AZ-104 Exam Study Guide: Pass on First Attempt

Passing AZ-104 is not just about memorizing where settings are located in the Azure portal. It is more important to understand what needs to be done when a requirement changes. For example, an administrator may need to manage access, protect data, restore a system, fix a network problem, or select a suitable deployment method. This AZ-104 exam study guide provides a clear learning path for these tasks. Practical Cloud Computing Projects can also help connect Azure concepts with real work. The guide covers key study areas, troubleshooting practice, exam questions, and simple checks to measure exam readiness for the Microsoft Azure Administrator certification.

What AZ-104 Actually Tests in 2026

AZ-104 checks whether Azure administration skills can be used in real cloud tasks. Knowing what a virtual network, role assignment, storage account, or alert is does not cover everything. Also important to know when each one should be used and what to check when a problem occurs.

The AZ-104 exam lasts 100 minutes, and a score of 700 or more is needed to pass. After passing, candidates earn the certification. The current English exam outline was updated on April 17, 2026.

Current Domain Weighting

These percentages form the current AZ-104 skills measured blueprint.

The AZ-104 exam format can include interactive question types, so knowing the material and being comfortable with the testing interface are both useful. Microsoft also provides an exam sandbox for familiarity with the environment.

The AZ-104 passing score is 700 or higher on Microsoft’s scoring system. The AZ-104 exam cost is currently US$165 in the United States, but the price may be different in other countries or regions.

Why the 2026 Update Matters

The current AZ-104 exam objectives should be checked before creating a study plan. Microsoft may change the exam topics from time to time. Older study materials can still help explain basic concepts, but they may contain topics or exam weightings that are no longer current. Using the latest objectives helps keep study time prepared around the key areas assessed in the exam.

The Microsoft AZ-104 study guide is useful as a factual reference for the current blueprint. The learning method, however, should go beyond reproducing that blueprint. A stronger approach asks what an administrator should be able to configure, compare, troubleshoot, and explain after studying each domain.

Build a Study Map Before Learning Individual Services

The AZ-104 exam syllabus may seem large because each domain covers several Azure services and settings. Memorizing each one separately can make the topics difficult to connect. A simpler approach is to group the topics based on the type of problem they solve.

Identity Means Deciding Who Can Do What

When studying identity and access, focus on these basic questions:

• Who needs access?
• What do they need to do?
• Where should access be given?
• Is the access for a user or a resource?
• Do inherited permissions affect the access?

For example, a learner should not stop after defining RBAC. A stronger exercise is assigning a role at resource-group level, checking inherited access on a resource, changing the scope, and observing the result.

Storage Means Balancing Access and Protection

Storage preparation should focus on security, availability, cost, and data use, simple way to understand storage is to first ask:

Who should be able to access the file: one application, a group of users, or anyone on the internet?

The answer helps decide the right storage settings, these may include sign-in methods, SAS access, private access, storage tiers, redundancy, lifecycle rules, and recovery options.

Compute Means Managing Change

Computing is more than creating VMs. Focus on these questions:

• How should the workload be deployed?
• How can it stay available?
• How can capacity be increased or reduced?
• Which settings should be managed with code?
• What happens when a setting is incorrect?

This is where VMs, scale sets, App Service, containers, ARM templates, and Bicep become easier to understand.

Networking Means Following the Path

Networking becomes less confusing when communication is traced in order:

Source → IP → subnet → route → security rule → destination

Instead of rote learning every network feature, the learner can follow the network path step by step and find where the connection stops working.

Monitoring Means Turning Evidence Into Action

Monitoring becomes easier when it is broken into three basic questions:

1. 1. What should be monitored?
2. 2. What shows that something has gone wrong?
3. 3.What action should follow?

Using these questions helps connect monitoring tasks with logs, metrics, alerts, action groups, backups, and recovery. Instead of learning each feature separately, the focus stays on how problems are detected and what should happen after they are found.

Together, these groups cover the main AZ-104 exam topics without turning the preparation process into a long glossary. They also make the AZ-104 exam objectives easier to remember because every area is linked to an administrative decision.

Who Should Start AZ-104 and How Difficult Is It

Microsoft does not require another certification before AZ-104. For that reason, AZ-104 eligibility is better judged through existing skills than through a formal certification sequence.

A learner with basic knowledge of networking, virtualization, identity, storage, and cloud resources can begin AZ-104 directly. Microsoft also identifies familiarity with Azure CLI, PowerShell, the Azure portal, Microsoft Entra ID, and ARM templates or Bicep as useful experience.

Microsoft does not require another certification before AZ-104. For that reason, AZ-104 eligibility is better judged through existing skills than through a formal certification sequence. 

Practical Readiness Before Starting

The main AZ-104 prerequisites can be checked with a small readiness table.

If several of these areas are unfamiliar, a short foundation phase should come before intensive exam study.

What Makes AZ-104 Challenging

For people asking how difficult the AZ-104 exam is, the difficulty usually comes from making the right choice when several options appear reasonable.

What is Azure Policy?

It may instead describe an organization that wants every new resource to follow a specific configuration without manually checking each deployment.

The learner must recognize that this is a governance requirement rather than simply an access-control problem.

The same type of reasoning appears across storage, compute, networking, and monitoring.

That is why AZ-104 eligibility should not be measured only by months of experience. A learner who can explain decisions and troubleshoot basic failures may be better prepared than someone who has only watched several hours of training videos.

Six-Week AZ-104 Study Plan Based on Real Tasks

A practical AZ-104 study plan should give every week one clear outcome. This AZ-104 exam study guide uses a simple method:

Learn → Build → Change → Diagnose → Explain

The method prevents a common problem in certification study: recognizing a service name without knowing what happens when its configuration changes. A practical AZ-104 study plan should give every week one clear outcome. This AZ-104 exam study guide uses a simple method: Learn, Build, Change, Diagnose, and Explain. Learners following a structured path can also use Microsoft Azure Administrator Training to strengthen practical Azure administration skills alongside exam preparation. 

Week 1 Identity and Governance

Start with Azure access and governance because these topics are used in many Azure tasks. Learn the basic purpose of users, groups, roles, scopes, policies, and locks, and understand how they work together to control access and resources.

Practice:

• Add users and organize them into groups.
• Give users the access they need at the correct scope.
• Review and change existing role assignments.
• Set up a policy and check how it affects resources.
• Apply a resource lock and test what changes are blocked.

Readiness check: Make sure the purpose of RBAC, Azure Policy, and resource locks is clear. Practice identifying which one fits a given access, governance, or protection requirement.

Week 2 Storage

Build a small Azure storage setup to learn how data is stored, accessed, protected, and managed, compare file storage and object storage, then practice different security settings and rules for managing data over time.

Practice:

• Set up different ways to access stored data
• Work with file storage and object storage
• Add network access restrictions
• Create rules to manage data over time
• Test and review ways to recover data

Readiness check: Find out why an application can or cannot access stored data and identify the setting causing the problem.

Week 3 Compute

Focus on deploying workloads and keeping them available. Try different deployment methods to understand how each one works.

Practice:

• Create a basic virtual machine
• Compare availability options
• Set up scaling
• Create a simple App Service
• Deploy a basic resource setup with Bicep

Readiness check: Explain what should be changed when usage increases or when one part of an application fails.

Week 4 Networking

Practice by connecting a few Azure resources and checking whether traffic moves between them as expected, after the connection works, change one network setting to create a problem and find where the connection stops.

Practice:

• Create and organize subnets.
• Review the routes used by network traffic.
• Configure NSG rules and test access.
• Connect virtual networks with peering.
• Test communication through private connections.
• Review DNS settings and name resolution.

Readiness check: Start at one end of the connection and follow the traffic path until the problem is found. Test one setting at a time so it is clear which change fixes the issue.

Week 5 Monitoring and Recovery

Create monitoring and recovery tasks and test whether they actually work. For example, set up an alert and backup, create the condition that should trigger the alert, restore a resource, and confirm that the restored system works correctly.

Readiness check: Identify the signs or records that confirm monitoring, alerts, backups, and recovery are working as expected.

Week 6 Practice and Weak Areas

Use timed practice questions to find areas that need more study instead of focusing only on the score. The second AZ-104 study plan stage should give extra attention to topics that still cause confusion, repeated mistakes, or guessing.

For each wrong answer, review the related Azure setting, repeat the task, and test the same concept with a different example, also helps determine how long to study for AZ-104. A six-week plan can work well for learners who already know the basics of Azure. Beginners may need more time, while experienced administrators may need less.

The Best Hands-On Exercises

Useful AZ-104 labs should contain a controlled problem.

These AZ-104 labs add more value than simply creating resources because they teach what to do when the expected result does not appear.

High-Yield Azure Decisions Worth Practicing

The second half of the AZ-104 exam syllabus becomes easier when similar services are studied as decisions rather than separate definitions.

RBAC or Azure Policy

RBAC controls who can perform an action on Azure resources, while Azure Policy controls what rules those resources must follow.

For example, if only the operations team should be allowed to restart virtual machines, RBAC manages that access. If every virtual machine must follow a specific configuration, Azure Policy can apply that rule across the organization.

Resource Lock or Azure Policy

A resource lock helps prevent an important Azure resource from being deleted or changed by mistake. Azure Policy makes sure resources follow the rules set by an organization.

For example, a lock can prevent a critical resource from being deleted. A policy can require resources to follow approved settings.

NSG or Azure Firewall

A Network Security Group (NSG) controls which network traffic can enter or leave a subnet or network interface. It uses rules to allow or block traffic.

Azure Firewall provides stronger and more centralized protection across a larger Azure environment. It can inspect and control traffic in more detail.

NSGs protect traffic close to individual resources, while Azure Firewall manages security across a wider network.

Azure Files or Blob Storage

Azure Files provides shared folders that applications and users can access like a normal file share. Blob Storage is mainly used for storing data such as images, documents, backups, logs, and application files. Azure Files is best for shared file access, while Blob Storage is better for storing separate objects or files in the cloud.

Service Endpoint or Private Endpoint

A service endpoint allows resources in a virtual network to connect securely to supported Azure services while the service still uses a public address. A private endpoint gives the Azure service a private IP address inside the virtual network, service endpoints use the public service address, while private endpoints keep the connection private inside the network.

Availability Set or Availability Zone

An availability set keeps virtual machines in separate groups within the same Azure datacenter; hardware failure or planned maintenance is less likely to affect every VM at once.

Availability zones offer a higher level of protection because resources are placed in different datacenters within the same Azure region, if one zone goes down, the workload can still run from another zone.

Backup or Site Recovery

Azure Backup is used to save copies of data and workloads so they can be recovered if something is deleted, damaged, or lost. Site Recovery is different because it helps applications continue working during a major failure by moving workloads to another location. These are useful AZ-104 exam topics because questions often focus on choosing the right service for the situation.

Troubleshooting Drills That Make the Content Practical

A good certification guide should also cover what to do when something goes wrong. Troubleshooting exercises make Azure concepts easier to understand and help learners handle practical, scenario-based exam questions.

Permission Failure Drill

Scenario: A team member can view a resource but cannot complete the required management action.

Check the problem in this order:

Identity → assigned role → scope → inherited access → deny condition

Do not give more access right away. First look at which permission is missing and where it is needed. Then add only the required access instead of giving unnecessary permissions.

Network Failure Drill

Scenario: Two workloads were communicating correctly but can no longer connect.

Follow the communication path:

IP configuration → DNS → route → NSG → peering → destination

Check one network setting at a time. Changing many settings together may fix the connection, but it becomes difficult to know which setting caused the problem.

Storage Failure Drill

Scenario: An application suddenly loses access to stored data.

Check:

credential or identity → permission → network rule → storage configuration

A storage access issue can happen because of sign-in problems, missing permissions, or network rules, checking these areas one at a time makes it easier to find what is blocking access.

Deployment Failure Drill

Scenario: A deployment works in one environment but fails in another.

Check these areas:

template values → dependencies → permissions → resource availability → configuration

Compare both environments and look for what is different. Check the Bicep file, input values, permissions, resource settings, and connected services. Once the cause is found, change only the setting that is causing the failure.

Monitoring Failure Drill

Scenario: A service has a problem, but no alert is received.

Check these areas:

data collection → diagnostic settings → alert rule → evaluation → action

First, check whether the required data is being collected, check the diagnostic settings, alert rule, and notification action. Follow each step until the point where the alert stops working is found.

A Better Method for Scenario Questions

For AZ-104 exam questions, use five steps:

1. 1. Outcome: Identify what must happen.
2. 2. Scope: Determine where the requirement applies.
3. 3. Constraint: Find conditions such as least privilege, private access, or high availability.
4. 4. Control: Match the requirement with the correct Azure feature.
5. 5. Elimination: Remove answers that fail even one stated condition.

This method helps turn long scenarios into smaller decisions and makes it easier to compare options based on the actual requirement.

Consider a question that asks for private service access with minimal exposure to the public internet. Instead of comparing every networking feature, isolate that restriction first.

The same method can be applied to another set of AZ-104 exam questions involving least privilege, availability, backup, or administrative effort.

This problem-solving section is one of the main reasons the AZ-104 exam study guide should not read like Microsoft documentation. The goal is to teach how to think through the requirements.

Practice Tests, Scheduling, Retakes, and Final Review

An AZ-104 practice test should be treated as a diagnostic exercise.

The first attempt should reveal where knowledge breaks down.

A useful review method places every wrong answer into one of five categories:

• concept not understood
• two services confused
• requirement missed
• configuration unfamiliar
• time-management problem

Build a Wrong Answer Log

After reviewing the first AZ-104 practice test, repeat the related hands-on task.

The next AZ-104 practice test should use new questions. Repeating the same questions until the answers are memorized gives a misleading impression of readiness.

This is also where AZ-104 exam preparation becomes more efficient. Study time is spent on proven weak areas rather than revisiting every topic equally. Learners exploring broader certification options can also use SterlingNext Azure Certification Learning to understand how Azure administration skills connect with other cloud learning paths. 

Scheduling and Retake Rules

For the Microsoft AZ-104 exam, candidates can schedule the test through Pearson VUE using the Microsoft certification page. The exam duration is 100 minutes, while the fee varies by country or region.

If the first attempt is unsuccessful, there is a 24-hour wait before the exam can be taken again. After that, a 14-day gap is required between attempts. The same exam can be taken a maximum of five times in 12 months.

Final Seven-Day AZ-104 Review Plan

The last seven days should focus on review, practice, and confidence, not starting the whole syllabus again, check what is already clear, find weak areas, and spend more time on topics that need improvement.

Day 7: Review All Domains

Review the five exam domains. Mark the topics that are easy to understand and those that still need more practice. Use the remaining days mainly to improve the weaker areas.

Day 6: Identity and Storage

Go over RBAC, Azure Policy, resource locks, storage access, security, and recovery. Try one simple identity task and one storage task to check how well the concepts are understood.

Day 5: Compute

Work with virtual machines, availability options, scaling, App Service, and basic Bicep deployment. Compare the options and understand which one fits a particular requirement.

Day 4: Networking

Review routes, NSGs, DNS, peering, and private connections, create a simple network problem and work through it step by step until the cause is found.

Day 3: Monitoring and Recovery

Review alerts, logs, backups, and restores. Make sure it is clear how Azure shows a problem and how to check whether a recovery worked correctly.

Day 2: Practice With a Time Limit

Complete a timed set of practice questions, check each wrong answer and review only the topics that caused difficulty, this avoids spending time on areas that are already well understood.

Day 1: Keep the Review Light

Review important service differences, common mistakes, key decision points, and the exam interface, avoid starting a large new topic on the final day.

AZ-104 Exam Day

Read the full requirement before looking closely at the answer choices. Pay attention to words about scope, limits, permissions, cost, and availability. Remove options that do not meet the requirement. If a question takes too long, move on and return to it later.

Conclusion

A good AZ-104 exam study guide should go beyond simply learning the names of Azure services. The important part is understanding where each service is used, what can go wrong, and how to confirm that it is working correctly. This approach makes connections between Azure services easier to understand and helps with choosing the right solution for a given situation. Practicing tasks related to identity, storage, networking, compute, and monitoring also supports exam preparation while developing practical Azure administration skills that can be applied in day-to-day cloud work.