- A
Create two Conditional Access policies: Policy 1 targets all users except privileged roles, requires MFA, and excludes trusted locations and compliant devices. Policy 2 targets privileged roles and requires MFA with no exclusions.
This meets all requirements.
- B
Create one Conditional Access policy that targets all users and requires MFA. Create a second policy that targets privileged roles and excludes trusted locations.
Why wrong: The second policy would exclude MFA for privileged roles from trusted locations, violating the requirement.
- C
Create one Conditional Access policy that targets all users, requires MFA, and excludes trusted locations and compliant devices. Do not create any additional policies.
Why wrong: This would also exempt privileged roles when they meet the exclusion criteria, violating the requirement.
- D
Create one Conditional Access policy that targets all users and requires MFA. Use Microsoft Intune compliance policies to exempt compliant devices from MFA.
Why wrong: Intune compliance policies do not exempt MFA; Conditional Access controls MFA.
SC-900 Describe the capabilities of Microsoft Entra Practice Question
This SC-900 practice question tests your understanding of describe the capabilities of microsoft entra. This is a configuration task: choose the command set that satisfies every stated requirement. Small differences — like 'secret' vs 'password' or 'transport input ssh' vs 'all' — change whether the answer is correct. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
You are the identity administrator for Contoso Ltd., a global company with over 10,000 employees. The company uses Microsoft Entra ID P2 and Microsoft Intune. Employees use both company-owned and personal devices. The security team requires that all access to corporate applications be protected with multifactor authentication (MFA). However, to minimize user friction, they want to exempt MFA for users who are on the corporate network and using compliant devices. Additionally, for users with privileged roles (e.g., Global Administrator), MFA must always be required regardless of location or device. You need to configure a Conditional Access policy to meet these requirements. Which of the following approaches should you take?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue:
"always"Why it matters: Absolute qualifier. An answer using 'always' is only correct if there are genuinely no exceptions — absolute statements are often wrong in networking.
Clue:
"minimum / minimize"Why it matters: Asks for the least resource use — fewest addresses, smallest subnet, lowest overhead. Eliminate over-provisioned options even if they would technically work.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Create two Conditional Access policies: Policy 1 targets all users except privileged roles, requires MFA, and excludes trusted locations and compliant devices. Policy 2 targets privileged roles and requires MFA with no exclusions.
Option A is correct because it uses two separate Conditional Access policies to handle the two distinct user groups. Policy 1 targets all users except privileged roles, requires MFA, and excludes trusted locations and compliant devices, which satisfies the requirement to minimize friction for users on the corporate network with compliant devices. Policy 2 targets privileged roles and requires MFA with no exclusions, ensuring that Global Administrators and other privileged role members always must perform MFA regardless of location or device compliance.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Create two Conditional Access policies: Policy 1 targets all users except privileged roles, requires MFA, and excludes trusted locations and compliant devices. Policy 2 targets privileged roles and requires MFA with no exclusions.
Why this is correct
This meets all requirements.
Clue confirmation
The clue words "always", "minimum / minimize" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Create one Conditional Access policy that targets all users and requires MFA. Create a second policy that targets privileged roles and excludes trusted locations.
Why it's wrong here
The second policy would exclude MFA for privileged roles from trusted locations, violating the requirement.
- ✗
Create one Conditional Access policy that targets all users, requires MFA, and excludes trusted locations and compliant devices. Do not create any additional policies.
Why it's wrong here
This would also exempt privileged roles when they meet the exclusion criteria, violating the requirement.
- ✗
Create one Conditional Access policy that targets all users and requires MFA. Use Microsoft Intune compliance policies to exempt compliant devices from MFA.
Why it's wrong here
Intune compliance policies do not exempt MFA; Conditional Access controls MFA.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often think a single policy with exclusions can handle all users, forgetting that privileged roles require unconditional MFA, which necessitates a separate policy with no exclusions to override the more permissive exclusions applied to regular users.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Conditional Access policies in Microsoft Entra ID P2 evaluate signals such as user location (via named locations with trusted IP ranges) and device compliance (via Intune compliance policies) to grant or block access. When multiple policies apply, the most restrictive access controls take effect, so a separate policy for privileged roles with no exclusions ensures they always trigger MFA. The 'Exclude' condition in a policy can reference trusted locations (IP ranges) and compliant devices (device state), but these exclusions are evaluated per policy and do not cascade across policies.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
- Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
TExam Day Tips
- Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
- Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A company's IT admin needs to give a contractor read-only access to production logs without sharing account credentials. Using role-based access control (RBAC) and temporary scoped permissions — not a permanent shared password — is the correct pattern. Questions like this test whether you can apply least-privilege access across cloud identity services.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this SC-900 question test?
Describe the capabilities of Microsoft Entra — This question tests Describe the capabilities of Microsoft Entra — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Create two Conditional Access policies: Policy 1 targets all users except privileged roles, requires MFA, and excludes trusted locations and compliant devices. Policy 2 targets privileged roles and requires MFA with no exclusions. — Option A is correct because it uses two separate Conditional Access policies to handle the two distinct user groups. Policy 1 targets all users except privileged roles, requires MFA, and excludes trusted locations and compliant devices, which satisfies the requirement to minimize friction for users on the corporate network with compliant devices. Policy 2 targets privileged roles and requires MFA with no exclusions, ensuring that Global Administrators and other privileged role members always must perform MFA regardless of location or device compliance.
What should I do if I get this SC-900 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "always", "minimum / minimize". Absolute qualifier. An answer using 'always' is only correct if there are genuinely no exceptions — absolute statements are often wrong in networking.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 24, 2026
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