Everything you need to know about how the AZ-104 exam is structured — questions, time, scoring, and exactly how the marks are distributed.
Typically 40–60 questions (Microsoft doesn't publish an exact count) — multiple choice, drag-and-drop and case-study scenarios; the live exam has no hands-on labs. You get 100 minutes, at a Pearson VUE test centre or online proctored. Scored on a 1–1,000 scale with a 700 passing mark; the result usually appears within minutes of finishing.
Microsoft publishes how the 50 questions are distributed (Microsoft AZ-104 study guide). Weight your preparation to match — this is the single most useful planning fact:
| Area | Weight | |
|---|---|---|
| Manage Azure identities and governance | 23% | |
| Deploy and manage Azure compute resources | 23% | |
| Implement and manage storage | 18% | |
| Implement and manage virtual networking | 18% | |
| Monitor and maintain Azure resources | 13% |
Manage Azure identities and governance is the heaviest at 23% — most candidates under-weight it.
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No — AZ-900 is not a prerequisite. Microsoft recommends it as background, but many admins go straight to AZ-104.
No — the live exam is multiple choice, drag-and-drop and case studies. Hands-on practice still matters, because the scenarios assume real admin experience.
Typically 40–60 questions (Microsoft doesn't publish an exact count) — multiple choice, drag-and-drop and case-study scenarios; the live exam has no hands-on labs.
The passing score is 700 on a 1–1,000 scale. Aim for a consistent 80–85% on realistic practice exams before booking.
Microsoft does not publish official pass rates, so any exact percentage quoted online is unverified. The readiness signal that actually predicts passing: consistently holding 80–85% on realistic, full-length practice exams before you book.
No formal prerequisite exams (AZ-900 is recommended background, not required). Microsoft recommends ~6 months of hands-on Azure administration experience, plus familiarity with PowerShell, Azure CLI, the Azure portal, ARM/Bicep and Microsoft Entra ID.
US pricing is commonly cited at $165 USD (exact fee varies by country). Retakes: 24-hour wait after the first fail, then 14 days between attempts (max 5 per rolling year).
For most candidates, commonly reported 40–100+ hours (4–12 weeks) depending on hands-on Azure experience. What matters most is practising questions and analysing why each option is right or wrong — not just reading.
Expires after 12 months; renew free with a short, open-book online assessment on Microsoft Learn in the 6 months before expiry.
No — every question is original, written to test the concepts and reviewed before it ships, with an explanation linked to the source for every option. Dumps are stale, often wrong, and against Microsoft's policies.