How to Pass AZ-104 Microsoft Azure Administrator in 15 Days: 2026 Coach Roadmap
A day-by-day 15-day study plan for the AZ-104 Microsoft Azure Administrator exam in 2026. Covers the April 2026 domain weight changes, 2026 additions like Container Apps and Bicep, free resources, and a CertLand practice exam with 380 questions.
The AZ-104 Microsoft Azure Administrator certification is one of the most popular cloud certifications worldwide -- and for good reason. It validates that you can manage Azure identities, governance, storage, compute, and virtual networks. Whether you are an IT admin moving to the cloud or an engineer broadening your Azure skills, AZ-104 is the gold standard for Azure administration.
This guide gives you a complete 15-day study plan built around the April 2026 exam update, which increased the weight of identities and governance to 20-25%. We include the official domain breakdown, 2026 additions you must know, free resources, and a proven day-by-day schedule.
AZ-104 Exam Overview (2026)
| Detail | Value |
|---|---|
| Questions | 40-60 questions (multiple choice, drag-and-drop, case studies) |
| Duration | 120 minutes |
| Passing Score | 700 / 1000 |
| Price | $165 USD |
| Last Updated | April 2026 (identities/governance weight increased) |
| Prerequisites | None (but AZ-900 knowledge recommended) |
AZ-104 Domain Breakdown (April 2026)
The April 2026 update notably increased the weight of Domain 1 (Manage Azure Identities and Governance) from 15-20% to 20-25%. This reflects Microsoft's emphasis on Entra ID, Privileged Identity Management, and compliance features in real-world Azure environments.
| Domain | Weight | Key Topics |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Manage Azure Identities and Governance | 20-25% | Entra ID users/groups, RBAC, PIM, management groups, subscriptions, Azure Policy, Cost Management |
| 2. Implement and Manage Storage | 15-20% | Storage accounts, blob lifecycle, Azure Files, access tiers, redundancy, AzCopy, Storage Explorer |
| 3. Deploy and Manage Azure Compute Resources | 20-25% | VMs, VMSS, Container Apps, Container Instances, App Service, Bicep/ARM, Azure Compute Gallery |
| 4. Implement and Manage Virtual Networking | 15-20% | VNets, subnets, NSGs, Azure DNS, VNet peering, VPN Gateway, ExpressRoute, Load Balancer, Application Gateway |
| 5. Monitor and Maintain Azure Resources | 10-15% | Azure Monitor, Log Analytics, alerts, Network Watcher, Connection Monitor, backup, Azure Site Recovery |
What Changed in 2026: New Topics You Must Know
The 2026 version of AZ-104 introduces several topics that were either absent or barely tested before. Do not skip these -- they are now actively tested:
- Azure Container Apps -- serverless containers with KEDA scaling and Dapr integration. Know how it differs from Container Instances (ACI) and AKS.
- Encryption-at-host -- encrypts temp disks and OS/data disk caches. This goes beyond Azure Disk Encryption (ADE) which only encrypts the disk volumes themselves.
- Bicep templates -- the ARM template successor. Expect questions on Bicep syntax, modules, and how Bicep compiles to ARM JSON.
- Connection Monitor -- replaces the older Network Performance Monitor. Tests connectivity between Azure VMs, on-prem machines, and external endpoints.
- Entra ID Privileged Identity Management (PIM) -- just-in-time (JIT) role activation, access reviews, and eligible vs active role assignments.
The 15-Day AZ-104 Study Plan
This plan assumes 2-4 hours of focused study per day. Each day targets specific topics and includes hands-on labs. Adjust the pace if you have more or less time.
| Day | Focus Area | Activities |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Identities: Entra ID Basics | Users, groups, dynamic groups, guest accounts, Entra External ID (B2B). Lab: Create users and groups in Entra ID portal. |
| Day 2 | Identities: RBAC and PIM | Built-in roles, custom roles, role assignment scope. PIM eligible vs active, access reviews, SSPR. Lab: Assign roles at different scopes. |
| Day 3 | Governance: Policy, Blueprints, Cost | Management groups, Azure Policy (deny, audit, deployIfNotExists), resource locks, Cost Management budgets and action groups. Lab: Create and assign a policy. |
| Day 4 | Storage: Accounts and Blob | Storage account types, performance tiers (Standard/Premium), access tiers (Hot/Cool/Cold/Archive), blob lifecycle policies. Lab: Create storage account, upload blobs, set lifecycle rules. |
| Day 5 | Storage: Security and Tools | SAS tokens, stored access policies, Azure Files (SMB/NFS), redundancy (LRS/ZRS/GRS/RAGRS), AzCopy, Storage Explorer, service endpoints vs private endpoints. Lab: Configure SAS, set up Azure Files share. |
| Day 6 | Compute: Virtual Machines | VM sizes and series, availability sets vs zones, managed disks, disk encryption (ADE vs encryption-at-host), Azure Compute Gallery. Lab: Deploy a VM with managed disks. |
| Day 7 | Compute: VMSS and App Service | VMSS flexible vs uniform orchestration, autoscale rules. App Service plans, deployment slots, slot swap, custom domains, TLS bindings. Lab: Create a VMSS with autoscale. |
| Day 8 | Compute: Containers and IaC | Container Apps (KEDA, Dapr, serverless), Container Instances (ACI), Bicep template structure, ARM templates. Lab: Deploy a Container App with az containerapp create. |
| Day 9 | Networking: VNets and NSGs | VNet address space, subnets, NSG rules (priority, direction, allow/deny), ASGs, default security rules. Lab: Create VNet with subnets, configure NSG rules. |
| Day 10 | Networking: Peering and DNS | VNet peering (non-transitive), global peering, gateway transit. Azure DNS zones, private DNS zones, DNS record types. Lab: Set up VNet peering between two VNets. |
| Day 11 | Networking: Load Balancing and Connectivity | Azure Load Balancer (Standard vs Basic), Application Gateway (L7, WAF), VPN Gateway (S2S, P2S), ExpressRoute, Azure Bastion. Lab: Deploy a Standard Load Balancer. |
| Day 12 | Monitoring: Azure Monitor | Azure Monitor metrics and logs, Log Analytics workspaces, KQL queries, action groups, alert rules. Lab: Create an alert rule with an action group. |
| Day 13 | Monitoring: Network Watcher and Backup | Network Watcher (IP flow verify, NSG diagnostics, Connection Monitor), Azure Backup (vault, policies, restore), Azure Site Recovery basics. Lab: Run IP flow verify on a VM. |
| Day 14 | Full Practice Exam | Take a full 380-question practice exam on CertLand. Review every wrong answer. Identify weak domains. |
| Day 15 | Weak Area Review and Final Drill | Re-study weak domains. Review exam traps (Bastion per VNet, peering address space, GRS vs RAGRS). Take a timed 50-question drill. |
Study Tips for AZ-104 in 2026
Free Study Resources
- Microsoft Learn: AZ-104 Learning Path -- The official free learning path covers all five domains with interactive exercises. Start here:
https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/credentials/certifications/azure-administrator/ - Microsoft Learn Sandbox -- Free Azure sandbox environments for hands-on labs without needing a credit card.
- John Savill's AZ-104 Study Cram -- A comprehensive free YouTube video covering all exam domains in visual whiteboard format.
- Azure documentation -- For deep dives on specific services, the official docs are the ultimate source of truth.
Final Advice: What to Do on Exam Day
On exam day, remember these key strategies:
- Time management: With 40-60 questions in 120 minutes, you have roughly 2-3 minutes per question. Flag difficult questions and move on.
- Read every word: Microsoft questions are precise. "Minimize administrative effort" and "minimize cost" are different requirements that lead to different answers.
- Eliminate first: Most questions have two obviously wrong options and two plausible ones. Eliminate the obvious ones, then focus your analysis.
- Trust your preparation: If you followed this 15-day plan and scored 80%+ on CertLand practice exams, you are ready.
The AZ-104 certification opens the door to Azure administration roles and serves as a prerequisite for the AZ-305 Azure Solutions Architect Expert. Invest the 15 days, do the labs, and you will walk out of the exam center with a pass.
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