AZ-104 certification: cost, exam format and practice questions
AZ-104 is the exam for Microsoft Certified: Azure Administrator Associate, Microsoft’s intermediate-level Azure administration certification. Microsoft states the price as $165 USD, the exam time as 100 minutes, the passing score as 700 on a scale of 1 to 1,000, and renewal as every 12 months.
Certsqill has 834 AZ-104 practice questions, each with an explanation for every answer option, and a 0–100 readiness score broken down by exam domain. 20 questions are free, no signup.
- Exam fee
- $165 USDMicrosoft adds that the price is based on the country or region in which the exam is proctored, checked 24 September 2026
- Exam time
- 100 minutesMicrosoft Learn, "Take the exam", checked 24 September 2026
- Passing score
- 700 on a scale of 1 to 1,000Microsoft Learn, Exam scoring and score reports, checked 24 September 2026
- Level
- IntermediateMicrosoft Learn certification page, checked 24 September 2026
- Renewal
- Every 12 monthsMicrosoft Learn certification page, checked 24 September 2026
- Prerequisites
- None stated — but Microsoft expects prior hands-on Azure administrationMicrosoft names no required certification; the overview describes expected experience, checked 24 September 2026
- Skills measured
- Identities and governance 20–25%, storage 15–20%, compute 20–25%, virtual networking 15–20%, monitoring 10–15%Microsoft AZ-104 study guide, checked 24 September 2026
- Number of questions
- Not published by MicrosoftNeither the certification page nor the study guide states a question count, checked 24 September 2026
- Practice questions here
- 834 for the AZ-104 examCertsqill question bank
Know if you're ready for Microsoft Azure Administrator AZ-104 — before you book.
Certsqill measures your AZ-104 readiness across every official exam domain — one 0–100 score built only from first-try answers and kept deliberately conservative, so a high number has to be earned. It tells you whether to book, keep studying, or sit.
See exactly how you'll know you're ready.
Answer one question. See exactly how Certsqill measures your AZ-104 readiness.
A live demo of the product loop: a practice question is answered incorrectly, the AI tutor explains why, the weak domain updates, and the readiness score moves toward the exam-ready threshold of 80. Figures shown are a representative demo.
Why people switch to Certsqill
Everything you need to walk in ready
Know where you stand, understand every mistake, and study in your language — one payment, no subscription.
Your Microsoft Azure Administrator AZ-104 Readiness Score, not a guess
One conservative number from your first-try answers across every exam domain tells you whether to book the exam or keep studying.
Understand every Microsoft Azure Administrator AZ-104 mistake
When you miss a question, it explains why — using your own answer history to catch the patterns you keep repeating. Included, no subscription.
Explanations in your language, questions stay exam-accurate
Get every explanation in your language while the questions stay in exam-accurate English. Technical terms stay in English — the way the exam writes them.
Everything you need to pass
Why you can trust these AZ-104 questions
What is AZ-104?
AZ-104 is the exam for Microsoft Certified: Azure Administrator Associate, Microsoft’s intermediate-level certification for people who actually run Azure — identities and governance, storage, compute, virtual networking and monitoring.
The prerequisites are the first thing to clear up, because Microsoft names none. It rates the exam Intermediate, not Beginner, and requires no prior certification. What it does expect is hands-on experience: operating systems, networking, servers, virtualization, and working knowledge of PowerShell and the Azure CLI. This is an administering exam, not a describing one.
Source: Microsoft Learn — Azure Administrator Associate certification. Checked 24 September 2026.
How much does AZ-104 cost?
Microsoft publishes the figure: $165 USD, with the usual note that the price depends on the country or region in which the exam is proctored. So the exam costs $165 in the United States and may cost something else where you sit it.
An exam voucher is the same seat bought another way. Microsoft runs offers such as Exam Replay from time to time but publishes no standing discount, so a fixed voucher price quoted elsewhere is a reseller’s, not Microsoft’s.
Source: Microsoft Learn — Azure Administrator Associate certification. Checked 24 September 2026.
What is the AZ-104 exam format and passing score?
The passing score is 700. Microsoft reports all technical exam scores on a scale of 1 to 1,000 and states that 700 or greater is a pass — a scaled score, not a percentage of questions answered correctly.
Microsoft gives 100 minutes for the exam. It publishes no question count, so any fixed number you are quoted for AZ-104 comes from somewhere other than Microsoft. Is AZ-104 open book? No — the exam is proctored, whether you sit it at a test centre or online.
What Microsoft does publish is the weighting of the five skill areas, which is the useful number for planning study time:
- Manage Azure identities and governance — 20–25%
- Implement and manage storage — 15–20%
- Deploy and manage Azure compute resources — 20–25%
- Implement and manage virtual networking — 15–20%
- Monitor and maintain Azure resources — 10–15%
Source: Microsoft Learn — Exam scoring and score reports. Checked 24 September 2026.
AZ-104 expires after 12 months
This is the part people coming from AZ-900 do not expect. Microsoft renews this certification every 12 months, not every three years — it is a role-based certification, and role-based certifications run on an annual cycle.
Renewal itself is an online assessment through Microsoft rather than a repeat of the paid exam. Microsoft states plainly that renewals are free and that you can take the renewal assessment any time during a six-month eligibility window. Budget the time, not the money.
Source: Microsoft Learn — Microsoft certification renewal. Checked 24 September 2026.
Where can you find AZ-104 practice questions?
This site holds 834 AZ-104 practice questions across the five skill areas. Every question shows all options, which one is correct, and why each of the others is wrong — on an administration exam, the wrong answers are usually the ones that would work in a different subscription or a different scope.
Practice tests and practice exams serve the same need. Microsoft runs a free practice assessment of its own on Microsoft Learn — a different bank from this one, and worth doing as well.
What you will not find here are AZ-104 dumps. Exam dumps, braindumps, dump PDFs and cheat sheets all mean recycled live exam content. These questions are written against Microsoft’s published study guide instead.
Because 700 sits on a scaled range rather than a share of questions, no practice percentage converts into a Microsoft score. What practice can tell you is which of the five skill areas still costs you points.
What AZ-104 study guide and material do you need?
Microsoft publishes its own AZ-104 study guide, and it is the document that defines what is in scope. Microsoft also publishes free learning paths and an exam sandbox that shows the question types before you sit it.
If you add a book, check the edition against the current study guide, because Microsoft revises role-based content without changing the exam code.
Microsoft sets no study-hours figure for AZ-104. What it does set is the expectation of hands-on Azure administration before you start, which is the real variable.
Source: Microsoft Learn — Study guide for Exam AZ-104. Checked 24 September 2026.
AZ-104 vs AZ-900, AZ-204, AZ-500 and MD-102
AZ-900 vs AZ-104 is a level question: AZ-900 is Fundamentals and describes Azure; AZ-104 is role-based and administers it. Microsoft sets no requirement to pass AZ-900 first. The other difference matters more in practice — AZ-900 does not expire, AZ-104 renews every 12 months.
AZ-104 vs AZ-204 splits by role at the same level: administering Azure against developing on it. AZ-104 vs AZ-500 is administration against security engineering, and AZ-500 is usually taken after AZ-104 rather than instead of it.
MD-102 vs AZ-104 crosses product lines entirely: MD-102 is the endpoint administrator exam for Windows devices and Intune, AZ-104 the Azure one.
Source: Microsoft Learn — Azure Administrator Associate certification. Checked 24 September 2026.
AZ-104 questions people ask
What is AZ-104?
AZ-104 is the exam for Microsoft Certified: Azure Administrator Associate, Microsoft’s intermediate-level Azure administration certification. Microsoft states a price of $165 USD, 100 minutes of exam time and a passing score of 700 out of 1,000. Source: Microsoft Learn, checked 24 September 2026.
How much does the AZ-104 exam cost?
$165 USD, with Microsoft noting that the price is based on the country or region in which the exam is proctored, checked 24 September 2026.
What is the AZ-104 passing score?
700. Microsoft reports all technical exam scores on a scale of 1 to 1,000 and states that a passing score is 700 or greater. Source: Microsoft Learn, Exam scoring and score reports, checked 24 September 2026.
How long is the AZ-104 exam?
100 minutes, as stated in the "Take the exam" section of the certification page, checked 24 September 2026.
How many questions are on the AZ-104 exam?
Microsoft publishes no question count. Neither the certification page nor the AZ-104 study guide states one, checked 24 September 2026.
What are the AZ-104 prerequisites?
Formally, none. Microsoft names no prior certification, but the overview expects hands-on experience with operating systems, networking, servers, virtualization, PowerShell and the Azure CLI, checked 24 September 2026.
How long does AZ-104 last?
Twelve months. Microsoft renews role-based certifications annually through an online assessment, states that renewals are free, and gives a six-month eligibility window before expiry. Checked 24 September 2026.
AZ-900 vs AZ-104 — which first?
AZ-900 is Fundamentals and describes Azure; AZ-104 is role-based and administers it. Microsoft sets no requirement to pass AZ-900 first, so it is a sequence by difficulty rather than a rule — and note that AZ-104 renews every 12 months while AZ-900 does not expire.
How many AZ-104 practice questions does Certsqill have?
834 for the AZ-104 exam, each with an explanation for every option — the correct one and the wrong ones.
What is AZ-104 certification, exactly?
Strictly speaking, AZ-104 is an exam, not a certification. Passing Exam AZ-104: Microsoft Azure Administrator earns you the Microsoft Certified: Azure Administrator Associate certification, and that one exam is the whole requirement. That is why the same credential appears as “the AZ-104 cert” on CVs and in job ads, and under its full name on Microsoft Learn.
For the same reason, a hiring manager asking for the Microsoft Azure Administrator Associate certification and one asking for an Azure AZ-104 certification mean the same thing. As an Azure certification, AZ-104 sits at the intermediate level, between the Fundamentals exam AZ-900 and the expert-level certifications that build on it.
Source: Microsoft Learn — Azure Administrator Associate certification. Checked 9 October 2026.
The Azure administrator certification path
The Azure administrator certification path has a single required step. Microsoft names no prerequisite certification for AZ-104, so AZ-900 is optional rather than a gate. After you pass, the Microsoft Azure Administrator certification becomes a prerequisite itself: to earn Microsoft Certified: Azure Solutions Architect Expert, Microsoft requires the Azure Administrator Associate certification plus Exam AZ-305, Designing Microsoft Azure Infrastructure Solutions.
That makes the Azure Administrator Associate (AZ-104) certification the usual starting point for anyone heading towards Azure architecture, as well as a role certification in its own right for people who run Azure day to day.
Source: Microsoft Learn — Azure Solutions Architect Expert certification. Checked 9 October 2026.
The AZ-104 syllabus: Microsoft Learn’s study guide
There is no separate syllabus document. The AZ-104 syllabus is the Microsoft Learn AZ-104 study guide, which lists the skills measured — currently as of April 17, 2026 — under five weighted skill areas. Microsoft updates its exams periodically; when an update is coming, the guide shows both versions of the objectives, and localized exams are updated approximately eight weeks after the English version.
If you are comparing training against the Microsoft Azure Administrator (AZ-104) certification, the study guide is the yardstick: anything a course covers that is not in it is optional, and anything in it that a course skips is your job to fill.
Source: Microsoft Learn — Study guide for Exam AZ-104. Checked 9 October 2026.
AZ-104 training, bootcamps and self-study
Microsoft offers two official training routes for the Microsoft Certified: Azure Administrator Associate (AZ-104) credential: free self-paced learning paths on Microsoft Learn, and Course AZ-104T00-A: Microsoft Azure Administrator, a four-day, intermediate-level instructor-led course delivered through training providers. Neither is required to book the exam.
Short intensive formats, sold as a bootcamp or a boot camp, compress the same material into a few days. Judge one the same way as any other training: does it follow the current skills outline, does it include hands-on labs, and does it give the identity, compute and networking areas the time their exam weight suggests? A few days of instruction rarely replaces the hands-on experience Microsoft expects, so plan practice time afterwards.
Source: Microsoft Learn — Course AZ-104T00-A: Microsoft Azure Administrator. Checked 9 October 2026.
AZ-104 renewal in practice
AZ-104 renewal works differently from the exam itself. Microsoft describes renewal assessments as short and unproctored: they focus on recent technology and industry updates, are shorter than the original exam and are open book. You take one on Microsoft Learn during the six-month window before your certification expires.
You can take the renewal assessment as many times as you need, as long as you pass before the expiry date, and once you pass, Microsoft extends the certification one year from the expiration date — not from the day you renewed. So renewing early in the window costs you nothing.
Source: Microsoft Learn — Microsoft certification renewal. Checked 9 October 2026.
AZ-104 salary: what Microsoft does and does not publish
Microsoft publishes no salary data on the Azure Administrator Associate certification page. Any Azure administrator salary figure you find comes from a third-party survey or job-board average, not from Microsoft, and this page does not repeat any of them.
There is also a structural reason to be careful with such numbers. Employers pay for a role and for experience, not for a certificate, and the people holding this certification can range from first-time cloud administrators to engineers who also hold expert-level credentials. An average across all of them says little about what a Microsoft Azure administrator salary would be in your own situation.
Source: Microsoft Learn — Azure Administrator Associate certification. Checked 9 October 2026.
Is the Microsoft AZ-104 certification worth it?
Whether AZ-104 is worth it depends on the work you do or want to do, but the inputs are clear. The exam is a single sitting, Microsoft names no prerequisite, and the certification is the required entry point for Azure Solutions Architect Expert. Against that, it expires every 12 months, so the real commitment is keeping your skills current enough to pass a renewal assessment each year — free, but not effortless.
It tends to be worth it for people who administer Azure or want to, and for anyone planning the architect path. If your role only requires talking about Azure rather than running it, the Fundamentals certification may be enough.
Source: Microsoft Learn — Azure Solutions Architect Expert certification. Checked 9 October 2026.
Booking the Microsoft AZ-104 exam
You book the Microsoft AZ-104 exam from the certification page on Microsoft Learn, signed in to a Learn profile that carries your legal name as shown on your ID, and complete the booking on Pearson VUE. You can choose a test center or an online proctored exam. Microsoft lets you schedule up to 90 days ahead and hold no more than two Microsoft exams scheduled at a time.
Before you book, it helps to know where you stand. Certsqill’s expert-developed AZ-104 practice questions explain every answer option and show a readiness score per domain, with a 7-day money-back guarantee.
Source: Microsoft Learn — Register and schedule an exam. Checked 9 October 2026.
More AZ-104 questions
Is AZ-104 the same as the Microsoft Certified: Azure Administrator Associate exam?
Yes. AZ-104: Microsoft Azure Administrator is the only exam required for Microsoft Certified: Azure Administrator Associate. Source: Microsoft Learn, checked 9 October 2026.
How many Azure administrator exams do I need to pass?
One. Microsoft lists AZ-104 as the single exam for the Azure Administrator Associate certification and names no prerequisite certification.
Which is the Microsoft Azure Administrator certification exam?
AZ-104. Microsoft titles it “Exam AZ-104: Microsoft Azure Administrator”, and passing it earns the Azure Administrator Associate certification.
Is AZ104 worth it?
For people who administer Azure, or who plan to become an Azure Solutions Architect Expert, usually yes — Microsoft requires Azure Administrator Associate for that expert certification. Factor in that it must be renewed every 12 months.
Does an AZ-104 renewal 2024 guide still apply?
Check it against Microsoft’s current renewal page. As of 9 October 2026, renewal is free, done online on Microsoft Learn during a six-month window, and extends the certification one year from its expiration date.
What is the average Azure Administrator Associate salary?
Microsoft does not publish one, so there is no official average. Pay depends on the role, experience and employer rather than the certification alone.
Is an AZ-104 voucher cheaper than the list price?
Microsoft states the exam price per country or region and publishes no standing discount on the certification page, so check the terms of any voucher you are offered before you buy it.
Does the AZ-104 Microsoft Azure Administrator certification expire?
Yes, after 12 months. Microsoft renews it through a free online assessment rather than a repeat of the paid exam.
AZ-104 in detail
Exam fee: $165 — what the AZ-104 exam costs, retakes included →
