How I Passed Microsoft AZ-104 Using CERTIFICATION EXAM Quizzes (A Real, Practical Story)

As an Azure-centered cloud/systems administrator, not every week is full of excitement: filling out access tickets, trouble-shooting slow VMs, dealing with undocumented network changes and trying not to let the budget blow up in my face. I chose the AZ-104 (Microsoft Azure Administrator) certification exam because it aligns with my job duties of working with identity and governance, storage, compute, networking, and monitoring. The scope of the Microsoft official study guide reflects this exactly and even specifies the tools (Azure Portal, PowerShell, Azure CLI, ARM templates, Microsoft Extra ID) the candidate needs to know how to use. I passed my first try! This post will be a truthful recount of how I prepared for the exam, what I had difficulty with, what it was like the day I sat for the exam, and how I feel CERTIFICATION EXAM is in comparison to other forms of real-world preparation. Why AZ-104 Was the Right Certification for My Role The AZ-104 is for those who operate, manage, and monitor their company's Azure environment as well as coordinate with the teams responsible for networking, security, database, application, and DevOps. That whole "coordination" part is important because this exam is about understanding how your duties intersect with your team members—not just about clicking buttons in a portal. As for me, that was my every day existence at that point: Entra ID & RBAC cleanups People and patterns of storage accounts Sizing the VMs and making decisions on availability Troubleshooting VNets/subnets/NSGs and connectivity Basic understanding of Azure Monitor, alerts and hunting for logs So while it wasn't a way to pivot, it was a way to validate (and if I'm honest, a way to force myself to fill in the knowledge I was avoiding). The Reality of the AZ-104 Exam Exam status and whether it’s being retired AZ-104 currently doesn’t appear on Microsoft’s listing of their upcoming exam retirements. While that information can be subject to change, the official retirement page will be the safest location for which to confirm AZ-104's status. How long you have (and why time pressure is real) The Microsoft certification page for Azure Administrator Associate shows the assessment should take 100 minutes. Sounds good, right? Until you are sitting at the 40 minute mark and realize you have been overthinking the scenario questions. The assessment is definitely passable; however, it truly rewards those who can quickly feel confident about their decision and move on to the next question. Scoring method and passing score Scaling Microsoft examination scoring from 1-1000 in scale form means that scoring 700 for passing is not necessarily the same as earning a percentage of 70%. Scales incorporate the relative levels of difficulty associated with the tests being assessed and the competency levels expected for using these types of examinations. Topics and skills measured (the blueprint) According to a Microsoft Study Guide, the following domains are weighed as follows: Manage Azure identity & Governance ( 20-25%) Implement & Manage Storage (15-20%) Deploy & Manage Compute Resources In Azure (20-25%) Implement & Manage Virtual Networking (15-20%) Monitor & Maintain Resources In Azure (10-15%) The Microsoft Study Guide then provides a realistic candidate profile that requires some level of familiarity with Operating Systems, Networking, Servers and Virtualization. There is also a requirement of experience with PowerShell, Azure CLI, The Azure Portal, ARM Templates and Microsoft Entra ID. Delivery method: test center vs online, and who administers it You can take your Microsoft certification exams in one of two ways: through the Pearson VUE Authorized Test Center (ATC) or through the OnVUE online testing system (or both). How to register and schedule Microsoft has very direct instructions: Locate the certification, scroll to “Schedule Exam,” and then click the “Exam provider” button to begin scheduling the exam through the selected provider. Pearson VUE also notes that you will be required to have a Microsoft Certification profile created and your profile name must match your ID exactly. This is a detail that people often forget and causes them to be surprised when they are required to provide documentation to verify their identity in order to take their exam. Exam cost and regional pricing differences According to Microsoft, the cost of a test is determined by where in the world it is being offered. Price for testing will vary depending on location, so it is not possible to quote one price for each location throughout the world. If you are attempting to create a budget you should apply the above method and schedule your exam through either Microsoft or their partner Pearson VUE, at which time you can verify that you are receiving the correct fee amount according to your region. Exam dates/availability and where to take it (including Milan) Available time slot either online (OnVUE) or by searching for a testing site during scheduling. For the “Milan test centre” specifically, I would not suggest relying on static lists created on random blogs for the reason that they can change frequently. The only reliable method for identifying actual test centres is the test centre search on the Pearson VUE website during the scheduling process. What Actually Makes AZ-104 Hard (My Weak Areas, and What I See Others Miss) The difficulty level of AZ-104 isn't due to the nature of the questions but rather to the range of topics covered, as well as the practical use of the knowledge gained through both experience and study. Identity and governance is not a free pass Entra users/groups, RBAC scope, Entra policies, Entra locks, Entra tags, Entra cost control and Entra management group setup will weigh 20-25% towards completing the exam. You will be penalized for doing so if you view governance as simply "administration paperwork". Networking punishes fuzzy thinking 15–20% of the exam is comprised of virtual networking (i.e., peering, routes, NSGs/ASGs, Bastion, service endpoints/private endpoints, DNS, and troubleshooting) and many hours of study have been put into these topics. Even experienced administrators have difficulty with this section; relying on intuitive thinking rather than objective rules is a common reason for failure in this section. Storage questions hide a lot of detail Your choices for storage (15-20%) will involve decisions regarding redundancy, encryption, access model (SAS, identity-based access for Azure Files), lifecycle, versioning, soft deletes and tools such as AzCopy/Storage Explorer. The exam tests your ability to select an appropriate method not merely define it. The “monitoring” section is smaller, but it’s very real-world The amounts of time for monitoring and maintaining can be estimated as being 10 to 15 per cent; as well as including interpretation of metrics, log configurations, log/querying and analyzing, creation of alerting and action group structures. This feels more like hands-on operational work rather than simply memorizing. Another thing that I have in common with the Microsoft Tech Community's guidance related to preparing for the AZ - 104 certification is their recommendation of using practice assessments to identify areas of weakness, providing opportunities for iterative improvements and closing those gaps (this mirrored my actual experience too). My First Study Attempt (What Didn’t Work) I began off like everyone else - taking classes, writing down information, and then losing myself because, ‘yes, I got it!’. However, the problem resolved on speed and accuracy when it comes to being under pressure. Three errors made when creating my way of studying at the beginning: More time was spent studying passively (watch, read) than actively (doing) than practicing. I was afraid of being pressured, therefore, I did not time practice because of my high levels of anxiety. I chased my scores and not patterns in the material. For instance, if I scored 80%, I would perceive that as a good job but I was not identifying why I continued to miss those same patterns of questions or types of problems. After identifying that the exam was nothing more than a timed decision-making test, my preparation improved tremendously. Why I Chose CERTIFICATION EXAM (Concrete Criteria) Since my schedule is sporadic, I selected CERTIFICATION EXAM because it provides: daily practice sessions for at least 30 minutes, rather than longer sessions only on weekends, similarity in challenge/question types between study and actual certification exams; and continuity across platforms. According to CERTIFICATION EXAM, their web simulator’s synchronization with their mobile app is done through a Wi-Fi connection. Additionally, they claim that whenever you have an active Wi-Fi connection, all mobile questions will be synchronized with the current set of available questions on the web simulator. They promote their web simulator and mobile application (as their web simulator) as an excellent way to take the certification exams and to prepare for them by allowing multiple attempts with similar levels of difficulty across both platforms — essentially allowing me to study in multiple ways (at different times) for the certification exam. How I Used CERTIFICATION EXAM (My Routine, Not a Fantasy Plan) Step 1: Anchor everything to Microsoft’s official blueprint I utilized the official AZ-104 skills matrix to check my progress and planned to devote certain time amounts to different weighted areas each week. I put a colour code against each domain: Green - I’m able to perform this at the workplace without having to think about it. Yellow - I’m able to perform this at the workplace but feel somewhat unsure. Red - I would do everything possible not to have to ask someone else to assist me with daily tasks. Step 2: Daily timed blocks (and bru