Exam tips & strategy
The AZ-104 is a proctored exam with specific question formats. Knowing how the exam works is almost as important as knowing the content.
Exam format
| Detail | Value |
|---|---|
| Number of questions | ~40-60 questions |
| Duration | 100-120 minutes |
| Passing score | 700 out of 1000 |
| Question types | Multiple choice, multiple answer, drag-and-drop, hot area, case study, lab |
| Penalty for wrong answers | None |
| Can you go back? | Yes, within a section. No, between sections. |
Question types you'll see
Multiple choice
Standard "pick one" or "pick two" answers. Read carefully | "which TWO" means exactly two.
Drag-and-Drop
Match items from a list to targets. Common for ordering deployment steps or matching services to requirements.
Hot area
Click on the correct area of a screenshot or diagram. Common for Portal-based questions ("where would you click to configure X?").
Case study
A multi-page scenario with 4-7 questions. You can navigate between questions within the case study but cannot return after moving to the next section.
Read the requirements tab first, then the scenario. Many case study questions only need specific details | don't try to memorize everything.
Active lab
A real Azure Portal environment where you complete tasks. You have limited time and a restricted set of actions.
Labs are scored on the end state, not the steps you take. If the CLI fails, use the Portal. If you make a mistake, just redo it. The evaluator checks the final configuration.
Time Management
| Section | Suggested Time |
|---|---|
| First pass through all questions | 60-70 minutes |
| Review flagged questions | 15-20 minutes |
| Lab section (if present) | 20-30 minutes |
| Buffer | 5-10 minutes |
Tip: Don't spend more than 2 minutes on any single question in your first pass. Flag it and move on.
Study strategy
Week 1-2: identity & governance + Storage (Challenges 01-06)
These domains are 35-45% of the exam. Start here because Entra ID and RBAC concepts appear in questions across ALL domains.
Week 3-4: compute + networking (Challenges 07-13)
These are the most hands-on domains. Spend extra time on VMs, App Service, VNets, and NSGs | they're heavily tested.
Week 5: monitoring + capstone (Challenges 14-16)
Monitoring is 10-15% but the concepts (Azure Monitor, KQL, alerts) connect everything together.
Week 6: review + practice
- Take the Free Practice Assessment
- Review the Coverage Matrix | any gaps?
- Redo Break & Fix scenarios from each challenge
Common exam gotchas
- Moving VMs between regions requires Azure Site Recovery | it's NOT a simple move operation
- SAS tokens | know the difference between account SAS, service SAS, and user delegation SAS
- Azure Policy vs RBAC | Policy controls WHAT resources can do, RBAC controls WHO can do things
- NSG rules are stateful | if you allow inbound, the response outbound is automatic
- Storage redundancy | know LRS, ZRS, GRS, RA-GRS, GZRS, RA-GZRS and when to use each
- Azure Advisor shows recommendations but does NOT auto-apply them
- Management groups can be nested up to 6 levels deep (root + 5 levels)
- Custom DNS names for App Service require a CNAME or A record + TXT verification
Useful links
| Resource | Link |
|---|---|
| Try the exam interface | Exam Sandbox |
| Free practice questions | Practice Assessment |
| Schedule the exam | Pearson VUE |
| Exam Replay offer | Exam Deals |
| Certification renewal | Renew for free |
After you pass 🎉
- Your certification appears on your Microsoft Learn profile within 24 hours
- You get a digital badge via Credly that you can share on LinkedIn
- The certification is valid for 1 year | renew for free by passing an online assessment
- Consider your next step: AZ-305 (Architect), AZ-500 (Security), or AZ-400 (DevOps)
Ready to start studying? Head to Challenge 01: Entra ID Users & Groups.