- 🎯 Goal: Earn the Microsoft Certified: Azure Solutions Architect Expert badge
- 📅 Notes Version: 2026
- 🌐 Published site: 📘 AZ-305 Study Notes
- ✍️ Author: Marco Grimaldi
- 🔗 Companion repos: 🥽 AZ-305: Azure Compute Services — Deep Dive · 🥽 AZ-305: Azure Messaging Services — Deep Dive · 🥽 AZ-305: Data & Analytics Services — Deep Dive · 🥽 AZ-305: Migration, HA & BCDR — Deep Dive · 📘 AZ-104 Study Notes
| Detail | Info |
|---|---|
| 🏅 Certification | Microsoft Certified: Azure Solutions Architect Expert |
| 📝 Passing Score | 700 / 1000 |
| 💶 Exam Price | ~€126 EUR (varies by EU country & Pearson VUE location; VAT may apply) |
| ⏱️ Duration | ~120 minutes |
| ❓ Question Types | MCQ, multi-select, drag-and-drop, case studies |
| 🔁 Renewal | Annual via free online assessment on Microsoft Learn |
| 🛡️ Prerequisite | AZ-104: Azure Administrator Associate (required for Expert badge) |
⚠️ Official ranges from the Microsoft study guide (updated October 2024)
pie title Exam Domain Weights of the AZ-305 (official ranges)
"Design Infrastructure Solutions (30–35%)" : 32
"Design Identity, Governance & Monitoring (25–30%)" : 25
"Design Data Storage Solutions (25–30%)" : 25
"Design Business Continuity Solutions (15–20%)" : 18
| # | Domain | Official Weight | Key Services |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Design Identity, Governance & Monitoring | 25–30% | Entra ID, RBAC, PIM, Azure Policy, Monitor, Sentinel |
| 2 | Design Data Storage Solutions | 25–30% | Azure SQL, Cosmos DB, Blob, ADLS Gen2, Synapse |
| 3 | Design Business Continuity Solutions | 15–20% | ASR, Azure Backup, Availability Zones, Geo-replication |
| 4 | Design Infrastructure Solutions | 30–35% | VMs, AKS, App Service, VNets, VPN, ExpressRoute |
🔑 Domain 4 = heaviest domain — allocate ≥35% of total study time here.
flowchart LR
AZ900["☁️ AZ-900\nAzure Fundamentals\n(Recommended)"]
AZ104["🔧 AZ-104\nAzure Administrator\nAssociate\n(Active cert required)"]
AZ305["🏛️ AZ-305\nDesigning Azure\nInfrastructure Solutions\n(This Exam)"]
BADGE["🏅 Azure Solutions\nArchitect Expert"]
AZ900 -->|Foundation| AZ104
AZ104 -->|"Prerequisite\n(must be active)"| AZ305
AZ305 --> BADGE
az-305-study-notes/
├── README.md ← 📍 You are here
├── 00-azure-prerequisites.md ← Core Azure architecture fundamentals
├── 01-identity-governance-monitoring.md ← Domain 1 (25–30%)
├── 02-data-storage-solutions.md ← Domain 2 (25–30%)
├── 03-business-continuity.md ← Domain 3 (15–20%)
├── 04-infrastructure-solutions.md ← Domain 4 (30–35%)
├── 05-well-architected-framework.md ← WAF pillars + Cloud Adoption Framework
└── 06-quick-reference-cheatsheet.md ← Last-minute review & exam traps
| Resource | Link |
|---|---|
| 📚 Microsoft's AZ-305 Certification Learning Paths | Certification Learning Paths |
| 📄 Official Exam Page | AZ-305 Exam |
| 📋 Skills Measured / Study Guide | Official Study Guide |
| 🧪 Free Practice Assessment | Practice Assessment |
| 🎬 Exam Readiness Videos | Exam Readiness Zone |
| 🏗️ Architecture Reference | Azure Architecture Center |
| 💶 EU Exam Pricing | Pearson VUE Microsoft |
- 🎯 The exam tests "why this service?" not just "what does it do?" — think in trade-offs and constraints
- 🔄 Know IaaS vs PaaS vs SaaS boundaries — the exam tests blurry edge cases
- 💰 Know SKU tier feature gates — what Premium has that Standard doesn't matters a lot
- 📐 Study Azure Architecture Center reference architectures for real-world pattern fluency
- ⚡ Anchor every answer to the Well-Architected Framework pillars when in doubt
- 📊 Memorise SLA uptime percentages — scenario questions frequently test availability math
- 📖 For case studies: read business requirements and constraints first, then eliminate answers
| File | Topics Covered |
|---|---|
| 📘 00 — Azure Prerequisites | Regions, AZs, VNets, storage, identity basics, SLAs |
| 🔐 01 — Identity, Governance & Monitoring | Entra ID, RBAC, PIM, Azure Policy, Monitor, Sentinel |
| 🗄️ 02 — Data Storage Solutions | SQL family, Cosmos DB, Blob, ADLS Gen2, Synapse, ADF |
| 🔄 03 — Business Continuity | HA, DR, SLA math, Azure Backup, ASR, geo-replication |
| 🏗️ 04 — Infrastructure Solutions | Compute, App Architecture, Networking, Migrations |
| 🏛️ 05 — Well-Architected & CAF | WAF 5 pillars, CAF lifecycle, Landing Zones |
| ⚡ 06 — Quick Reference Cheatsheet | Key numbers, decision tables, exam traps, final checklist |
These notes are hosted on GitHub Pages and published as a searchable website on this URL:
The site includes full-text search, Mermaid diagram rendering, and mobile-friendly navigation for on-the-go review.
These notes are designed to be a structured, exam-focused summary of the most important concepts and services baseds on the official Microsoft AZ-305 Study Guide and its criteria.
Additional study notes maintained by me are also available for those pursuing Microsoft and Azure certifications at the following Landing Page:
Maintained by Marco Grimaldi — Cloud Consultant, Language Trainer & Lifelong Learner.
Find more certification guides, study tips, and tech content at 🏠 marcogrimaldi29.com
The site is continuously updated and based on my personal study notes and experiences. If you have any feedback, suggestions, or corrections, feel free to reach out!
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Azure changes fast, so if something here is wrong or out of date, please report an issue.
If these notes helped you prepare for AZ-305, there are a couple of ways to show it: ⭐ star this repo on GitHub so other candidates can find it, or 🤝 connect with me on LinkedIn.
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