AZ-900
AZ-900
1Cloud Concepts
25–30%
2Azure Architecture and Services
35–40%
3Azure Management and Governance
30–35%
Certification comparison
AZ-900 vs AZ-104
AZ-900 checks that you understand Azure and the cloud. AZ-104 checks that you can administer Azure. One is a fundamentals exam, the other a job-role exam.
Last updated
Side by side
The two exams at a glance
Every figure comes from the vendor’s own pages, through our exam guides, and is checked every week.
| Microsoft Azure Fundamentals | Microsoft Azure Administrator | |
|---|---|---|
| Vendor | Microsoft | Microsoft |
| Exam code | AZ-900 | AZ-104 |
| Level | Beginner | Intermediate |
| Written for | Cloud engineer or architect | Cloud engineer or architect |
| Questions | Usually 40–60 | Usually 40–60 |
| Time | 45 min | 100 min |
| Passing score | 700 / 1000 | 700 / 1000 |
| Exam cost | $99In the United States; set by country | $165In the United States; set by country |
| Experience | NonePrerequisites | NonePrerequisites |
| Renewal | Doesn’t expire | Every year: free online assessment |
| Exam outline | 3 domainsLargest: Azure Architecture and Services (35–40%) | 5 domainsLargest: Manage Azure Identities and Governance (20–25%) |
| What’s changing | No change announced | No change announced |
Levels are our own rating, from the level each vendor gives its exam. How we check our facts
Exam domains
What each exam covers
Each domain’s share of the exam, as the vendor publishes it. Where one exam has two versions on sale, this is the newer one.
AZ-104
AZ-104
1Manage Azure Identities and Governance
20–25%
2Implement and Manage Storage
15–20%
3Deploy and Manage Azure Compute Resources
20–25%
4Implement and Manage Virtual Networking
15–20%
5Monitor and Maintain Azure Resources
10–15%
Which one
Which should you take?
Choose AZ-900 if
cloud is new to you, or you work around Azure in sales, management or support and need to speak its language.
Choose AZ-104 if
you’ll manage Azure subscriptions, identities, storage, virtual machines and networks.
Which one first?
AZ-900 is optional: Microsoft doesn’t require it for AZ-104. Take it first if cloud is new to you, and skip it if you already work in Azure.
Beyond the numbers
What really differs
Knowing against doing
AZ-900 asks what Azure’s services are and when you’d use them. AZ-104 asks how to deploy, configure and fix them.
Keeping it
AZ-900 doesn’t expire. AZ-104 is renewed every year with a free online assessment on Microsoft Learn.
Preparation
AZ-900 can be learned from reading and videos. AZ-104 needs time in the Azure portal and command line, because its questions assume you’ve done the tasks.
FAQs
Got Questions? We’ve Got Answers.
Find quick answers or contact our support team.
Should I take AZ-900 or AZ-104 first?
AZ-900 is optional: Microsoft doesn’t require it for AZ-104. Take it first if cloud is new to you, and skip it if you already work in Azure.
Which is harder, AZ-900 or AZ-104?
AZ-104. We rate AZ-104 intermediate and AZ-900 beginner, going by the level each vendor gives its exam and the experience it expects.
What experience do I need for AZ-900 and AZ-104?
AZ-900: Microsoft sets no prerequisites for AZ-900. Knowing the exam’s domains well is what counts. AZ-104: Microsoft sets no prerequisites for AZ-104. Knowing the exam’s domains well is what counts.
Which costs more, AZ-900 or AZ-104?
AZ-104 costs more: $165 against $99 for one attempt.
