How an AZ-104 Practice Test Helped Me Identify My Weak Areas Before the Microsoft Azure Administrator Exam

Daisy Rose — Tue, 14 Jul 2026 07:09:13 +0000

Preparation for the Microsoft Azure Administrator (AZ-104) certification may seem daunting at first glance. This certification requires knowledge about a broad variety of services within the Microsoft Azure, such as virtual machines, storage, networking, identity management, monitoring, and governance. Similar to other applicants, I assumed that learning through Microsoft documentation and tutorials would be sufficient.

But then I understood that there is a great difference between studying theoretical material and using your knowledge in practical exam-like situations. Sitting through the AZ-104 practice test became a landmark moment for me during the preparation process. Instead of just revealing the results, it helped me see the gaps in my knowledge.

My First Practice Test Experience

After some weeks of study on Azure fundamentals and administration, I thought that I could assess myself on how much I have learned. So I took the practice test.

My score surprised me.

Even though I was able to cover all the objectives on the exam, my score did not reflect how I thought it would be. What is more important is that through the detailed feedback I could understand that I knew some subjects better than others.

It turned out to be good news since I could now concentrate on the weak areas.

The Weak Areas I Discovered

Networking problems appeared more difficult than I anticipated.

*It was hard to tell apart:
*
Network Security Groups (NSGs)
Azure Firewall
Virtual Network Peering
VPN Gateway
Load Balancer from Application Gateway

Most questions required one to understand a scenario instead of defining a concept. Upon realizing my weakness in networking, I spent additional time practicing.

*Identity and Access Management
*
Another issue I had was in regards to Microsoft Entra ID, Azure RBAC, and roles assignments.

These were scenario-type questions that required picking not one but several right answers. After seeing such questions, the importance of permission inheritance and least privilege access became clearer to me.

*Storage Services
*
I figured out that I did not understand various types of storage replication and access tiers.

Rather than learning the names by heart, I started studying when they should be applied in practice.
Making My Mistakes Count

One of the advantages that came from the use of high-quality AZ-104 practice test was getting to analyze all my mistakes.

Rather than just looking at my score and continuing further, I was able to understand what was causing me to make mistakes.

What I realized is that most of the time I was not misunderstanding Azure but rather was ignoring some of the key elements of the question.

It affected the way I studied and answered the exam questions.

*Creating an Effective Study Schedule
*
Rather than studying anything I wanted at any random time, I was able to create a more specific plan for each week based on my results in the practice tests.

For instance:

Monday: Azure Networking
Tuesday: Storage
Wednesday: Virtual Machines
Thursday: Identity and Governance
Friday: Monitoring and Backup
Saturday-Sunday: Practice Test

This allowed me to be more efficient in studying since I was no longer studying something I had already learned.

The Importance of Scenario-Based Questions

Unlike most exams, the AZ-104 certification test is more concerned about practical administration duties than remembering facts. As per the official Microsoft study guide, key areas to concentrate include identity management, networking, storage, computing, and monitoring in Azure.

When doing sample examinations, I have observed that most of the questions require one to look at a business situation first before answering what solution works best.

For instance, instead of asking “What is Azure Backup?” the examination will provide an organization’s infrastructure and then ask what backup strategy would be most appropriate for the organization.

Improving My Time Management

I have gained other lessons regarding time management.

In the first practice test, I took more time answering difficult questions.

After several practices, however, I devised a way out of this problem:

Answer easy questions first.
Annotate difficult questions for later revision.
Go back to the difficult questions once you have finished answering the entire paper.

This simple change minimized the stress I had during exams.

Gaining Confidence Before Exam Day

However, the greatest achievement wasn't only my score but my confidence.

Each practice test demonstrated tangible results.

Those topics that were initially confusing to me became clear since I had already gone through them more than once during my preparation.

I was not concerned about any surprises on the exam day due to the fact that I was familiar with realistic practice tests.

Practice tests also prove to be helpful for revealing one's weak areas among many other successful AZ-104 test-takers who claim so.

Finding Reliable AZ-104 Practice Questions

All practice questions are not created equal. Consider materials which include:

Questions updated to be current with latest exam objectives
Explanation of correct answers
Practice scenarios
All exam domains covered
Updating questions regularly due to evolving Azure services

If you are interested in more AZ-104 practice questions for preparation, you may want to consider:

*https://www.pass4future.com/questions/microsoft/az-104
*
Using practice questions along with Microsoft Learn, Azure Labs, and revision will form a balanced approach.

Final Thoughts

An AZ-104 practice test has completely transformed how I prepare for my Microsoft Azure Administrator certification. The biggest change I've observed is the elimination of guesswork about where I need to put more effort. Now, I know what my strengths are and which topics I struggle with, which helps me allocate time to focus on improving those weak areas.

If you are taking the AZ-104 certification exam soon, make sure that you are taking your practice tests earlier rather than closer to the exam date. You will have to go through all the mistakes you made and create a proper study strategy based on the results. Taking a practice test will help you identify weak areas and become more confident in the exam room.

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