The University of Manchester is providing students with the opportunity to study for and receive a Microsoft Certified Fundamentals certification. This page contains all of the information you will need to prepare and take an exam. Please note there are a limited number of licenses available and these will be given out on a first-come, first-served basis until July 2026.
Microsoft Certified Fundamentals is a suite of eight certification covering what cloud computing is and what options are available from Microsoft. This set of exams is for students who are exploring a career in artificial intelligence, data science, and cloud computing.
Below is a breakdown of each of the certifications we offer from this programme:
This exam is designed for candidates looking to demonstrate foundational knowledge on the considerations and benefits of adopting cloud services in general and the Software as a Service (SaaS) cloud model. This exam will also cover knowledge of available options and benefits gained by implementing Microsoft 365 cloud service offerings. This exam can be taken as a precursor to cloud computing and technologies exams such as Office 365, Microsoft Intune, Azure Information Protection (AIP), and Windows 10.
This exam is intended for candidates beginning to work with data in the cloud. Candidates for this exam should have foundational knowledge of core data concepts and how they are implemented using Microsoft Azure data services, and should be familiar with the concepts of relational and non-relational data, and different types of data workloads such as transactional or analytical.
This exam is an opportunity to demonstrate knowledge of common ML and AI workloads and how to implement them on Azure. It is intended for candidates with both technical and non-technical backgrounds. Candidates for this exam should have foundational knowledge of machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI) concepts and related Microsoft Azure services. Data science and software engineering experience are not required; however, some general programming knowledge or experience would be beneficial.
This exam is designed for candidates looking to demonstrate foundational knowledge on the considerations and benefits of adopting cloud services in general and the Software as a Service (SaaS) cloud model. This exam will also cover knowledge of available options and benefits gained by implementing Microsoft 365 cloud service offerings. This exam can be taken as a precursor to cloud computing and technologies exams such as Office 365, Microsoft Intune, Azure Information Protection (AIP), and Windows 10.
This exam covers the features and capabilities of Microsoft Dynamics 365 customer engagement apps. Candidates of this exam should have general knowledge of or relevant working experience in an Information Technology (IT) environment. They should also have a fundamental understanding of customer engagement principles and business operations.
This exam covers the features and capabilities of Microsoft Dynamics 365 finance and operations apps. Candidates of this exam should have general knowledge of or relevant working experience in an Information Technology (IT) environment. They should also have a fundamental understanding of financial principles and business operations.
Candidates for this exam are users who aspire to improve productivity by automating business processes, analysing data to produce business insights, and acting more effectively by creating simple app experiences.
This certification is targeted to those looking to familiarize themselves with the fundamentals of security, compliance, and identity (SCI) across cloud-based and related Microsoft services. Candidates should be familiar with Microsoft Azure and Microsoft 365 and want to understand how Microsoft security, compliance, and identity solutions can span across these solution areas to provide a holistic and end-to-end solution.
The university has purchased licenses for a platform named G-metrix to help you prepare for the Microsoft Certified Fundamentals certifications. Here you will have access to all of the video materials to learn the content for your chosen certification.
G-metrix also provides you with practice tests for every certification type. These can be a great place to start if you have some familiarity with the topic and want to find areas you know less about. They're also useful for checking if you're ready to take your final assessment. We recommend booking your final assessment in advance to give you a specific date to work towards.
The guide linked below will help you through setting up an account, obtaining and entering an access code, and utilising the platform to its full potential.
To be ready to take your test, you should have completed at least 2 practice tests with a score of 70% or more. This is the pass mark for all of the Microsoft Fundamentals exams. These are challenging assessments with a pass rate of around 60-65%. The tabs below will guide you through the steps of booking your assessment.
The assessments are taken on Certiport’s Compass Cloud which has been installed on University computers for you. If you don’t have one already, you will need to set up a Certiport account . You will use your Certiport email and password to log in to Compass Cloud to take the assessment on the day, so you will need to remember this email address and password on the day of the exam.
If needed, please request any assessment accommodations, such as extra time, from Certiport more than 2 weeks before the assessment.
If you would like any exam accommodations, such as additional time for the assessment, you will need to apply directly to Certiport for these. Information on the accommodations process and how to apply is available on the
Certiport website
.
This process can take up to 2 weeks to be approved, so please apply more than 2 weeks in advance of your assessment.
When you book your place to take your assessment we will ask you to complete an additional form to let us know which exam you are taking and – if you have applied for exam accommodations - to let The University know what accommodations you have been granted by Certiport.
This information will be shared with those administrating the exam/pilot and staff present on the day. Microsoft Fundamentals Certifications assessments are external assessments by an external provider (Certiport) that does not have access to the University’s Disability Advisory and Support Service or other information that The University of Manchester might have.
Use the library booking system to book a seat for your assessment. Please book only one date for your assessment. The assessments will take place on campus in The University of Manchester Library in the Blue 4.1 Teaching Suite. A University computer with the assessment software installed will be provided for you.
Please fill in the form below once you have booked your seat to tell us which certification you wish to take and if you have requested any exam accommodations.
You will get your result immediately after you have completed the assessment. Certificates can be accessed from your Certiport account by going to the 'My Transcript' tab at the top of the page.
We advise you to download this report and keep it somewhere safe as proof of your certification.
We recommend that you only sign up for one certification at a time as they are completely extracurricular. Your access codes will allow you to study for multiple certifications at a time so, once you have completed a certification, you can study for and sit another one if you wish. We do allow retakes but the Certiport platform does not allow you to resit an exam within 24 hours.
If you would like to cancel your exam slot, there will be a cancellation link within the confirmation email of your booking. This cancellation link will also be contained in any reminder emails you receive.
If you will not be attending a session that you have booked onto, please make sure you cancel as you may be taking a space away from someone else.
We do not offer remote certifications to students. All certifications will be taken in the Blue 4.1 Teaching Suite in the Main Library.
These certifications are currently available to all students until July 2026. They are assigned on a first-come-first-served basis so make sure not to leave it too late!
The Microsoft Certified Fundamentals certifications are quite niche and will mainly benefit students that want to go into fields like IT, software development, data science and artificial intelligence. If this sounds like you, read through the descriptions at the top of this page to decide which you would like to go for.
The Generative AI certification is much more widely applicable. Choose this certification if you want to show employers that you are proficient with using and interacting with generative AI in a safe, ethical and efficient manner.
If you have any issues that aren't covered by the information on this page or in the linked online guides, feel free to get in touch with us at uml.teachingandlearning@manchester.ac.uk.