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AZ-104
AZ-700 Exam Guide: Azure Networking Skills, Cost and Lab Plan
Direct answer: AZ-700 gives you 100 minutes, needs a score of 700 to pass, and leads to the Microsoft Certified: Azure Network Engineer Associate credential. Microsoft lists the exam at $165.00; our voucher costs $44.99. Plan about six weeks at roughly 8 hours a week, with most of your time in hands-on labs.
AZ-700 is the exam for the Microsoft Certified: Azure Network Engineer Associate credential. You get 100 minutes, you need a score of 700 or more, and the exam covers five networking skill areas. Plan for about six weeks of study if you already work with Azure.
What the AZ-700 certification proves and who it is for
Microsoft describes the credential as proof that you can design, implement and maintain Azure networking infrastructure, load balance traffic, and handle network routing. The level is Intermediate and the role is Network Engineer.
The exam suits you if you plan, implement and manage Azure networks. Your daily work would include:
Core network infrastructure
Hybrid connectivity
Application delivery services
Private access to Azure services
Network security
Microsoft expects you to have experience creating and managing compute, storage and networking resources in Azure. You should also understand name resolution, network protocols and network address management. If subnetting still confuses you, fix that first.
Skills measured and how much each area counts
These weights come from the official study guide, "Skills measured as of July 27, 2026."
Skill area | Weight |
|---|---|
Design and implement core networking infrastructure | 25–30% |
Design, implement, and manage connectivity services | 20–25% |
Design and implement application delivery services | 15–20% |
Design and implement private access to Azure services | 10–15% |
Design and implement Azure network security services | 15–20% |
Core networking is the biggest block. It covers IP addressing, name resolution, VNet connectivity and routing, and monitoring. Examples include subnet delegation, Azure DNS Private Resolver, VNet peering, user-defined routes (UDRs), forced tunneling, Azure Route Server, Azure NAT Gateway and Azure Network Watcher.
Connectivity is the second block. It covers site-to-site VPN, point-to-site VPN and Azure ExpressRoute. You must pick gateway SKUs, tunnel types, authentication methods and ExpressRoute models and peering types.
Microsoft notes that the bullets under each skill illustrate how it assesses that skill. Related topics may appear. Most questions cover generally available features, but commonly used Preview features may show up.
Exam format at a glance
Item | Detail |
|---|---|
Duration | 100 minutes |
Passing score | 700 or greater |
Delivery | Proctored, scheduled through Pearson VUE |
Question styles | May include interactive components |
Languages | English, German, Spanish, French, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese (Brazil), Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional) |
Retake after a fail | 24 hours after the first attempt; later waits vary |
Renewal | Every 12 months |
Microsoft updates the English exam first. Other languages follow about eight weeks later, so wording and content in your language can lag behind the English version.
For the full retake rules, read Microsoft's exam retake policy page linked from the exam page.
What the exam costs: Microsoft price vs our voucher
Microsoft publishes the exam price by country or region, and the price depends on where you test. The USD list price is $165.00 (source: Microsoft official exam price in USD, as published by the vendor). Our AZ-700 voucher costs $44.99 as of November 11, 2026.
Here are the voucher terms from our store policy:
Validity: 12 months.
Redemption: Pearson VUE.
Delivery: the code arrives by email within 12 hours of payment. It also appears in your account.
Cancellation: you can cancel for a full refund before delivery.
After delivery: a delivered code is non-refundable unless the test provider rejects it as invalid, already used or expired on first use. In that case, contact support within 14 days with your order number and a screenshot. We then replace the code or refund you.
Full details are in our refund policy and delivery policy.
A six-week study plan with weekly hours
This plan assumes you already use Azure and can spend about 8 hours a week. If you are new to networking, stretch it to eight weeks. Put at least half of every week into labs, because the exam tests decisions and troubleshooting, not definitions.
Week | Focus | Hours |
|---|---|---|
1 | IP addressing, VNets, subnetting for gateways, private endpoints, firewalls and Bastion; public and private DNS zones | 8 |
2 | VNet peering, gateway transit, UDRs, forced tunneling, Route Server, NAT Gateway | 8 |
3 | Site-to-site VPN, local network gateways, IPsec/IKE policy, point-to-site VPN and authentication | 8 |
4 | ExpressRoute models, SKUs, private and Microsoft peering, Global Reach, FastPath | 8 |
5 | Application delivery and load balancing; private access with private endpoints and service endpoints | 8 |
6 | Network security, monitoring with Network Watcher, then the practice assessment and review | 8–10 |
Use Microsoft's free tools in week 6. The new Practice Assessment on AI Skills Navigator is closer to the real exam than the legacy one on Microsoft Learn. Microsoft says the legacy version is no longer updated and recommends the new experience. The exam sandbox lets you try the exam interface before test day.
Once a week, review every wrong practice answer and write down why the right answer wins. Repeated misses in one area tell you where the next week's hours should go.
A worked lab: hub, spoke and a forced route to an appliance address
This one lab touches addressing, peering, gateway transit and UDRs. Those topics cover a large share of the core networking weight. Run it in a test subscription and delete the resource group afterward.
The lab does not deploy a firewall. The route points at 10.0.1.4, an address inside the hub appliance subnet where a firewall would sit. You only inspect the routes the spoke VM receives. Replace each <placeholder> with your own value.
az group create -n rg-net -l eastus
az network vnet create -g rg-net -n vnet-hub --address-prefixes 10.0.0.0/16 --subnet-name GatewaySubnet --subnet-prefixes 10.0.0.0/27
az network vnet subnet create -g rg-net --vnet-name vnet-hub -n appliance --address-prefixes 10.0.1.0/24
az network vnet create -g rg-net -n vnet-spoke --address-prefixes 10.1.0.0/16 --subnet-name app --subnet-prefixes 10.1.0.0/24
az network vnet peering create -g rg-net -n hub-to-spoke --vnet-name vnet-hub --remote-vnet vnet-spoke --allow-vnet-access --allow-gateway-transit
az network vnet peering create -g rg-net -n spoke-to-hub --vnet-name vnet-spoke --remote-vnet vnet-hub --allow-vnet-access
az network route-table create -g rg-net -n rt-spoke
az network route-table route create -g rg-net --route-table-name rt-spoke -n default-to-appliance --address-prefix 0.0.0.0/0 --next-hop-type VirtualAppliance --next-hop-ip-address 10.0.1.4
az network vnet subnet update -g rg-net --vnet-name vnet-spoke -n app --route-table rt-spoke
az vm create -g rg-net -n vm-app --vnet-name vnet-spoke --subnet app --image Ubuntu2204 --admin-username <your-user> --generate-ssh-keys --public-ip-address ""Now find the VM's network interface name and read its effective routes:
az vm show -g rg-net -n vm-app --query "networkProfile.networkInterfaces[0].id" -o tsv
az network nic show-effective-route-table -g rg-net -n <nic-name> -o tableLook for the 0.0.0.0/0 route with next hop type VirtualAppliance. Also find the peering route to 10.0.0.0/16. This is the skill behind "diagnose and resolve routing issues."
Next, try to add gateway use on the spoke side. This step is expected to fail because the hub has no gateway yet:
az network vnet peering update -g rg-net -n spoke-to-hub --vnet-name vnet-spoke --set useRemoteGateways=trueRead the error. It shows why --allow-gateway-transit on the hub and a real gateway must come before useRemoteGateways on the spoke.
Common mistakes that cost points
Skipping hands-on work. Reading about gateway SKUs is not the same as seeing a failed tunnel.
Ignoring the smaller areas. Private access to Azure services is 10–15%, but it can still decide a close score.
Mixing up VPN types. Know when a policy-based VPN fits and when a route-based VPN does.
Forgetting subnet rules. Gateways, firewalls, Bastion and application gateways each have specific subnet needs.
Studying outdated notes. The skills list was updated July 27, 2026, so check your material against the study guide.
Booking too early. Pick a date after you score comfortably on the practice assessment.
After you pass: renewal and next steps
The certification renews every 12 months. Microsoft says you renew at no cost by passing an online assessment on Microsoft Learn. Set a calendar reminder so it does not lapse.
For a next step, many network engineers move toward design or security. Our AZ-305 guide covers design skills, and our AZ-500 guide covers Azure security.
Ready to book? Get the AZ-700 voucher for $44.99 and schedule your exam through Pearson VUE.
Sources
Questions about this topic
Is there an official AZ-700 PDF I can download for free?
Microsoft publishes the AZ-700 study guide as a free page on Microsoft Learn. It lists the skills measured and links to learning resources. Be careful with third-party PDFs, because they may be outdated compared with the July 27, 2026 skills list.
Are AZ-700 dumps a good way to prepare?
No. Real exam questions found online can break the rules you accept when you test, and they do not teach you to troubleshoot a real network. Labs and the official practice assessment build skills that carry over to the job.
What if AZ-700 is not offered in my language?
Microsoft's study guide says you can request an additional 30 minutes if the exam isn't available in your preferred language. The exam is offered in ten languages: English, German, Spanish, French, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese (Brazil), Chinese (Simplified) and Chinese (Traditional).
Should I register with a work account or a personal account?
Microsoft strongly recommends a personal Microsoft account (MSA). If you register with a work or school account, your exam records are lost when you leave that organization. Those records cannot be recovered.
Which networking topics should I master first?
Start with IP addressing, subnetting and DNS. Peering, routing, VPN and ExpressRoute all build on them. Core networking infrastructure is also the largest block at 25–30% of the exam.
