Section 3 of 14
AZ-104 has 40 to 60 questions in 100 to 120 minutes. Passing score is 700 out of 1000. The strategy below is what works in practice. It is not a theoretical framework. It is what to actually do.
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Passing score | 700 of 1000 (~70%) |
| Question count | 40-60, varies per attempt |
| Time | 100-120 minutes |
| Question types | Multiple choice, drag-and-drop, hot area, case studies, Yes/No (non-reversible) |
| Delivery | Pearson VUE in-person or online proctored |
| Retake policy | 24 hours after first fail, 14 days for subsequent fails |
| Fee | $165 USD (varies by region) |
For every question, run through the same loop. After a hundred practice questions this becomes automatic.
**Read the question once. **Identify the important terms, especially any in quotes or that look technical.
**If a term is unfamiliar, **search Microsoft Learn during your study sessions using the exact quoted phrase. "Hot Tier" finds the right doc. "Tiers that are hot" does not.
Think Microsoft**'****s priorities: **least privilege, least cost, least administrative effort, most secure. Microsoft has obvious favorites and the answer usually aligns with one of these.
**Answer to your best ability. **Flag the question if you are even slightly unsure. A flagged question is one you commit to revisiting before submission.
**Do the full pass first. **Get through every question once. Then go back to flagged questions with whatever time remains.
**Do not change an answer **on revisit unless you have undeniable proof or you specifically remembered something concrete. Your first instinct is usually right.
These questions come in groups of three. The scenario stays identical. Only one sentence (the proposed solution) changes between questions. You cannot return to them after submitting. Microsoft loves these because they punish guessing.
The decision rule that actually works: If you are even a little unsure → say No. Only say Yes if you are absolutely certain the solution is correct. It is better to say all No than all Yes. Most of the time the answer IS No, and you will still score most of these correct by defaulting to No when uncertain.
Why this works: Microsoft writes these as 'is this a valid approach' questions. They give three plausible-sounding solutions and usually only one is actually correct. The other two are almost-right answers with a subtle flaw (wrong tool, wrong scope, wrong order of operations). If you are unsure, the question was designed to make you unsure, and the safer bet is No.
Case studies present a long scenario with multiple requirement sections (existing environment, planned changes, technical requirements, user requirements, security requirements). They then ask 4-6 questions, each tied to specific sections of the scenario.
How to read a case study 1. Read the entire scenario once before touching any question. Get the big picture. 2. As you read each question, identify which section(s) of the scenario it maps to. Microsoft does NOT tell you which requirement applies - you have to figure it out. 3. The questions are independent of each other. Do not assume an answer to question 1 affects question 2. 4. Case studies have their own internal timer, but they still count against your overall exam time. Budget about 15-20 minutes for a full case study.
When studying, if a question uses a specific named feature in quotes (or in distinctive Pascal-case), search for the exact quoted phrase in Microsoft Learn. Quoted terms are the exact feature names Microsoft uses in documentation. Generic descriptions are not.
| Search this | Not this |
|---|---|
| "Hot Tier" | tiers that are hot |
| "Recovery Services Vault" | vault for recovering services |
| "Azure Site Recovery" | recovering a site in Azure |
| "User Delegation SAS" | user-based SAS access |
Budget about 2 minutes per question on the first pass
If a question takes more than 90 seconds, flag it and move on
Leave 15 minutes at the end for flagged questions
Watch the countdown clock in the corner but do not stare at it
Case studies eat time disproportionately - be deliberate inside them
When you cannot pick between options, eliminate the obviously wrong ones first. Look for these red flags:
Wrong service tier (Basic when feature needs Standard)
Wrong OSI layer (Layer 4 for HTTP routing)
Wrong scope (Resource Group when Subscription is needed)
Wrong service entirely (Azure Policy for cost recommendations - that is Advisor)
Action that does not even exist (e.g. an Azure CLI command that does not match az naming)
When two options look almost identical, the difference between them IS the answer. Focus on what is different and map that to the question*'*s specific requirement.
Trust your preparation - if you studied, your first instinct is usually correct
Take three deep breaths if you feel stuck, then re-read the question
You only need 700 of 1000. You do not need to be perfect. Aim for confident accuracy
There is no penalty for wrong answers - never leave anything blank
If you fail the first time, the score report tells you which domains were weakest. Hit those, retake, pass