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Your complete reference for the Microsoft Azure Administrator certification exam cost, format, type of questions, who should take it, prerequisites, and everything in between.
This is a 7-page guide not just this page. Each section show you exactly what the exam tests on each sub-topic, so you know precisely what to prepare for.
The AZ-104 is Microsoft's role-based certification for Azure administrators. Passing it earns you the Microsoft Certified: Azure Administrator Associate credential one of the most recognized cloud certifications in the industry.
The AZ-104 exam validates your ability to implement, manage, and monitor an organization's Azure environment. It covers core Azure workloads including identity management, storage, compute, virtual networking, and resource monitoring the real-world skills an Azure administrator uses day-to-day.
Unlike the entry-level AZ-900 (Azure Fundamentals), the AZ-104 is a hands-on, technical exam designed for professionals who are actively working with Azure or planning to do so. It sits at the Associate level in Microsoft's certification hierarchy.
The AZ-104 certification is valid for one year. Microsoft requires annual renewal via a free, short online assessment on Microsoft Learn no exam fee, no proctor. You get a 6-month window before your expiry date to complete it, and you can retake it as many times as needed until you pass.
The AZ-104 is Microsoft's role-based certification for Azure administrators. Passing it earns you the Microsoft Certified: Azure Administrator Associate credential one of the most recognized cloud certifications in the industry.
Yes. There are no enforced prerequisites for AZ-104. Microsoft does not block you from registering or sitting the exam without any prior certification. AZ-900 is recommended for beginners but is never mandatory. If you have hands-on Azure experience, you can go straight to AZ-104.
The AZ-104 is built for IT professionals who work with or want to work with Azure infrastructure. There's no formal eligibility requirement to register anyone can sit the exam. That said, it's a genuinely challenging intermediate-level exam, and hands-on Azure experience makes a significant difference in how prepared you'll feel.
Professionals already managing Azure subscriptions, resource groups, virtual machines, and storage accounts who want to formally validate their skills. The AZ-104 is also ideal for anyone in IT looking to make the move into cloud with a globally recognized credential backed by Microsoft.
Engineers responsible for deploying and scaling cloud infrastructure. The AZ-104 builds the administrative foundation that complements architecture-level work and serves as a globally recognized proof of cloud competency.
On-premise admins transitioning to cloud roles. The AZ-104 maps well to networking, identity, and storage concepts already familiar from traditional IT environments, making it a natural next step for upskilling into cloud.
Microsoft does not enforce any formal prerequisites for AZ-104. You can register and sit the exam without any prior certification or experience. However, the exam is scenario-heavy and technically demanding the following background will make your preparation significantly more effective:
There's no single right way to prepare, but candidates who pass consistently combine three things: understanding what the exam tests, hands-on practice in a real Azure environment, and timed practice under exam conditions. Here's a proven approach.
Before studying anything, understanding both the structure of what you're walking into and how each topic is actually tested, is important.
The AZ-104 covers 5 domains, each with a defined percentage weighting. Every domain breaks down further into sub-topics, each of which is independently testable.
Our domain pages map every sub-topic to the exact type of question you'll face on it, based on our analysis of the exam. This gives you precise clarity on what to focus on for each topic rather than studying everything in equal depth.
The AZ-104 is scenario-based questions don't ask you to define services, they ask you to reason through real configurations and troubleshoot real problems.
The only way to build that intuition is hands-on practice. Spin up a free Azure trial and work through the services that appear most in exam scenarios: assign RBAC roles at different scopes, deploy resources using ARM templates, configure NSGs and VNet peering, set up storage accounts with lifecycle policies, and create Recovery Services vaults with backup policies.
The more you've actually done these tasks, the faster and more confidently you'll reason through exam questions.
Taking full-length timed practice tests is one of the most effective things you can do before the real exam.
Practice tests do several things at once:
Reviewing every wrong answer with its explanation, not just the correct option compounds the benefit significantly.
Given that each retake costs $165, passing first time is worth investing in.
💡 Absolutely. Microsoft Azure continues to be one of the two dominant cloud platforms globally, and organizations are actively hiring professionals who can manage Azure environments at scale.
The AZ-104 remains one of the most searched and most taken Microsoft certifications. As enterprises accelerate cloud migration and hybrid cloud strategies, the demand for certified Azure administrators not just developers has only increased.
For IT professionals, the AZ-104 provides a strong salary signal to employers and is often listed as a preferred or required certification in Azure administrator job postings worldwide.
If you're working in or moving into cloud administration, the AZ-104 in 2026 is as relevant as ever.
The AZ-104 has a specific structure fixed time limit, a defined score threshold, and nine distinct question formats. Knowing these details before exam day means you can pace yourself correctly, avoid being caught off guard by unfamiliar question types, and walk in with a clear picture of what you're being measured against.
The AZ-104 uses a variety of interactive question formats. Knowing what to expect before exam day removes anxiety and saves time. Below is every question type you may encounter, with a visual preview of how it looks on screen.
A question is followed by four to six options labelled A-F. Exactly one answer is correct. Select the radio button next to your chosen answer. These are the most straightforward questions on the exam read all options before committing.
The question asks you to select two or more correct answers from a list of options. Checkboxes replace radio buttons. The question will always state how many answers are required. Each correct selection earns one point independently.
A scenario is described, followed by a series of statements. For each statement, you select Yes (if the statement is true) or No (if it is false). These questions test precise technical knowledge a single misunderstood detail changes the answer.
| Statement | Yes | No |
|---|---|---|
| VNet-A and VNet-B can be peered | ||
| VNet peering is transitive by default | ||
| A VPN Gateway can be used for transit routing |
A scenario is presented, followed by one or more dropdown menus each corresponding to a specific question about the scenario. Click each dropdown to reveal the available options and select the correct answer for each. A single question may contain multiple dropdowns, each tested independently.
You are shown a simulated Azure Portal interface such as an identity settings page or a configuration panel image and asked to identify which settings to enable or modify. You need to select the box (from within the image) that contains settings that must be modified.
A fixed scenario is presented, followed by a proposed solution. You answer Yes (if the solution works) or No (if it doesn't). These appear in series the same scenario repeats across 2-3 questions, each with a different proposed solution.
You have an Azure container registry named Registry1 that contains an image named image1.
You receive an error message when you attempt to deploy a container instance by using image1.
You need to be able to deploy a container instance by using image1.
Solution: You create a private endpoint connection for Registry1.
Does this meet the goal?
A detailed business scenario is presented in a left-side panel with tabs (Overview, Existing Environment, Requirements). You answer 4-6 questions based on this shared context. Case study questions can themselves be any format MCQ, Yes/No, dropdown, or drag-and-drop.
A list of items appears on the left side of the screen. An "Answer Area" with empty target boxes appears on the right. You drag each item from the left and drop it into the correct box on the right. Items may be used once, more than once, or not at all.
Similar to drag-and-drop, but the Answer Area requires you to place items in the correct sequence numbered 1, 2, 3, etc. This tests whether you understand not just what steps to take, but the order in which they must happen.
Everything candidates commonly search for — from exam cost and format to difficulty, study time, salary impact, and how AZ-104 compares to other certifications.
Cost, duration, passing score, retake policy, and what the exam looks like.
The AZ-104, officially called the Microsoft Azure Administrator exam, tests your ability to implement, manage, and monitor an organization's Azure environment. Passing it earns the Microsoft Certified: Azure Administrator Associate credential — one of the most in-demand cloud certifications in the industry.
The AZ-104 exam costs $165 USD per attempt. The price varies by country and region — in India it is approximately ₹4,865 INR, and in the UK around £115 GBP. Each retake requires a separate fee. There is no free retake or bundle included by default, though Microsoft occasionally offers Exam Replay packages through Pearson VUE.
The minimum passing score for AZ-104 is 700 out of 1000. Microsoft uses a scaled scoring model, meaning not all questions carry equal weight. A score of 700 does not mean 70% correct — it reflects a scaled performance threshold.
The AZ-104 exam typically contains 50 to 60 questions. The exact count varies per session. Some sessions include case studies, which are multi-question scenarios — these count toward the total. The time limit is 120 minutes for the full exam.
The AZ-104 exam has a total duration of 120 minutes (2 hours). This includes all question types. The practical time for answering questions is slightly less once you account for the introduction and agreement screens at the start. Time management is important — case study sections at the beginning can consume 15–20 minutes if not approached efficiently.
If you do not pass the AZ-104 on your first attempt, you must wait 24 hours before retaking. Microsoft allows a maximum of 5 attempts per year. Each retake requires paying the full exam fee again. There is no cooldown period after the second attempt — only the 24-hour minimum wait applies.
The AZ-104 certification is valid for one year from the date you pass. Microsoft requires annual renewal via a free online renewal assessment on Microsoft Learn. The renewal assessment is shorter than the full exam and can be taken at any time before your expiry date. If you miss the renewal window, you must retake the full exam.
AZ-104 covers five domains: Manage Azure Identities and Governance (20–25%), Implement and Manage Storage (15–20%), Deploy and Manage Azure Compute Resources (20–25%), Implement and Manage Virtual Networking (15–20%), and Monitor and Maintain Azure Resources (10–15%). Identity/governance and compute are the most heavily tested.
Microsoft recommends at least 6 months of hands-on Azure experience before attempting AZ-104. You should be comfortable using the Azure Portal, Azure CLI, and PowerShell, with working knowledge of identity, storage, compute, and networking. No formal prerequisite certification is required — AZ-900 is recommended but not mandatory.
AZ-104 uses nine question formats: multiple choice (single answer), multiple selection (multiple answers), Yes/No statements, dropdown list completion, UI image interaction (select settings within a portal screenshot), scenario-based Yes/No solution series, case study questions, drag-and-drop matching, and drag-and-drop ordering. The scenario-based series and case studies are the most time-consuming.
How hard it is, how long to study, salary impact, and how AZ-104 compares to other certs.
AZ-104 is an intermediate-level exam — significantly harder than AZ-900 because it tests hands-on administration, not just concepts. Questions are scenario-based and require reasoning through permission inheritance, interpreting CLI output, and comparing similar Azure services under specific constraints. Candidates actively working with Azure find it challenging but manageable; those with only theoretical knowledge tend to struggle.
Most candidates spend 4 to 8 weeks preparing, averaging 1–2 hours of study per day. Candidates with active Azure experience can be ready in 3–4 weeks. Candidates new to Azure administration should plan for 8–12 weeks. The most effective preparation combines Microsoft Learn paths, hands-on lab practice in a real Azure subscription, and multiple full-length timed practice tests.
AZ-900 (Azure Fundamentals) is an entry-level exam testing conceptual cloud knowledge — it has no prerequisites and requires no hands-on experience. AZ-104 is an Associate-level exam testing real administrative skills in scenario-based questions. AZ-900 is not a prerequisite for AZ-104, but it is a useful foundation if you are new to Azure. If you already have Azure experience, you can go straight to AZ-104.
AZ-104 (Azure Administrator) is for IT professionals who manage and operate Azure infrastructure — VMs, storage, networking, identity, and governance. AZ-204 (Azure Developer) is for developers who build applications on Azure using code, APIs, and platform services. They target different career paths. AZ-104 is the right choice if your role involves infrastructure administration; AZ-204 is right if you are a developer building on Azure.
Yes — you can access Microsoft Learn documentation during the exam. However, the 120-minute time limit for 50–60 questions leaves an average of only 2 minutes per question. Searching documentation mid-exam consumes too much time to be a reliable strategy. Treat it as a safety net for a small number of uncertain questions, not a substitute for preparation.
Yes. AZ-104 can be taken via online remote proctoring through Pearson VUE OnVUE, or in person at a Pearson VUE test centre. The online option requires a webcam, microphone, and a private room with no other people. Both formats deliver the same exam. Online proctoring offers more scheduling flexibility but has stricter environmental requirements.
Microsoft does not publish official pass rate data. Based on community-reported results across forums and study groups, the first-attempt pass rate is estimated at roughly 50–65%. Candidates who combine structured practice tests with hands-on Azure lab experience consistently report higher pass rates than those who rely on reading material alone.
Yes. Multiple IT salary surveys show Azure Administrators with the AZ-104 certification earn on average 10–25% more than uncertified peers in comparable roles. The salary impact is highest for candidates transitioning from on-premise IT roles into cloud, and in markets where Azure skills are in high demand relative to supply.
Yes — AZ-104 is a required prerequisite for AZ-305 (Azure Solutions Architect Expert). You must hold the Azure Administrator Associate credential before you can earn the Expert-level Solutions Architect certification. For AZ-400 (DevOps Engineer Expert), either AZ-104 or AZ-204 satisfies the prerequisite. Taking AZ-104 first also builds the Azure administration foundation that both Expert paths assume.
Yes. Azure is one of the two dominant cloud platforms globally and demand for certified Azure administrators continues to grow as enterprises accelerate cloud migration. AZ-104 is frequently listed as a required or preferred certification in Azure admin job postings worldwide. For IT professionals, it provides a strong salary signal to employers and is a gateway to Expert-level paths like AZ-305 and AZ-400.
Now that you know the exam format, domain weightings, and question types — it's time to work through the actual concepts. The AZ-104 Revision Guide covers all 171 exam topics across five domains, with concise notes written around how the exam tests each concept.
Share how you reason through topics on this page. You can also share your feedback on this guide.
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