The SC-200 exam is an Associate-level exam, so the typical price is US$165. The bigger question this month is timing: the exam is updated on October 21, 2026.
Quick Answer
- • SC-200 exam cost: US$165 (typical Associate price); Microsoft prices exams by country or region
- • With one retake: about US$330, because every attempt is a full fee
- • Renewing the certification each year is free
- • Exam update: October 21, 2026 (English version)
What SC-200 costs
SC-200 leads to Microsoft Certified: Security Operations Analyst Associate. Microsoft's own exam FAQ says Associate and Expert exams typically cost US$165, priced according to currency values in specific countries and regions, and that additional taxes may apply.
| Scenario | Cost (United States) |
|---|---|
| One attempt, pass first time | US$165 |
| One failed attempt, then a pass | US$330 |
| Yearly renewal assessment | Free |
| Official Microsoft Learn training and practice assessment | Free |
For every other exam and country, see the full Microsoft exam cost guide.
Retake policy and the real cost of failing
Microsoft does not refund exams you do not pass or appointments you miss, and you pay for every retake. After a first failure you wait 24 hours, then 14 days between later attempts, and you cannot sit an exam more than five times in 12 months.
That makes a failed attempt the single biggest avoidable cost: it doubles your total to US$330. Timed practice before you book is cheaper than a retake.
The SC-200 exam update on October 21, 2026
Microsoft updates the English version of SC-200 on October 21, 2026. Microsoft marks the Ingest data into the Microsoft Sentinel SIEM and platform section as a minor change, The outline as of that date also lists investigating incidents with agentic AI, including embedded Security Copilot, and Sentinel data lake topics. The audience profile and the Manage a security operations environment group are otherwise unchanged. Localized versions are updated roughly eight weeks after the English one.
| Skill area | Weight |
|---|---|
| Manage a security operations environment | 40–45% |
| Respond to security incidents | 35–40% |
| Perform threat hunting | 20–25% |
If your study notes were built on the old outline, the change is small, so you do not need to restart. The practical risk is booking the exam in the gap: check which outline your appointment date falls under, and read the new Sentinel data lake, hunting graph and Security Copilot bullets before you sit.
The MSCertQuiz SC-200 question bank has already been updated to the new skills outline, so practice questions match what the updated exam measures.
What the SC-200 exam tests
The fee buys one attempt at a 700-out-of-1000 pass mark across these skill areas, taken from the Microsoft Learn study guide. Knowing the weighting helps you decide where an extra week of study pays off.
Manage a security operations environment (40–45%)
Configuring automation and policies in Microsoft Defender XDR and Defender for Endpoint, including attack surface reduction rules; building Microsoft Sentinel automation rules, playbooks and workbooks; ingesting data with connectors such as Windows Security Events via AMA, Syslog and CEF via AMA; managing data retention tiers; and creating detections with custom detection rules, Sentinel analytics rules and MITRE ATT&CK coverage analysis.
Respond to security incidents (35–40%)
Investigating and remediating incidents across Defender for Office 365, Defender for Endpoint (device timelines, live response, investigation packages), Defender for Identity, Defender for Cloud Apps, Microsoft Purview and Microsoft Entra ID, plus investigating activity with Purview Audit, eDiscovery content search and Microsoft Graph activity logs.
Perform threat hunting (20–25%)
Choosing the right table for a KQL query, writing Advanced Hunting queries, interpreting threat analytics, and hunting in Microsoft Sentinel with hunting queries, KQL jobs in the data lake, summary rule tables and notebooks.
Total cost to get certified
The exam fee is the main cost, but it is rarely the only one. Here is a realistic range in United States dollars, using the figures above and MSCertQuiz practice at US$19.99 for one certification.
| Plan | Total |
|---|---|
| Exam fee, pass first time | US$165.00 |
| Exam fee plus MSCertQuiz practice (one certification) | US$184.99 |
| One retake plus practice | US$349.99 |
Microsoft Learn training, the official practice assessment and the exam sandbox are free, so the only required spend is the exam fee. Paid practice is optional, and its value is in catching weak areas before you pay for an attempt that you may need to repeat.
Is the SC-200 exam worth the cost?
Microsoft describes the SC-200 candidate as a security operations analyst who triages and responds to incidents, hunts for threats and engineers detections across Defender XDR, Sentinel, Entra ID, Purview and Defender for Cloud. If that is your job, or the job you want, a US$165 fee is small next to what the credential signals. If you are new to security, SC-900 costs less and builds the vocabulary first.
After SC-200, many candidates look at SC-100 for an architect-level security credential, or compare it with identity-focused SC-300.
A study plan that protects your fee
A planning guide, not an official Microsoft schedule: adjust it to your experience and the hours you can give each week.
- Week 1: Defender XDR and Defender for Endpoint, with a free trial or lab tenant to click through incidents.
- Week 2: Microsoft Sentinel setup, data connectors, analytics rules, automation rules and playbooks.
- Week 3: KQL. This is the skill that most often decides the exam, so write queries daily instead of reading about them.
- Week 4: incident response across Defender for Office 365, Identity and Cloud Apps, then timed practice questions.
Book the exam only when your timed practice scores are consistently above the 700 pass mark, not on the first good day.
How to spend less on SC-200
- • Use the free Microsoft Learn learning paths and the official practice assessment first.
- • Check Microsoft offers and student pricing and employer vouchers before paying full price.
- • Sit timed, exam-style practice until you pass consistently, so you only pay the fee once.
- • Reschedule at least 24 hours ahead, because missed appointments forfeit the fee.
Next steps: the SC-200 study guide, free SC-200 practice questions, SC-200 vs SC-300, or the SC-200 exam page.
Practice SC-200 with exam-style questions
40 free questions with explanations and Microsoft Learn references. No credit card required.
Start Free SC-200 Practice →Frequently asked questions
How much does the SC-200 exam cost?
Microsoft says Associate and Expert exams typically cost US$165, priced by country or region. SC-200 is an Associate exam, so US$165 is the typical figure in the United States. Taxes may apply and the fee is subject to change.
How much is an SC-200 retake?
A retake is another full exam fee, so one failed attempt followed by a pass costs about US$330 in the United States. Microsoft requires a 24-hour wait after the first failure and 14 days between later attempts, with a maximum of five attempts in 12 months. There are no refunds for failed or missed exams.
Does the SC-200 update on October 21, 2026 change the price?
Microsoft change log for the update covers the skills measured and does not mention a price change. Fees are set per country or region and can change, so confirm the amount when you schedule.
Is SC-200 harder than SC-300 or SC-900?
SC-200 is an Associate exam with a heavy KQL and Microsoft Sentinel component, so it is usually considered harder than SC-900 and comparable to SC-300. See the SC-200 vs SC-300 comparison for a side-by-side view.
Does SC-200 renewal cost anything?
No. Associate certifications expire after 12 months, and Microsoft lets you renew by passing a free online assessment on Microsoft Learn within the renewal window, so only the first exam attempt carries a fee.
Is there a cheaper way to prepare for SC-200?
Yes. Microsoft Learn content and the official practice assessment are free. MSCertQuiz adds exam-style practice questions at US$19.99 per certification or US$14.99 per month for all certifications, which costs less than a single retake.