How to Pass AZ-104 in 2026 — Study Plan, Practice Labs, and Mock Exam Strategy

What makes AZ-104 different from AZ-900

AZ-900 tests whether you understand Azure concepts. AZ-104 tests whether you can configure Azure. The difference matters because you need hands-on experience with Azure to pass — not just notes. Candidates who try to pass by reading alone have a significantly lower pass rate than those who combine study with actual lab work.

Pass mark: 700/1000. Most people who fail score between 600–680. Common gaps: ARM templates, Azure Monitor alerting, and network troubleshooting scenarios.

The five exam domains and their weightings

• Manage Azure identities and governance (15–20%): Entra ID users, groups, RBAC roles, management groups, subscriptions, resource groups, Azure Policy, resource locks. Relatively straightforward — learn the hierarchy and role assignment model cold.
• Implement and manage storage (15–20%): Storage account types (Standard, Premium), redundancy (LRS, ZRS, GRS, GZRS), blob storage tiers, Azure Files vs Blob, Storage Explorer, SAS tokens, access keys, lifecycle management policies.
• Deploy and manage Azure compute resources (20–25%): VM deployment, availability sets vs zones, VM sizing, Azure Disk types (Standard HDD, Standard SSD, Premium SSD, Ultra), Azure App Service plans, containers in Azure, ARM templates and Bicep basics.
• Implement and manage virtual networking (15–20%): VNet design, subnets, NSGs, VNet peering, Azure VPN Gateway (site-to-site, point-to-site), Azure DNS (public and private zones), Load Balancer, Application Gateway. This is where most candidates struggle — practise troubleshooting scenarios.
• Monitor and maintain Azure resources (10–15%): Azure Monitor metrics and logs, Log Analytics workspace, alert rules and action groups, Azure Backup, Azure Site Recovery basics, Update Manager.

8-week study plan

Week 1–2: Identity and governance + Storage
Study the AZ-104 course modules for identity and storage. In Azure (free trial or pay-as-you-go), complete these labs: create users and groups, assign RBAC roles at different scopes, create a Policy that denies VM creation in specific regions, create a storage account with blob containers, configure lifecycle policies, generate SAS tokens and test access.

Week 3–4: Compute
Deploy a Windows VM and a Linux VM from the portal and from CLI. Understand VM sizes and when to change them. Create an availability set with 3 VMs. Deploy a VM scale set with auto-scaling. Create an App Service plan and deploy a web app. Use Azure Container Instances to run a Docker container. Write a basic ARM template or Bicep file that deploys a storage account — deploy it twice to understand idempotency.

Week 5–6: Networking (most exam marks here)
Create two VNets in different address spaces. Peer them. Verify connectivity. Configure an NSG with a custom rule and apply it to a subnet and a NIC — understand which takes precedence. Create an Azure Load Balancer with a backend pool of 2 VMs. Create a DNS zone and add an A record. Study site-to-site VPN topology even if you can't build it — understand the components (VNG, LNG, Connection) and the configuration steps.

Week 7: Monitoring and backup
Create a metric alert for VM CPU > 80%. Create a log query alert using KQL. Configure Azure Backup for a VM — understand backup policy, RPO, and restore options. Study Azure Site Recovery replication at a conceptual level.

Week 8: Practice exams and gap filling
Take the full mock exam on InterviUni. Review every wrong answer — understand why the correct answer is right, not just what it is. Identify your weakest domain and spend 2 focused days on it. Take a second full mock exam 2 days before the real exam.

Common mistakes that cause failures

• Not doing labs: AZ-104 has scenario questions that require understanding what happens when you configure something wrong. No amount of reading replaces doing.
• Skipping ARM/Bicep: Every sitting has 1–3 ARM template or Bicep questions. They're not hard once you understand the structure, but candidates who skip them lose easy marks.
• Confusing VPN Gateway SKUs: Basic SKU doesn't support IKEv2 or zone-redundant VNG. VpnGw1 and above support IKEv2. Know which features require which SKU.
• Not understanding storage redundancy: The difference between GRS and GZRS matters — GRS replicates to a secondary region without zone redundancy, GZRS adds zone redundancy in both regions. Exam loves testing when to use each.
• Leaving 10 questions blank: There's no penalty for wrong answers. If you're running out of time, guess strategically based on keywords in the question.

Resources

• InterviUni AZ-104 course: 32 hours of content, quiz after every slide, mock exam included. Most comprehensive study path available.
• Microsoft Learn AZ-104 learning path: free, official, covers all domains but lighter on practice scenarios than the exam requires.
• John Savill's AZ-104 Study Cram (YouTube): 8-hour deep dive, excellent for visual learners as pre-exam review.

After you pass

AZ-104 gives you the credential. The interview is what gets you the job. Practise the Azure Administrator mock interview on InterviUni — the AI asks the same scenario questions hiring managers use, gives you scored feedback, and tells you exactly where your answers are weak.