AZ-305 Study Guide: How to Pass the Azure Solutions Architect Exam

The Microsoft AZ-305: Designing Microsoft Azure Infrastructure Solutions exam is the associate-level certification for Azure architects. This guide covers everything you need to know to pass.

Exam Overview

• Questions: 40-60
• Time: 120 minutes
• Passing Score: 700/1000
• Cost: $165 USD
• Validity: 1 year (renewable)

Exam Domains

The AZ-305 exam is organized into four domains:

1. Design identity, governance, and monitoring solutions (25-30%)
2. Design data storage solutions (25-30%)
3. Design business continuity solutions (10-15%)
4. Design infrastructure solutions (25-30%)

Key Azure Services to Master

Identity and Governance

• Microsoft Entra ID (formerly Azure AD)
• Azure Policy and Blueprints
• Azure Role-Based Access Control (RBAC)
• Management Groups and Subscriptions
• Azure Landing Zones

Data Storage

• Azure Storage Accounts (Blob, Files, Queues, Tables)
• Azure SQL Database and Managed Instance
• Azure Cosmos DB
• Azure Data Lake Storage
• Azure NetApp Files

Business Continuity

• Azure Backup and Site Recovery
• Azure region pairs and availability zones
• Disaster recovery design patterns
• SLA calculations and composite SLAs

Infrastructure

• Azure Virtual Networks and connectivity (ExpressRoute, VPN, VNet Peering)
• Azure Load Balancer, Application Gateway, Traffic Manager, Front Door
• Azure Virtual Machines and Virtual Machine Scale Sets
• Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS)
• Azure Container Instances and App Service

How Certeli Prepares You

With Certeli Pro, you get:

• 500+ realistic AZ-305 practice questions covering all four domains
• Detailed explanations with Azure documentation references
• Domain-specific practice to target weak areas
• Interactive labs for hands-on experience with Azure services
• Performance analytics to track your readiness

Study Strategy

1. Start with Azure documentation — Read the Microsoft Learn learning paths for each domain
2. Take a baseline practice test — Identify your weak domains
3. Focus on your weakest domain first — Spend 60% of study time on areas below 70%
4. Practice with realistic questions — Certeli's question bank mimics the real exam format
5. Review explanations — For every question, understand why the right answer is correct AND why distractors are wrong
6. Take full timed simulations — Build exam stamina with 120-minute practice runs