The way that I look at taking the AZ-104 exam now and not “someday” – means that my current status as Cloud/System Administrator has changed a lot since I took the exam.
I work on an IT team(small) that consists of Cloud Admins, and there is a lot of context-switching everyday between completing tickets (finding and fixing) and multiple long-running projects (such as cleaning up user access in Microsoft Entra ID, tightening RBAC, reviewing storage and evaluating networking decisions, which seem easy until production traffic starts to flow).
For a long time, my goal has been to get a Microsoft Certified Azure Administrator (i.e., Azure Administrator Cert) to confirm my skills, however, I postponed getting this cert because I didn’t really feel that I wanted just to collect the “badges.” I wanted to have a cert that actually reflected what I do at work (that is to implement, manage, and monitor an Azure environment for my team’s use.) The AZ-104 cert matches well to that position – the cert is designed around that exact type of work.
I took the exam, passed it on my first attempt, and now would like to share my experience of taking this exam, and what I did to prepare for it and the many changes made to my study plan and how this certification FITS into it without doing it just to promote myself.
AZ-104: Facts About This Cert - The “Exam Process” & Things You Should Know
The Status Of AZ-104 - Should You Take This Exam Now?
AZ-104 is still active for the Azure Administrator Associate certification.
There is some information about the previous, no longer in existence, AZ-103 test; however, there remains considerable content detailing this information regarding its retirement, as well. Prerquisites and recommended experience are two different things.
Microsoft Practice Exams does not explicitly require that you take AZ-900 to take AZ-104, however they do provide detailed prerequisites in their preparation guide for AZ-104, which indicates that they believe you should have some familiarity with identity, governance, storage, computing, networking, and monitoring in Azure before testing for AZ-104.
In simple terms, if you do not have experience in any of those areas in Azure, it will take a lot of time/glue to get yourself ready to test.
They provide a study guide on the cMicrosoft Learning website, which shows that there are five main areas of testing on AZ-104:
Identity and Governance Management
Storage Implementation and Management
Compute Resource Deployment and Management
Virtual Networking Implementation and Management
Resource Monitoring and Maintenance
While these five areas do accurately represent the testing on the exam, the actual test questions are generally related to testing your ability to be decisive under uncertainty (which action to take next, which control to use in a scenario, etc.).
According to Microsoft, the Azure Administrator Associate Certification requires that you complete the exam (100 minutes) in the presence of a proctor.
Microsoft expands on this, saying that the total time required for the testing and check-in/administrative processes can seem to exceed the time actually required (in particular for checks of identity, signing of non-disclosure agreements, or viewing video material). Therefore, the average seat time for an Associate/Expert certification test is quoted to be 100 minutes for exam length and 120 minutes actual time.
The test is being administered through Pearson VUE, either at a testing center or online via OnVUE.
Passing Score, Scoring Scale, and What You Should Know About It
According to Microsoft, technical exam scores are a 1-1000 scaled. The minimum passing score is 700 or higher, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that you answered 70% of the questions correctly.
The fact that the exam is a scaled score means that there can be some uncertainty when leaving the test, and you can still have passed. It’s a very different kind of test than a traditional, raw percentage-based test.
How to Register and Schedule Exams
Microsoft has detailed scheduling procedures, including a link to the Exam Registration Agreement to help you through the registration process. The best way to find out how to schedule an exam with Microsoft is to check their official registration website, which offers comprehensive instructions on how to set up and register an exam.
Exam Cost and Regional Differences in Price
As per Microsoft, prices for exams may differ based on the country/region you live in. You will be assigned a local price when you select your country/region in the exam site/publishing area on the official registration page.
Unable to find a single, definitive set price for an exam that applies globally on Microsoft’s website. However, the most frequently mentioned pricing point for AZ-104 in the U.S. is $165 USD, with the cost being different across each region.
Exam Availability and Location
You can schedule exams for any available date, as long as the Pearson VUE testing center you use has an appointment. Because testing is a continuous process through Pearson VUE appointments, there are no defined times of year when exams are available; there are only defined exam sites.If you are searching for a very specific city (e.g., Milan), the most reliable way to identify test centre locations and availability is by doing a search via Pearson VUE's test centre locater tool while scheduling your appointment. I cannot, therefore, responsibly state the exact locations of the Milan test centres without physically pulling the current live list from the locator when you are making an appointment.
How I started and how I transitioned to a new method
My first two weeks appeared to be very productive at first glance, but in reality they were just a lot of passive learning concealed as productive activity.
Many video-based lessons I completed were completed without having tested my knowledge through practice questions.
I took notes as if I were preparing for an exam at university, rather than in preparation for a job related exam.
I did not study areas that made me uncomfortable or frustrated (networking/governance) because those would most likely cause me to fail the exams required for this approach.
The exam blueprint does not base rewards on your preferences: it bases them on coverage and judgement.
My first transition point to better study was when I used practice questions to guide my study plan (versus waiting until I had finished all learning before handling them).
What I did that worked (the sequence of timeline)
I spent 5-6 weeks preparing while working full time:
Weekdays - 60 to 90 minutes every day after work
Weekends - 2 to 3 hrs once (long study session) and 1 time short (2-3 hrs, do review and timed block)
Looped during weak areas of study until I had eliminated weak areas from study.
Map to Microsoft AZ-104 study guide (to not get off track searching for irrelevant materials)
After each topic link, spend time working through practice questions.
After each mistake, review assumptions using incident investigation methodology (the outcome of the wrong answer).What Detail Did I Miss?
Do More Pursuit Under Time Constraints.
That Loop Is Why The CERTIFICATION TEST Meant So Much To Me.
Why I Choose To Take The CERTIFICATION EXAM (Factors Influencing My Decision).
I did not base my decision on which was the least expensive product, nor did I choose based upon marketing hype. Instead, I followed my own criteria and wanted to have access to a practice tool that would provide me with plenty of opportunity to simulate and practice while repeating what I was learning.
According to its terms of use, the actual CERTIFICATION EXAM is a web-based simulator but it is also a mobile app and it is "consistently updated". The certification exam describes itself as being designed to provide a simulation similar to real certification exam conditions.
According to its terms of use, the certification exam provides practice questions but not "real exam tools", which would include provisioning of actual questions and answers used in the real exam(s)
The last statement was particularly important to me as I wanted a tool that respected both the ethical requirements and the policies of the Microsoft ecosystem as the microsoft ecosystem is a network of Microsoft-certified professionals who rely upon each other to validate their credentials and to use each other's credentials as a point of reference.
Also a word of caution, i found some of the marketing of the certification exam to be hyperbolic and other marketing language such as generalized "guarantees," to be a misrepresentation, and read them as mere marketing language while looking at the parts of marketing material i could verify, such as simulator location.
How I Used The CERTIFICATION EXAM In A Daily Routine
Here Is An Example Of How I Used The CERTIFICATION EXAM Practically
Mode 1: Smaller "Burst" Sets For Each Domain On A Daily Basis
On Weekdays (Monday-Friday) I would do smaller practice sets for each domain. For Example, If I did a practice set in the identity and governance domain, I was using the product for "Pattern Recognition" as opposed to trying to achieve a high score
Mode 2: Two Timed Sessions; Two Days Per Week - Building Exam Stamina
I would do two timed runs each week. Ongoing attempting to build exam stamina. It's not just that timing counts but it's also how the Microsoft has called the assessment time-based (100 minute limit). You want to feel pressure is normal (in this case).
The tracking technique (that helped fix my weakest areas) was creating a simple list called, "Mistakes that I consistently repeat". I did not use the term topic; instead, I categorized mistakes.
The effect of training my brain to read exam questions correctly (where you had to identify the right answer) under time pressure was the biggest benefit of using a quiz platform (instead of just memorization).
I scheduled the exam directly through the Microsoft portal, and took it as a proctored Pearson VUE exam (online). It could have been taken at a test centre or on-line (OnVUE) according to Microsoft and Pearson VUE.
When I sat down for my exam, it felt like a work simulation/testing with multiple-choice options. Many questions provided a choice of two answers that appeared correct, until you recognized a detail in the exam scenario/red flag.
The biggest surprise - I discovered that the exam relied heavily on "admin judgment" versus "memorization." I found myself re-reading the question’s stem a second time and then having to slow down in reading and re-answering as I became confident in answering and began to hurry.
What helped settle my nerves? Remembering that Microsoft provides scaled scoring on their exams. A score that means passing is 700+ out of an available 1–1000, however Microsoft has specifically stated that 700 does NOT equate to 70%.
That helped me to not spiral down the train of “I missed a few,” and thus “I’m done.”
Upon passing, what it did for me professionally and salary info by region
Positions this credential supports
According to Microsoft, the Azure Admin Associate credential is focused on implementing, managing, and monitoring identity, governance, storage, compute, network, and monitor in azure environments. The approximate jobs available that are directly linked with hiring for this cert would be typically classified as Azure Admin, Cloud Admin and Azure Focused Systems Admin.
Using Glassdoor salary data, which is accurate for employment appraisals of salaries on the current job market, your best resource is collecting accurate data points from each site and using that as a range rather than solidified numbers.
USA: Glassdoor's average salary for Azure administrators is somewhere in the ballpark of $162,832 as of 2026, based on the accumulated submitted salary data at that time.
India: Glassdoor's average salary for Azure admins is approximately ₹5,87,500 as of 2026 based on submitted salary data.
Europe (examples) UK: IT Jobs Watch lists the median for Azure Admin is about £50000, based off of job postings for the prior 6 months (as of 2026).
Germany: Glassdoor's average compensation for Azure Administrator is approximately €58,002 as of 2026, however the number of submissions were minimal, so again use this as a "rough" estimate and not as an exact standard.
For me personally, passing did not change my title immediately, but it did change conversations. Prior to this point, the projects implemented as "shadow Azure work" are all now "you're responsible" for it, and that's the key to the career impact!
Comparative Analysis of Certification Exams and Other Alternatives
The information in this section will not be an opinion but rather presented as factual information through researched material supported by real competitors that provide information on what is publicly available related to each competitor's product offering.
The following will be a listing of actual competitors that are available as possible alternatives to a certification exam.
The items described will include a brief description of what each product is, who provides the product, any unique features associated with the product, and what target audience they are ideal.
With the above format as the guideline, below is a listing of competitors for a certification exam:
Free Microsoft Practice Assessments Description
Free practice exams for most Microsoft certification exams, where Microsoft notes that there is a score report, with/or without answers (e.g., with answer explanations), multiple attempt issues, and exams are updated in real time with certifications have a number of issues related to its use. Best for: Quick examination readiness checks and official-style question answer explanations provided by Microsoft. What is the difference: This will be difficult to beat if you want to use a free and official practice exam for validation of what you have learned. If your primary training method is heavy repetition practised in "real-world" conditions using simulation tools, you may want to also consider other dedicated simulating tools.
MeasureUP
What is offered: MeasureUP has an AZ-104 practice test product offered with a focus on areas such as Networking, Storage, Computing, Identity Security & Security Governance (value of information published on product pages).
Comparison (Referencing published materials and careful documentation):
MeasureUP provides published product pages and pricing on their products.
Certification Exam has a published product page with a price published, and has positioned themselves as a simulator (Web + Mobile) claiming to be "Always Up-to-Date" with certifications.
No documentation or criteria were found to compare public "Question Count" (based on same product comparisons) for Certification Exam vs. MeasureUP for the AZ-104 practice test. Therefore I will not make the statement that "X" has higher question count than "Y" and will make this statement based on factual statements made through documented criterion comparison.
Whatever your sleeping habits are, I don't care. Just make sure that whatever time you go to bed is going to be the time you get up in the morning so that you can improve your performance in the next day's activities.
Whizlabs (labs, practice exams/products)
Whizlabs offers an AZ-104 preparation (practice exams/products) with full detail and print version included. To provide a full overview of the exam prep (materials), Whizlabs has three components: the practice exams, labs and definitions/examples. In comparison, if you want more (labs along with practice exams), Whizlabs promotes itself as both; on the other hand, the CERTIFIED EXAM objectives of delivering on learning to the simulation experience, providing a user-friendly platform. The level of "betterness" depending on what is | in terms of practicing like using practical versus providing a practice exam for the hours spent in practicing for the certification exam. If I lose out on the hours...
Pluralsight (structured path; courses, labs and practice exam)
Using the link/s? provided will find all info related to courses offered through Pluralsight frequency in the path requested. The Pluralsight AZ-104 path consists of a combination of a bundle of courses, labs, total hours devoted to completion and practice examinations/assessments. Pluralsight has credentialed learning credentials with distinct curriculum outcomes to demonstrate success at the certification exam.
Cloud Academy (course-based preparation with labs; options available)
Cloud Academy has devoting to its AZ-104 exam and provides an intermediate training path with estimated durations up to completion time. The course path of this Cloud Architecture program is The CERTIFICATION EXAM acts as a simulator and preparation tool accessible on computer and phone.
Courses for practice tests on Udemy
Udemy is what the official site says it is. Udemy has multiple AZ-104 practice tests and provides information about those practice tests, such as how many practice tests are available and how many questions will be included in each test. In addition to the above, it also typically states whether or not there will be an explanation of how to use the test and whether or not there will be a way to review your answers. What makes Udemy different? Cost-effective: there is no cost to take a practice test; the total price will be based on the instructor. Courses that are available on the platform will disclose information about what they include on their course page. Variability of quality per course: each course's instructor sets the quality and update policies for their course; there is no quality or update policy set by the platform.
What I can support as being true about CERTIFICATION EXAM and what I will not overestimate
Strengths that can be supported using only the published materials from CERTIFICATION EXAM:
Positioned as web simulator and mobile app; has the most up-to-date question bank (i.e. using the latest released exam questions)
Clearly states the simulator is used only for practicing; all questions/answers from previously completed exams do not relate.
I will not support a verified pass rate or "guaranteed success" number as an objective fact because I cannot find any independent public verification that would support this. I have treated the above statement as marketing and relied only on what I could validate from their published product and terms pages.
Key actions for AZ-104 candidates (i.e. what checklist I would provide my past self):
Create a study plan; use Microsoft's study guide as a framework.
Begin practice test immediately; do not wait to start practice test on week 4.
Document any missed question(s). Record if you missed it due to misreading, misunderstanding scope of question, or misreading "best practice" against "allowable"
Practice identifying when it is appropriate to use each of the 3 tools to help time (i.e. when to use metrics, logs or alerts). The estimate of 100 minutes used by Microsoft is the target for how long it takes you to complete the test; you should practice how to complete the test within 100 minutes.
Practice under the conditions you plan to experience during the exam (i.e. taking a physical or electronic test).
General weak areas (based on patterns I experienced while reviewing my performance)
The above statements are a reflection of my personal experience, not an official Microsoft list.
Directions for configuration:
Networking decisions (NSG/subnet/provider routers/service endpoint confusion).
Identity and governance (identifying the boundaries of access, identifying if RBAC has set policies correctly).
Monitoring (knowing how to use metrics; how to use logs and how to use alerts to properly monitor systems).
If you avoid a specific area you will likely score lower than doing it yourself.
Final Thoughts:
I passed the AZ-104 exam because I changed from consuming content/learning from the content to performing/working on my performance.
Based on published documents, Microsoft provides specific details on how the exam content will be scored, and Pearson Vue provides the method by which you will take the exam. Both will provide you a means to develop your preparation plan.
CERTIFICATION EXAM provided me a means to provide evidence of how to practice based on the use of a simulator. From my use of the simulator I developed a rhythm I could maintain on a daily basis and practice based on only the questions in the simulator. Certifying exams can only use exam-related content.
If you are preparing for the exams now, you should create your test prep plan according to Microsoft guidelines for each area of competency and you should schedule your examination date to take advantage of the reality of being able to take the exam within the 90 days. Finally, you should use practice tools to identify missing understanding of material you have reviewed and not to collect high scores.
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