What is the AZ-104 exam?
The AZ-104 exam is Microsoft's certification test for the Azure Administrator Associate role. It checks whether you can manage Azure identities, storage, compute, networking, and monitoring in a real working environment. Passing it earns you the Microsoft Certified: Azure Administrator Associate credential, a widely recognized proof of hands-on Azure skill.
The exam has 60 questions and you get 2 hours to finish them. You need a score of 700 (on 100 to 1000 scale) to pass. Questions mix multiple choice, drag and drop, and scenario-based tasks that test practical judgment, not just memorized facts.
This exam sits at the associate level, one step above Azure Fundamentals. Microsoft designed it for people who already work with Azure resources day to day, or who have built equivalent hands-on practice in their own subscription. It is a common target for anyone building a career around Azure administration rather than development or data work.
How much does the AZ-104 exam cost?
Microsoft charges $165 for the official AZ-104 exam voucher. Cyber VK sells the same official voucher for $44.99, which saves you $120.01, a cut of 73% off the standard price.
The voucher you buy is the identical Microsoft voucher you would get through any authorized channel. It is not a discount code, a coupon, or a bundled offer. It arrives instantly after purchase and stays valid for 12 months, so you can book your test date on your own schedule once you feel ready.
Buying through an authorized reseller does not change the exam itself, the credential you earn, or how Microsoft records your result. It only changes what you pay for the same official attempt, which matters if you are covering the cost yourself rather than through an employer.
What is on the AZ-104 exam?
The exam covers five domains. Each one maps to a set of tasks an Azure administrator actually handles on the job, from managing user access to keeping resources healthy.
| Domain | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Identity & Governance | Managing Azure AD users, groups, roles, subscriptions, and governance controls |
| Storage | Configuring storage accounts, blob storage, file shares, and data protection |
| Compute | Deploying and managing virtual machines, containers, and app hosting |
| Networking | Configuring virtual networks, load balancing, DNS, and connectivity |
| Monitoring | Tracking resource health, setting up alerts, and backing up resources |
No single domain dominates the exam. Expect a fairly even spread of questions across all five areas, so skipping study on any one of them puts your pass at risk. Treat each domain as roughly equal in importance when you plan your study time.
How hard is the AZ-104 exam?
Most candidates find the AZ-104 exam moderately hard. It is not a beginner test. Microsoft expects you to have hands-on experience managing Azure resources, not just familiarity with the concepts.
The difficulty comes from breadth rather than depth. You need working knowledge across identity, storage, compute, networking, and monitoring at the same time, and you have to switch between them quickly under the clock. Scenario-based questions ask you to pick the right solution for a specific business situation, which takes practice beyond memorizing definitions.
If you already administer Azure resources at work, the exam will likely feel achievable with focused review. If you are newer to Azure, plan for a longer run-up and real practice inside a subscription, not just reading study guides. Give yourself enough weeks that the material has time to settle rather than staying surface level.
How to prepare for the AZ-104 exam
A steady plan beats last-minute cramming, especially for an exam that spans five broad domains. Here is a simple 6 week structure you can adjust to your own pace and prior experience.
- Week 1: Review the official exam skills outline and set up a free or trial Azure subscription to practice in.
- Week 2: Study Identity & Governance and Storage. Practice creating users, groups, roles, and storage accounts yourself.
- Week 3: Study Compute. Deploy virtual machines and containers, and get comfortable with scaling and management tasks.
- Week 4: Study Networking. Build a virtual network, configure connectivity between resources, and test load balancing.
- Week 5: Study Monitoring, then work through free practice questions on Cyber VK to see what you have actually retained.
- Week 6: Revisit weak domains, redo any hands-on tasks you found slow or confusing, and book your test date once you feel steady across all five domains.
Hands-on practice matters more than reading for this exam. Spend real time inside an Azure subscription creating, configuring, and breaking things, rather than only watching videos or reading notes. That kind of practice is what carries over into scenario-based questions.
Common mistakes people make
Skipping hands-on practice is the biggest mistake candidates make. Reading about virtual networks is not the same as configuring one yourself, and the exam is built to test the second skill, not the first.
Studying domains unevenly is another common error. Some candidates focus heavily on compute and networking because they feel more interesting, then run short on time for identity and monitoring, even though every domain shows up on the exam in similar proportion.
A few other mistakes worth watching for:
- Underestimating the time limit and rushing through scenario questions without reading them fully.
- Treating the exam as pure theory instead of practicing real configuration tasks in a subscription.
- Booking the test date before working through practice questions to check actual readiness.
- Ignoring monitoring and governance topics because they feel less exciting than compute or networking.
Is the AZ-104 certification worth it?
For anyone working as, or aiming to become, an Azure administrator, this certification maps directly to the job. It proves you can manage identities, storage, compute, networking, and monitoring in Azure, which are the core daily tasks for that role in most organizations.
It is also a common stepping stone. Many professionals use AZ-104 as groundwork before moving on to more specialized Azure certifications in security, networking, or solutions architecture, building on the same core administration skills covered here.
If your work already touches Azure administration, or you are aiming for a cloud administrator, cloud support, or infrastructure role, the certification is a reasonable investment of time and money. If you have no plans to work with Azure day to day, it is less useful to you on its own, and your study time may be better spent elsewhere.