The GH-900: GitHub Foundations certification validates your knowledge of the essential concepts and practices required to effectively collaborate and contribute within GitHub. It is designed to assess your understanding of how GitHub works, the products it offers, and the foundational skills needed to navigate and manage repositories. The exam evaluates your skills and understanding across the following core areas:
- Collaboration in GitHub – Demonstrating how to work with others on projects, including issues, pull requests, discussions, and project boards.
- GitHub Products – Understanding the ecosystem of GitHub offerings, including GitHub Enterprise, GitHub Actions, GitHub Packages, and GitHub Copilot.
- Git Fundamentals – Applying the basics of Git, such as version control, branching, merging, and handling commits.
- Repository Management – Navigating, contributing to, and maintaining GitHub repositories while following best practices for secure and efficient workflows.
Once earned, the GH-900 certification is valid for two years, ensuring your foundational GitHub skills remain recognized and up to date in a rapidly evolving developer ecosystem.
Who Should Take the GH-900 Exam?
The GH-900: GitHub Foundations certification is well-suited for:
- New GitHub Users – Individuals just starting with GitHub who want to formally validate their foundational knowledge.
- Students & Entry-Level Developers – Learners looking to showcase GitHub proficiency as part of their academic or early career portfolio.
- IT Professionals & DevOps Beginners – Professionals exploring GitHub as part of their workflow for collaboration and version control.
- Team Members & Project Contributors – Non-developers or cross-functional team members (e.g., project managers, designers, or technical writers) who collaborate within GitHub repositories.
Exam Details
- The GH-900: GitHub Foundations certification is designed at the Beginner level, making it an ideal starting point for individuals who are new to GitHub or want to strengthen their foundational understanding of the platform.
- This certification is relevant to a wide range of roles, including Administrators, App Makers, Developers, DevOps Engineers, and Solution Architects. It ensures that professionals across technical and collaborative functions can demonstrate their ability to work effectively within GitHub.
- Candidates are given 100 minutes to complete the assessment, which is proctored to maintain exam integrity. The exam may also include interactive components, requiring you to apply concepts in practical scenarios rather than relying solely on theoretical knowledge.
- The GH-900 exam is offered in multiple languages, including English, Spanish, Portuguese (Brazil), Korean, and Japanese, making it accessible to a global audience.
- Most of the questions focus on features that are in General Availability (GA). However, you may also encounter questions about Preview features, particularly if those features are commonly used by GitHub users in real-world settings.
Course Outline
The exam covers the following topics:
Domain 1: Overview of Git and GitHub (22%)
Understanding the basics of Git
- Explaining what Git is and why it is used
- Describe the basic Git workflow
- Understanding the concept of repositories
- Explaining the difference between local and remote repositories
- Initializing a Git repository
- Clone a repository
- Add and commit changes
- Push and pull changes
- Understanding branching and merging
- Creating a GitHub account
- Create and manage repositories on GitHub
- Understanding the GitHub interface
- Using GitHub issues and pull requests
Domain 2: Working with GitHub Repositories (8%)
- Configuring repository settings
- Set up repository permissions
- Using repository templates
Working with files in a repository
Domain 3: Learn About Collaboration Features (30%)
- Fork repositories
- Creating and managing pull requests
- Review and merge pull requests
- Using GitHub Actions for CI/CD
Using GitHub for project management
- Creating and managing issues
- Use labels, milestones, and projects
- Tracking progress with GitHub Projects
Domain 4: Understand Modern Development (13%)
- Understanding the principles of DevOps
- Using GitHub Actions for automation
- Implementing CI/CD pipelines
Using GitHub for code review
Domain 5: Overview of Project Management (7%)
- Creating and managing GitHub Projects
- Using project boards for task management
- Integrate GitHub Projects with issues and pull requests
Domain 6: Understand Privacy, Security, and Administration (10%)
- Set up branch protection rules
- Using security features like Dependabot
- Managing repository access and permissions
Administering GitHub organizations
Domain 7: Learn About the Benefits of the GitHub Community (10%)
Engaging with the GitHub community
- Participate in open source projects
- Using GitHub Discussions
- Contributing to community projects
GH-900: GitHub Foundations Exam FAQs
Exam Policies for GH-900: GitHub Foundations
Microsoft offers various exam policies. Some of them are:
– Proctoring and Assessment Format
The GH-900: GitHub Foundations exam is a fully proctored certification designed to ensure a secure, fair, and consistent evaluation experience. The assessment may include interactive components that simulate real-world GitHub workflows, enabling candidates to demonstrate their ability to collaborate, contribute, and manage repositories effectively. These elements are carefully designed to assess both theoretical knowledge and practical application of GitHub’s core features, ensuring candidates can confidently apply their skills in real-world scenarios.
– Exam Duration and Candidate Experience
Candidates are allotted 100 minutes to complete the GH-900 assessment. To maximize performance, it is highly recommended that candidates review the official Exam Duration and Candidate Experience guidelines prior to attempting the test. These resources provide valuable insights into question structure, time management strategies, and task-based exercises that may be included. Familiarity with these details helps candidates approach the exam with confidence, optimize their time, and perform consistently across all sections.
– Retake Policy
If a candidate does not pass the exam on the first attempt, they may retake it after a 24-hour waiting period. For subsequent attempts, the required waiting period increases progressively, depending on the number of prior attempts. This structured retake policy is intended to give candidates adequate time to review concepts, reinforce their knowledge, and strengthen their skills before reattempting the certification.
GH-900: GitHub Foundations Exam Study Guide
Step 1: Review the Exam Objectives
Begin your preparation by carefully reviewing the exam objectives published by Microsoft. These objectives outline the specific topics and skills measured in the exam, such as collaboration in GitHub, Git fundamentals, repository management, and GitHub products. Having a clear understanding of the scope ensures you can focus your study efforts on the areas that matter most.
Step 2: Follow the Microsoft Learning Path
Microsoft provides an official Learning Path tailored for the GH-900 exam. This structured series of modules introduces you to GitHub’s foundational concepts and guides you through hands-on exercises. Completing the learning path helps build both theoretical knowledge and practical experience, giving you confidence in navigating GitHub’s features. Furthermore, the training resources are:
– Course GH-900T00-A: GitHub Foundations
The GH-900T00-A: GitHub Foundations course provides a comprehensive introduction to GitHub’s core concepts, features, and products. It covers essential topics such as repository management, commits, branches, merging, and the GitHub flow, including pull requests. Learners also gain practical experience with GitHub’s collaborative tools, including issues, discussions, notifications, and subscriptions. Designed for students and professionals seeking to understand GitHub best practices, the course combines curated modules with hands-on exercises to help participants build confidence in contributing to projects and collaborating effectively within the GitHub environment.
– Introduction to GitHub
Introduction to GitHub is designed to help learners become familiar with GitHub’s fundamental features and workflows. The course covers repository management, the GitHub flow with branches, commits, and pull requests, as well as collaboration tools such as issues and discussions. Participants also learn how to effectively manage notifications and subscriptions, equipping them with the skills to collaborate efficiently and contribute to projects on GitHub.
Step 3: Complete Knowledge Assessments
After each module, take advantage of the knowledge checks and assessments provided. These quizzes are designed to test your comprehension of the material and highlight areas where further review may be needed. Consistently scoring well on these checks is a strong indicator that you are retaining the essential concepts.
Step 4: Join Study Groups and Communities
Enhance your preparation by joining study groups, online communities, or discussion forums where other candidates and professionals share insights, tips, and resources. Engaging with a peer network not only reinforces your learning but also exposes you to different perspectives and real-world use cases of GitHub.
Step 5: Take Practice Tests
Finally, evaluate your readiness with practice tests designed to simulate the actual exam environment. These tests help you become familiar with the question format, timing, and interactive components you may encounter. Analyzing your performance on practice tests allows you to identify weak areas and adjust your study plan accordingly.
