How to Pass Azure AZ-104 on Your First Attempt: Complete Study Guide

What Is the Azure AZ-104 Exam?

The Microsoft Azure Administrator Associate (AZ-104) is one of the most popular Azure certifications in the enterprise market. It validates your ability to implement, manage, and monitor an organization's Microsoft Azure environment, including identity, governance, storage, compute, and virtual networking.

The exam consists of 40-60 questions delivered in multiple formats: multiple choice, multiple response, drag and drop, and — uniquely — interactive lab sections where you perform tasks in a live Azure portal. You have 100 minutes to complete the exam and need a scaled score of 700 out of 1000 to pass.

Unlike AWS certifications that rely heavily on scenario-based questions, AZ-104 is more technically granular. You are expected to know specific PowerShell cmdlets, Azure CLI commands, and ARM template configurations, not just architectural concepts.

Why AZ-104 Is Worth the Investment

Azure certifications are increasingly required in enterprise IT, government contracts, and any organization running Microsoft 365, Active Directory, or hybrid cloud deployments. The AZ-104 specifically is a foundational Azure role-based credential — it's the gateway to more advanced Azure certifications like Azure Solutions Architect Expert (AZ-305) and Azure Security Engineer (AZ-500).

Azure administrators typically earn 15-25% more than their non-certified counterparts, and the AZ-104 appears in more Azure job listings than any other certification. If your organization uses Microsoft products or is migrating to Azure, this is the credential hiring managers look for first.

Exam Domain Breakdown

The AZ-104 covers five domains, each weighted differently on the exam:

1. Manage Azure Identities and Governance (20-25%) — Microsoft Entra ID (formerly Azure AD), RBAC, users, groups, Privileged Identity Management, and tag-based governance.
2. Implement and Manage Storage (15-20%) — Storage accounts, Azure Files, Blob Storage tiers, lifecycle management, and Azure File Sync.
3. Deploy and Manage Azure Compute Resources (20-25%) — Virtual machines, VM Scale Sets, Azure App Service, Azure Container Instances, and Azure Kubernetes Service basics.
4. Configure and Manage Virtual Networking (15-20%) — Virtual networks, subnets, NSGs, Azure Firewall, VNet peering, VPN Gateway, and Azure DNS.
5. Monitor and Maintain Azure Resources (10-15%) — Azure Monitor, Log Analytics, backup and recovery with Azure Backup, and Azure Site Recovery.

A Proven 6-Week Study Plan

Week 1-2: Identity and Governance Foundations

Start with Microsoft Entra ID because identity sits at the foundation of every Azure resource. Focus on:

• User and group management: Creating users, guest users (B2B collaboration), dynamic groups, and self-service password reset
• RBAC roles: Owner, Contributor, Reader, User Access Administrator, and custom roles. Know how role scope (subscription, resource group, resource) affects permissions.
• Conditional access policies: Basic conditions, controls, and how they differ from Security Defaults
• Azure Policy vs RBAC: Policy controls what can be created; RBAC controls who can do what

Spend time in the Azure Portal, Azure CLI (az), and PowerShell (Az module) — the exam tests all three interfaces.

Week 3: Storage and Compute

Azure storage is straightforward but has traps. Know the differences between:

• Storage account types: General-purpose v2 (default), BlockBlobStorage, FileStorage, BlobStorage
• Performance tiers: Standard (HDD) vs Premium (SSD)
• Access tiers: Hot, Cool, Cold, Archive — and when each is appropriate
• Replication: LRS, ZRS, GRS, RA-GRS, GZRS, RA-GZRS — understand the difference between zone and geo redundancy

For compute, focus on:

• VM sizing: General-purpose (B, D), compute-optimized (F), memory-optimized (E), storage-optimized (L), GPU (N)
• VM availability: Availability Zones vs Availability Sets, fault domains, update domains
• VM Scale Sets: Manual vs automatic scaling, custom script extensions
• App Service plans: Free, Shared, Basic, Standard, Premium — deployment slots require Standard+

Week 4: Virtual Networking

Networking is the most technical domain. Master:

• VNet design: Address spaces, subnets, reserved IPs (first 4 and last 1 of each subnet)
• NSGs vs Azure Firewall: NSGs are stateful layer 3-4 filters; Azure Firewall is a managed stateful layer 7 firewall
• VNet peering: Same-region vs global, transitivity rules, gateway transit
• Connectivity options: Site-to-Site VPN (policy-based vs route-based), Point-to-Site VPN, ExpressRoute (understand when each is required)
• Azure DNS and Private DNS zones: How VNet integration works

Week 5: Monitoring, Backup, and Recovery

This domain is underweighted but easy to score on:

• Azure Monitor: Metrics vs logs, alert rules, action groups
• Log Analytics: KQL (Kusto Query Language) basics — the exam may give you a simple KQL query to interpret
• Azure Backup: Recovery Services vault, backup policies, retention settings
• Azure Site Recovery: Replication between regions, recovery plans, RTO/RPO

Week 6: Practice Exams and Interactive Labs

Practice in the Azure Portal extensively. The live lab sections of AZ-104 require you to complete specific tasks — create a VM with certain properties, configure an NSG rule, set up RBAC assignments. If you only study theory, you will struggle with these.

Take at least 3 full-length practice exams to build stamina. You can find AZ-104 practice exams on DummyExams with hundreds of scenario-based questions and detailed explanations.

Key Services to Know Cold

• Microsoft Entra ID: Users, groups, external identities, conditional access, MFA
• Azure Resource Manager: Resource groups, locks, tags, ARM templates, Bicep basics
• Azure Virtual Machines: Sizing, disks (OS, data, ephemeral), VM extensions
• Azure Storage: Blobs, files, queues, tables; shared access signatures (SAS)
• Azure Virtual Networks: Subnets, NSGs, route tables, service endpoints, private endpoints
• Azure Monitor: Metrics, logs, alerts, workbooks
• Azure Backup and Site Recovery: Vaults, policies, replication

Exam Day Strategies

Interactive labs are time sinks. Complete the multiple choice questions first, then tackle the labs with the remaining time. Each lab can take 15-20 minutes.

Know your commands. The exam will ask you which CLI or PowerShell command achieves a specific outcome. Spend time in the terminal, not just the portal.

Read the question twice. Azure questions often include subtle constraints like "using the least administrative effort" or "without incurring additional cost" — these qualifiers determine the correct answer.

Don't second-guess. If you answered based on hands-on experience, trust your first instinct. Changing answers without a clear reason typically lowers your score.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• Skipping the Azure CLI and PowerShell: You will be tested on specific commands, not just concepts
• Ignoring KQL: Log Analytics queries appear on the exam in simple form — know basic syntax
• Over-indexing on the Portal: Some exam tasks can only be done via CLI or PowerShell
• Neglecting hybrid scenarios: On-premises to Azure connectivity (VPN, ExpressRoute) is heavily tested

Final Thoughts

The AZ-104 is a rigorous but achievable certification with 6 weeks of focused study. Unlike more theoretical exams, it rewards candidates who actually use Azure — so make hands-on practice the core of your preparation.

Ready to start practicing? Try the AZ-104 practice exam on DummyExams — your first 10 questions are free, no account required.