Microsoft GitHub Foundations (GH-900) Study Guide [18 Minute Read]

A First-Principles Approach to Git and GitHub

If you've ever emailed yourself a file named report_v2_FINAL_reallyfinal.docx, you've already felt the problem version control solves — you just didn't have the right tool for it yet. This guide builds your understanding of Git and GitHub from the ground up: not just what each feature is called, but why it exists and what breaks when you don't use it. Each section gives you a mental model you can reason from on exam day, even for a scenario the guide never explicitly covers.

Official Exam Objectives: GH-900: Study guide for Exam GH-900 GitHub Foundations

GH-900 is a Fundamentals-level, closed-book exam aimed at non-developers, developers, and anyone who works inside GitHub day to day. Expect mostly single-answer and multi-select multiple-choice questions, with some short scenario framing ("A team lead wants to...") rather than heavy case studies — this exam tests recognition and understanding, not hands-on configuration.

Typical exam details (sourced from third-party certification trackers, since Microsoft's official page doesn't publish exact figures — verify current numbers on your exam registration page before test day): approximately 75 questions, 120 minutes, passing score 700 out of 1000, no prerequisites, delivered via PSI. The credential earned is GitHub Certified: Foundations, typically valid for two years.

Exam Domain Weights

Nearly a third of the exam sits in Phase 1 and Phase 2 alone — the fundamentals of Git and the GitHub Flow. Get those mental models solid first; everything else in this guide builds on them.

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