Microsoft Applied Skills Paid
COST: No fee is stated on Microsoft's Applied Skills pages or FAQ — cost UNVERIFIED; Microsoft role-based CERTIFICATION exams are definitely paid. Scenario-based credentials earned by completing tasks in an interactive, lab-based assessment rather than by sitting a multiple-choice exam, covering AI, cloud, data and now business scenarios; Microsoft says they validate one specific skill set where a Certification validates four to six. Microsoft also confirms certifications "renew...annually at no cost." The common misunderstanding: Applied Skills is not a Microsoft Certification and does not replace one — Microsoft says so explicitly. Listed here with the cost flagged rather than asserted, because Microsoft does not print a price on either the programme page or its FAQ.
✓ Microsoft-verified credential, shareable to LinkedIn; narrower than a Microsoft Certification and newer, so employer recognition is still building