- A scaled score of 700 or greater is required to pass Exam MD-102.
- You get 100 minutes, and the proctored exam can include interactive question components.
- Manage and maintain devices carries the heaviest weight at 25-30% of the exam.
- Fail once and you wait 24 hours; fail again and the wait becomes 14 days, up to five attempts per 12 months.
The Passing Score: 700 on a 1000-Point Scale
If you're searching for a single number, here it is: Exam MD-102 requires a scaled score of 700 or greater to earn the Microsoft 365 Certified: Endpoint Administrator Associate credential. That score isn't a raw percentage of questions answered correctly - Microsoft uses a scaled scoring model where different questions can carry different weight depending on difficulty and domain placement. There's no published breakdown of exactly how many raw questions you need to hit 700, because the scaling formula isn't public and can shift between exam versions.
What matters practically is this: treat 700 as a floor, not a target. Aiming to "just barely" clear the line is risky because scaled scoring means a handful of misjudged questions in a heavily-weighted domain can cost you more than you'd expect. Candidates who walk in prepared across all five domains - not just their strongest two - consistently report more comfortable margins.
How MD-102 Is Actually Scored
Exam MD-102 is delivered through Pearson VUE, either at a physical test center or via online proctoring. You have 100 minutes to complete the exam, and Microsoft has built in interactive components for the proctored version - meaning some items may ask you to drag, configure, or manipulate simulated settings rather than simply pick an answer from a list. These interactive items still roll into your overall scaled score; there's no separate pass/fail threshold per question type.
Because the clock includes everything - reading scenarios, working through multi-step configuration items, and reviewing flagged questions - time management is as much a scoring factor as content knowledge. Spending too long on a single Intune policy scenario can mean rushing through the last several questions, which tends to hurt accuracy more than most candidates expect.
Key Takeaway
Pace yourself against the 100-minute clock in practice sessions before exam day. If you consistently run short on time in mock tests, that's a scoring risk independent of how well you know the material.
Domain Weights and Why They Matter for Your Score
MD-102's skills outline is organized into five domains, and each carries a different percentage of the overall exam. Because scaled scoring reflects performance across the whole exam, the domains with higher weight naturally have more influence on whether you land above or below 700.
| Domain | Weight | Scoring Impact |
|---|---|---|
| Prepare infrastructure for devices | 20-25% | High - second-largest domain |
| Manage and maintain devices | 25-30% | Highest - largest domain on the exam |
| Protect devices | 15-20% | Moderate |
| Manage and secure applications | 15-20% | Moderate |
| Optimize endpoint operations by using automation, monitoring, and reporting | 10-15% | Lower weight, but growing in relevance |
Notice that Manage and maintain devices is the single largest domain, at 25-30%. Neglecting Intune device configuration profiles, compliance policies, or update rings in favor of lighter domains is a common way candidates leave points on the table. For a full breakdown of what each domain actually tests, the MD-102 Exam Domains 2026 guide walks through every content area in detail.
Manage and Maintain Devices (25-30%)
This domain covers the day-to-day operational work of an endpoint administrator - the tasks you'll be tested on most heavily.
- Configuring and monitoring device compliance policies in Microsoft Intune
- Managing Windows update rings and update policies
- Deploying and troubleshooting configuration profiles
- Monitoring device health and remediating issues at scale
Prepare Infrastructure for Devices (20-25%)
This domain sets the foundation - get it wrong and downstream domains become harder to reason through during scenario questions.
- Configuring Microsoft Entra ID for device identity and enrollment
- Planning and implementing Windows Autopilot deployment profiles
- Setting enrollment restrictions and device limits
- Understanding role-based access control for endpoint management
Question Formats That Affect How You Earn Points
MD-102 questions aren't uniform multiple-choice items. Expect a mix of formats, including scenario-based case studies, drag-and-drop sequencing, and the interactive components mentioned earlier. Some questions present a short business scenario - a company with specific compliance or security requirements - and ask you to choose the configuration that satisfies every stated constraint, not just a technically valid one.
This matters for your score because partial credit is not how these questions typically work: if a scenario has multiple requirements, missing one detail (say, a device compliance deadline or an app protection policy scope) can invalidate an otherwise correct-looking answer. Reading the full scenario before jumping to the answer choices is one of the highest-leverage habits you can build.
If you want a sense of how tough these scenario questions actually feel in practice, the How Hard Is the MD-102 Exam? Complete Difficulty Guide breaks down where most candidates report the most friction.
What Happens If You Miss 700
Falling short of 700 isn't the end of your attempt window, but the retake rules are specific and worth planning around. After a first failed attempt, you must wait 24 hours before retaking Exam MD-102. If you fail a second time, the wait extends to 14 days, and that 14-day gap applies to each subsequent attempt as well. Microsoft caps candidates at five attempts within a 12-month period.
Because each attempt carries the same $165 U.S. exam fee, a failed attempt is a real cost - not just in money but in scheduling friction. Use the mandatory wait period productively: pull your score report, identify which domains you underperformed in, and rebuild your review around those gaps rather than re-reading everything from scratch.
Key Takeaway
Your score report after a failed attempt typically indicates relative performance by domain. Use that signal to target the next 24 hours or 14 days, rather than restarting your entire study plan.
For a broader look at what the numbers behind pass and fail outcomes tend to indicate, see MD-102 Pass Rate 2026: What the Data Shows.
Building a Score-Focused Study Plan
Rather than studying domains in the order they're listed, sequence your prep by weight and by dependency. Since Manage and maintain devices carries the most points, it deserves the most calendar time - but Prepare infrastructure for devices should come first, because Autopilot and Entra ID concepts underpin scenarios in nearly every other domain.
Prepare Infrastructure for Devices
- Microsoft Entra ID device registration and identity
- Windows Autopilot deployment profiles and enrollment
Manage and Maintain Devices
- Intune compliance policies and configuration profiles
- Update rings, monitoring, and device health
Protect Devices & Manage and Secure Applications
- Defender for Endpoint policies
- App protection and app configuration policies
Optimize Endpoint Operations & Full Review
- Automation with PowerShell and Microsoft Graph
- Monitoring, reporting, and timed practice exams
This sequencing isn't generic advice for its own sake - it's built around the actual weight distribution of MD-102's five domains, so your time investment tracks the exam's scoring emphasis. For a more detailed week-by-week approach with resource recommendations, see the MD-102 Study Guide 2026.
Hands-on practice matters more here than memorization. The audience profile for this credential assumes real experience with Microsoft Intune, Entra ID, Windows Autopilot, Defender for Endpoint, Windows 365, PowerShell, and Microsoft Graph, along with newer agentic tools and workflows entering endpoint management. If your day job doesn't already touch these tools, spin up a trial tenant and work through configuration tasks directly rather than reading about them in isolation. Running timed, scenario-style questions on our MD-102 practice test platform before exam day is one of the more reliable ways to gauge whether your score would clear 700 under real time pressure.
Registration, Fees, and Delivery Details
Exam MD-102 is scheduled and delivered through Pearson VUE, with both test-center and online-proctored options available. The exam fee in the United States is $165, with regional pricing applied in other markets. There are no formal prerequisites to register - anyone can book the exam - though the skills measured assume genuine hands-on familiarity with the tools listed above.
Once you pass, the associate certification renews every 12 months at no cost through a Microsoft Learn renewal assessment, so there's no recurring exam fee to maintain active status after your initial pass. If you're still weighing whether the investment is worthwhile relative to what it unlocks professionally, the Is the MD-102 Certification Worth It? Complete ROI Analysis article covers that in more depth, and the MD-102 Certification Cost 2026 breakdown covers every fee scenario.
Before you book, double check the current testing windows and any regional scheduling constraints - details on that are covered in MD-102 Exam Dates 2026: Testing Windows, Deadlines & Scheduling. And if you want a fast one-page reference to keep the 700 threshold, domain weights, and retake rules straight while you study, the MD-102 Cheat Sheet 2026 condenses all of it onto a single page. Running a few timed sets through the practice test engine in the final week before your exam is also one of the clearest ways to see whether your current preparation would realistically clear 700.
FAQ
You need a scaled score of 700 or greater. The scale runs to 1000, but the scaling formula isn't a direct percentage of questions answered correctly.
No. The five domains carry different weights, with Manage and maintain devices weighted heaviest at 25-30%, followed by Prepare infrastructure for devices at 20-25%. Higher-weighted domains have more influence on your final scaled score.
You have 100 minutes total, and the proctored exam may include interactive question components that take extra time to work through, so pacing matters.
After a first failed attempt, you wait 24 hours before retrying. A second failure requires a 14-day wait before the next attempt, and that pattern continues for later retakes, up to five attempts in any 12-month period.
No. Once you pass, the associate certification renews every 12 months at no cost via a Microsoft Learn renewal assessment, so there's no repeat exam fee for maintaining it.