AB-900 Cheat Sheet 2026: Quick Reference
Every domain condensed to a table, plus a Purview feature decision matrix and an admin center map for the exam's most-confused topics.
Exam Snapshot
Nothing on this page is guessed. Domain weights and every reference link trace back to Microsoft's current AB-900 exam page, cross-verified against the same source material used to build our 500-question AB-900 bank.
1. Core Microsoft 365 Features & Objects (30-35%)
| Concept | Admin center / area | Quick note |
|---|---|---|
| License types | M365 admin center | Determines which features a user/group can access |
| Org configuration | M365 admin center | Domain names and org-wide settings |
| Mailboxes, distribution groups | Exchange admin center | Core Exchange objects |
| Sites, libraries, folders | SharePoint admin center | Core SharePoint objects and permissions |
| Teams, channels, policies | Teams admin center | Core Teams objects |
| Zero Trust principles | Security foundation | Verify explicitly, least privilege, assume breach |
| Conditional access, SSO | Microsoft Entra ID | Core access-control and sign-in features |
| MFA / risky sign-in troubleshooting | Entra sign-in logs | First place to check failed or risky sign-ins |
| Identity Secure Score | Microsoft Entra ID | Org-wide identity posture score |
| PIM | Microsoft Entra ID | Just-in-time privileged role activation |
| App registrations vs. Enterprise apps | Microsoft Entra ID | Registration = app identity; Enterprise app = an instance in your tenant |
2. Data Protection & Governance (35-40%)
| Concept | Feature / Area | Quick note |
|---|---|---|
| Purview Information Protection | Sensitivity labels | Classify and persistently protect content |
| Purview DLP | Real-time policy | Blocks specific risky actions as they happen |
| Purview Insider Risk Management | Behavioral pattern | Detects risky patterns over time, not single events |
| Purview Communication Compliance | Message-level policy | Catches violations inside messages themselves |
| Purview DSPM for AI | Copilot-specific | Finds and reduces AI oversharing/exposure risk |
| Purview Data Lifecycle Management | Retention | Retention policies and labels |
| Copilot data access | Microsoft Graph | Copilot respects existing M365 permissions, doesn't bypass them |
| Compliance Manager | Risk scoring | Compliance risk score and recommendations |
| Data Explorer | Discovery | Finds sensitive information across the tenant |
| Activity explorer | Audit | Reviews user activity involving sensitive data |
| eDiscovery Content search | Investigation | Searches files and emails for specific content |
| SharePoint Advanced Management | Oversharing | Restricted access control, data access governance reports |
3. Copilot & Agent Administration (25-30%)
| Concept | Feature / Area | Quick note |
|---|---|---|
| Copilot monthly license vs. pay-as-you-go | Billing model | Monthly = per-user add-on; pay-as-you-go = consumption-based, no pre-assigned license |
| Enable/disable Copilot features | Admin toggle | Granular control over which Copilot features are active |
| Researcher agent | Built-in agent | Multi-source research synthesis |
| Analyst agent | Built-in agent | Data/numeric analysis |
| Custom agents | Agent builder | Org-specific agents beyond the built-ins |
| Assign Copilot licenses | M365 admin center | Per-user license assignment |
| Monitor Copilot usage/adoption | Copilot Analytics | Adoption metrics inside the M365 admin center |
| Manage prompts | Save, share, schedule, delete | User-level prompt lifecycle actions |
| Configure agent access | Admin control | Who can use a given agent |
| Agent approval process | Governance gate | Agents go through approval before broad deployment |
| Monitor agents | M365 admin center + Power Platform admin center | Usage, operational insights, and lifecycle span both centers |
Purview Feature Decision Matrix
Five overlapping-sounding Purview features, one job each — this is the single most-tested distinction in Domain 2:
| You need to… | Use this |
|---|---|
| Block a specific risky action in real time (e.g. emailing SSNs externally) | Data Loss Prevention (DLP) |
| Classify and persistently protect content wherever it goes | Sensitivity labels (Information Protection) |
| Detect risky behavioral patterns over time (e.g. mass downloads before resignation) | Insider Risk Management |
| Catch policy violations inside messages themselves (harassment, conflicts of interest) | Communication Compliance |
| Find and reduce Copilot-specific oversharing or exposure risk | DSPM for AI |
| Search files and emails for specific content during an investigation | eDiscovery Content search |
| Score and track overall compliance posture | Compliance Manager |
Admin Center Quick Map
AB-900 questions often name a task and expect you to know which console it lives in:
| Task | Admin center |
|---|---|
| Assign Copilot licenses, manage pay-as-you-go billing | Microsoft 365 admin center |
| Configure DLP, sensitivity labels, Insider Risk, DSPM for AI | Microsoft Purview portal |
| Approve agents, monitor agent lifecycle | M365 admin center + Power Platform admin center |
| Manage conditional access, MFA, PIM, Identity Secure Score | Microsoft Entra admin center |
| Configure mailboxes, distribution groups | Exchange admin center |
| Configure sites, libraries, oversharing reports | SharePoint admin center |
| Configure teams, channels, policies | Teams admin center |
| View Copilot usage and adoption analytics | Copilot Analytics (M365 admin center) |
AB-900 Quick Answers
How is this cheat sheet different from the AB-900 study guide?
The study guide explains the exam's most-confused topics in narrative form with a 3-week plan. This page strips the narrative for tables you can scan in the last hour before the exam.
Which Purview features does AB-900 actually test?
Information Protection, DLP, Insider Risk Management, Communication Compliance, DSPM for AI, and Data Lifecycle Management — see the decision matrix above for when each applies.
What's the fastest way to review right before the exam?
Scan the three domain tables plus the Purview decision matrix — distinguishing overlapping Purview features accounts for a large share of missed Domain 2 questions.
Can I print this AB-900 cheat sheet?
Yes — every table here is plain HTML, so a browser print or "print to PDF" renders cleanly.
MSCertQuiz sells practice-exam access for AB-900 and other Microsoft certifications; this cheat sheet is written by the same team that builds those questions.
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