Which exam?
AZ-104 vs AZ-305
The difference is doing versus deciding. AZ-104 asks how you configure something; AZ-305 asks which of four defensible options you would choose and why. It is a genuine step up in level, not in volume.
Microsoft
AZ-104: Microsoft Azure Administrator
10 free questions
Choose this if you operate Azure — you are the person who builds the VNet, sets the RBAC, fixes the broken backup. AZ-104 is the Associate-level administrator credential and the usual first real Azure exam.
Practise AZ-104Microsoft
AZ-305: Designing Microsoft Azure Infrastructure Solutions
10 free questions
Choose this if you design the thing somebody else operates. AZ-305 is Expert-level, leans heavily on scenario questions with no single obviously-correct answer, and expects you to weigh cost, resilience and governance against each other.
Practise AZ-305
Our recommendation
Take AZ-104 first. Microsoft expects administrator-level experience before AZ-305, and candidates who skip ahead usually fail on the scenarios rather than the technology — they know the services and not the trade-offs.
What each exam covers
AZ-104: Microsoft Azure Administrator
Microsoft Azure Administrator is exam AZ-104, part of Microsoft Certifications. Microsoft exam codes name the solution area rather than the level — AZ for Azure, DP for data, MS for Microsoft 365, PL for Power Platform, SC for security, AI for Azure AI — with one reliable rule: any exam numbered 900 or 901 is Fundamentals. Every technical exam is scored from 1 to 1000 with 700 to pass, a scaled score Microsoft notes is explicitly not 70% of the marks.
AZ-305: Designing Microsoft Azure Infrastructure Solutions
Designing Microsoft Azure Infrastructure Solutions is exam AZ-305, part of Microsoft Certifications. Microsoft exam codes name the solution area rather than the level — AZ for Azure, DP for data, MS for Microsoft 365, PL for Power Platform, SC for security, AI for Azure AI — with one reliable rule: any exam numbered 900 or 901 is Fundamentals. Every technical exam is scored from 1 to 1000 with 700 to pass, a scaled score Microsoft notes is explicitly not 70% of the marks.
Common questions
- AZ-104 vs AZ-305 — which is harder?
- Take AZ-104 first. Microsoft expects administrator-level experience before AZ-305, and candidates who skip ahead usually fail on the scenarios rather than the technology — they know the services and not the trade-offs.
- Can I practise both AZ-104: Microsoft Azure Administrator and AZ-305: Designing Microsoft Azure Infrastructure Solutions?
- Yes. Each opens with 10 free questions. A single exam is a one-time $19.99 for 30 days, and full access at $39.99 a month covers both and every other exam in the catalogue.
- Is there a timed practice test for each?
- Yes — 65 questions in 130 minutes on both, scored the moment you finish, so you can compare how ready you are for each before committing to one.
Practise both before you decide
10 free questions on each, no card and no account. Full access at $39.99 a month covers both and everything else.