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AZ-104 FAQ — Common Questions About the Azure Administrator Exam

About Fuad Efendi, MSc Mathematics — Mastery Exam Prep Sep 19, 2025 3 min read Cloud Computing Information Technology Microsoft Azure System Administration Azure Az-104 Faq Administrator

Answers to the most common questions about Microsoft Azure Administrator (AZ-104): format, scoring, prerequisites, retakes, labs, study plan, and what to expect on test day.

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What is AZ-104 and who should take it?

AZ-104: Microsoft Azure Administrator validates hands-on administration skills: identity and access, compute, storage, networking, monitoring, backup, and basic resilience. It’s ideal for admins, ops engineers, or help-desk technicians stepping into cloud operations.

How many questions and what is the passing score?

Expect a mix of multiple choice/multiple response, matching/drag-and-drop, and short task-style items. The scaled passing score is 700/1000. The exact item count varies by delivery form.

Are there prerequisites?

No formal prerequisite exam is required. Practically, 6–12 months of Azure administration experience and comfort with the Portal plus basic CLI/PowerShell will make preparation much smoother.

How is AZ-104 different from AZ-900?

AZ-900 is conceptual and broad (fundamentals). AZ-104 is task-level and operational: you’ll apply RBAC/Policy, configure storage/networking, deploy/patch/backup compute, and wire monitoring/alerts.

Do I need to know ARM/Bicep or Terraform?

You’re primarily assessed on administration. Infrastructure-as-code awareness helps, but AZ-104 focuses on outcomes: correct configuration, secure defaults, and operability. You may see references to ARM/Bicep in governance or deployment contexts; recognize what they do, but don’t expect deep authoring tasks.

How much CLI/PowerShell appears?

Expect some task-style questions or answer options that reference commands. You should recognize common az or PowerShell patterns (e.g., setting RBAC, creating Private Endpoints, enabling diagnostics), but most tasks can be reasoned from Portal experience.

What domains are tested?

  • Identities & Governance (Entra ID, RBAC scopes, Policy/initiatives, locks)
  • Storage (redundancy LRS/ZRS/GRS/GZRS, tiers, lifecycle, private access)
  • Compute (VMs, scale sets, images, extensions, backup/restore)
  • Networking (VNets/subnets, NSGs/ASGs, UDRs, DNS, Private Endpoint vs service endpoints, load balancing)
  • Monitoring/Backup (metrics, logs/KQL, alerts/action groups, backup policy/restore)

How should I study?

Follow the Syllabus domain by domain, then drill with the Practice page:

  • Start with 20–25 question domain drills on weak areas.
  • Mix 30–40 question sets that cross domains.
  • In the final week, take 2–3 full mocks and review every miss.

What are the most common weak spots?

  • RBAC vs Policy vs Locks (scope and purpose confusion)
  • Private Endpoint DNS (missing Private DNS zone links/records)
  • Redundancy choices (ZRS vs GZRS vs GRS and SLA trade-offs)
  • Load-balancer selection (LB vs App Gateway vs Front Door)
  • Monitoring wiring (metric vs log alerts, action groups, workspace placement)

Are labs required?

Hands-on practice is strongly recommended. Build a small lab: a VNet with subnets/NSGs, a storage account with a Private Endpoint and lifecycle rules, a VM/VMSS with backups, and basic Monitor alerts plus a Log Analytics workspace.

How long does it take to prepare?

With prior Azure exposure: 2–3 weeks part-time. From near-zero: 4–6 weeks. Your pace depends on how quickly you can perform each syllabus task from memory.

What should I expect on exam day?

  • Manage time: first pass fast; flag long scenarios for later.
  • Read the scope carefully (management group → subscription → RG → resource).
  • Prefer answers that satisfy least privilege, zone awareness, and operability (monitoring/backup).

How do retakes work?

Policies can change; generally, if you don’t pass, you can retake after a short wait. If you pass, you typically wait until a new version releases before re-taking to “improve” the score. Always check the current policy at scheduling time.

How long is the certification valid?

Microsoft role-based certs typically require periodic renewal (often via an online assessment). Plan on light maintenance each year to stay current.

Any last-mile tips?

  • Build a one-page cheat list: RBAC scopes, redundancy options, Private Endpoint DNS, LB/AppGW/Front-Door chooser, 3–5 KQL queries.
  • Set at least one metric and one log alert in your lab—understand the difference.
  • For any storage/network scenario that fails, fix DNS first, then check NSGs/UDRs.

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