Azure Administrator Exam Day Checklist

You get 100 minutes for the AZ-104 exam, and the clock is the least of the things that can go wrong on the day. Most avoidable exam-day failures have nothing to do with Azure knowledge: a webcam that will not pass the system test, an ID that does not match the booking name, a flatmate walking into shot mid-exam. This checklist covers only the logistics of sitting Microsoft's Azure Administrator exam — check-in, identification, proctoring rules and in-exam time management — so that the only variable left on the day is what you actually know.

If you are still deciding how to study, this is not that article: see the AZ-104 study plan for scheduling and the AZ-104 practice test strategy for benchmarking your readiness before you book.

The week before: decisions to lock in early

Test centre or online proctored?

AZ-104 is delivered by Pearson VUE, and Microsoft offers both options: a physical test centre or an online proctored session from your own machine. Neither is easier — the exam content is identical — but the logistics differ sharply.

Choose a test centre if your home setup is unreliable: shared accommodation, patchy broadband, a work laptop locked down by corporate policy. The centre supplies the hardware and the quiet room; you supply yourself and your ID.

Choose online proctoring if you have a private, quiet room you can control for roughly two hours, a personal computer you have admin rights on, and a stable connection. The convenience is real, but so are the obligations — your environment has to satisfy the proctor, not just you.

Run the system test now, not on the morning

If you booked online proctoring, run Pearson VUE's system test on the exact computer, network and room you will use on exam day — this week, not an hour before. The test checks your webcam, microphone and connection. If anything fails, you still have time to fix it or switch your appointment to a test centre. Confirm the current technical requirements on Pearson VUE's Microsoft exam pages, as they change from time to time.

Check your name and your ID match

Your booking name must match your identification. If you registered your Microsoft certification profile with a shortened name or a maiden name, resolve the mismatch before the day — your appointment confirmation explains the accepted ID types and how to correct profile details. This is the single most common preventable check-in failure, and it is entirely fixable in advance and entirely unfixable at check-in.

The day before: a short, boring checklist

Boring is the goal. The night before is for logistics, not revision.

1. Re-read your appointment confirmation. It states your check-in window, the ID requirements and, for test centres, the address. Verify the time zone on the booking — an online appointment made while travelling can silently sit in the wrong zone.
2. Prepare the room (online candidates). Clear the desk of everything except your machine. Remove or cover notes, whiteboards, second monitors and extra devices. You will typically be asked to show the proctor your workspace, so set it up to survive scrutiny.
3. Tell the household. Interruptions during an online proctored session are a genuine risk to your exam, not a social awkwardness. Nobody enters the room; nobody speaks to you.
4. Charge, update, restart. Plug the laptop in, let any pending operating system updates finish tonight, and restart so nothing forces a reboot mid-exam.
5. Stop studying. A final skim of your notes is fine. Learning new material the night before mostly manufactures anxiety. If you want reassurance instead, a last timed run through some AZ-104 practice questions earlier in the week is the better tool — the night itself is for sleep.

Check-in: what actually happens

At a test centre

Arrive early — your confirmation tells you how early. You will present ID, and centres follow strict security procedures: personal items are stored outside the exam room, and the invigilator walks you through the rules before seating you. Follow the staff's instructions and the process is painless. Build in margin for traffic and for finding the right building; candidates who arrive flustered spend the first section of the exam calming down at the cost of scored minutes.

Online proctored

Check-in opens before your appointment time — sign in as early as your confirmation allows. Expect to verify your identity, photograph or show your workspace, and confirm you are alone. Once the session starts, the proctor monitors you by webcam and microphone for the duration. The rules of an online session are stricter than most first-timers expect: leaving the camera's view, other people entering the room, or using phones and notes can end your exam. Read the online proctoring policies linked from your confirmation the week before, and treat them as absolute on the day.