AssociateVendor-specificMicrosoft· issued from US

AZ-104

Microsoft Azure Administrator Associate

Official page at Microsoft ↔ Compare with another cert

Exam fee

$165

Ongoing

—

Study time

60–120 hrs

Delivery

Hybrid

Validity

1 yr (renewal cycle)

› Quality score

31.5 / 40

Four-axis SecProve rubric, each 0–10. SecProve editorial assessment — each axis carries a written justification so you can push back on any single call without dismissing the whole score.

Blueprint rigor

How well-defined and rigorous the exam blueprint is.

Detailed skills outline; covers core Azure admin tasks.

7.5/10

Practical evidence

Hands-on labs / written reports vs pure MCQ.

PBQ-style scenarios — closer to admin work than pure MCQ.

6.5/10

Currency & upkeep

How aggressively content is kept current with the field.

Refreshed continuously alongside Azure platform changes.

9.0/10

Market recognition

How often this signal actually moves a hiring decision.

Default Azure admin signal; common stepping stone before AZ-500 / SC-300.

8.5/10

› Exam format

40–60 questions (multiple-choice + case studies + labs), 120 minutes. Proctored via Pearson VUE. Passing score: 700/1000.

Retake policy

Fee: $165 per attempt

Wait: 1d between attempts

24-hour wait after first fail; 14 days between attempts 2-4. Max 5 attempts per 12-month window.

› Recertification

Valid for 1 year. Free online renewal assessment on Microsoft Learn.

› NICE Framework work roles

The NIST NICE work-role IDs this cert maps to. NICCS lookup.

DD-WRL-001IO-WRL-005DD-WRL-004

Recognition

Global

Exam languages

› Core domains covered

The 2 domains this cert is centrally about. Passing the exam demonstrates working knowledge of each.

A5Cloud Security

AWS/Azure/GCP security controls, IAM policies, CSPM, container security, shared responsibility model.

A6Identity & Access Management

AuthN/AuthZ, SSO, MFA, PAM, RBAC/ABAC, identity governance, FIDO2/passkeys, plus non-human identity: service accounts, workload identity, agent / plugin identities.

› Prerequisites

Experience

No formal prerequisites. Recommended: AZ-900 + 6 months Azure experience.

› Progression

requiredrecommended

Where this cert fits in the typical learning path. Required edges are vendor-gated; recommended edges reflect de facto industry progression.

Required prereqs (0)

No vendor-gated prereqs.

Recommended priors (1)

AZ-900Microsoft

AZ-104

Microsoft

Required by (0)

No certs require this one.

Recommended next (3)

AZ-500Microsoft AZ-305Microsoft SC-300Microsoft

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