Which exam?
AZ-900 vs AZ-104
These are not alternatives — they are consecutive rungs. AZ-900 proves you understand what Azure is; AZ-104 proves you can run it. The question is almost never which to take, but whether you can skip the first one.
Microsoft
AZ-900: Microsoft Azure Fundamentals
10 free questions
Choose this if you are new to cloud, or you work around Azure rather than in it — sales, procurement, project management. AZ-900 has no prerequisite, no hands-on requirement, and it is the cheapest Microsoft exam.
Practise AZ-900Microsoft
AZ-104: Microsoft Azure Administrator
10 free questions
Choose this if you already administer Azure day to day. AZ-104 assumes you can work in the portal and with PowerShell or CLI, and it is the credential employers actually ask for in job specifications.
Practise AZ-104
Our recommendation
If you have six months of hands-on Azure, skip AZ-900 and go straight to AZ-104 — it is not a prerequisite and nobody hiring an administrator asks for it. If you are starting cold, AZ-900 first is genuinely worth the fortnight.
What each exam covers
AZ-900: Microsoft Azure Fundamentals
Microsoft Azure Fundamentals is exam AZ-900, 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-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.
Common questions
- AZ-900 vs AZ-104 — which is harder?
- If you have six months of hands-on Azure, skip AZ-900 and go straight to AZ-104 — it is not a prerequisite and nobody hiring an administrator asks for it. If you are starting cold, AZ-900 first is genuinely worth the fortnight.
- Can I practise both AZ-900: Microsoft Azure Fundamentals and AZ-104: Microsoft Azure Administrator?
- 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.