Microsoft Identity and Access Administrator (SC-300) practice exam & study guide

Microsoft positions SC-300 as validating the skills of an administrator who designs, implements, and operates an organization’s identity and access management with Microsoft Entra — managing identity lifecycles for users, devices, resources, and applications.

It expects familiarity with Azure, Microsoft 365, Active Directory Domain Services, PowerShell, and KQL, and covers user identities, authentication and Conditional Access, workload identities, and identity governance.

SC-300 is an associate exam but a focused, deep one: it expects working knowledge of Microsoft Entra configuration — Conditional Access, PIM, governance — not just recognition of features.

The difficulty comes from the breadth of Entra features and from scenario questions that hinge on the exact right policy or governance control. Practising configuration scenarios until they are automatic is the key.

Microsoft does not fix a single public question count for SC-300; it typically presents roughly 40–60 questions in a mix of formats — multiple choice, multiple response, and case studies — with about 100 minutes of working time.

Our full-length practice mock uses a 60-question, 100-minute session so you can rehearse pacing under realistic time pressure before test day.

Microsoft scores SC-300 on a scale of 1 to 1,000, and the passing score is 700. That is a scaled score rather than a raw 70%, because Microsoft adjusts for question difficulty, and there is no penalty for wrong answers, so you should never leave a question blank. Our practice mock uses a 70% threshold to give you a comparable target.

The SC-300 exam fee is set by Microsoft and varies by region — check the Microsoft certification page for current pricing. Microsoft associate certifications are valid for one year and can be renewed for free through an online assessment on Microsoft Learn. Everything on this hub is free.

SC-300 is aimed at identity and access administrators, security administrators, and IT professionals who manage Microsoft Entra identity for their organization.

Microsoft recommends familiarity with Azure, Microsoft 365 workloads, Active Directory Domain Services, PowerShell, and KQL, though there is no formal prerequisite.

SC-300 maps to roles such as identity and access administrator, security administrator, and IAM engineer, where managing Microsoft Entra identity and access is the core of the job. It sits in Microsoft’s security, compliance, and identity pathway.

How much any certification affects pay depends heavily on geography, seniority, and hands-on experience, so treat any single salary figure with caution. SC-300 is best viewed as validation of identity-administration skill rather than a guaranteed raise on its own.

Candidates with Entra experience often need four to eight weeks; those newer to identity should plan longer. The most efficient path is to study each domain while practising in a Microsoft Entra tenant, then drill scenario questions.

Review every explanation, including for questions you answered correctly, because SC-300 distractors are built from plausible but incorrect Entra configurations. Use the per-domain results here to find and shore up your weakest area, then finish with full-length timed mocks.

Study the four domains above, giving the most time to authentication and access management, then drill scenario questions domain by domain. Every MockAPI question reveals a full explanation and tells you why each wrong answer is wrong — essential for an exam that turns on exact identity configurations.

When you can answer scenarios comfortably, move to full-length timed mocks, ideally alongside hands-on practice with Conditional Access and PIM. Use the glossary to keep the Entra services straight, and aim to score consistently above the pass mark before you book.

Yes. Microsoft delivers SC-300 through Pearson VUE, so you can test at a physical Pearson VUE centre or online with remote proctoring (OnVUE). The online exam requires a private, quiet room, a clear workspace, a webcam and microphone, a stable connection, and government-issued photo ID, with a proctor monitoring you and a room scan before you start.

If you do not pass, Microsoft requires a 24-hour wait before a second attempt; after that, a 14-day wait applies between further attempts, with a limit of five attempts in a 12-month period, and each attempt needs its own registration.

After SC-300, common next steps include the Cybersecurity Architect Expert (SC-100), the Security Operations Analyst (SC-200), or the Information Security Administrator (SC-401), depending on your focus.

For many, the real next step is owning identity for an organization. Pairing SC-300 with hands-on Microsoft Entra experience is what turns the certificate into a career.