Microsoft Certified: Security Operations Analyst Associate

What is it?

What exactly is the Microsoft Certified: Security Operations Analyst Associate?

Security operations analyst associate

Microsoft Certified: Security Operations Analyst Associate (SC-200) validates skills to investigate and respond to threats using Microsoft Sentinel and Defender.

Before you book

Who is eligible to sit the Microsoft Certified: Security Operations Analyst Associate?

Who it is for: Security operations analysts

The test itself

What is the format of the Microsoft Certified: Security Operations Analyst Associate?

The Microsoft Certified: Security Operations Analyst Associate is administered by Pearson VUE and runs 150 minutes, contains 40-60 questions and requires 700 of 1000 to pass.

Money & time

How much does the Microsoft Certified: Security Operations Analyst Associate cost?

For the Microsoft Certified: Security Operations Analyst Associate, the exam fee is $165; the all-in cost is typically $165+; most candidates spend 2–4 months preparing.

The fine print

What are the retake and renewal rules for the Microsoft Certified: Security Operations Analyst Associate?

Proctoring & delivery

Delivered by Pearson VUE. You can sit the exam at a Pearson VUE test center or take it online through OnVUE remote proctoring; the fee is the same for both. Online proctoring requires a quiet, private space, a working webcam, and a system check beforehand.

Retake policy

If you do not pass, you may retake the exam after 24 hours. A second failed attempt requires a 14-day waiting period, and any further attempts also require a 14-day wait between them, up to a maximum of five attempts in a 12-month period.

Score reporting

A pass/fail result is shown immediately after the exam. The official score report is emailed within about 24 hours and is also available in your Microsoft certification profile, with section-level feedback on how you performed.

Recertification

Microsoft role-based, specialty, and fundamentals certifications are valid for 12 months from the date earned. Renew at no cost by passing the shorter online renewal assessment on Microsoft Learn before the credential expires. Retired certifications cannot be renewed and must be re-earned through the active successor if one exists.

Refunds & rescheduling

Exam fees are generally non-refundable once a seat is purchased, but you can cancel or reschedule through Pearson VUE at no charge if you do so at least 24–48 hours before the appointment (exact window varies by region).

What it pays

How much does this credential pay?

Expect information-security-analyst pay at a May 2024 median of $124,910 (BLS) — SC-200 is the Security Operations Analyst Associate certification, a role-based credential for the SOC and security-operations track

The direct answer is that the SC-200 (Microsoft Security Operations Analyst) certification serves security-operations roles that BLS classifies under information security analysts (SOC 15-1212), at a May 2024 median annual wage of $124,910, with the lowest 10 percent under about $73,000 and the highest 10 percent above about $170,000. The honest framing is that the certification does not set pay — security-analyst salaries are set by market, employer, and experience — but the credential signals Microsoft security-operations competence (Microsoft 365 Defender, Defender for Cloud, Microsoft Sentinel, and incident response) that employers list for SOC and security-operations roles, and it sits in the fastest-growing segment of IT: BLS projects about 30 percent employment growth for information security analysts from 2024 to 2034, much faster than average, with roughly 18,000 annual openings. The exam itself is approximately 40 to 60 questions in 150 minutes, scored pass/fail around 700 on the 100-900 scale, covering mitigation of threats using Microsoft 365 Defender, mitigation of threats using Defender for Cloud, mitigation of threats using Microsoft Sentinel, and hunting and responding to threats. The practical read: SC-200 is the Microsoft security-operations certification, valuable for analysts in Microsoft-centric SOCs, and the credential’s value is the Microsoft-security employability signal in a high-demand field. For candidates deciding whether to pursue it, the exam rewards hands-on security-tool experience, and the strongest preparation combines Microsoft Learn modules with a trial tenant and lab exercises.

Job growth.BLS projects about 30% growth for information security analysts from 2024 to 2034, much faster than average.

Source: BLS OOH — Information Security Analysts

Your schedule

How long should I study for it?

80-140 study hours over 8-12 weeks of focused study

Plan for roughly 8 to 12 weeks and 80 to 140 hours of study for SC-200, structured around the four measured domains — Microsoft 365 Defender, Defender for Cloud, Microsoft Sentinel, and threat hunting and response — with hands-on lab practice as the highest-yield study tool. The most effective sequence is: first, complete the official Microsoft Learn learning paths for the exam in order; second, work through the Microsoft security lab environments — configuring Microsoft 365 Defender, Defender for Cloud, and Sentinel, and practising detections and incident response; third, take Microsoft’s official practice assessment to calibrate; fourth, re-study the weak domains; and fifth, book the exam. The highest-yield habit is the hands-on lab work: the exam rewards applied security-operations knowledge, and candidates who practise the tools score well above those who only read. Budget the Sentinel and threat-hunting content the most time, since it carries a large question share and is where the exam is hardest. The final week should be a light review of the skills-measured document and the lab notes. After passing, plan the annual renewal assessment within 12 months.

1. Weeks 1-340

   Microsoft 365 Defender

   • Complete the Learn paths for Defender
   • Configure the lab environment
   • Practise detections and responses
2. Weeks 4-745

   Sentinel + Defender for Cloud

   • Practise Sentinel analytics and incidents
   • Study Defender for Cloud posture
   • Take the official practice assessment
3. Weeks 8-1035

   Hunting + gap closure

   • Practise threat hunting queries
   • Re-study weak domains
   • Take a second practice pass
4. Final weeks15

   Exam readiness

   • Review the skills-measured document
   • Light lab review
   • Book the exam

What to buy

Which study resources are worth paying for?

SC-200 preparation costs are modest: the exam fee is $165, Microsoft Learn paths are free, and Microsoft’s lab environments are available through free trials and the Learn sandbox, so the main optional spend is a practice-question bank. The comparison below separates the official resources, the exam, and commercial prep, with prices current to this review. The buying rule is to spend on the official practice assessment and a Q-bank that mirrors Microsoft’s style, and to treat the free Learn paths and labs as the syllabus.

Prices approximate and dated to this review; the certification renews annually via a short assessment.

What you'll face

What question types will I see?

SC-200 contains approximately 40 to 60 questions in 150 minutes, scored pass/fail at 700/900, covering four domains: mitigate threats using Microsoft 365 Defender, mitigate threats using Defender for Cloud, mitigate threats using Microsoft Sentinel, and hunt for and respond to threats. Item formats include multiple-choice, case-study items, and scenario questions. The samples below are editor-written illustrations of the published skills-measured document, not live exam items.

Samples are editor-written illustrations of the published skills-measured document, not live exam items.

Reference

What are the key facts about the Microsoft Certified: Security Operations Analyst Associate?

Microsoft Certified: Security Operations Analyst Associate is a certification credential; awarded by Microsoft; the exam fee is $165; typical preparation is 2–4 months; holders typically earn $95,000 – $135,000.

In short

Is the Microsoft Certified: Security Operations Analyst Associate worth it?

• SC-200 is the security operations associate cert.
• It covers Sentinel and Defender.
• It renews yearly.

Worth comparing

How does the Microsoft Certified: Security Operations Analyst Associate compare with similar credentials?

• Microsoft Certified: Azure Security Engineer Associate Microsoft

Trust

Where does this information come from?

Everything above is taken from the awarding body's own published material. Fees, question counts and domain weights are revised regularly — check the official page before you pay.

• Microsoft Awarding body
• Official Microsoft Certified: Security Operations Analyst Associate exam page Exam page
• Microsoft certification programme Programme rules

Research confidence: high · Last reviewed 2026-08