Azure Developer + Architect Certification Curriculum

A complete, self-contained study program covering the Azure Developer and Azure Solutions Architect Expert certification paths, built from the official Microsoft Learn Skills Measured outlines (verified June 2026).

How to use this repo: Work top-to-bottom through STUDY-PLAN.md. Each exam folder has a README.md index that maps every official skill to a chapter. Each chapter teaches the concept, gives you hands-on practice, and ends with a question bank in the exact styles Microsoft uses. Track yourself in PROGRESS-TRACKER.md.

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⚠️ Critical 2026 certification context (read first)

Microsoft is running its largest certification overhaul since 2019 (the "2026 wave"). Two facts change your plan:

1. AZ-204 retires July 31, 2026, 11:59 PM CST. You can still earn the Azure Developer Associate credential if you pass before then. After that date it can't be earned or renewed.
2. AZ-204 is replaced by AI-200 (Developing AI Cloud Solutions on Azure → Azure AI Cloud Developer Associate). This is the forward-looking developer credential and is AI-centric (vector search, RAG, embeddings) on top of classic dev skills.

Because you chose to pursue both developer credentials, this curriculum front-loads AZ-204 as a 6-week sprint so you can beat the retirement deadline, then continues at a standard pace.

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The four exams in this program

Order	Exam	Credential	Level	Weight in your plan	Hard deadline
1	AZ-204 – Developing Solutions for Microsoft Azure	Azure Developer Associate	Associate	Sprint (front-loaded)	Pass by Jul 31, 2026
2	AI-200 – Developing AI Cloud Solutions on Azure	Azure AI Cloud Developer Associate	Associate	Standard	None
3	AZ-104 – Microsoft Azure Administrator	Azure Administrator Associate	Associate	Standard	None (prereq for #4)
4	AZ-305 – Designing Microsoft Azure Infrastructure Solutions	Azure Solutions Architect Expert	Expert	Standard	None

How the credentials combine:

• Azure Developer Associate = pass AZ-204 (single exam). Azure AI Cloud Developer Associate = pass AI-200 (single exam).
• Azure Solutions Architect Expert = pass AZ-305 AND hold an active AZ-104 (Azure Administrator Associate). You can sit AZ-305 without AZ-104, but the Expert badge is not awarded until both are satisfied.
• Passing score for every exam: 700 / 1000 (scaled — not a raw percentage).

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Repository map

Azure/
├── README.md                 ← you are here (program overview)
├── STUDY-PLAN.md             ← 3–4 month calendar with the AZ-204 sprint
├── EXAM-LOGISTICS.md         ← registration, format, scoring, renewal, policies
├── PROGRESS-TRACKER.md       ← master checklist for all four exams
│
├── az-204-developer/         ← Exam 1  (11 chapters + practice exam)
│   └── README.md             ← skills→chapter map for AZ-204
├── ai-200-ai-developer/      ← Exam 2  (8 chapters + practice exam)
│   └── README.md
├── az-104-administrator/     ← Exam 3  (10 chapters + practice exam)
│   └── README.md
└── az-305-architect/         ← Exam 4  (12 chapters + practice exam)
    └── README.md

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Anatomy of every chapter

Each chapter file follows the same five-part structure so studying is predictable:

1. Skills mapped — the exact official Skills Measured bullets this chapter covers.
2. Concept mastery — the teaching: what the service is, when to use it, how it works, the knobs that matter, and the "exam-favorite" details.
3. Decision tables & cheat-sheet — the comparisons and limits Microsoft loves to test (tiers, SKUs, consistency levels, redundancy options, etc.).
4. Hands-on practice — CLI/portal/SDK exercises to build muscle memory (free-tier friendly where possible).
5. Question bank — a broad set of practice questions in Microsoft's real formats (multiple choice, multiple response, drag-and-drop ordering, hot-area, yes/no series, and — for AZ-305 — case studies), each with an answer + explanation of why the distractors are wrong.

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Study principles baked into this curriculum

• Outline-faithful. Every topic traces to an official Skills Measured bullet. Nothing is padding; nothing critical is missing.
• Decision-oriented for the Architect exam. AZ-305 rarely asks "what is X" — it asks "given these requirements, which X do you choose and why." Chapters drill that muscle with requirement→service mapping.
• Hands-on first. A free Azure account (or the included CLI/Bicep snippets) turns abstract facts into recall you can trust under exam pressure.
• Spaced practice. Question banks are meant to be re-attempted. Re-take any chapter quiz you score below 80% on.
• GA-focused, Preview-aware. Microsoft states most questions cover Generally Available features, with Preview features only if commonly used. Chapters flag anything Preview.

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Before you start

1. Create a free Azure account (includes a credit + always-free services) and install the Azure CLI and VS Code with the Azure extensions. See EXAM-LOGISTICS.md for the exact tooling list.
2. Bookmark the official practice assessments (free) — links are in each exam's README.
3. Open STUDY-PLAN.md and schedule your AZ-204 exam date before July 31, 2026 today, while slots are available.

Sources: Skills outlines and dates are taken from the official Microsoft Learn study guides for AZ-204, AI-200, AZ-104, and AZ-305, plus Microsoft's 2026 certification-retirement announcements. Verified June 2026 — always re-check the live study guide before your exam, as Microsoft updates outlines periodically.