Should I Skip AZ-900 and Pay for AZ-104 Instead?
Asked by
MellowPanda47
I can only afford one Microsoft Azure certification exam. I've already studied the AZ-900 material and found that it mainly covers basic cloud concepts and terminology, so I'm considering skipping it and using my exam budget for AZ-104, Azure Administrator Associate. I'm a computer science student graduating this year and already have practical Azure experience, including provisioning resources through the Azure portal and ARM templates. I also run a small SaaS application on Azure for a client. Would taking AZ-104 directly be a sensible choice, or is AZ-900 still worth paying for first?
Answers
Go straight for AZ-104 if your fundamentals are solid. Employers are unlikely to require AZ-900 when you have the associate-level administrator certification. The foundational knowledge from AZ-900 is still useful, but you don’t necessarily need to pay for a separate exam to prove it.
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Use the free Microsoft Learn AZ-900 pathway to fill any gaps, then spend your money and study time on AZ-104. Build and troubleshoot real resources such as virtual machines, VNets, storage accounts, identity settings, and monitoring. The exam focuses heavily on practical scenarios, so reading alone probably won’t be enough.
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Skipping AZ-900 is generally reasonable if you already understand the fundamentals. The certification is useful for learning basic terminology, but AZ-104 carries more practical weight and is more relevant to Azure administration. Just be aware that AZ-104 is dramatically harder—passing it requires hands-on experience, not just memorizing definitions.
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MellowPanda47: I’ve already completed the free learning material and have practical experience provisioning Azure resources through the portal and ARM templates, so I’m planning to focus on the administrator exam.