"Should I do AZ-900 first or jump straight to AZ-104?"

Quick Answer

AZ-900 (Azure Fundamentals) is a non-technical overview exam — no hands-on experience required. AZ-104 (Azure Administrator) is an intermediate-level exam requiring real Azure Portal experience managing VMs, networking, and security. Start with AZ-900 if you are new to cloud; go directly to AZ-104 if you already work with Azure infrastructure.

AZ-900Cloud concepts, Azure services overview, pricing, SLAs. No prerequisites. Passing score: 700/1000. ~45 questions.
AZ-104Azure administration — VMs, networking, storage, AAD, monitoring. Requires 6+ months hands-on experience. Passing score: 700/1000.
Common mistakeIT pros with 5+ years experience wasting time on AZ-900 when they should go straight to AZ-104 or AZ-305
Career pathAZ-900 → AZ-104 (Admin) OR AZ-900 → AZ-204 (Developer) OR AZ-900 → AZ-305 (Architect)

Raushan gets this question in almost every Azure training session. It sounds simple. But the answer depends entirely on who you are, what you do today, and where you want to be in twelve months. Get it wrong and you waste three months studying content that either bores you to tears or overwhelms you completely.

Let's settle this properly.

🎯 The One-Line Answer

If you have never touched Azure before — AZ-900 first.
If you are already working in IT (networking, sysadmin, DevOps, cloud support) — skip AZ-900, go straight to AZ-104.

Everything below explains why — and how to know which camp you fall into.

📋 What AZ-900 Actually Tests

AZ-900 (Microsoft Azure Fundamentals) is a conceptual exam. It does not ask you to configure anything. It asks whether you understand what the cloud is, why it exists, and what Azure's core services broadly do.

Topics covered:

  • Cloud concepts — IaaS, PaaS, SaaS, the shared responsibility model
  • Azure architecture basics — regions, availability zones, resource groups
  • Core Azure services — overview of Compute, Storage, Networking, Databases
  • Azure management tools — Portal, CLI, PowerShell, Azure Arc
  • Azure governance — policies, RBAC, Cost Management
  • Pricing and SLAs — how Azure charges, what SLAs cover
📌 Exam Details Duration: 45 minutes · Questions: 40–60 · Pass score: 700/1000 · Cost: USD 165 · No prerequisites · Validity: Lifetime (does not expire)

Who AZ-900 is for: Business analysts, project managers, sales professionals, finance teams, non-technical decision-makers, and absolute beginners who have never used Azure. It proves cloud literacy — not cloud engineering skill.

🔧 What AZ-104 Actually Tests

AZ-104 (Microsoft Azure Administrator) is a hands-on technical exam. It expects you to know how to configure, manage, monitor, and secure Azure resources — not just describe them.

Topics covered:

  • Identity and Access — Entra ID (formerly Azure AD), RBAC, Conditional Access, MFA
  • Governance — Management groups, subscriptions, resource locks, Azure Policy, Blueprints
  • Storage — Blob, Files, Queues, replication options, lifecycle management, SAS tokens
  • Compute — Virtual machines (sizing, availability sets, scale sets), Azure Kubernetes Service basics, App Service
  • Networking — Virtual Networks, subnets, NSGs, VPN Gateways, ExpressRoute, Load Balancer, Application Gateway, Private DNS
  • Monitoring — Azure Monitor, Log Analytics, Alerts, Diagnostic Settings, Azure Backup, Azure Site Recovery
📌 Exam Details Duration: 100 minutes · Questions: 40–60 · Pass score: 700/1000 · Cost: USD 165 · Prerequisite: 6+ months Azure experience recommended · Validity: Renew every year

Who AZ-104 is for: IT administrators, network engineers, systems engineers, DevOps engineers, cloud support engineers, and anyone whose job involves managing Azure infrastructure — or who wants that job.

🔍 Side-by-Side Comparison

Factor
AZ-900
AZ-104
Level
Fundamentals (no prior Azure needed)
Associate (hands-on experience needed)
Focus
Concepts and awareness
Configuration and management
Hands-on labs needed?
No — study guides and videos suffice
Yes — you must practice in Azure portal/CLI
Study time
2–4 weeks (1–2 hrs/day)
8–12 weeks (2–3 hrs/day)
Job market value
Low — rarely listed as a requirement
High — standard requirement for cloud roles
Expires?
Never
Annual renewal required
Is AZ-900 required before AZ-104?
No. AZ-900 is never a formal prerequisite for any other exam.

🚦 Decision Guide — Which One Is Right for You?

If
You have never used any cloud platform
→ Start with AZ-900. It will give you the vocabulary and conceptual foundation to make AZ-104 significantly less overwhelming. Four weeks of study, one exam, then proceed to AZ-104 with confidence.
·
If
You work in IT already (networking, sysadmin, DevOps)
→ Skip AZ-900. You already understand VMs, networking, storage, and access management. AZ-900 will bore you — its content is things you know by job title. Go directly to AZ-104 and get the certification that matters to employers.
·
If
Your goal is a specific role (Cloud Admin, DevOps, Security)
→ Skip AZ-900. Employers hiring for those roles look for AZ-104, AZ-400 (DevOps), or AZ-500 (Security). AZ-900 on a resume for a technical role signals beginner-level — which is fine if you are a beginner, but it is not the credential that gets you the interview.
·
If
Your employer or client requires it
→ Take whichever one they require. Some organisations mandate AZ-900 for all staff (including non-technical) as part of cloud literacy programs. That is a perfectly valid reason to do it regardless of your background.

📚 What to Study — MCT-Recommended Path

If you are taking AZ-900:

  • Microsoft Learn: AZ-900 Learning Path (free, 6–8 hours)
  • John Savill's AZ-900 Study Cram on YouTube — the most efficient single resource available
  • Microsoft's free practice assessment at the AZ-900 certification page
  • No hands-on lab subscription needed — videos and reading are sufficient

If you are taking AZ-104:

  • Microsoft Learn: AZ-104 Learning Paths (7 paths, 40+ hours)
  • Azure free account with $200 credit — you MUST practice deploying VMs, VNets, and storage yourself
  • John Savill's AZ-104 Study Cram — 4+ hours, covers every domain
  • Official Microsoft AZ-104 Labs on GitHub: microsoftlearning/AZ-104-MicrosoftAzureAdministrator
  • Set up: create a VNet, deploy a VM, configure NSGs, set up VPN Gateway, configure RBAC roles, create a storage account with lifecycle policy — minimum hands-on bar
💡 MCT Tip from Raushan The single biggest mistake AZ-104 candidates make is reading without doing. You can read about Virtual Network peering all day — but until you have configured it yourself in the portal and made the "can't ping across peered VNets" mistake and fixed it, the exam questions on it will trip you up. Budget for hands-on lab time. It is not optional.

📌 Final Recommendation

If you are reading this article because you want to build a career in cloud: your target is AZ-104. It is the first credential that opens doors — junior cloud admin roles, infrastructure engineer positions, cloud support, and as a stepping stone to AZ-500, AZ-400, and the AI track.

AZ-900 is the right starting point only if you are a complete beginner to IT or if your specific situation requires it. It is not a shortcut to AZ-104 — it is a parallel track for a different audience.

Either way: start with Microsoft Learn, set up an Azure free account, and begin practicing. The exam is fair to people who have actually used the services.

Train with RR Skillverse AZ-900 and AZ-104 Technology Topics are available on RR Skillverse with structured lessons, hands-on labs, and Axiom AI tutor support. Start free — no account needed.