Certification Guide
Microsoft Certified: Azure Solutions Architect Expert
The Microsoft Certified: Azure Solutions Architect Expert validates architect-level skill across Azure identity, governance, data, business continuity, and infrastructure. It is the default cloud credential in enterprise, finance, healthcare, and government verticals where Microsoft has deep account presence.
Exam Code
AZ-305
Cost
$165
Duration
120 minutes
Passing Score
700 / 1000
Validity
1 year (free renewal assessment)
Vendor
Microsoft
Difficulty
Expert
Salary Impact
$12K – $35K premium; dominant in enterprise, finance, healthcare, and government
Who This Certification Is For
- Engineers targeting enterprise roles (Fortune 500 IT, banks, insurance, healthcare)
- Consultants at Microsoft partners (Accenture, Deloitte, Avanade)
- Multi-cloud architects who need a Microsoft credential to complement AWS or GCP
- .NET or Windows-heavy backend engineers moving into cloud architecture
Exam Domains
What AZ-305 actually tests, with weightings where the vendor publishes them:
- Design identity, governance, and monitoring solutions (25–30%)
- Design data storage solutions (25–30%)
- Design business continuity solutions (10–15%)
- Design infrastructure solutions (25–30%)
Study Path
An opinionated plan, in order. Timelines assume ~10 hours per week.
Prerequisite: Pass AZ-104 (Azure Administrator Associate) or have equivalent hands-on experience
Week 1–2: Microsoft Learn's official AZ-305 learning path (free)
Week 3–4: John Savill's AZ-305 YouTube series (free) — widely considered the best free prep for this exam
Week 5: Hands-on with Azure Landing Zones, Bicep, Azure AD conditional access, and Azure SQL replication topologies
Week 6: MeasureUp or Whizlabs practice exams. Book once you're 80%+.
Top Employers That Value AZ-305
How HiringFunnel Uses Your AZ-305
Enterprise Azure roles are underrepresented on generic job boards but heavily concentrated on LinkedIn. HiringFunnel targets enterprise employers where AZ-305 is a hard requirement and matches you to roles where the credential moves you to the top of the recruiter queue.
Have your AZ-305? Let it work for you.
HiringFunnel targets roles where your certification is a keyword filter — not a nice-to-have — and applies at scale in the background.
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