What the Microsoft AZ-104 is and who it is for
The AZ-104 is Microsoft’s associate level certification for Azure administration. It validates that you can implement, manage and monitor an organisation’s Azure environment across five areas: identity and governance, storage, compute, virtual networking and monitoring. It is the exam for the person who runs the subscription day to day.
It is one of the most requested cloud certifications and turns up as a requirement in Azure administrator, cloud engineer and cloud infrastructure roles. There are no formal prerequisites, but Microsoft recommends AZ-900 level knowledge before you start, and that is sound advice. The AZ-104 does not explain what a resource group or a virtual network is. It assumes you know and asks how you would configure one.
The certification is valid for one year and renews free through an online assessment, so the exam itself is a one time cost as long as you keep up with the renewal.
Microsoft AZ-104 at a glance
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Exam code | AZ-104 |
| Questions | 40 to 60, which can include interactive tasks |
| Time allowed | 100 minutes |
| Passing score | 700 out of 1000 |
| Exam fee | US$165 in the US, priced in local currency elsewhere |
| Where you sit it | Pearson VUE testing centres or online proctored |
| Certification valid for | 1 year, renewed free through an online assessment |
What is on the exam
Manage Azure identities and governance (20 to 25%). This domain covers users, groups and roles in Microsoft Entra ID, role based access control at the right scope, subscriptions and management groups, and the governance tools that keep an environment tidy: policies, locks, tags and cost controls. Questions often describe a permissions problem and ask for the least privileged fix.
Implement and manage storage (15 to 20%). Storage accounts and everything around them: redundancy options, access tiers, securing access with keys, shared access signatures and network rules, and the tools for moving data in and out. Expect to be asked which account configuration meets a stated durability, performance or cost requirement.
Deploy and manage Azure compute resources (20 to 25%). Virtual machines, availability options, scale sets, disks and extensions, plus container and app hosting services. Deployment with templates and automation also lives here.
Implement and manage virtual networking (15 to 20%). Virtual networks and subnets, network security groups, peering, name resolution, load balancing and secure connectivity. Networking questions reward people who can trace a packet from source to destination and say which rule or route is stopping it.
Monitor and maintain Azure resources (10 to 15%). Azure Monitor, alerts, logs and metrics, backup and recovery. The smallest domain, but the questions are specific about which tool shows which data.
Why people fail it
The AZ-104 is not always a pure multiple choice exam. It can include interactive components, where you complete tasks inside a simulated Azure environment, so recognising the right answer among four options may not be enough. You need to know how the resource is actually configured, which blade the setting lives in and what the dependencies are. Candidates who meet interactive tasks for the first time on the day lose time and confidence, and that spills into the rest of the paper.
The second cause is breadth. Five domains in 100 minutes means the exam moves fast between identity, storage, compute, networking and monitoring, and most people are strong in two or three of them. Networking and identity are where underprepared candidates tend to lose the most marks. Both are precise: a network security group rule with the wrong priority or a role assigned at the wrong scope is a wrong answer even if the idea was right.
Finally, a lot of people study the portal but not the questions. Microsoft phrases scenarios in a particular way, with requirements spread across several sentences and one detail that rules out the obvious option. Working through a large bank of practice questions before exam day makes that style familiar.
A study plan that fits the exam
Six weeks works for most candidates with some Azure exposure. The plan below follows the domain weights, with extra attention on the two heaviest areas and on practising in a real or trial subscription.
- Week 1: identities and governance. Microsoft Entra ID users and groups, role based access control, subscriptions, management groups, policies and locks. Do the free AZ-104 practice questions at the end of the week to calibrate.
- Week 2: compute. Virtual machines, availability, scale sets, disks, templates and the container and app hosting services. Build and tear down resources yourself so the configuration steps are familiar.
- Week 3: storage. Storage accounts, redundancy, tiers, access control and data movement. Practise creating and securing an account end to end.
- Week 4: virtual networking. Virtual networks, subnets, security groups, peering, DNS, load balancing and connectivity. Draw the topologies. Trace traffic through your own rules until you can predict the outcome.
- Week 5: monitoring, then review the two heaviest domains. Azure Monitor, alerts, logs, backup and recovery in the first half of the week. Spend the second half revisiting identity and compute.
- Week 6: timed runs. Use the questions only copy from the AZ-104 practice question pack for full length timed sessions, then read every explanation, including why each wrong option is wrong. Repeat until you are consistently clear of 700.
On exam day
The AZ-104 is delivered at Pearson VUE testing centres and online with a proctor. If you sit it online, run the system check the day before, clear the desk and make sure the room stays empty for the whole session. At a centre, bring the identification your booking confirmation specifies and arrive early.
You have 100 minutes for 40 to 60 questions, and some of those can be interactive tasks in a simulated environment. Budget your time with that in mind: if tasks appear, they take longer than a multiple choice question. Read each scenario for the one requirement that eliminates the obvious answer.
The pass mark is 700 out of 1000 on a scaled score. Answer every question, flag the ones you are unsure of, and use whatever time is left at the end to revisit them.
Frequently asked questions
Is the practice question pack enough on its own?
It is practice, not a course. The 606 questions and explanations show you how Microsoft frames each domain and which wrong options keep coming back, and they make the interactive task style familiar in case you meet it on the day. You still need to have configured the resources yourself in a real or trial subscription. Use the pack to find your weak domains and to rehearse at exam length.
What happens if I fail the AZ-104?
You can retake it. Microsoft sets waiting periods between attempts and charges the full fee each time, so check the current retake policy on the Microsoft Learn certification page before rebooking. Another attempt costs US$165 in the US, which is why timed practice runs before the first booking are worth the effort.
Do I need to pass the AZ-900 first?
No. There are no formal prerequisites for the AZ-104. Microsoft recommends AZ-900 level knowledge, and if terms like resource group, region and virtual network are new to you, that foundation is worth building first.
How long does the certification last?
One year. It renews free through an online assessment, so keep an eye on the renewal window in your Microsoft Learn profile.
Try 10 free questions, then get all 606 AZ-104 practice questions with full explanations for US$39, pass or your money back: get the AZ-104 pack.