I started prepping for the AZ-104 (Microsoft Azure Administrator) a couple of weeks ago, and I figured I’d write down my study approach as I go — partly to keep myself honest, partly in case it helps someone else starting from the same place. This isn’t a “I passed, here’s the secret” post. I haven’t taken it yet. It’s a working plan.

What the exam actually is

AZ-104 earns you the Microsoft Certified: Azure Administrator Associate credential. It’s an associate-level, role-based exam — meaning it tests whether you can actually operate an Azure environment, not whether you’ve memorized definitions. A few logistics worth knowing up front:

• ~40–60 questions, mix of multiple choice, drag-and-drop, and one or two case studies
• 120 minutes, though the case studies eat time faster than you’d expect
• Passing score is 700 / 1000, on a scaled system — some questions count more than others, so don’t try to do the “how many can I miss” math
• Costs about $165 USD, and the cert is valid for one year with a free online renewal afterward

One thing I learned early: the exam objectives get refreshed periodically. Before committing to any study material, check the official skills outline on Microsoft Learn so you’re not studying a stale version.

The five domains (and where the points actually are)

The exam is built around five domains with different weights. This breakdown is the single most useful thing for planning study time:

1. Manage Azure identities and governance — 20–25% — Entra ID (the old Azure AD), RBAC, Azure Policy, subscriptions, management groups, resource locks
2. Implement and manage storage — 15–20% — storage accounts, blob lifecycle rules, SAS tokens, Azure Files
3. Deploy and manage Azure compute resources — 20–25% — VMs, scale sets, ARM/Bicep templates, containers, App Service
4. Implement and manage virtual networking — 15–20% — VNets, NSGs, peering, DNS, load balancers
5. Monitor and maintain Azure resources — 10–15% — Azure Monitor, Log Analytics, alerts, Backup, Site Recovery

The trap is obvious once you see it: Compute and Networking feel like the “real cloud” topics, so that’s where everyone wants to spend time. But Identities/Governance is tied for the highest weight and underpins everything else — access control is the model the rest of the exam assumes you understand. So that’s where I’m starting.

How I’m splitting my time

My plan is roughly an 8-week runway at 1–2 hours a day, structured like this:

Weeks 1–2 — Concepts, in the portal. Working through the Microsoft Learn AZ-104 path, but with a rule: I don’t just read a module, I open the Azure portal and actually do the thing it describes. Reading about NSGs and configuring an NSG are two completely different memories.

Weeks 3–4 — Hands-on labs. This is the part I won’t skip. Create VNets, wire up peering, configure NSG rules, deploy a VM with a custom extension, set up a storage account with lifecycle policies. The case-study questions assume you’ve seen these flows before. A free Azure account plus the Learn sandboxes covers most of it.

Week 5 onward — Practice questions by domain. The mistake here is jumping straight to full timed mocks before you know your weak spots. I’m doing domain-by-domain question sets first to find the gaps, then full timed exams to build stamina. The goal is consistently scoring 80%+ on realistic practice before booking the real thing.

The mistakes I’m actively trying to avoid

• Studying theory without touching the portal. This is the number-one failure mode for AZ-104. It’s a practical exam. If you’ve never built it, you’ll struggle to answer scenario questions about it.
• Underestimating networking. Everyone says this is where confidence goes to die. The one topic I’m drilling hardest: NSG rule evaluation order — rules process by priority, lowest number wins, and you have to understand how default rules interact with custom ones. Several questions reportedly hinge on exactly this.
• Skipping the low-weight monitoring domain. It’s only 10–15%, but it’s “free points if you study it.” Knowing when to reach for Azure Monitor vs. Log Analytics vs. Application Insights is very testable.

Why I’m bothering

Beyond the credential itself, the five domains map almost exactly to what an Azure admin does day to day — identity, storage, compute, networking, monitoring. Even the parts that feel like exam trivia are things I’d want to actually know if I’m running infrastructure. That reframing helps on the days the studying feels like a slog: I’m not memorizing for a test, I’m building the operational muscle and the exam is just the checkpoint.

More notes as I get deeper in. If I fail a practice mock badly in some domain, you’ll probably read about it here.