Take AZ-900 first if you are still learning what the basic Azure terms mean, or if the resource hierarchy of subscriptions, resource groups, and management groups is still fuzzy. Start AZ-104 directly if you already administer systems and can work in the Azure portal, Azure CLI or PowerShell, and ARM templates or Bicep files. Microsoft levels AZ-900 as Beginner and AZ-104 as Intermediate, and the exams run 45 and 100 minutes (Azure Fundamentals certification page, Azure Administrator Associate certification page). AZ-900 tests whether you can describe Azure. AZ-104 tests whether you can administer it.
What each exam measures
| AZ-900 | AZ-104 | |
|---|---|---|
| Credential | Microsoft Certified: Azure Fundamentals | Microsoft Certified: Azure Administrator Associate |
| Level | Beginner | Intermediate |
| Skills measured as of | July 20, 2026 | April 17, 2026 |
| Domain weights | Cloud concepts 25-30%, Azure architecture and services 35-40%, Azure management and governance 30-35% | Identities and governance 20-25%, storage 15-20%, compute 20-25%, virtual networking 15-20%, monitoring and maintenance 10-15% |
| Exam time | 45 minutes | 100 minutes |
| Passing score | 700 out of 1000 | 700 out of 1000 |
| Renewal | No renewal requirement listed on the certification page | Expires unless renewed; renew by passing a free online assessment on Microsoft Learn |
| Verdict | Take it first when the basic Azure terms are still new to you | Take it first when you already administer systems |
Microsoft's outlines show the difference. AZ-900 asks you to describe Azure. AZ-104 asks you to manage and configure it. Every domain in the AZ-900 outline starts with "Describe". The AZ-104 outline uses manage, implement, deploy, and monitor across its five domains. The same topic makes the level difference visible. AZ-900 asks you to describe Azure role-based access control (RBAC). AZ-104 asks you to manage built-in roles, assign roles at different scopes, and implement Azure Policy alongside resource locks, tags, budgets, and management groups.
Budget your prep time by domain weight. Architecture and services is the heaviest AZ-900 domain at 35-40%, so service comparison takes most of a short fundamentals prep. On AZ-104, identities and governance (20-25%) and compute (20-25%) are the two heaviest domains, so they each take about a quarter of the prep and the remaining three domains split the rest.
AZ-900 is not a prerequisite for AZ-104
AZ-900 is not required before AZ-104. The Azure Administrator Associate certification page lists no prerequisite exam, and it presents a single exam to pass. What it does list is a candidate profile. You should be familiar with operating systems, networking, servers, and virtualization, and have experience with PowerShell, Azure CLI, the Azure portal, Azure Resource Manager templates or Bicep files, and Microsoft Entra ID (AZ-104 study guide). That list is the test of whether you can skip AZ-900. If your day-to-day already covers it, you can start AZ-104 prep directly. If the Azure-specific half (portal, ARM or Bicep, Entra ID) is new to you, the 45-minute fundamentals exam builds that vocabulary before the 100-minute administrator exam does.
Your background decides which exam comes first
Which exam to take first depends on your background.
If you already work in IT but haven't used Azure, your experience covers the "familiar with" half of the candidate profile. Running Windows Server or supporting a help desk every day matches that half, which covers operating systems, networking, servers and virtualization. It says nothing about the "experience with" half, which is PowerShell, Azure CLI, the Azure portal, Azure Resource Manager templates or Bicep files, and Microsoft Entra ID. The quickest way to find out where you stand is the free AZ-104 assessment. If your gaps cluster on subscriptions, resource groups, RBAC or policy scope, the fundamentals are what's missing, so study those first and take AZ-900 along the way. If your gaps cluster on storage redundancy, virtual networking, backup or monitoring, you're ready for the administrator material and can start AZ-104 now.
If you're new to the cloud, take AZ-900 first, even if you're comfortable with exams. The AZ-104 outline assumes you already know the service names, cloud service models and resource hierarchy that AZ-900 covers.
If you work alongside cloud teams but won't run Azure resources yourself, AZ-900 may be the only exam you need. The fundamentals credential matches that kind of role.
Let the assessment pick the next exam
The assessment shows which domains are weak.
- Take a short assessment. Use the free AZ-900 assessment if fundamentals feel shaky, and the AZ-104 assessment from the last section if you administer systems.
- Note which domains the assessment shows as gaps.
- Repair the biggest cluster with focused study material and explanations.
- Retest that cluster.
- Pick the next exam from the retest.
For example, you take the fundamentals check and know the compute and storage names, but the assessment shows gaps in shared responsibility, subscriptions, RBAC, Azure Policy, locks, tags, and cost governance. The governance and identity base is not ready, so do not spend weeks on AZ-104 material yet. Repair those gaps, retest, and if the retest shows the gaps are gone or you can explain the ones that remain, AZ-104 is the reasonable next exam. If the check comes back strong, the AZ-104 assessment shows which administrator domain to repair first.
When to book the exam
If the fundamentals still feel new, take the AZ-900 assessment this week and repair the gaps it shows. If you already administer systems, take the AZ-104 assessment and start on its weakest domain first. Either way, you book the exam date only once a practice test shows no remaining gaps in the heavier domains.