sets out how they stack together as a path.

Sources

1. Study guide for Exam AB-730: AI Business Professional - Microsoft Learn, accessed 2026-07-25
2. Study guide for Exam AB-731: AI Transformation Leader - Microsoft Learn, accessed 2026-07-25
3. Study guide for Exam AB-900: Microsoft 365 Copilot and Agent Administration Fundamentals - Microsoft Learn, accessed 2026-07-25
4. Study guide for Exam AB-100: Agentic AI Business Solutions Architect - Microsoft Learn, accessed 2026-07-25
5. Exam AB-730: AI Business Professional - Microsoft Learn, accessed 2026-07-25
6. Exam AB-731: AI Transformation Leader - Microsoft Learn, accessed 2026-07-25
7. Exam AB-900: Microsoft 365 Copilot and Agent Administration Fundamentals - Microsoft Learn, accessed 2026-07-25
8. Exam AB-100: Agentic AI Business Solutions Architect - Microsoft Learn, accessed 2026-07-25
9. Study guide for Exam AI-901: Microsoft Azure AI Fundamentals - Microsoft Learn, accessed 2026-07-25
10. Study guide for Exam AI-103: Developing AI Apps and Agents on Azure - Microsoft Learn, accessed 2026-07-25
11. Study guide for Exam AB-620: Designing and Building Integrated AI Solutions in Copilot Studio - Microsoft Learn, accessed 2026-07-25
12. Exam frequently asked questions - Microsoft Learn, accessed 2026-07-25
13. Request exam accommodations and frequently asked questions - Microsoft Learn, accessed 2026-07-25
14. Renew your Microsoft Certification: frequently asked questions - Microsoft Learn, accessed 2026-07-25
15. Renew your Microsoft Certification - Microsoft Learn, accessed 2026-07-25
16. Credential expiration policies - Microsoft Learn, accessed 2026-07-25
17. Study guide for Exam AB-730, archived 17 May 2026 - Internet Archive, accessed 2026-07-25
18. Study guide for Exam AB-731, archived 24 April 2026 - Internet Archive, accessed 2026-07-25
19. Study guide for Exam AB-900, archived 19 April 2026 - Internet Archive, accessed 2026-07-25
20. Study guide for Exam AB-100, archived 17 May 2026 - Internet Archive, accessed 2026-07-25