AZ-104 Passing Score Explained

Does 700 mean 70%?

Not necessarily. Microsoft reports AZ-104 results on a scale of 1 to 1,000, and a score of 700 or greater passes. Because the result is a scaled score, Microsoft says it may not equal 70% of the points.

The scale lets one standard apply to different sets of questions. Microsoft sets the passing score from subject matter experts’ review of how difficult the questions are relative to the skill expected: an easier set of questions requires more points to pass, and a harder set requires fewer. Either way, meeting the standard is reported as 700.

That is why a raw percentage can mislead. The same percentage could clear the standard on a harder set of questions and fall short on an easier one.

How many answers must be correct?

There is no fixed number, and Microsoft doesn’t publish one. Several parts of its scoring rule out a simple conversion:

• The points required depend on the questions. As above, an easier set requires more points to pass than a harder one.
• Points are not questions. On most multi-part questions you earn one point for each correct part, so you can earn some of a question’s points. A question worth more than one point says so.
• Some questions are unscored. Microsoft uses them to gather data for improving the exam, and you can’t tell which ones they are.
• The number of questions varies. Microsoft says most of its certification exams contain 40 to 60 questions, but the number differs between exams and changes as they are updated.

So treat any “X correct out of Y” rule as a guess. What is certain is that a wrong answer costs no points, so answer every question. And because Microsoft designs its exams so that qualified candidates can pass whichever questions they get, the realistic target is competence in every skill area, not a count.

Passing score versus passing rate

The two terms sound alike but answer different questions.

Passing score

The standard a single result must reach.

700 or greater, on a scale of 1 to 1,000

Passing rate

The share of candidates who pass over a period.

Not given in Microsoft’s scoring documentation

Microsoft’s scoring documentation and exam FAQ don’t give a pass rate for AZ-104, so this guide doesn’t quote one. If you come across a figure elsewhere, check who published it, when, and how candidates were counted; without that, it can’t tell you much. Even a sound pass rate describes other candidates, not your readiness.

What does the score report show?

According to Microsoft, the score report gives you:

• a numeric score for your overall performance
• your pass or fail status
• a bar chart of your performance in each skill area
• guidance on how to interpret the results

The overall score is the only number. The bars show relative strength, longer for stronger areas and shorter for weaker ones, but they are not percentages or question counts: Microsoft says the chart can’t be used to work out how many questions you answered correctly, in a skill area or on the whole exam.

Nor can the bars be combined into your result. Each skill area has a different number of questions, so bars that look longer than 70% don’t mean you passed, and an area with only a few questions can even show zero.

The report also doesn’t say which questions you got wrong; Microsoft doesn’t share that. Its advice after a failed attempt is to practise the skills where the report shows weakness, along with the skill areas that carry the highest percentage of questions. The AZ-104 study guide lists five skill areas, often called the exam’s domains:

Can practice scores predict passing?

Not as a Microsoft score. Practice tests, including the questions on this site, use their own question sets and their own scoring, so a practice percentage doesn’t convert into a scaled score, and no practice result guarantees a pass.

Even Microsoft’s free Practice Assessment isn’t a copy of the exam. Microsoft says its questions are not the ones you will see, that the exam may add other question types, case studies and labs, and that the assessment scores “choose two” questions differently from the certification exams. Microsoft does say that, while not a guarantee, a high score on its Practice Assessment increases the likelihood of passing. That is a claim about its own assessment, not about practice tests in general.

What practice results do reliably is locate gaps. A topic you keep missing, or a right answer you reached by guessing, tells you what to study next. Compare your results by skill area across several sessions rather than treating one score as a verdict.

How should you prepare?

Use practice to find the gaps, then close them.

• Review every incorrect answer. Work out why the correct option meets every condition in the scenario and why yours doesn’t. Treat lucky guesses the same way.
• Revisit weak topics. Pick them from your results by skill area, and weigh them against the weightings above: a weak area that makes up a large share of the exam comes first.
• Try unfamiliar questions. Repeating one set eventually tests your memory of it. New questions show whether you understand the concept.
• Practise the Azure tasks themselves. Microsoft says hands-on experience is required to pass its certification exams, and suggests preparing as if yours will include labs. Work through the skills measured in the Azure portal, Azure CLI and PowerShell.

To put this into practice, work through 10 free AZ-104 practice questions with explanations.