The AZ-104 Is Getting an April 2026 Update. Here's What Changes and How to Adjust Your Study Plan

Microsoft just confirmed the AZ-104 Azure Administrator exam gets an update on April 17, 2026. If you're mid-study or planning to take it soon, this matters.

I've been tracking Azure cert changes for a while now, and every update shifts the weight between domains just enough to catch people off guard. The AZ-104 has always been a beast — not because any single topic is impossibly hard, but because the breadth is brutal. You need to know networking, identity, storage, compute, and monitoring, and you need to know them well enough to answer scenario questions under pressure.

Let me walk through what the exam actually looks like right now, what's changing, and how I'd study for it if I were starting today.

What the AZ-104 Tests in 2026

The exam has five domains, and the weighting tells you exactly where to spend your time:

• Manage Azure identities and governance (20–25%) — Entra ID (formerly Azure AD), RBAC, policy, subscriptions
• Implement and manage storage (15–20%) — Storage accounts, blob, files, redundancy options
• Deploy and manage Azure compute resources (20–25%) — VMs, App Service, containers, Azure Functions
• Implement and manage virtual networking (15–20%) — VNets, NSGs, load balancers, DNS, peering
• Monitor and maintain Azure resources (10–15%) — Azure Monitor, Log Analytics, alerts, backup

The April 2026 update is adding AI service management and Copilot administration content. This isn't a complete overhaul — think 8-15% of questions touching on how admins interact with AI services in Azure. But if you've been ignoring Azure AI Services and Copilot, you'll want to spend a few hours getting familiar.

The Format

You get 40-60 questions. Some are multiple choice, some are drag-and-drop, and you'll likely see a case study or two. There's a passing score of 700 out of 1000, but Microsoft uses scaled scoring, so don't try to calculate how many you can get wrong. Just aim to know the material.

Total time is about 120 minutes. That sounds generous until you hit the case studies — those eat time fast.

The Three Mistakes I See Most Often

1. Studying theory without touching the portal. The AZ-104 is a practical exam. If you haven't actually created a VNet, configured an NSG, or set up a storage account with lifecycle policies, you're going to struggle. Microsoft gives you a free sandbox in the exam environment, but the real prep happens in your own Azure subscription. Use the free tier.

2. Neglecting networking. I can't tell you how many people spend weeks on compute and identity, then get blindsided by networking questions. VNet peering, service endpoints vs private endpoints, load balancer SKUs, application gateway — these come up constantly. If you can't explain the difference between a network security group and an application security group without checking docs, you need more practice.

3. Ignoring monitoring entirely. It's only 10-15% of the exam, which makes people think they can skip it. Don't. The monitoring questions are some of the easiest points on the exam if you've actually used Azure Monitor and Log Analytics. Free points you're leaving on the table.

How I'd Study for This in 8 Weeks

Weeks 1-2: Identity and governance. Understand Entra ID inside and out — users, groups, administrative units, RBAC custom roles, Azure Policy vs initiatives. Do this in a real subscription.

Weeks 3-4: Compute and containers. VMs (sizing, availability sets, scale sets), App Service plans, container instances, Azure Container Registry. Deploy each one at least once.

Weeks 5-6: Networking and storage. This is where most people are weakest. Build a multi-VNet topology with peering. Configure NSGs. Set up Azure DNS. For storage, understand replication options (LRS, ZRS, GRS, RA-GRS) and when to use each.

Week 7: Monitoring, backup, and the new AI content. Azure Monitor, alerts, action groups, Log Analytics queries (basic KQL). For the April update, familiarize yourself with Azure AI Services management and how Copilot fits into admin workflows.

Week 8: Practice exams and review. Take at least two full practice exams under timed conditions. Review every wrong answer.

Is the AZ-104 Worth It?

Short answer: yes, if you work with Azure or want to.

The AZ-104 is Microsoft's most popular role-based certification. Hiring managers know what it means. It's also a prerequisite for the AZ-305 (Solutions Architect Expert), so if you're building an Azure career path, this is the foundation.

Average salaries for Azure administrators with the AZ-104 sit around $85K-$120K depending on location and experience. The exam costs $165 USD. That's a solid return.

The Prep Resource That Surprised Me

I used a bunch of different resources, but the one that made the biggest difference was doing practice questions that explain why each answer is right and why the others are wrong. Not just "A is correct" — but "A is correct because managed disks with ZRS provide zone redundancy, while B is wrong because unmanaged disks don't support this feature."

That's actually why I built ExamCert — it's a free practice exam app with 500+ AZ-104 questions, detailed explanations, and progress tracking. The premium version ($4.99 lifetime) removes ads and adds extra features, but the free tier covers everything you need for core prep.

Final Thoughts

The AZ-104 isn't the hardest Azure exam. That distinction probably goes to AZ-500 or AZ-305. But it's the exam that opens doors. With the April 2026 update adding AI content, Microsoft is signaling that Azure admins need to understand the AI stack — not deeply, but enough to manage it.

If you're planning to take it, don't wait until after the update hoping the new content makes it easier. It won't. Start now, cover the fundamentals, add the AI stuff to your study plan, and book the exam with a deadline in mind.

Nothing motivates like a non-refundable exam fee.