Azure AZ-104 FAQ for exam format, topics, prep strategy, practice, and common candidate traps.
AZ-104: Microsoft Azure Administrator validates hands-on administration skills: identity and access, compute, storage, networking, monitoring, backup, and basic resilience. It’s ideal for admins, ops engineers, or help-desk technicians stepping into cloud operations.
AZ-104 is strongest for people who can already:
If you answer like an architect selecting high-level patterns when the exam is really about administrative execution and operational judgment, you will often miss the better answer.
Microsoft lists a scaled passing score of 700/1000. The exam currently allows 100 minutes, and the exact item count can vary by delivery form because Microsoft mixes standard question types with case-style or task-style items.
Microsoft says the exam is proctored and may include interactive components. That does not mean every delivery form contains the same hands-on item mix, but it does mean you should be comfortable navigating Azure administration scenarios instead of preparing only for plain multiple-choice questions.
No formal prerequisite exam is required. Practically, 6–12 months of Azure administration experience and comfort with the Portal plus basic CLI/PowerShell will make preparation much smoother.
AZ-900 is conceptual and broad (fundamentals). AZ-104 is task-level and operational: you’ll apply RBAC/Policy, configure storage/networking, deploy/patch/backup compute, and wire monitoring/alerts.
You’re primarily assessed on administration. Infrastructure-as-code awareness still matters because the official study guide explicitly includes reading, modifying, and deploying ARM templates and Bicep files. You do not need deep platform-engineering depth, but you do need to recognize common deployment structure, parameters, and outcomes.
Expect some task-style questions or answer options that reference commands. You should recognize common az or PowerShell patterns (e.g., setting RBAC, creating Private Endpoints, enabling diagnostics), but most tasks can be reasoned from Portal experience.
Yes. Microsoft currently provides both on the certification page. The practice assessment is useful for identifying weak domains and getting used to Microsoft’s wording. The exam sandbox is useful because it lets you see the interface and question interactions before test day.
Those labels come from the official AZ-104 study guide. Microsoft can refresh the English objectives before localized versions, so always check the live study guide before your exam date.
| Failure pattern | Better instinct |
|---|---|
| mixing RBAC, Policy, Locks, and Entra roles | separate access, governance, protection, and directory administration first |
| treating Private Endpoint problems as only NSG issues | check DNS and routing before assuming filtering is the problem |
| picking the wrong redundancy option | restate zone, regional, and restore requirements before choosing the SKU |
| choosing a compute or ingress service by brand familiarity | classify the workload and management need first |
| answering at a conceptual level when the exam expects an admin action | stay in the operational lane and pick the task-level fix |
Use the Study Plan as your default sequence, then validate weak areas with the Resources page and the matching Azure practice flow on MasteryExamPrep.com:
Before you rely heavily on timed sets, you should be able to explain or perform a small end-to-end admin path that includes:
Hands-on practice is strongly recommended. Build a small lab: a VNet with subnets/NSGs, a storage account with a Private Endpoint and lifecycle rules, a VM/VMSS with backups, and basic Monitor alerts plus a Log Analytics workspace.
With prior Azure exposure: 2–3 weeks part-time. From near-zero: 4–6 weeks. Your pace depends on how quickly you can perform each syllabus task from memory.
| If the miss was really about… | Fix it by doing this next |
|---|---|
| scope confusion | redraw the scope chain first: tenant -> management group -> subscription -> resource group -> resource |
| storage or redundancy | restate the durability, zone, and restore requirement before naming the option |
| private access | classify DNS, route path, and exposure control separately |
| compute or ingress choice | state the workload shape and management burden before choosing the service |
| monitoring | separate metrics, logs, alerts, action groups, and workspaces before deciding the fix |
Microsoft currently says you can retake the exam 24 hours after the first failed attempt. The waiting period increases after later failures, so check the live retake policy when you schedule.
Microsoft role-based certifications require renewal on a 12-month cycle. Renewal is handled through a free online assessment on Microsoft Learn rather than retaking the full proctored exam.
As of March 28, 2026, Microsoft lists AZ-104 in English, Chinese (Simplified), Korean, Japanese, French, Spanish, German, Portuguese (Brazil), Chinese (Traditional), and Italian. If language availability matters, verify the live exam page before booking because vendors can change delivery details.
Microsoft says the English-language version of AZ-104 updates on April 17, 2026. If your exam date is close to that change, re-open the live study guide and certification page so your notes match the right objective version.
Do not disappear into:
AZ-305Use the current Microsoft Learn AZ-104 study guide and certification page as the source of truth. As of April 12, 2026, Microsoft’s live study guide shows the April 17, 2026 skills version, so that should override older notes or localized copies.