AZ-104 Azure Administrator Exam Guide 2026: Skills Measured, Study Plan and Hands-On Labs
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AZ-104 is the most widely held Microsoft role-based cloud certification, and for good reason, the Azure Administrator skill set maps directly to real daily operations work. This AZ-104 exam guide for 2026 gives you the exact domains, weightings, format and a five-week study plan, in the architecture-first style we teach across the SkillTech Microsoft Certification catalogue. If you have not cleared fundamentals yet, start with our AZ-900 Certification.
Is AZ-104 right for you?
AZ-104 is associate-level and assumes hands-on experience. You should be comfortable in the Azure portal, know basic PowerShell or CLI and understand core networking (IP addressing, DNS, routing). Microsoft recommends roughly six months of practical administration. If you are brand new, do AZ-900 first; if AZ-104 feels easy, the architect track (AZ-305) or developer track (AZ-204) is your next move.
AZ-104 exam format, cost and passing score
| Attribute | Detail |
| Level | Associate (role-based) |
| Questions | Typically 40–60, including case studies and occasional interactive/lab-style items |
| Duration | 100 minute |
| Passing score | 700 out of 1000 (scaled) |
| Cost | USD $165 — regional pricing applies; confirm at booking |
| Renewal | Free online renewal each year, before expiry |
| Open book | Yes, via integrated access to Microsoft Learn documentation |
A note on the "Open Book" format: Microsoft now allows candidates to access Microsoft Learn during the AZ-104 exam. A button in the testing interface opens a split screen where you can search official documentation. While this means you do not need to memorise every obscure CLI command or storage limit, time is incredibly tight. You will not have time to learn concepts from scratch on test day. The smartest strategy is to use the Learn button only to verify specific syntax or limits, treating it as a reference tool rather than a study replacement.
Associate exams like AZ-104 renew annually with a free, unproctored online assessment. Diarise the renewal window — letting it lapse means resitting the full exam.
AZ-104 skills measured: domains and weightings
Five domains, and the weighting tells you where the marks are. Identity/governance and compute together make up nearly half the exam , do not let networking anxiety pull all your time.
| Domain | Weight | Core skills |
|---|---|---|
| Manage Azure identities and governance | 20–25% | Microsoft Entra ID users/groups, RBAC, subscriptions, management groups, Azure Policy, resource locks, tags |
| Implement and manage storage | 15–20% | Storage accounts, blob tiers and lifecycle, Azure Files, access keys, SAS, network access |
| Deploy and manage Azure compute resources | 20–25% | Virtual machines, availability sets/zones, scale sets, App Service, containers, ARM/Bicep templates |
| Implement and manage virtual networking | 15–20% | VNets, subnets, NSGs, peering, VPN gateway, load balancer, DNS, Network Watcher |
| Monitor and maintain Azure resources | 10–15% | Azure Monitor, alerts, Log Analytics, Backup, Site Recovery |
The authoritative scope lives in the official Microsoft Learn AZ-104 study guide check it before booking, as skills are periodically updated.
A 5-week study plan to pass AZ-104
Weeks 1–2 — Identity, governance and storage
Start with Microsoft Entra ID and RBAC because they underpin every other topic. Create users and groups, assign roles at different scopes, apply an Azure Policy, and lock a resource. Then build storage accounts and practise blob tiers, lifecycle rules and SAS tokens. Follow the free Microsoft Learn AZ-104 learning path module by module.
Week 3 — Compute
Deploy VMs across availability zones, configure a scale set and resize and redeploy a VM. Learn when to reach for App Service or containers instead of a VM. Deploy at least one resource with a Bicep template, infrastructure as code shows up in scenarios; our Azure Bicep guide covers the syntax.
Week 4 — Networking
Build VNets and subnets, secure them with NSGs, peer two VNets and stand up a load balancer. Networking is where hands-on practice pays off most, you cannot memorise your way through it.
Week 5 — Monitoring plus timed practice
Finish with Azure Monitor, alerts, Log Analytics queries and Backup/Site Recovery, then take full-length timed practice tests. Review each miss until you can justify the correct answer and reject the distractors.
Tools you must be fluent in
AZ-104 assumes you can operate Azure three ways, not one. The portal is where you learn what each setting does; the Azure CLI and Azure PowerShell are how administrators actually work at scale, and the exam expects you to recognise their syntax for common tasks; and ARM/Bicep templates are how repeatable infrastructure gets deployed. You do not need to be a scripting expert, but you must be able to read a command and predict what it does, questions frequently show you a snippet and ask for the outcome. Practising the same task in all three surfaces (create a VM in the portal, then in CLI, then in Bicep) cements the concept far faster than reading about it. This portable, tool-agnostic fluency is exactly what carries over when you later move into the SkillTech Azure AI Certification path and start deploying AI services and agents on the same infrastructure.
Frequently asked questions
Is AZ-900 required before AZ-104?
Not officially, but strongly recommended. AZ-900 gives you the vocabulary AZ-104 assumes you already have.
How hard is AZ-104?
It is a genuine associate exam, with scenario and interactive questions. With consistent hands-on practice, five weeks is a realistic timeline for most working IT professionals.
Does AZ-104 include hands-on lab tasks?
It can include interactive and case-study items that simulate real administration. Practising in a live subscription is the best preparation.
What is the AZ-104 passing score?
700 out of 1000, scaled. Aim for 80%+ in practice tests before booking.
How much does AZ-104 cost, and does it change by country?
The list price is USD $165, but Microsoft bills in local currency, so the exact fee in India or elsewhere depends on your test region and any applicable tax. Always confirm the current amount at booking. There is also a good chance of periodic Microsoft exam discounts and student or educator pricing, so check before you pay full price.
Can I take AZ-104 from home?
Yes. It is offered as an online-proctored exam as well as at Pearson VUE test centres. For the online option, prepare your room, ID and a stable connection in advance, proctoring rules are strict and a preventable setup issue can cost you the slot.
Ready to become a certified Azure Administrator?
Start the AZ-104 track at SkillTech Club and turn this guide into a pass.
