Forum Discussion
Feedback about MS-102 retirement
TL;DR: I don't think you should retire the MS-102 as it really is a big downgrade losing and expert M-365 administor certification just for it to be replaced by an unrelated and under leveled AI Services administrator one.
Hello community,
This is my first post and I think it's a good time to open a thread to share some feedback about the retirement of the MS-102 exam and certification and I encourage others learners and users to do the same.
For those who don't know It was announced last June 25th that exam MS-102 and Microsoft 365 Certified: Administrator Expert are retiring October 2026 replaced by AB-650 Microsoft 365 Certified: AI Services Administrator Associate, exam beta on July 26.
You can check the announcement here: https://techcommunity.microsoft.com/blog/skills-hub-blog/microsoft-credentials-roundup-june-2026/4528350?WT.mc_id=studentamb_165290
I was shocked to read that because last week I scheduled my exam and I didn't see any notice about future retirement. I just rechecked today and there isn't still any update on the retirement on the MS-102 cert or exam pages:
Cert page: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/credentials/certifications/m365-administrator-expert/
Exam page: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/credentials/certifications/exams/ms-102/
So even today, lot's of users are scheduling the MS-102 exam right now without knowing that it is expected to be retired soon
I think's it's a weird move to retire an expert Microsoft 365 administrator certification just for it to be replaced by just an associate certifciation AI Services Administrator Associate. So we lose and expert certification abount managing M365 and we can only get an associate certification about AI services in it's place
I think it would've better to have AB-650 as an additional certification, maybe even a prerequisite for the M365 Administrator Expert just like MS-700 or the SC-401
Lot's of recruitments department look for expertise about managing M365 and MS-102 take a big part on lot's of admins resumes to provee their knowledge about managing M365, so we won't only lose a cert or exam, we lose a way to prove knowledge about managing M365 at an expert level.
I've read lot's of users complaining about this retirement and I hope you could get feedback about it and rearrange this move.
Thank you for reading.
61 Replies
MS203 Exchange admin is such a complex topic and still they totally deleted the Exam. super sad, because Mail is such a complex topic if you take onprem servers and complex mail security setups seriously.
I feel we need more transparency regarding the certification roadmap. There are no longer any Expert tiers for Modern Work, yet in Partner Center the MS‑102 still appears as the only route to an advanced credential. What does this actually mean? Should we expect new Expert‑level certifications in the coming months, or is Microsoft shifting entirely toward AI‑focused exams (similar to what we’re seeing in Business Applications)?
Also, expecting to study and renew 5+ associate exams every year just to cover the full M365 stack is unrealistic.
The workload no longer matches the value of the credential.I agree with all of this, its just a really dumb move........
Dang, it hurts so much. I am willing to spend money for another certification, but it feels like you need to spend money again for its replacement instead of having another one. Why don't just ADD an AI focused certifications and keep the MS-102 alongside with it. This is so sad and disappointing! 💔
I think the biggest issue is a well-established expert certification appears to have lost its identity. Microsoft 365 administrators still need deep expertise in identity, Exchange, Teams, Intune, and security. AI should complement those skills, not replace them. A dedicated AI certification alongside the Expert track would have made more sense than effectively merging the two. Hopefully Microsoft takes the community's feedback into account.
Why Why Why? Exchange Online of the biggest M365 Service, from November will not have any exam. MS-102 has a part dedicated to Exchange Online. It's completely crazy. Also, an expert certification for an Associate!! It doesn't seem a good decision....
Hey czotos, don't bother here. Everyone knows they could've kept proper role based certs instead of forcing AI slop down everyone's throats. This has been downhill for years now
Should you really have to sit here preaching the same old.
They could gather feedback and hear from their customers. Instead, you only have the same individual here, who by the way is extremely rude and arrogant, going around telling others they're just out of their mind. Its the same on reddit
Makes a horrible look for this vendor, beyond unprofessional and unserious, they're not even trying considering other certifications elsewhere are in way higher demand
Unlike MS-102, AB-650 actually contains M365 topics like Exchange Online.
You might be imagining things.
Where in Study guide for Exam MS-102: Microsoft 365 Administrator | Microsoft Learn is Exchange Online covered?
Three years ago, that I took the exam Exchange Online was covered. So, I was remembering the exam. I didn't check the current study guide. Nowadays you are right, is not covering Exchange Online.
I completely agree with you OP, this replacement/retirement of the Microsoft 365 Certified: Administrator Expert (MS-102) is a complete slap in the face to all MSFT/365 admins who have spent many hours taking exams for the prerequisite certification first and then finally sitting their MS-102 and even more so the ones who sat this exam in the last few months essentially wasting their time! That is not even to mention the fact that this whole replacement sucks by just chucking in a bunch of AI (their copilot crap) and removing decent stuff!
Trying to sell AI as a replacement for an expert administrator is really whats driving me into abandoning this all and going full Red Hat
That and dismissing this as if it wasn't a big deal to begin with. The response to their customers is embarrassing.
"you're totally clueless and just shut up and deal with it", all gaslighting and deflection
Unserious vendor.
Any other folks here, don't bother. I myself will not be recommending any of these certifications to anyone going forward.
They're not interested in feedback or changing it.
I don't mind Microsoft adding AI content to the certification path. What I don't understand is retiring the Microsoft 365 Administrator Expert certification and replacing it with an Associate-level certification. Instead of evolving the existing Expert certification with AI topics, administrators are being forced to switch to an Associate certification and validate many of the same core skills again, just to cover the AI additions. Updating MS-102 would have made much more sense. What a move. 😂
Even copilot says MS shouldnt do it 🤣
Microsoft should not retire MS-102 because it is the only certification that validates end-to-end Microsoft 365 administration, covering identity, security, compliance, and tenant management in a single exam.
Key reasons:
- Validates broad Microsoft 365 expertise across Entra ID, Defender XDR, Purview, and tenant administration.
- Reflects real-world admin roles, where many organizations rely on one administrator to manage multiple Microsoft 365 services.
- Provides a clear Expert-level certification path for Microsoft 365 professionals.
- Addresses critical security and compliance skills that are increasingly important for modern enterprises.
- Promotes cross-workload knowledge instead of siloed expertise in a single Microsoft product.
- Remains valuable to employers seeking administrators who can manage the entire Microsoft 365 environment.
so ironic isn't it? 😂😂
