Microsoft Azure Solutions Architect Expert (AZ-305) – Study Plan

Overview

The AZ-305 validates your ability to design Azure solutions that meet business and technical requirements. It tests architectural judgment, not configuration steps. You will be asked to recommend solutions, justify trade-offs, and choose between services that seem similar but serve different purposes.

If you already hold AZ-104, you know how to configure Entra ID, VNets, storage accounts, and load balancers. That knowledge is the foundation. This plan builds on it by shifting your thinking from "how do I set this up?" to "which approach is the right fit, and why?"

Identity/governance/monitoring and data storage together represent 50-60% of the exam. Infrastructure solutions carry equal weight at 25-30%. Business continuity is the smallest domain but appears frequently within case studies that test other domains.

Recommended experience: AZ-104 (Azure Administrator Associate) or equivalent hands-on experience. Subject matter expertise in designing cloud and hybrid solutions on Azure, including compute, network, storage, monitoring, and identity.

A note on prerequisites: AZ-104 is a prerequisite for earning the Azure Solutions Architect Expert certification. You can sit AZ-305 without it, but you need both to earn the Expert badge. More importantly, AZ-104 knowledge is assumed throughout the exam.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need AZ-104 before AZ-305?

Yes. AZ-104 is a prerequisite for earning the Azure Solutions Architect Expert certification. You can sit AZ-305 without it, but you need both to earn the Expert badge. More importantly, AZ-104 knowledge is assumed throughout the exam. This plan skips admin fundamentals and goes straight to architecture.

How many practice questions should I aim for?

Aim for at least 600 unique questions across all domains, ensuring you prioritize quality over quantity. ExamOS provides over 2,000 high quality practice questions covering all domains and designed to explain the rationale behind both correct and incorrect answers.

When should I book the exam?

Once you are consistently hitting 80% or above on Legend mode across two or more sessions, and you feel comfortable explaining architecture decisions, you are ready. Trust your preparation.

How long is the exam?

You get 100 minutes of actual exam time. The total seat time is 120 minutes, which includes time for the NDA review, instructions, and post-exam comments.

I am a non-native English speaker. Can I get extra time?

Yes, under certain conditions. Microsoft offers an additional 30 minutes if the exam is not available in your native language. The AZ-305 is currently offered in English, Japanese, Chinese (Simplified), Korean, German, French, Spanish, Portuguese (Brazil), Chinese (Traditional), and Italian. If your native language is not among these, you can request the accommodation:

1. Visit the English as a Second Language request form on the Microsoft Learn credentials page.
2. Submit your request before scheduling your exam.
3. Once approved, the extra time will be applied when you schedule and take the exam.

If the exam is available in your native language, you can still take it in English, but the additional 30 minutes will not be granted. Request this accommodation before you schedule. It cannot be added after the exam is booked.

Can I use Microsoft Learn during the exam?

Yes. All associate and expert role-based exams, including AZ-305, give you access to Microsoft Learn during the exam.

A "Learn" button at the bottom of the exam screen (Pearson VUE) opens Microsoft Learn in a split-screen view. You can search for documentation using the search bar at the top right. This is not available on Fundamentals or GitHub exams.

A few things to know:

• You can only access Microsoft Learn. No other websites, no browser tabs, no search engines.
• CTRL+F does not work reliably in the embedded view. Use the search bar.
• Use it to confirm specific details like service limits, SKUs, or feature availability. Do not rely on it as a substitute for preparation. Candidates who know the material well use it to verify edge cases. Candidates who rely on it consistently run out of time.

What is the difference between AZ-305 and AZ-104?

AZ-104 tests administration skills: how to configure, deploy, and manage Azure services. AZ-305 tests architecture design judgment: how to recommend solutions, justify trade-offs, and design systems that meet business requirements. AZ-305 scenarios require you to choose between similar services and explain why one design is better than another.

What is the Well-Architected Framework?

The Azure Well-Architected Framework is Microsoft's set of guiding principles for building cloud solutions across five pillars: cost optimization, reliability, security, performance efficiency, and operational excellence. It underpins many AZ-305 design decisions. Review it in Week 1 and refer back to it throughout the plan.

What is the most important domain to study?

Identity/governance/monitoring (25-30%) and data storage (25-30%) together represent 50-60% of the exam. But infrastructure solutions carry equal weight at 25-30%. Business continuity (10-15%) is the smallest domain but appears frequently within case studies that test other domains. The biggest trap is over-studying the domain you are already comfortable with from AZ-104 and under-studying data storage, which typically has the most new material.

What are the most common ways people fail?

• Choosing a database service without considering consistency, latency, and global distribution. The exam frequently tests your ability to match workload requirements to the right database.
• Confusing Azure Front Door, Application Gateway, and Traffic Manager. Know when each is the right choice. They solve different problems.
• Not understanding RPO and RTO. Being able to define them is not enough. You must map them to specific Azure service configurations.
• Treating AZ-305 like AZ-104. The exam asks "what should you recommend?" not "how do you configure this?" If you are explaining configuration steps in your head, you are answering the wrong question.
• Ignoring cost optimization as a design constraint. The exam frequently tests trade-offs between cost and performance.

What are the three biggest preparation mistakes?

1. Studying service features without studying architecture patterns. AZ-305 tests judgment. Knowing that Cosmos DB offers five consistency levels is table stakes. Knowing when session consistency is a better fit than bounded staleness for a specific workload is what the exam measures.
2. Not practicing case study reasoning under time pressure. Case studies consume more time per question than standalone questions. Get comfortable reading a question, finding the binding constraint, and narrowing down your options quickly.
3. Skipping data storage depth. For AZ-104 holders, identity and infrastructure feel familiar. Data storage is where most of the new content lives. Spend the time here.

Is there a renewal option?

Yes. AZ-305 is valid for 1 year. You can renew it for free by passing an online assessment on Microsoft Learn. The renewal assessment is shorter and focuses on what has changed since you originally certified. Start the renewal process before your certification expires to avoid having to retake the full exam.

Quick-Reference: What Is on the Exam

For the full, always-current list, visit the official AZ-305 study guide.