Becoming an Azure Solutions Architect Expert: the AZ-104 rule and the AZ-305 exam

By Alexander Shick · Updated November 5, 2026

Who designs Azure solutions for a living

Microsoft describes the Azure solutions architect as someone who advises stakeholders and translates business requirements into designs for Azure solutions that align with the Azure Well-Architected Framework and Cloud Adoption Framework for Azure. The exam asks you to choose between designs for identity, data, continuity and infrastructure, not to configure resources step by step. Microsoft expects advanced experience across IT operations plus experience with Azure administration, Azure development and DevOps processes.

The prerequisite, the experience and the AZ-305 exam

The formal requirement. The Expert certification has one prerequisite certification, the Azure Administrator Associate, earned through exam AZ-104. Microsoft states it as a requirement for the certification; AZ-305 is the one exam on top of it.

Recommended experience, which nobody checks. Microsoft says candidates should have advanced experience and knowledge of networking, virtualization, identity, security, business continuity, disaster recovery, data platforms and governance, and experience with Azure administration, Azure development and DevOps processes. The official course adds that students must already have deployed or administered Azure resources.

The exam. AZ-305, Designing Microsoft Azure Infrastructure Solutions, needs a score of 700 to pass. Microsoft's exam page does not list a length; its exam-duration page gives 100 minutes for associate and expert role-based exams without labs and 120 minutes for those that may contain labs. During associate and expert exams you can open Microsoft Learn, though Microsoft warns that looking up every answer will run you out of time. Microsoft updated the English exam on April 17, 2026, and lists the skills below as measured from that date:

Getting ready for design questions

Free official training. Microsoft Learn publishes the AZ-305T00 learning paths for self-paced study, starting with an architect design prerequisites path, and links the Azure Well-Architected Framework material. Microsoft also runs a Practice Assessment for AZ-305: the newer version on AI Skills Navigator needs a sign-in, and the legacy one on Microsoft Learn is no longer updated. This route suits people with steady Azure work who study well alone.

Practice exams. Independent sets such as Tutorials Dojo's help you get used to long case studies. They suit the last few weeks, once you have worked through the Learn paths.

The official instructor-led course. Microsoft's four-day course is AZ-305T00, Design Microsoft Azure Infrastructure Solutions. Microsoft says it combines lecture with case studies and expects students to have deployed or administered Azure resources already. It suits people whose employer pays, or who want an instructor to argue design choices live.

AZ-305 preparation prices

Costs people miss. If you do not hold AZ-104 yet, add its $165 exam, or a second set of class fees, before the Expert title is possible. A failed AZ-305 attempt costs another $165; you can retake 24 hours after a first failure, then wait 14 days between later attempts, up to five in 12 months. Microsoft's exam prices exclude taxes, and Microsoft says to confirm the exact price with the exam provider before you register. Renewal is free.

Questions for an AZ-305 class provider

• Official course or its own material. New Horizons says it teaches AZ-305T00 with official Microsoft courseware and hands-on labs. ONLC's outline follows the same course description. Ask whether the material matches skills measured as of April 17, 2026.
• Voucher. New Horizons sells the exam voucher as an option; ONLC's page lists the $2,395 fee and Microsoft Learning Credits as a savings option, without a voucher. Budget $165 for the exam with either.
• Recordings and labs after class. New Horizons lists class recordings for 90 days where applicable. Ask each provider how long lab access lasts after the fourth day.
• Whether the date will run. New Horizons lists guaranteed-to-run dates on select sessions. Ask whether the session you want is one of them.
• Your AZ-104 status. ONLC notes that AZ-104 plus AZ-305 is required for the certification. Ask whether the class assumes you already passed AZ-104 or covers administration basics.

Keeping the Expert title current

Microsoft's associate, expert and specialty certifications expire each year. You renew Azure Solutions Architect Expert for free by passing a short, unproctored, open-book assessment on Microsoft Learn during the six-month window before it expires; passing extends it one year from the expiry date. You can retake the renewal assessment as often as you need before expiry.

For teams that design on Azure

For a cloud team, AZ-305 pairs with AZ-104: administrators earn the associate, and the people who sign off designs add AZ-305. Before paying list price for an architect class, check whether your company holds Microsoft Learning Credits; ONLC lists them as a savings option for its AZ-305 class.

AZ-305 questions people ask

Do I need AZ-104 before AZ-305?

For the certification, yes. Microsoft says you must earn the Azure Administrator Associate certification to become an Azure Solutions Architect Expert.

How much does AZ-305 cost?

$165 in the US as of November 2026, before tax.

Is AZ-305 being retired?

Microsoft lists no retirement date for AZ-305. The English exam was updated on April 17, 2026.

How do I keep the certification?

Pass Microsoft's free online renewal assessment each year before the certification expires.

Next step

Send your Azure background and target date and we will suggest a study route and the AZ-305 classes that fit.

Ask for help choosing AZ-305 training