The GH-500: GitHub Advanced Security certification is designed for professionals with experience in software development and DevOps workflows who are ready to validate advanced skills in securing code, supply chains, and repositories using GitHub Advanced Security (GHAS). The exam covers how to integrate security tooling (like code scanning, secret scanning, and dependency review) into GitHub workflows, configure policies and alerts, and manage security at scale. Hands-on experience with GitHub, security tools, and DevOps practices is strongly recommended.

The content of the exam will test your ability to perform the following:

• Describe the GHAS security features and functionality

• Configure and use secret scanning

• Configure and use Dependabot and Dependency Review

• Configure and use Code Scanning with CodeQL



• Describe GitHub Advanced Security best practices, results, and how to take corrective measures

For more information about the GH-500 exam, you can check out this exam skills outline. This study guide will provide comprehensive review materials to help you pass the exam successfully.

Study Materials

Before attempting the GitHub Advanced Security (GH-500) exam, it is crucial to explore the following study materials to deepen your understanding of the exam’s topics:

1. Microsoft Learn – This website offers a variety of learning paths for different Microsoft certifications. For the GH-500 certification exam, you can focus on the following topics:

   • GH-500 Overview

   • GH-500 official study guide

   • Learning paths and modules related to GH-500

2. GitHub Advanced Security Documentation – The documents provide an overview of GitHub’s advanced security capabilities, helping organizations protect their code, manage vulnerabilities, and maintain a secure software development lifecycle. Focus on the documentation for:

   • Code Scanning with CodeQL: Identify and fix security vulnerabilities using GitHub’s static analysis engine, CodeQL.

   • Secret Scanning: Automatically detect exposed credentials and prevent unauthorized access.

   • Dependency and Supply Chain Security: Find and resolve vulnerabilities in open-source dependencies.

   • Security Management and Policies: Implement and enforce organization-wide security standards and repository protections.

   • Automation and Integration with GitHub Actions: Integrate security tools into your CI/CD workflows for continuous protection.

   • Access Control and Compliance: Manage permissions, enforce security boundaries, and maintain audit compliance.

3. GitHub Blog – Stay updated with the latest GitHub Advanced Security features and best practices. The GitHub Blog frequently posts updates and tips related to security, code scanning, supply-chain protection, and more.

4. GitHub FAQs – The GitHub documentation includes comprehensive FAQ sections that answer common questions about GitHub Advanced Security, including best practices, privacy settings, and subscription plans.

5. GitHub Free Account – GitHub offers a free trial and access to various Copilot and GitHub Advanced Security features.

6.  Tutorials Dojo’s Azure Cheat Sheets – with the help of our cheat sheets, you can easily understand the information found in the Azure documentation. These are presented in bullet point format to highlight the essential concepts.

7. Tutorials Dojo’s GH-500 GitHub Foundations Practice Exams – Coming Soon!

Azure Services to Focus On

Your primary source of information when studying for the GH‑500 exam is the Microsoft Learn documentation and GitHub Advanced Security feature documents. To comprehend the different scenarios in the exam, you should have a thorough understanding of the following service/feature sets:

• Secret Scanning & Push Protection: Understand how scans detect secrets in code and how to manage alerts and permissions.

• Dependency Management & SBOM: Learn how the dependency graph is built, how vulnerabilities are detected via Dependabot, how to author Dependabot configuration, and how Dependency Review works.

• Code Scanning with CodeQL / Third‑Party Tools: Know how to enable code scanning, customize workflows, interpret alerts, use SARIF format, and integrate with GitHub Actions.

• Security Policies & Governance in GitHub at Scale: Understand how to enforce security via repository rulesets, alerts, access roles, and how GHAS integrates into DevOps pipelines.

• Best Practices & Remediation Workflows: Learn about CVEs, CWEs, alert lifecycle, decision-making (dismiss vs. remediate), severity thresholds, and prioritization of alerts.

We suggest checking out Tutorials Dojo’s Azure Cheat Sheets, which provide bullet-point summaries of the most essential concepts for various Azure AI services and related Azure functionalities. 

For more Azure practice exam questions with detailed explanations, check out the Tutorials Dojo Portal:

Final Remarks

Success in the GH‑500 exam requires both theoretical understanding and practical experience with GitHub Advanced Security features. Focus your study on official Microsoft and GitHub documentation, engage in hands‑on activities within GitHub to enable and test the features, and use mock exams to test your knowledge. With this structured study path, you will be well‑equipped to pass the GH‑500 certification. Good luck with your preparation!