AZ-104 is the associate-level certification exam for Azure administrators, covering the practical work of managing identity, compute, storage, networking, and monitoring in Microsoft Azure after replacing earlier Azure administrator exams.
The time needed to prepare for the Microsoft Azure Administrator certification depends less on calendar duration than on how much real Azure administration a candidate has already done. A systems administrator with strong networking and identity experience may be ready in six to eight focused weeks, while someone newer to cloud operations may need three to six months to build the operational judgement that the exam expects.
What AZ-104 measures in practical terms
AZ-104 is the exam for the Microsoft Certified: Azure Administrator Associate credential. Microsoft does not require AZ-900 before AZ-104, although Azure Fundamentals can be useful for candidates who are still learning cloud terminology, subscription structure, and core Azure services. The better question is whether the candidate can already explain and operate the services that an administrator is expected to maintain.
The exam domains map closely to day-to-day Azure administration. Managing identities and governance means working with Microsoft Entra ID users, groups, role assignments, subscriptions, policies, and resource organisation. Implementing storage means configuring storage accounts, access controls, redundancy options, lifecycle behaviour, and file services. Compute work includes virtual machines, containers, app service basics, deployment settings, and availability choices.
Networking is often where candidates underestimate the exam. Azure administrators are expected to understand virtual networks, subnets, network security groups, private connectivity patterns, name resolution, and routing implications. Monitoring and maintenance complete the picture through Azure Monitor, alerts, backup, update management, and resource health. These areas are not isolated in real environments; a storage access issue may involve identity, networking, logging, and governance at the same time.
The common mistake is to practise every task in the Azure Portal and then assume that recognition equals readiness. Portal fluency helps, but the role also rewards repeatable administration through Azure CLI, PowerShell, ARM or Bicep templates, and policy-based governance. Candidates who skip identity, RBAC, monitoring, and backup usually spend more time later trying to close gaps that appear in scenario questions and hands-on work.
How long it usually takes by starting point
A candidate who already administers Windows Server, Active Directory, networking, or virtualisation can often prepare in six to ten weeks if they can study consistently and use a live Azure environment for practice. The biggest adjustment for this group is learning Azure-native governance and understanding where cloud operations differ from on-premises routines, especially around identity boundaries, cost control, and delegated access.
An IT professional with basic cloud exposure but limited Azure administration should plan for roughly two to four months. This allows enough time to learn the platform, perform labs more than once, and connect services together instead of treating each exam objective as a separate topic. For instance, deploying a virtual machine is straightforward; securing access, placing it in the right subnet, monitoring it, backing it up, and controlling cost is the administrator-level version of the task.
A newcomer to infrastructure or cloud operations may need four to six months or more before AZ-104 becomes a sensible goal. In that case, starting with Azure fundamentals, networking concepts, identity basics, and command-line practice is usually more productive than rushing into exam questions. AZ-900 remains optional, but it can serve as a useful stepping stone when the candidate needs vocabulary and context before tackling associate-level administration.
Experience should guide the route after AZ-104 as well. Administrators who enjoy governance and security may move toward Azure security and identity-focused credentials, those drawn to connectivity may deepen networking, and those who design across workloads may later consider the Azure Solutions Architect Expert path, including AZ-305. The value of AZ-104 is that it gives those later choices a practical operational base.
An 8-week AZ-104 study plan
An eight-week plan works well for candidates who already have general IT experience and can commit regular study time. It should be treated as a framework rather than a guarantee. If a week exposes weak fundamentals, extending the plan is usually better than moving forward with fragile knowledge.
- Week 1: Set up the study environment, review the current AZ-104 skills measured outline from Microsoft, create or confirm access to an Azure subscription, and learn the structure of resource groups, subscriptions, regions, and basic cost controls.
- Week 2: Focus on Microsoft Entra ID, users, groups, administrative units, RBAC, role assignments, locks, tags, and Azure Policy. Practise least-privilege access rather than broad owner permissions.
- Week 3: Work through storage accounts, blob containers, Azure Files, access keys, shared access signatures, replication, lifecycle settings, and backup considerations. Test what happens when access is misconfigured.
- Week 4: Deploy and manage compute resources, including virtual machines, scale concepts, availability options, extensions, disks, and basic platform-as-a-service administration tasks.
- Week 5: Build virtual networks, subnets, NSGs, peering, DNS settings, routing basics, and connectivity scenarios. Pay attention to how network controls interact with identity and application access.
- Week 6: Configure monitoring, alerts, Log Analytics workspaces, backup, update settings, and resource health checks. Create alerts that would matter in an operational environment, such as high spend, failed backups, or unavailable services.
- Week 7: Rebuild common tasks using Azure CLI or PowerShell, then document errors and repeat the weakest tasks. This is the week to convert recognition into operational fluency.
- Week 8: Take timed practice assessments, review incorrect answers by exam domain, repeat hands-on labs for weak areas, and decide whether the exam should be booked or delayed.
The plan should include deliberate review time. A candidate who can answer practice questions but cannot configure RBAC safely, diagnose a blocked subnet path, or restore from backup is not yet ready in practical terms. Conversely, someone who performs the tasks confidently but struggles with exam wording should spend the final week on scenario reading and time management.
Building a safe Azure lab without losing cost control
AZ-104 preparation needs hands-on practice, but that practice should be controlled. A sensible lab starts with a dedicated subscription or sandbox environment, clearly named resource groups, spending alerts, and a habit of deleting resources after each session. Candidates should avoid using production subscriptions for experimentation unless the organisation has explicitly provided a governed training environment.
Cost control is part of the learning. Azure administrators are responsible for preventing waste as much as they are responsible for deploying services. Setting budget alerts, tagging lab resources, choosing appropriate VM sizes, shutting down compute when not in use, and reviewing cost analysis helps candidates build habits that carry directly into work.
The lab should also be repeatable. Recreating a virtual network, storage account, role assignment, or alert rule through CLI or PowerShell forces the candidate to understand parameters rather than relying on the Portal path. That same approach makes troubleshooting easier because the candidate can compare intended configuration with actual state.
Small failure exercises are useful. A candidate might assign a user the wrong RBAC role and then inspect why access fails, block traffic with an NSG rule and trace the effect, or configure a backup policy and verify whether protected items are actually covered. These exercises make the exam domains feel less abstract and prepare candidates for the operational judgement expected from an administrator.
When structured training helps
Self-study can work for disciplined candidates with regular access to Azure and enough time to troubleshoot. Structured training becomes more valuable when the candidate needs a compressed path, guided labs, or help connecting identity, networking, compute, storage, and monitoring into realistic administration scenarios. Readynez provides an instructor-led AZ-104 Microsoft Azure Administrator course for candidates who want a focused preparation route rather than a purely self-directed plan.
Guided preparation should still be paired with independent practice. The exam rewards candidates who have made configuration decisions, corrected mistakes, and understood consequences. Watching a demonstration of RBAC, for example, is different from assigning roles, testing access, removing excessive permissions, and checking whether a policy blocks the wrong deployment.
Candidates exploring a broader Microsoft path can compare the AZ-104 route with other Microsoft training options, but the immediate priority should remain the administrator role. Taking too many parallel topics can dilute the practical repetition needed for AZ-104.
How to know when to book the AZ-104 exam
Booking the exam should be based on evidence rather than optimism. A useful readiness check combines timed practice results, repeated hands-on tasks, and an error log. The error log is especially important because it shows whether mistakes are random, domain-specific, or caused by weak fundamentals.
Readiness is stronger when the candidate can complete core administrative tasks without step-by-step instructions. Those tasks include creating and securing resource groups, assigning RBAC roles appropriately, deploying compute, configuring storage access, building virtual networks, applying policies, setting alerts, reviewing logs, and explaining backup and recovery choices. If several of these still require constant lookup, more lab time is needed.
Exam-day logistics should be checked directly with Microsoft before booking because policies, delivery options, prices, retake rules, and renewal requirements can change. Candidates should review the current AZ-104 exam page, the latest skills measured outline, and Microsoft certification renewal guidance. Microsoft Learn is the appropriate source for current exam administration details; the study plan should use it for structure without copying its wording.
Applying AZ-104 skills while preparing
The fastest learning often comes when study tasks are connected to real administrative work. A candidate who already works in IT can look for safe, low-risk opportunities to apply AZ-104 concepts, such as improving resource tagging, reviewing role assignments, documenting backup coverage, or creating cost alerts for non-production environments. These are practical improvements as well as study exercises.
Governance is a good starting point because it affects many services. A team may discover that too many users have broad contributor access, or that resource groups have inconsistent naming and no cost ownership tags. Turning those observations into a cleaner RBAC model or tagging baseline reinforces exam objectives while producing visible operational value.
Monitoring is another area where study can improve day-to-day work. Configuring alerts for failed backups, unexpected spend, or unavailable resources teaches Azure Monitor more effectively than reading about it in isolation. It also builds the administrator habit of asking what will happen after deployment, not merely whether deployment succeeded.
After AZ-104: choosing the next step
Passing AZ-104 should not be treated as the end of Azure administration development. The credential validates a working base, but administrators become more effective by applying those skills repeatedly across governance, security, networking, cost management, and incident response. The next certification choice should follow the type of work the candidate wants to do more often.
A security-focused administrator may prioritise identity, privileged access, threat protection, and secure configuration. A networking-focused administrator may spend more time on hybrid connectivity, routing, firewalls, private endpoints, and DNS. A candidate moving toward architecture should deepen design trade-offs across compute, storage, identity, resilience, and cost before progressing toward architect-level exams such as AZ-305.
There is also a practical reason to keep learning after AZ-104: Azure changes continually, and administrators need a rhythm for reviewing platform updates, renewing certifications where required, and testing new features safely before they appear in production. A subscription-style training route such as Unlimited Microsoft Training can make sense when AZ-104 is part of a wider Microsoft certification plan rather than a single exam goal.
FAQ
Do candidates need AZ-900 before AZ-104?
No. Microsoft does not require AZ-900 before AZ-104. AZ-900 can be useful for candidates who are new to cloud concepts, but experienced IT professionals can move directly into AZ-104 preparation if they understand Azure basics and are ready for hands-on administration.
How long does it take to prepare for AZ-104?
Many candidates with relevant IT experience prepare in about six to ten focused weeks. Candidates with limited Azure experience may need two to four months, and those newer to infrastructure may need longer. The right timeline depends on hands-on ability, not just study hours.
What does the Azure Administrator exam cover?
AZ-104 covers Azure identity and governance, storage, compute, virtual networking, monitoring, and maintenance. These areas reflect common administrator responsibilities such as managing access, deploying resources, configuring connectivity, protecting data, and monitoring operational health.
How should candidates practise for AZ-104?
Candidates should combine Microsoft’s current exam outline with hands-on labs, practice assessments, and repeated administration tasks in a safe Azure environment. It is important to practise with the Portal, Azure CLI, and PowerShell rather than relying on one interface.
When should the AZ-104 exam be booked?
The exam is worth booking when practice results are stable, weak domains have been reviewed, and the candidate can complete core administrator tasks without step-by-step guidance. Current pricing, retake rules, delivery options, and renewal details should be confirmed through Microsoft before scheduling.
Building a realistic path to Azure administration
AZ-104 preparation is most effective when it is treated as job preparation rather than exam memorisation. A realistic path combines a timeline that fits the candidate’s starting point, a safe lab environment, repeated configuration practice, and a clear readiness check before booking the exam.
The practical next step is to compare the candidate’s current skills against the AZ-104 domains, then choose either a self-study plan or guided training depending on time, confidence, and access to hands-on practice. Readers who want help choosing the right route can contact Readynez to discuss how AZ-104 fits into their Microsoft certification goals.
