Microsoft Exam Retake Policy 2026: How to Pass After Failing First Time

Last updated: May 2026

You finished a Microsoft certification exam, the score screen flashed up, and the result was not what you wanted. Whether you were sitting AB-730 (AI Business Professional), AB-731 (AI Transformation Leader), AB-100 (Agentic AI Business Solutions Architect), AB-900 (Microsoft 365 Copilot and Agent Administration Fundamentals), or AI-901 (Microsoft Azure AI Fundamentals), the rules on what happens next are the same, and they are simpler than the panic on the way home from the test centre suggests.

This guide covers the official Microsoft retake policy for 2026, the cooling-off windows, the UK fee position, what your score report actually tells you, and a 30-day plan that turns a failed first attempt into a passed second attempt without burning through every voucher you own.

TL;DR

Microsoft lets you retake any failed certification exam after 24 hours, with a 14-day wait between every subsequent attempt up to five tries in any 12-month window. Beta exams like AI-901 allow only one sitting until live release. Use your score report's bar chart, fix your two weakest domains, and book again on day 21 to 28.

What the official Microsoft retake policy says

The Microsoft Certification exam retake policy [1] applies a single set of rules to Role-based, Specialty, and Fundamentals exams. The page has not changed in substance since October 2023, and Microsoft confirmed at the February 2026 Credentials Roundup that the new AB-100, AB-730, AB-731, and AB-900 exams all sit under it.

The four rules you need to remember:

First retake: 24 hours after your failed first attempt.
Second through fifth retakes: 14 days between attempts.
Annual cap: a maximum of five attempts within 12 months of your first sitting.
After five failures: you become eligible again 12 months from the date of your first attempt, not from your fifth.

Microsoft puts this plainly:

If you don't pass an exam the first time, you must wait 24 hours before retaking it. A 14-day waiting period is imposed between all subsequent attempts (up to 5). You may not take a given exam more than five times within a 12-month period from the first attempt." [1]

A passed exam cannot be retaken unless your certification has expired, which for AB-series certifications means the exam has been retired and replaced. The same policy page makes clear that a retake is not free: you pay the standard exam fee each time unless you are using an Exam Replay voucher or a discount code.

The waiver almost nobody gets

There is one official escape route from the wait. If your exam was disrupted by a Pearson VUE technical fault, an internet connectivity failure, or equipment problems, and a Pearson VUE incident case was created on the day, you can request a waiver of the waiting period through Microsoft Training, Certification, and Program Support [1]. The waiver is granted only with a valid Pearson VUE case number and only for technical issues. It is not a way to skip the 24 hours because you feel ready.

If you sat an OnVUE online exam and your check-in was delayed by more than 30 minutes through no fault of yours, raise a case with Pearson VUE before you leave the session, not after.

How the rule applies to each Microsoft AI exam

The retake policy is the same for every exam Examinotion covers, but the day-by-day picture differs because of beta status and prerequisite chains.

AB-730 (AI Business Professional)

Generally available since February 2026 [2]. Standard 24-hour first retake, 14-day subsequent retakes, five attempts in 12 months. The official AB-730 exam page [3] explicitly directs failed candidates to the retake policy and to the score report for revision focus.

AB-731 (AI Transformation Leader)

Also generally available from February 2026. Identical retake schedule. AB-731 has more case-study weighting than AB-730, so a failed attempt commonly reflects time pressure rather than knowledge gaps. A 21-day window before booking again is usually enough to fix that.

AB-100 (Agentic AI Business Solutions Architect)

GA from February 2026 and labelled Advanced [4]. AB-100 requires a prerequisite Associate certification, so a failed attempt does not unwind the prerequisite. You can retake AB-100 itself in 24 hours, but you cannot use AB-100 as the prerequisite for anything else until you pass it.

AB-900 (Microsoft 365 Copilot and Agent Administration Fundamentals)

Sold as a Fundamentals exam but priced and timed at the higher end of the Fundamentals range. Examinotion's own readers consistently describe it as Microsoft's hardest Fundamentals exam, and the retake schedule treats it like every other Fundamentals exam: 24 hours, then 14-day windows, five sittings per year.

AI-901 (Azure AI Fundamentals, currently beta)

This is the exception worth flagging. AI-901 is in beta until AI-900 retires on 30 June 2026. Beta exams may only be sat once during the beta period [1]. If you sit AI-901 in beta and underperform, you do not retake during beta; you wait until the live release in July 2026 and the standard retake schedule starts from there. Beta candidates also do not see a score until the exam goes live.

What your score report actually tells you

Within minutes of finishing a non-lab exam, Pearson VUE shows the result on screen and Microsoft makes the report available in your Microsoft Learn profile under Credentials > Past exams [5]. Lab-based exams take around 30 minutes longer to score because the labs are graded asynchronously.

The report contains:

A pass or fail status
A numeric overall score on a 1 to 1,000 scale, with 700 the passing line
A bar chart of your relative performance per skill area
Brief explanatory text on how to read the chart

Two things the report does not give you: a numeric score per skill area, and the specific questions you got wrong. Microsoft is explicit that the exams are validation tools, not learning resources [5].

Why 700 does not mean 70 per cent

Microsoft uses a scaled score:

A passing score is based on the knowledge and skills needed to demonstrate competence as well as the difficulty of the questions. For easier sets of questions, more points are required to pass. For more difficult sets of questions, fewer points are required to pass." [5]

In practice, this means a 660 on a hard form may have answered the same proportion of questions correctly as a 720 on an easy form. Treat the bar chart, not the numeric score, as the actionable signal for retake preparation.

Reading the bar chart for retake prep

The bar chart sorts skill areas by your relative performance. Anything in the bottom third is your retake priority list. Microsoft's own guidance after a fail is:

To prepare for a retake, review the strengths or weaknesses revealed on your score report. Practice the skills where your exam performance was weak as well as the skills in the content areas with the highest percentage of questions." [5]

That second clause matters. If your bar chart shows you scored fairly evenly across domains but the official skills outline weights one domain at 40 per cent, that domain is still the highest-leverage place to improve, even if it was not your weakest.

What it costs to retake in the UK

Microsoft's exam pages all read "Price based on the country or region in which the exam is proctored," and the official 2024 pricing schedule [6] places the UK in the second pricing tier:

Fundamentals exams (AB-900, AI-900, AI-901): list price US$84
Role-based and Advanced exams (AB-730, AB-731, AB-100): list price US$140

UK candidates pay the GBP equivalent set by Pearson VUE at the time of booking, plus 20 per cent UK VAT. Pearson VUE shows the exact GBP figure at checkout. Microsoft has not announced a pricing change since the 1 November 2024 schedule, so these tiers remain current as of May 2026.

There is no automatic refund or part-refund if you fail. The only fee relief routes are:

Exam Replay (the discounted retake bundle)

Exam Replay [7] is Microsoft's official second-chance bundle, sold via Mindhub (Pearson VUE's retail partner). For one fixed price you get one exam voucher plus one retake voucher for the same exam. The MindHub product page lists Exam Replay at US$230 in 2026, with Pearson VUE setting the GBP equivalent at checkout for UK buyers.

Important restrictions:

Exam Replay is not valid for Fundamentals exams (so AB-900 is excluded), MOS exams, transition exams, or beta exams. It is therefore not valid for AI-901 during the beta period.
Exam Replay is valid for AB-730, AB-731, and AB-100.
Both attempts must be scheduled and taken within 12 months of purchase.
The retake voucher cannot be scheduled until the first attempt has been taken and failed.

If you are about to book your first attempt at AB-730 or AB-731 and you have any doubt about passing first time, buying Exam Replay before the first sitting is cheaper than two separate exam fees. If you have already booked and paid for the first attempt at the standard price, Exam Replay is no longer the right route, you would be paying for an attempt you do not need.

Microsoft Credentials AI Challenge vouchers

Microsoft ran a sweepstakes from 20 January to 2 March 2026 awarding 5,000 winners a 50 per cent discount voucher for AB-730, AB-731, or AB-900 [8]. The entry window has closed, but vouchers remain valid until 30 June 2026. If you entered and won, that voucher is the cheapest path to a retake. If you did not enter, watch learn.microsoft.com/credentials/certifications/deals for the next sweepstakes Microsoft runs.

Beta discounts

Microsoft typically offers a steep beta discount on new exams. AI-901 had an 80 per cent off code (AI901Medford) for the first 300 candidates booking on or before 6 May 2026. Beta discounts only apply to the beta sitting, which you cannot retake during the beta window.

How to reschedule or cancel before retaking

The cancellation rule is binary, and it is unforgiving:

Be sure to reschedule or cancel exam appointments at least 24 hours before your scheduled exam or your fee will be forfeited." [9]

More than 24 hours' notice means free cancellation or rescheduling. Less than 24 hours means full fee forfeiture. There is no graduated charge. A no-show forfeits the voucher and may trigger a no-show fee if your employer paid for the booking.

Reschedule from your Microsoft Learn profile under Credentials > Certifications, which redirects you into the Pearson VUE booking flow. The maximum advance booking window is 90 days, and you can have only two Microsoft Certification exam appointments scheduled at any one time.

A practical sequence after a failed attempt: log in to Microsoft Learn the same evening, review the score report, identify your two weakest domains, then book the retake for 21 to 28 days out so you have space to revise without losing momentum.

Why people fail Microsoft AI exams (and what to do differently)

Microsoft does not publish official pass-rate data for any of its certifications. Any specific figure you see online ("70 per cent of candidates pass first time") is unverified and should be treated as marketing, not evidence. What is documented is the pattern of why candidates underperform, drawn from the published score-report shape and from Microsoft's own retake guidance:

Time pressure on case study questions. AB-731 in particular weights case-study scenarios heavily. Candidates who run out of time on the case study cluster usually do not finish the multiple-choice section either.
Surface-level Microsoft Learn coverage. The free MS Learn modules are excellent for understanding concepts but light on exam-style scenario questions. Candidates who only used MS Learn often pass the recall questions and fail the application questions.
Untimed practice. Sitting practice questions without a clock builds confidence but not stamina. The 100-minute exam window punishes candidates who only practised at home with their tea getting cold.
Skipping the official skills outline. Microsoft publishes an official skills outline PDF for every exam. Candidates who never opened it usually find their bar chart shows weakness in a domain they did not realise was weighted 35 per cent.
OnVUE check-in friction. Online proctored candidates whose first 30 minutes are spent fighting the system check, room scan, or ID verification carry that stress into the test itself.

A 30-day retake plan that respects the 14-day rule

This plan assumes you have just failed your first attempt, your retake is your second attempt, and you can therefore book again 24 hours later. The 14-day rule kicks in for attempts three onwards.

Days 1 to 2: stop, breathe, read

Pull your score report from Microsoft Learn the same evening you fail.
Note the two domains in the bottom third of the bar chart.
Cross-reference those domains against the published skills outline. Note the percentage weighting on each. If your weakest domain is also a heavily weighted one, it stays at the top of your revision list. If it is a lightly weighted one, the heavily weighted domain on which you scored just-passing may matter more.
Do not book the retake yet.

Days 3 to 7: targeted Microsoft Learn

Work through the MS Learn modules for your weakest two domains, end to end, including the knowledge checks. Make notes on every concept you cannot explain in two sentences.
Read the official Microsoft skills outline for the exam in full. Highlight every "evaluate", "design", "implement", and "monitor" verb, those signal scenario-style questions, not recall.

Days 8 to 14: scenario practice

Move from concept review to scenario practice. Use Examinotion's practice tests to drill the question types, particularly case study questions for AB-731 and Microsoft 365 Copilot scenario questions for AB-730 and AB-900.
Run at least three sessions under exam conditions: timer on, no notes, single screen, single attempt per question. The objective is stamina, not score.
After each session, redo only the questions you got wrong. Do not redo correct ones.

Days 15 to 21: book and finalise

Book the retake for day 25 to 28 (well clear of the 24-hour minimum and well inside the 90-day maximum).
Two practice tests at full length under timed conditions, ideally one in the morning and one early evening to identify when you focus best.
Re-read the skills outline. If anything still surprises you, that is the gap to close.

Days 22 to 28: light review and exam prep

Light review only. Heavy revision in the final 48 hours hurts performance, it does not help.
For OnVUE candidates: run the OnVUE system test from the exact device, network, and room you will use on the day.
For test centre candidates: confirm your Pearson VUE booking, check your photo ID name matches your Microsoft Learn profile exactly, and plan transport.

Day 29: rest, day 30: sit the exam

Sleep, food, water, no last-minute revision.
Show up 30 minutes early for OnVUE check-in or 15 minutes early for the test centre.
Use the bar chart from your previous attempt as a confidence anchor: you already know what to focus on, and you have done the work.

OnVUE versus test centre: which is better for a retake?

Both delivery modes use the same questions, the same timer, and the same pass mark. The differences that matter for a retake are stress and disruption.

OnVUE (online proctored) means you sit at home but you accept tighter rules: a single monitor, a clear desk with no notes, no second person in the room, no eating, a transparent water bottle only [10]. Pearson VUE may use facial comparison technology to verify your identity. Check-in opens 30 minutes before your appointment and includes a webcam-driven room scan. If your wifi is unreliable, your kitchen is in earshot of the front door buzzer, or your housemates work irregular hours, the test centre is calmer.

Test centre means a quiet, single-purpose room, but it also means travel, and not every UK centre supports lab-based exams. Pearson VUE operates centres in London, Manchester, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds, Belfast, Coventry, and other major UK cities. Use the Pearson VUE locator to confirm a centre near you supports the specific exam.

After a failed first attempt, switching delivery mode is one of the highest-leverage changes you can make. If you sat OnVUE first and the room or system caused stress, book a test centre for the retake. If the test centre had a noisy waiting area or you had a long commute, try OnVUE.

Common mistakes on the second attempt

The biggest mistake is sitting the retake too soon, exactly 24 hours later, before you have looked at the score report. The 24-hour rule is the floor, not the recommendation. Microsoft includes it because some candidates fail through nerves rather than knowledge and want to come straight back. For most candidates, 21 to 28 days is closer to optimal: long enough to fix gaps, short enough that the question shapes are still familiar.

The second biggest mistake is over-revising. If your bar chart showed two clear weak domains, you do not need to revisit your strong domains. The exam form will not be identical, but the weighting of the skills outline does not change between attempts. Doubling your study time on already-strong domains has diminishing returns.

The third biggest mistake is buying every practice product on the market. One high-quality, exam-aligned practice test taken three times under timed conditions beats five different practice tests taken once each.

Frequently asked questions

How soon can I retake a Microsoft exam after failing?

You can retake a failed Microsoft exam after 24 hours for the first retake. From your second retake onwards, a 14-day waiting period applies between each attempt, up to a maximum of five sittings within 12 months of your first attempt [1]. The 24-hour minimum is enforced by the booking system; you cannot reschedule sooner.

How many times can I take the same Microsoft exam in a year?

Microsoft allows up to five attempts of the same exam within a 12-month period, counted from the date of your first attempt. After five failures, you become eligible to take that exam again 12 months from the date of your first attempt, not from the fifth [1]. Passed exams cannot be retaken unless the certification has expired.

Do I have to pay again to retake a Microsoft exam?

Yes, each retake requires a new exam fee unless you have an Exam Replay voucher, a discount code from a Microsoft sweepstakes, or a corporate voucher. There are no refunds or part-refunds for failed attempts [1]. UK candidates pay the GBP equivalent of the published US dollar list price plus 20 per cent VAT, set by Pearson VUE at booking.

What is the pass mark for Microsoft AI exams?

All technical Microsoft certification exams use a scaled score of 1 to 1,000, with 700 the passing line. The score is scaled, so 700 does not equal 70 per cent of questions correct, the bar moves slightly with question difficulty [5]. Your score report shows the overall number plus a domain-level bar chart, but not numerical scores per skill area.

Can I retake a Microsoft beta exam if I fail?

No, beta exams may only be sat once during the beta period. If you fail the beta exam, you cannot retake it until the exam goes live, at which point the standard 24-hour and 14-day rules apply [1]. AI-901 is currently in beta and follows this rule. Beta candidates also do not receive a score until the exam goes live.

Does Microsoft offer a discounted retake voucher?

Yes. Exam Replay [7] bundles one exam voucher plus one retake voucher for one fixed price, sold via Mindhub. It is valid for AB-730, AB-731, AB-100, and other Role-based and Specialty exams, but not for Fundamentals exams (AB-900) or beta exams (AI-901 during beta). Both vouchers must be used within 12 months of purchase.

What if I run into technical problems during my exam?

If a technical fault disrupts your exam (Pearson VUE outage, internet failure, equipment problem) and a Pearson VUE case is created on the day, you can request a waiver of the standard waiting period through Microsoft Certification Support [1]. The waiver is granted only for verified technical issues. Raise the case with the proctor before leaving, not afterwards.

Ready for your retake?

A failed first attempt is a data point, not a verdict. The score report tells you exactly which domains let you down, the retake policy gives you a clear 21-to-28-day runway, and Examinotion's exam preparation courses include scenario-based practice tests built directly from each official Microsoft skills outline.

If you know which exam you are retaking, jump straight to the relevant prep:

Or, if you would like an honest read on which exam to sit next, browse all Examinotion exam prep courses and book your retake the same day.

Sources

Microsoft Certification exam retake policy. learn.microsoft.com. Last updated 25 October 2023. https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/credentials/support/retake-policy
Microsoft Credentials Roundup February 2026 Edition. Microsoft Tech Community. February 2026. https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/blog/skills-hub-blog/microsoft-credentials-roundup-february-2026-edition/3666867
Microsoft Certified: AI Business Professional (AB-730). learn.microsoft.com. Last updated 29 April 2026. https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/credentials/certifications/ai-business-professional/
Microsoft Certified: Agentic AI Business Solutions Architect (AB-100). learn.microsoft.com. Last updated 27 April 2026. https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/credentials/certifications/agentic-ai-business-solutions-architect/
Exam scoring and score reports. learn.microsoft.com. Last updated 27 May 2025. https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/credentials/certifications/exam-scoring-reports
Microsoft Certification exam prices effective November 1, 2024 (PDF). aka.ms/CertificationExamPrice.
Microsoft offers and Exam Replay. learn.microsoft.com. Last updated 19 September 2023. https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/credentials/certifications/deals
Microsoft Credentials AI Challenge. learn.microsoft.com. Last updated 11 February 2026. https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/credentials/microsoft-credentials-ai-challenge
Reschedule and cancellation policy. learn.microsoft.com. Last updated 9 February 2024. https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/credentials/support/reschedule-and-cancellation-policy
Online proctored exams with Pearson VUE. learn.microsoft.com. Last updated 30 June 2025. https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/credentials/certifications/online-exams