How to Pass the Microsoft AZ-802 in 2026: Format, Cost, Domains and Study Plan

Updated 1 Nov 2026 · 5 min read

On this page

What the Microsoft AZ-802 is and who it is for
Microsoft AZ-802 at a glance
What is on the exam
Why people fail it
A study plan that fits the exam
On exam day
Frequently asked questions
Sources

What the Microsoft AZ-802 is and who it is for

The AZ-802, Administering Windows Server, is the exam behind the Microsoft Certified: Windows Server Administrator Associate certification. Microsoft aims it at administrators who deploy, implement, manage and troubleshoot Windows Server as a workload on premises, in the cloud or in a hybrid mix of both. You are expected to look after identity, security, management, compute, networking, storage and monitoring for those servers.

Microsoft expects hands-on experience with tools such as Windows Admin Center, Hyper-V, PowerShell, Azure Arc, Azure Monitor, Azure Update Manager and Microsoft Defender for Cloud, plus a working familiarity with Active Directory Domain Services (AD DS). In practice that makes it an exam for people who run Windows Server every day and are also expected to manage it through Azure as well.

Microsoft AZ-802 at a glance

Item	Detail
Exam code	AZ-802
Time allowed	120 minutes
Passing score	700 out of 1,000, scaled
Exam fee	US$165 in the US, priced by the country or region where you sit it
Languages	English
Where you sit it	Pearson VUE, online proctored or at a test centre
Certification valid for	12 months, renewed with a free online assessment

Microsoft does not publish a question count for the AZ-802. It says most of its certification exams typically contain between 40 and 60 questions, but that the number varies by exam. The exam may include interactive components, so do not assume every question is a simple multiple choice item.

What is on the exam

Deploy and manage AD DS (20 to 25%). The heaviest domain. You deploy domain controllers on premises and in Azure, including read-only domain controllers, and manage and troubleshoot the FSMO roles. It also covers multi-site, multi-domain and multi-forest designs with trusts, sites and replication, then users, groups and service accounts, and Group Policy and Group Policy preferences.

Manage Windows Server instances and workloads in a hybrid environment (10 to 15%). Remote management through Windows Admin Center, PowerShell remoting with double-hop and Just Enough Administration, SSH and remote desktop. The Azure half covers Azure Arc-enabled servers, device configuration through Arc, VM extensions on non-Azure machines, Azure Update Manager and Azure Automation runbooks.

Manage virtual machines (10 to 15%). Hyper-V settings such as Enhanced Session Mode, nested virtualisation, memory, checkpoints, virtual hard disks, NIC teaming, virtual switches and Hyper-V Replica, plus high availability for VMs. It also covers Windows Server VMs in Azure: storage, resizing and scale sets, availability sets and zones, just-in-time access, Azure Bastion and network configuration.

Implement and manage an on-premises and hybrid networking infrastructure (10 to 15%). DNS integrated with AD DS, zones and records, forwarding, DNS policies, DNSSEC and hybrid name resolution, followed by IP addressing: the DHCP server role, scopes, reservations, high availability for DHCP and troubleshooting addressing in hybrid setups.

Manage storage and file services (15 to 20%). Azure Files and Azure File Sync, including migrating from DFS or file shares, alongside Windows Server file shares with FSRM, DFS and SMB over QUIC. Local storage covers Storage Spaces, Storage Spaces Direct, Storage Replica, Data Deduplication, SMB Direct, Storage QoS, NTFS and ReFS, iSCSI and BitLocker.

Secure Windows Server infrastructure (10 to 15%). Operating system hardening with exploit protection, Application Control, Credential Guard, SmartScreen, OSConfig security baselines, Windows LAPS, Defender for Servers and Windows Firewall. For AD DS it covers password policies, Microsoft Entra Password Protection, Protected Users, domain controller hardening, delegation and authentication protocols.

Monitor and troubleshoot Windows Server environments (15 to 20%). Performance Monitor, data collector sets, Windows Admin Center alerts, System Insights, event logs, Azure Monitor data collection rules and VM Insights. The troubleshooting half spans connectivity, name resolution, Windows Update, time service, performance, disk encryption and storage, then Active Directory recovery, replication, Kerberos and secure channel problems.

Why people fail it

The first trap is breadth. Most Windows Server administrators are strong in AD DS, DNS and DHCP but have never connected a server to Azure Arc, written a data collection rule or set up Azure File Sync. Those hybrid objectives are spread across several of the seven domains, so a gap there costs marks in more than one place.

The second is depth in the unglamorous tools. Troubleshooting carries up to 20% of the exam and expects you to know what to run and where to look, such as restoring an object from the AD Recycle Bin, recovering SYSVOL or repairing a broken secure channel. Reading about those tasks is not the same as having done them in a lab.

The third is the question style. Scenario items give you a symptom, such as clients falling back to APIPA addresses, and ask for the fix, so you need to reason from the cause. Memorising feature lists does not help.

A study plan that fits the exam

Seven weeks suits most working administrators. AD DS and the two 15 to 20% domains carry between half and two thirds of the weight, so they get the most time.

Week 1: AD DS deployment. Build a lab forest, add domain controllers and an RODC, move FSMO roles and set up a second site. Take the free AZ-802 practice questions to find your gaps.
Week 2: AD DS management. Trusts, replication, security principals, service accounts, Group Policy and Group Policy preferences.
Week 3: hybrid management and virtual machines. Windows Admin Center, PowerShell remoting and JEA, Azure Arc onboarding, Update Manager, then Hyper-V checkpoints, switches, Replica and Azure VM access.
Week 4: networking. DNS zones, forwarding, policies and DNSSEC, then DHCP scopes, reservations and failover.
Week 5: storage. Storage Spaces, Storage Replica, deduplication, SMB, DFS, FSRM, Azure Files and Azure File Sync.
Week 6: security and monitoring. Credential Guard, Application Control, LAPS, OSConfig, protected users, then Performance Monitor, Azure Monitor and event logs.
Week 7: troubleshooting and timed runs. Break your lab on purpose and fix it, then work through the questions-only copy in the AZ-802 practice question pack in 120 minute blocks and read the explanation for every miss.

On exam day

You schedule through Pearson VUE and can sit online or at a test centre. Microsoft recommends registering with a personal Microsoft account, because exam records tied to a work or school account are lost if you leave that organisation.

You get 120 minutes. Microsoft builds five minutes of break time into the exam, but the clock keeps running during a break and you cannot go back to questions you saw before it. The AZ-802 is offered in English only, so there is no localised version to wait for.

Frequently asked questions

What happens if I fail the AZ-802?

You can retake it after 24 hours. After that, Microsoft imposes a 14 day wait between subsequent attempts, and you cannot take a given exam more than five times in the 12 months from your first attempt. Check the retake policy on Microsoft Learn before you book.

Is the practice question pack enough on its own?

No. It is practice, not a course. The 63 questions with explanations show how Microsoft frames each decision and where your gaps are, but the AZ-802 rewards hands-on time with real servers. Build the lab first, then use the questions to check yourself and rehearse under time.

How do I keep the certification?

It lasts 12 months. You renew for free by passing a short, unproctored, open-book assessment on Microsoft Learn during the six-month window before it expires. Passing extends it by one year from the expiry date.

Does the AZ-802 have a retirement date?

Microsoft lists no retirement date for the exam. Exams are updated from time to time, so check the skills measured on the study guide before you book.

Try the free questions first, then get all 63 AZ-802 practice questions with full explanations for US$39, pass or your money back: get the AZ-802 pack.

Sources

The official pages the facts in this guide were checked against.