GitHub · GH-900
GitHub Foundations (GH-900) Practice Tests
Validates understanding of foundational topics, products, and concepts of collaborating, contributing, and working on GitHub.
Exam Details
Practice Questions
409
≈ 5 practice exams
Duration
100 minutes
Passing Score
700/1000
Difficulty
FoundationalLast Updated
Oct 2026
Topics Covered
Git and GitHub FundamentalsWorking with RepositoriesCollaboration FeaturesModern DevelopmentProject ManagementPrivacy, Security, and AdministrationGitHub Community
GitHub Foundations GH-900 Practice Exam
GH-900 validates everyday GitHub fluency: Git and GitHub fundamentals (25-30%), repositories (10-15%), collaboration (10-15%), modern development (10-15%), project management (5-10%), privacy, security, and administration (10-15%), and the GitHub community (5-10%). These ranges come from the revised blueprint effective January 2026; older fixed-percentage study guides no longer match the exam.
Microsoft lists 100 minutes and a passing score of 700 or greater, with pricing based on the country or region where the exam is proctored. GitHub says the exam has 60 scored multiple-choice questions plus approximately 10-15 unscored pretest questions. There are no formal prerequisites, and the Foundations credential does not require renewal.
Use these 630 questions with a real repository open beside you. Practise branches, commits, pull requests, reviews, issues, discussions, project views, releases, permissions, security features, and community workflows; the exam expects you to choose the GitHub feature or collaboration step that fits a scenario, not merely define vocabulary.
Exam Domain Breakdown
Understand Git and GitHub basics28%
Work with GitHub repositories13%
Collaborate using GitHub13%
Apply modern development practices13%
Manage projects with GitHub8%
Understand privacy, security, and administration13%
Explore the GitHub community8%
Exam Overview
GitHub Foundations (GH-900) validates basic use of Git, repositories, collaboration workflows, project-management features, security and administration concepts, and the GitHub community. It is intended for developers and nondevelopers who need to work effectively on GitHub.
The current seven-domain blueprint took effect in January 2026. It replaces older fixed domain percentages with ranges and adds current platform topics, so candidates should avoid study guides built around the previous outline.
Who Should Take This Exam
The GitHub Foundations certification is designed for a broad range of GitHub users, including software developers, DevOps engineers, solution architects, app makers, and IT administrators who want a formal credential validating their GitHub proficiency. It is equally suitable for non-technical roles such as project managers, technical writers, and open-source contributors who collaborate on GitHub but may not write code daily.
This certification is particularly valuable for early-career professionals and students looking to establish credibility in collaborative development environments, as well as experienced professionals who use GitHub daily but have never formally validated their skills. Anyone preparing for more advanced GitHub certifications—such as GitHub Actions, GitHub Advanced Security, or GitHub Administration—should consider GH-900 as a natural starting point.
Prerequisites
There are no formal prerequisites required to sit for the GitHub Foundations exam. However, candidates are expected to have hands-on familiarity with GitHub's core interface and basic Git operations before attempting the exam. Comfortable navigation of repositories, understanding of commits, branches, and pull requests, and exposure to GitHub's collaboration features (issues, discussions, notifications) will provide a meaningful foundation.
Microsoft Learn recommends completing the official 'GitHub Foundations Part 1' and 'GitHub Foundations Part 2' learning paths before sitting the exam. Candidates who have spent time working on real or practice GitHub repositories—creating branches, submitting pull requests, and reviewing code—will be best positioned to pass without additional study.
Exam Format
Microsoft lists 100 minutes and a passing scaled score of 700 or greater. GitHub states that the exam includes 60 scored multiple-choice questions plus approximately 10-15 unscored pretest questions. Pricing varies by country or region, and delivery is through Pearson VUE.
There are no formal prerequisites. Under GitHub's current certification policy, Foundations does not require renewal.
Skills Measured
- 1.Understand Git and GitHub basics (25–30%): Covers version control fundamentals including the purpose of Git and GitHub, key concepts such as repositories, commits, and branches, GitHub accounts and enterprise options, GitHub Flow, Markdown usage, and recognition of GitHub Desktop and GitHub Mobile use cases.
- 2.Work with GitHub repositories (10–15%): Covers repository structure and key files (README, LICENSE, CONTRIBUTING, CODEOWNERS, SECURITY), creating and managing repositories using templates and branches, managing files, repository insights, stars, metrics dashboards, dependency insights, and maintenance best practices.
- 3.Collaborate using GitHub (10–15%): Covers use of issues, pull requests, and discussions for collaboration, linking pull requests to issues, managing templates and assignments, configuring notifications, and using Gists, Wikis, and GitHub Pages for documentation and information sharing.
- 4.Apply modern development practices (10–15%): Covers GitHub Actions for automation, GitHub Copilot's AI code suggestions including Copilot agents, Agent Mode, and multi-model support, Copilot tier differences (Individual, Business, Enterprise), GitHub Codespaces and dev containers, and the github.dev editor versus Codespaces.
- 5.Manage projects with GitHub (5–10%): Covers GitHub Projects layout options, configuring projects, labels, milestones, workflows, using saved replies and assignees, and using project insights to track progress and productivity.
- 6.Understand privacy, security, and administration (10–15%): Covers securing accounts with 2FA and passkeys, access permissions and roles for repositories and organizations, Enterprise Managed Users (EMUs), Copilot policy management, repository privacy and visibility settings, branch protection rules, and managing organization settings, teams, and roles.
- 7.Explore the GitHub community (5–10%): Covers open-source benefits, GitHub Sponsors, InnerSource principles, following users and organizations, the GitHub Marketplace, and the use of forks, templates, and discoverable repositories to promote collaboration.
Study Tips
- Complete the official Microsoft Learn learning paths 'GitHub Foundations Part 1' and 'GitHub Foundations Part 2' in full — these were created in direct collaboration with GitHub and map directly to all seven exam domains.
- Use the free Practice Assessment available on the GitHub Foundations certification page at Microsoft Learn (assessment ID 954809103) to identify weak areas before your exam date, as it mirrors the style and difficulty of real exam questions.
- Prioritize the 'Understand Git and GitHub basics' domain (25–30% of the exam) by practicing Git workflows hands-on: create branches, commit changes, open pull requests, and merge using both the GitHub web interface and GitHub Desktop.
- Familiarize yourself with GitHub Copilot's latest capabilities, including Agent Mode and multi-model support, as these were added in the January 2026 exam update and now fall under the 'Apply modern development practices' domain.
- Use the official Exam Sandbox at GHCertDemo.starttest.com before your scheduled exam to experience the interface and interactive question types — this reduces exam-day friction and ensures you are comfortable with non-standard question formats.
- Review the official GitHub documentation for each domain topic area, particularly for security concepts such as 2FA, passkeys, branch protection rules, and Enterprise Managed Users (EMUs), which appear under the 10–15% weighted security domain.
- Create a free GitHub account and practice project management features hands-on: set up a GitHub Project board, configure labels and milestones, open issues, and link them to pull requests to reinforce the project management domain content.
Career Benefits
GitHub Foundations demonstrates practical literacy with the collaboration platform used by many software teams. It is useful to developers, testers, project contributors, technical writers, administrators, and other roles that work with repositories, issues, pull requests, projects, or GitHub security settings.
It also provides a base for the role-focused GitHub Administration, GitHub Actions, GitHub Copilot, and GitHub Advanced Security certifications.
Sample Questions
5 sample questions with answers and explanations. The full bank has 409 questions, enough for 5 full-length practice exams.
Preview — answers shown1. TechFlow Industries is training their team on Markdown shortcuts for faster documentation. The documentation manager wants to teach slash command usage. What slash command inserts a code block in Markdown?
A/syntax
B/md
C/code
D/block
Explanation
The /code slash command is used for adding a code block in Markdown. Slash commands provide quick shortcuts for common formatting tasks, and /code specifically creates a formatted code block that displays text in a monospace font with syntax highlighting when appropriate. /md, /block, and /syntax are not valid slash commands for inserting code blocks. The /code command is part of GitHub's enhanced Markdown interface that provides convenient shortcuts for formatting content quickly.
2. DataFlow Analytics has a new developer who needs to learn Git commands. The team lead wants to show them how to access Git's built-in documentation. What Git command provides information about how to use Git?
Agit info
Bgit help
Cgit manual
Dgit docs
Explanation
The git help command provides information about how to use Git, including detailed documentation about Git commands, their options, and usage examples. You can use git help followed by a specific command name to get detailed help for that command, or just git help to see general Git usage information. Git info, git docs, and git manual are not valid Git commands. The help system is built into Git and provides comprehensive documentation without requiring internet access.
3. VersionControl Specialists is training their team on Git file states. A developer asks about a file that has been changed since the last commit but hasn't been added to the staging area yet. What state is this file in?
AUntracked
BModified
CStaged
DCommitted
Explanation
A file that has been changed since the last commit but hasn't been staged is in the Modified state. In Git, tracked files can be in three substates: Unmodified (unchanged since last commit), Modified (changed but not staged), and Staged (changed and added to staging area). The file must be staged using git add before it can be committed.
4. StartupHub is onboarding new developers and needs to teach them essential Git commands. A new team member asks how to create a brand new Git repository for a project they're starting from scratch. Which command should they use?
Agit new
Bgit init
Cgit clone
Dgit create
Explanation
The git init command is used to initialize a brand new Git repository in an existing directory or create a new repository from scratch. When you run git init in a directory, it creates a hidden .git subdirectory that contains all the necessary files and metadata for version control. This transforms a regular directory into a Git repository, allowing you to start tracking changes to files. The git clone command is used to copy an existing remote repository to your local machine, while git create and git new are not valid Git commands. For starting a completely new project with version control, git init is the correct choice.
5. InnovateLabs has multiple developers working on the same project. They need to regularly get the latest changes from other team members into their local repositories. What command should they use to download and integrate remote changes?
Agit update
Bgit sync
Cgit download
Dgit pull
Explanation
The git pull command downloads changes from a remote repository and automatically merges them into your current local branch. This is essentially a combination of two operations: git fetch (which downloads the changes) and git merge (which integrates them into your current branch). Pulling is the standard way to stay up to date with changes made by other team members. It ensures your local repository reflects the latest state of the shared project. Git download, git sync, and git update are not valid Git commands. Regular pulling helps prevent conflicts and keeps everyone working with the most current version of the codebase.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many questions are on GH-900?
GitHub says there are 60 scored multiple-choice questions plus approximately 10-15 unscored pretest questions.
How long is GH-900?
Microsoft lists 100 minutes for the proctored assessment.
What score passes GitHub Foundations?
A scaled score of 700 or greater passes.
Did the GH-900 blueprint change in 2026?
Yes. A revised seven-domain blueprint took effect in January 2026, so older guides with fixed domain percentages are outdated.
Does GitHub Foundations have prerequisites?
No. The exam is intended to validate foundational GitHub knowledge and has no formal prerequisite.
Does GitHub Foundations expire?
No renewal is required for GitHub Foundations under GitHub's current certification policy.
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