Picture a Windows Server admin who passed AZ-800 last spring and planned to sit AZ-801 “sometime next quarter.” On September 30, 2026, Microsoft retired both exams on the same day. That admin now has one finished exam toward a credential that can no longer be completed the old way, and a new exam, the AZ-802, standing in its place.<\/p>\n
The AZ-802 exam is a single, 120-minute test that replaces the old two-exam path. If you have been reading older study advice that talks about “AZ-800 plus AZ-801,” most of it is now describing something you cannot book. This guide sets out what Microsoft actually retired, what the AZ-802 measures, why the timing lines up with a hard Windows Server deadline, and whether the credential is worth your exam fee. It follows the earlier round of Microsoft retirements<\/a> we covered, but this one changes a whole certification path rather than a single exam.<\/p>\n Warnings now sit at the top of Microsoft’s own exam pages for AZ-800 and AZ-801, stating that both were retired on September 30, 2026. The credential they fed into has been renamed as well, dropping the word “Hybrid.” The facts, as Microsoft Learn’s certification page<\/a> presents them:<\/p>\n This is the situation that catches people. Microsoft’s retired-exam note says an exam had to be completed before its retirement date to count toward a certification, and that afterward you should check the certification page for its exam requirements. I found no published rule that turns a lone AZ-800 or AZ-801 pass into credit toward AZ-802, so plan as though it does not carry over. If you want certainty in writing, Microsoft Credentials support is the place to ask.<\/p>\n Nothing in the retirement notice takes away a credential you already earned. Microsoft’s certification page still lists the standard rule that role-based certifications expire unless renewed, and that renewal is a free online assessment on Microsoft Learn rather than a paid exam. Check your Learn profile for your expiry date and for which assessment it offers you, because I could not confirm from Microsoft’s pages whether renewal now follows the AZ-802 content or the older outline.<\/p>\n Seven domains make up the exam, according to the official AZ-802 study guide<\/a>. It assumes experience with Windows Admin Center, Hyper-V, PowerShell, Azure Arc, Azure Monitor, Azure Update Manager, and Microsoft Defender for Cloud, plus working familiarity with Active Directory Domain Services.<\/p>\n Active Directory is still the biggest block, but it carries less weight than before. On AZ-800, the AD DS domain was 30-35% of the exam. Anyone who built their study plan around domain controllers and Group Policy alone now has a smaller target to hit and a wider range of topics to cover.<\/p>\n Reading the published outlines side by side, three shifts stand out. This is my comparison of Microsoft’s two lists, not an official change log, so treat the framing as interpretation.<\/p>\nWhat Microsoft Retired on September 30, and What Took Its Place<\/h2>\n
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If You Passed Only One of the Old Exams<\/h3>\n
If You Already Hold the Certification<\/h3>\n
What the AZ-802 Exam Actually Measures<\/h2>\n
Where the Points Sit<\/h3>\n
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What Changed Compared With AZ-800 and AZ-801<\/h3>\n