Checkpoint: Microsoft Copilot Foundations

These aren't trivia; they're the judgement calls you'll actually face with Copilot, where the trickiest part is knowing which Copilot you're dealing with and what it can see. Pick the best option for each scenario, and you'll get an explanation after each one.

Passing this checkpoint: work through the level first, then score 70% or more here.

Skipping this level: already confident? Take this cold and score 80% or more to test out and jump ahead. Below that, nothing is lost, you just study the level as normal.

1. A colleague says 'Just ask Copilot to summarise the report, it's free.' You open the free Copilot chat at copilot.microsoft.com, but there's no way to point it at the report saved on your work drive. What's actually going on?The free chat is broken and you should reinstall it.The free chat is grounded in the web and what you paste; reaching into your own work files needs the paid Microsoft 365 Copilot licence. You can still paste the text in.You need to pay to unlock file access in the free chat.Copilot never summarises documents, in any version.
2. A friend insists 'Copilot is one app, and it's the paid Microsoft one.' Based on what you've learned, what's the most accurate reply?Yes, that's right, there's only one Copilot and it's paid.Not quite. 'Copilot' covers several things: a free consumer chat, a work Copilot Chat included with Microsoft 365, and a separate paid Microsoft 365 Copilot licence that works with your own emails and files.No. Copilot is always free and never costs anything.It doesn't matter which is which; they all do exactly the same thing.
3. You're signed into the work Copilot Chat that came included with your company's Microsoft 365, and you ask it to 'summarise the emails I got yesterday.' It can't. Why?Copilot Chat is faulty, so raise a ticket with IT.Copilot Chat is grounded in the web plus what you paste or upload; reaching across your own mailbox needs the paid Microsoft 365 Copilot licence, not just the included chat.You asked in the wrong app, and it would work if you tried again.Your emails were too old for Copilot to read.
4. Using the licensed Copilot at work, you ask it to pull information from a folder a teammate keeps private, one you've never been able to open yourself. What happens?Copilot shows you the folder's contents, because it can see everything in the organisation.Copilot can only work with content your own account already has permission to open, so it won't surface files you can't access yourself.Copilot emails your teammate to ask for permission.Copilot guesses what's in the folder and presents it as fact.
5. In Excel, the licensed Copilot suggests a formula and a total that looks about right for a report going to your manager. What's the wisest move?Send it straight on, because Copilot works from your real spreadsheet, so it must be correct.Check the formula and the figure yourself before relying on them, because Copilot can still be confidently wrong.Assume anything from Excel Copilot is wrong and delete it.Ask Copilot 'are you sure?' and trust whatever it says.
6. You joined a Teams meeting late and ask the licensed Copilot for a recap, but it says it has nothing to summarise. What's the most likely explanation?Copilot doesn't work in Teams at all.The meeting probably wasn't recorded or transcribed; the recap generally needs a recording or transcript to exist.You asked in the wrong language.Recaps only work for meetings you organised yourself.
7. You want to practise summarising and drafting with Copilot, but you have no paid licence. What's the sensible approach?Give up until your employer buys you a licence.Use the free Copilot chat and paste text in yourself; it summarises and drafts perfectly well for anything that doesn't need your own files.Buy a personal subscription immediately.Use a colleague's work login without asking.
8. You're about to paste a customer's complaint email (including their full name and account number) into the free personal Copilot chat to get help replying. What should you do first?Paste it all in; you need the reply quickly.Remove or replace the personal details first, and give Copilot just the situation.Paste it in but ask Copilot to keep it confidential.Nothing, because customer details are always fine to share with AI tools.
9. A well-meaning blog post tells you to 'subscribe to Copilot Pro' to get AI inside your personal Word and Excel. In July 2026, what's the accurate response?Sign up for Copilot Pro straight away; it's the current consumer product.Copilot Pro has been discontinued for consumers; existing subscriptions are supported until around 1 August 2026, and its features now live on in Microsoft 365 Premium, so the post is out of date.Copilot Pro is the same thing as the business Microsoft 365 Copilot licence.There's no way to get Copilot in personal Office apps at all.
10. Inside Word with the licensed Copilot, you type a prompt but get a vague, generic answer about 'the project' rather than your actual document. What's the most likely fix?Copilot has run out of access and needs a new licence.Ground it: name the source. Point it at the open document or use the '/' trigger to pick the exact file, then state the task and the shape you want.Retype the same prompt several times until it works.Switch to the free chat, which is better at this.
11. 30-second recall: The licensed Copilot hands you a confident, well-written answer with a specific figure and a link to a source, and you need it for a report. What is the wisest next step?Use it straight away, since it sounded authoritative and even cited a source.Open the linked source and confirm the figure actually appears there before relying on it.Ask Copilot 'are you sure?' and trust it if it says yes.Assume every figure from Copilot is invented and drop it entirely.

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Microsoft Copilot: Foundations

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