GH-300 Exam Guide 2026: GitHub Copilot Certification
GH-300 exam guide: 100 minutes, a 700 passing score and six weighted skill areas. See the August 2026 outline and a 4-week plan, then test yourself.
Quick answer
GH-300 is the exam for the GitHub Copilot certification. Microsoft Learn gives candidates 100 minutes, and a score of 700 or greater is required to pass. Skills measured as of August 7, 2026 fall into six areas, and using GitHub Copilot features is the largest at 25-30%. The certification is valid for 2 years.
Disclosure: Links to Udemy in this article are referral links. If you enroll through them, CertCrafter earns a share of the sale at no extra cost to you.
Key facts
- Exam code
- GH-300 source: learn.microsoft.com
- Full name
- GitHub Copilot source: learn.microsoft.com
- Questions
- Not published on the certification or study guide pages source: learn.microsoft.com
- Duration
- 100 minutes source: learn.microsoft.com
- Passing score
- 700 source: learn.microsoft.com
- Cost
- Set by the country or region where the exam is proctored; shown when you schedule source: learn.microsoft.com
- Delivery
- Proctored, scheduled through Pearson VUE, in English, Spanish, Portuguese (Brazil), Korean and Japanese source: learn.microsoft.com
- Validity
- 2 years; GitHub is moving to Microsoft's recertification process source: learn.microsoft.com
Last reviewed: · Exam facts verified against: learn.microsoft.com
This GH-300 exam guide covers the exam behind the GitHub Copilot certification. According to Microsoft Learn, the skills measured were updated on August 7, 2026, and candidates have 100 minutes to complete the exam.
The exam rewards people who use Copilot every day, not people who only read about it. This guide covers what it measures, who it suits, and how to plan four weeks of preparation.
What is the GH-300 exam?
GH-300 is the exam for the GitHub Copilot certification, listed on Microsoft Learn at the Intermediate level. According to Microsoft, it evaluates your skill in using the AI-driven code completion tool in various programming languages.
The audience profile describes candidates who use GitHub Copilot to improve software development productivity, quality and security. It names responsible AI use, prompt engineering, Copilot features across plans, and privacy safeguards.
A prompt is the instruction or context you give an AI model so it can produce a useful answer. Candidates should also be familiar with GitHub fundamentals and have experience with one or more programming languages.
What skills does GH-300 cover?
The study guide lists six skill areas, and using GitHub Copilot features is the largest at 25-30%. Microsoft publishes these weights as a range for each area.
| Skill area | Weight |
|---|---|
| Use GitHub Copilot responsibly | 15-20% |
| Use GitHub Copilot features | 25-30% |
| Understand GitHub Copilot data and architecture | 10-15% |
| Apply prompt engineering and context crafting | 10-15% |
| Improve developer productivity with GitHub Copilot | 10-15% |
| Configure privacy, content exclusions, and safeguards | 10-15% |
The features area covers a lot of ground. According to the study guide, it includes Copilot in the IDE, the Copilot CLI, agent mode, code review, Chat, and organization-wide policy management.
What does the features area include?
It includes using Copilot through inline suggestions, chat, the CLI and agent mode. The study guide also lists Copilot Edits, MCP, Spaces, Spark, pull request summaries and instructions files that set review standards.
On the administration side, it lists organization-wide policies, audit log events and managing subscriptions with the REST API. These are easy to skip if you only use Copilot as an individual.
Who is GH-300 for, and who is it not for?
GH-300 suits developers and related roles who already work with GitHub and want to prove they use Copilot well. Microsoft Learn lists roles such as app maker, developer, DevOps engineer and technology manager.
It is a good fit for:
- developers who use Copilot daily and want a credential for it;
- DevOps engineers and administrators who manage Copilot policies for a team;
- technology managers who need to explain Copilot’s data handling and safeguards.
It is a weaker fit for:
- people with no GitHub or programming experience, who should build those basics first;
- readers looking for a broader AI credential, who may prefer our overview of AI and data certifications worth taking in 2026.
How should you use this GH-300 exam guide? A 4-week plan
Plan around the weights: spend the most hands-on time on features, then spread the rest evenly. This plan assumes about five hours a week.
- Week 1: responsible use and data. Learn the risks and limitations of generative AI tools and why output must be validated. Then trace how a suggestion is built, from input processing to proxy filtering and post-processing.
- Week 2: features. Use inline suggestions, chat, the CLI and agent mode on a real repository. Write an instructions file and a reusable prompt file, and try code review and pull request summaries.
- Week 3: prompts, productivity and privacy. Compare zero-shot and few-shot prompts on the same task. Generate tests, refactor a legacy function, and then configure content exclusions for a file and a repository.
- Week 4: administration and timed practice. Review organization policies, audit log events and subscription management. Then sit full timed practice tests, review every miss by skill area, and repeat.
Mixed, spaced review beats rereading, as our post on how to study for a technical exam explains.
How does GH-300 scoring work?
A score of 700 or greater is required to pass, according to the study guide. Microsoft links to a separate page on exam scoring and score reports for the details.
If you fail, Microsoft says you can retake the exam 24 hours after a failed attempt. Waiting times for later retakes vary and are covered in the exam retake policy.
How is GH-300 delivered?
The exam is proctored and scheduled through Pearson VUE. Microsoft lists English, Spanish, Portuguese (Brazil), Korean and Japanese as the languages offered.
Microsoft recommends registering with a personal Microsoft account. If you register with a work or school account, your exam records can be lost if you leave your organization.
Is GH-300 hard?
It is manageable if you use Copilot in several surfaces, and frustrating if you only use inline suggestions. The breadth is the main challenge, because the exam spans the IDE, the CLI, pull requests and administration.
Microsoft also says most questions cover features that are generally available, but the exam may contain questions on preview features if they are commonly used. Read the release notes for the features in the study guide.
How do you avoid the common mistakes?
Most lost points come from knowing a feature exists but not where it is configured or who can configure it. For each feature, note whether it is set by the individual, the repository or the organization.
Two habits help. Practise reading a scenario for the actor, such as developer, administrator or reviewer, before looking at the options. And do not treat Copilot’s output as correct by default, since validating AI output is itself a measured skill.
How do you know you are ready to book?
You are ready when you can explain each of the six skill areas with an example from your own work. Use Microsoft’s practice assessment and the exam sandbox first for the question style.
Then sit at least two full timed GH-300 practice tests and look at your score by skill area, not only the total. If one area trails, spend another week working with that feature before you book.
Before you schedule, recheck the GH-300 study guide for the current price in your country and any outline update.
Related reading
Frequently asked questions
What is the GH-300 exam?
GH-300 is the exam for the GitHub Copilot certification. According to Microsoft Learn, it evaluates your skill in using the AI-driven code completion tool across programming languages. Candidates should be able to use GitHub Copilot to improve productivity, quality and security, including responsible AI use, prompt engineering and privacy safeguards.
How many questions are on the GH-300 exam?
Neither the certification page nor the study guide publishes a question count for GH-300. Microsoft says the exam is proctored and may include interactive components. It does publish the time limit of 100 minutes, so practise pacing with timed tests and use the exam sandbox to see the question types.
What is the passing score for GH-300?
The study guide states that a score of 700 or greater is required to pass. Microsoft reports exam scores on its standard scale, and the study guide links to a page on exam scoring and score reports. Read that page before exam day, so you know how results are presented and what to expect.
How much does the GH-300 exam cost?
Microsoft says the price is based on the country or region in which the exam is proctored, and it shows the price when you schedule. It does not publish one global figure on the certification page, so check the amount in your own region before you plan your budget.
What happens if I fail GH-300?
Microsoft says you can retake a failed certification exam 24 hours after a failed attempt. For subsequent retakes the waiting time varies, and Microsoft points to its exam retake policy for the full details. Review your score report by skill area before you rebook, so you know where to focus.
How long is the GitHub Copilot certification valid?
Microsoft says GitHub certifications are valid for 2 years. GitHub is transitioning to Microsoft's recertification process, and certifications that expire before the new process is available will be extended by 6 months. Check the certification page for the current renewal steps before your expiry date.
What is the best way to practice for GH-300?
Start with Microsoft's practice assessment and the exam sandbox to learn the question style, then use Copilot daily in your editor, on the command line and on pull requests. In the last two weeks, sit full timed mock tests and review every miss by skill area, so your study time goes where you lose points. Timed GH-300 mock tests on Udemy.
References
- Study guide for Exam GH-300: GitHub Copilot — Microsoft Learn
- GitHub Copilot certification — Microsoft Learn
CertCrafter is independent and is not affiliated with or endorsed by the certification bodies named above.
- #GH-300
- #GitHub Copilot
- #GitHub Certifications
- #Microsoft Learn
- #Practice Test
Get new articles by email
New exam guides, changes to exam dates and fees, and new practice-test certifications. One short email a day at most, only when there is something new.
Was this helpful?
Related articles
DEA-C01 Exam Guide 2026: AWS Data Engineer Associate
DEA-C01 exam guide: 65 questions, 130 minutes, a 720 passing score and four weighted domains. See the outline and a 4-week plan, then test your readiness.
AB-210 Exam Guide 2026: Dynamics 365 Sales AI Skills
AB-210 is a beta Microsoft exam on Dynamics 365 Sales AI. See the five skill areas, weights and a 4-week study plan, then test your readiness with mocks.
AIP-C01 Exam Guide 2026: AWS GenAI Developer Pro
AIP-C01 tests production generative AI on AWS: 75 questions, 180 minutes, five weighted domains. See the outline and a 4-week plan, then check readiness.
Comments
Comments are read by a person before they appear. How we moderate.