Is AZ-305 worth it? What job ads and Reddit say
1.5% of cloud engineer job ads in the United States name the AZ-305 (117 of 7,726, Adzuna, October 2026)
AZ-305 is worth it if you already run systems in Azure, Microsoft's cloud platform, and want a credential for designing them. Passing AZ-305 while holding AZ-104 (Azure Administrator Associate) earns Microsoft Certified: Azure Solutions Architect Expert. In October 2026, Adzuna, a job-ad search site, showed the exam code az-305 in 117 of the 7,726 US cloud-engineer ads.
Jump to: is AZ-305 worth it · job ads · difficulty · exam format · time · cost · renewal
We counted only the exam code, and only in ads whose job title is cloud engineer. Ads that write just the credential's name are missed, so read that figure as a minimum. A good first step, if you hold AZ-104: take Microsoft's free AZ-305 practice assessment (sample questions on Microsoft Learn, Microsoft's free training site) and see which skill areas you miss. Without AZ-104, your first step is our AZ-104 page. How we count job ads.
Show the numbers
| Item | Ads | Share of ads |
|---|---|---|
| Terraform | 1,519 | 20% |
| Kubernetes | 1,121 | 15% |
| AWS | 297 | 3.8% |
| AWS Solutions Architect Associate | 242 | 3.1% |
| Microsoft Azure certifications | 178 | 2.3% |
| Google Associate Cloud Engineer | 167 | 2.2% |
| AZ-305 | 117 | 1.5% |
| AZ-104 | 105 | 1.4% |
Is AZ-305 worth it for you?
Instant answer from October 2026 job ads. No email needed.
Rarely named
1.5% of cloud engineer job ads in the United States name AZ-305 (117 of 7,726 ads).
- Most-named alternative
- AWS 3.8%
- Skill asked for most
- Terraform 20%
- Official exam fee
- $165 source
Source: Adzuna job ads, October 2026.
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Two optional questions shape your first step. No email needed.
On this page
Is AZ-305 worth it?
Yes, for Azure administrators and cloud engineers who hold AZ-104 and want to move from running Azure systems to designing them. That verdict is our judgment from what the exam tests and what Microsoft requires. Our ad counts do not show that the credential raises pay or brings more interviews.
AZ-305 is the exam for Microsoft Certified: Azure Solutions Architect Expert. Expert is the level above Associate in Microsoft's naming. Microsoft also sets a prerequisite (a credential you must hold first): "To become a Microsoft Certified: Azure Solutions Architect Expert, you must earn the Microsoft Certified: Azure Administrator Associate certification." That Associate certification is the one you get by passing AZ-104.
It fits:
- An Azure administrator who already holds AZ-104 and is asked to plan identity, storage, backup and network designs, not only to build them.
- A cloud engineer at an employer that runs Azure who wants a credential for design work. Our cloud-engineer page shows which certifications and tools those ads name in each country.
Wait, or pick something else, if:
- You do not hold AZ-104 yet. Start with our AZ-104 page, because the Expert credential cannot be awarded without it.
- Your employer, or the employers you apply to, run AWS. Our AWS Solutions Architect page covers the closest AWS credential, and the AWS certifications overview lists the AWS levels from Cloud Practitioner upward.
Our Azure certifications overview shows every Azure level and the order of the exams.
How often do cloud-engineer ads mention AZ-305?
In October 2026, the exam code az-305 appeared in 117 of the 7,726 US cloud-engineer ads we counted on Adzuna.
For a side-by-side view, here is the same kind of count for the AZ-104 exam code, in the same US cloud-engineer ads and the same month:
| Exam code counted | US cloud-engineer ads, October 2026 |
|---|---|
az-305 |
117 of the 7,726 |
az-104 |
105 of the 7,726 |
Source: Adzuna, exact-phrase counts in ads whose job title is cloud engineer; analysis: CertWorthIt.
The two rows do not tell you which exam to take first. Microsoft's rule decides that: AZ-104 comes before the Expert credential.
In the UK, the code az-305 appeared in 8 of the 475 cloud-engineer ads in October 2026 (Adzuna). In India, the same code appeared in 8 of the 1,150 cloud-engineer ads in October 2026 (Adzuna). Both are small samples, so read them with care.
On our AWS Solutions Architect page, the count is for the name aws certified solutions architect, not an exam code. That count and the az-305 count do not measure the same thing, so we do not rank them.
How hard is AZ-305?
Hard enough that a poster who passed it in September 2026 wrote that "the exam was a lot harder than I thought it would be" (r/AzureCertification). Microsoft publishes no pass rate, so we cannot measure difficulty directly.
The exam tests design choices. Microsoft's study guide lists four skill areas and their weights:
| Skill area | Weight on the exam |
|---|---|
| Design identity, governance and monitoring solutions | 25–30% |
| Design data storage solutions | 20–25% |
| Design business continuity solutions | 15–20% |
| Design infrastructure solutions | 30–35% |
Source: Microsoft Learn, AZ-305 study guide, skills measured as of April 17, 2026.
The same poster said the questions turned on reading the requirements, spotting the constraints and choosing the architecture that fits best, rather than recalling single Azure services. Another poster failed after three months of study and said the exam asked about topics that the official learning path did not cover.
One poster asked whether practice tests match the real exam's difficulty and style. Microsoft says the questions in its free practice assessment are not the same as the exam's and do not show its length or complexity. Use the practice assessment to find weak skill areas, not to predict your score.
What is the AZ-305 exam like?
A proctored exam (someone watches you, in person or by webcam) booked through Pearson VUE, the company that delivers Microsoft's exams, either online or at a test center. You need a score of 700 to pass. The exam is offered in 10 languages, among them English, Spanish, German, French, Japanese and Portuguese (Brazil).
Microsoft does not state AZ-305's own length on the exam page. Its general table gives associate and expert exams 100 minutes, or 120 minutes when the exam may contain labs (hands-on tasks in a live Azure environment). Microsoft puts the question count of its certification exams at 40 to 60, and says the number varies by exam.
Microsoft does not say in advance which question types an exam uses. Its FAQ describes case studies (a business scenario followed by several questions about it) and says they are not timed separately from the rest of the exam. The exam sandbox, a demo of the exam screen, lets you try the question formats before you book.
The English version of AZ-305 was last updated on April 17, 2026. Localized versions follow about eight weeks after an English update, according to Microsoft, and the exam page listed no retirement date when we checked.
Show the numbers
| Country | AZ-305 | Ads | Share of ads |
|---|---|---|---|
| Poland | 15 | 332 | 5% |
| United Kingdom | 8 | 475 | 2% |
| United States | 117 | 7,726 | 1.5% |
| France | 3 | 340 | 3 of 340 |
| Italy | 1 | 121 | 1 of 121 |
| India | 8 | 1,150 | 8 of 1,150 |
| Germany | 2 | 1,160 | 2 of 1,160 |
Can you use Microsoft Learn during the AZ-305 exam?
Yes. Microsoft lets you open Microsoft Learn in a split screen during associate and expert exams. Only pages on learn.microsoft.com are allowed, not its Q&A forum, practice assessments or your profile, and you get no extra time. Microsoft warns that looking up every answer will leave you without enough time to finish.
A poster who failed at 658 and then passed at 708 wrote: "I needed to double check almost all the questions I could from Microsoft Learn." (r/AzureCertification). Our reading: practice finding pages on Microsoft Learn quickly, and save the lookups for questions you cannot answer otherwise.
How long does it take to get AZ-305?
Getting Azure Solutions Architect Expert takes two steps: earn AZ-104 first, then pass AZ-305. Too few posters in the Reddit posts we collected gave a study time for AZ-305 for us to report a typical figure.
Microsoft's instructor-led course (taught by a trainer) for this exam, AZ-305T00, runs four days and is rated advanced. That covers teaching time, not your own study before or after the course.
The poster who failed after three months is a reminder that time alone does not decide the result. Check each week's study against the four skill areas in Microsoft's study guide.
How much does AZ-305 cost?
Microsoft's certification FAQ says Associate and Expert exams typically cost US$165, and that taxes may apply. The AZ-305 exam page says the price depends on the country or region where you take the exam, so check your own country's figure before you book.
The Expert credential needs two exams. If you take AZ-104 and AZ-305 once each at US$165, the exam fees come to US$330. Renewal is free every year, so keeping both certifications costs your time, not money.
| Item | How many | Typical fee each | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| AZ-104 exam | 1 | US$165 | US$165 |
| AZ-305 exam | 1 | US$165 | US$165 |
| Yearly renewal assessments (one for each certification) | 2 a year | Free | US$0 |
| First year | US$330 |
Source: Microsoft Learn certification FAQ (typical Associate and Expert exam fee) and renewal page, read October 2026.
If you already hold AZ-104, your cost for the Expert credential is the AZ-305 fee alone (US$165 at the price Microsoft's FAQ gives).
Show the numbers
| Item | Fee |
|---|---|
| Fees to get certified: Exam | $165 |
Does AZ-305 expire?
Yes, after one year, and renewal is free. Microsoft opens a six-month window before the expiration date, during which you pass a renewal assessment (a short online test) on Microsoft Learn. Passing extends the certification by one year from its expiration date.
The renewal assessment is unproctored (no one supervises you) and open book, and Microsoft says it takes about 45 minutes. A poster who renewed in September 2026 called it much easier than the real exam. If you miss the window and the certification expires, Microsoft says you must pass the exam again.
Microsoft says each certification must be renewed separately, and the Expert credential does not expire just because your AZ-104 certification has. One poster reported passing AZ-305 but being unable to download the certificate because their AZ-104 had expired three months earlier. We found no Microsoft statement on that case, so keep AZ-104 current until you have passed AZ-305.
Show the numbers
| Country | AZ-305 | AZ-104 |
|---|---|---|
| Poland | 5% | 5% |
| United Kingdom | 2% | 3% |
| France | 3 of 340 | 3% |
| United States | 1.5% | 1.4% |
| Italy | 1 of 121 | 2% |
| India | 8 of 1,150 | 1.5% |
| Germany | 2 of 1,160 | 2 of 1,160 |
Is AZ-305 worth it? What Reddit posters say
The posts we collected from r/AzureCertification ask practical questions about preparing for AZ-305. Questions on difficulty and on Microsoft Learn access are answered under how hard is AZ-305 and Microsoft Learn during the exam, with the posts linked.
Two other questions came up. One poster asked which of two third-party practice-test sellers to use. We do not test or rate third-party products, so we cannot answer that; Microsoft's free practice assessment and exam sandbox are the official starting points. Another poster asked for good video material. We do not rate third-party courses either; the official course we checked is Microsoft's four-day instructor-led AZ-305T00.
What is the AZ-305 salary?
We publish no AZ-305 salary figure. We found no source that measures what Azure Solutions Architect Expert adds to pay, and the people who hold it work in different jobs and countries.
Pay follows the job title and the country. Our cloud-engineer page covers the job in which we count AZ-305, with the certifications and skills its ads name.
Sources
- Adzuna job-ad counts for the exam codes
az-305andaz-104in cloud-engineer ads (US, UK, India), October 2026; analysis: CertWorthIt. How we count. - Microsoft Learn, all pages read October 12, 2026:
- Azure Solutions Architect Expert (prerequisite, required exam)
- AZ-305 exam page (update date, passing score, languages, retirement status, price statement, sandbox)
- AZ-305 study guide (skills measured, practice assessment)
- Certification FAQ (exam price, case studies, Pearson VUE)
- Exam duration and exam experience (exam length, question count, Microsoft Learn access)
- Prepare for an exam (limits of practice questions)
- Renewal and renewal FAQ
- AZ-305T00 course (course length)
- Questions and experiences from the Reddit posts we collected in 2026 (r/AzureCertification), linked in the text.
Edited by Jere Salmisto · Data checked October 12, 2026
Questions people ask
Is AZ-305 worth it?
AZ-305 is worth it for people who already run systems in Azure, Microsoft's cloud platform, and want a credential for designing them. Passing AZ-305 while you hold Azure Administrator Associate (the AZ-104 certification) earns Microsoft Certified: Azure Solutions Architect Expert. In October 2026, Adzuna, a job-ad search site, showed the exam code az-305 in 117 of the 7,726 US cloud-engineer ads. That count misses ads that write only the credential's name, so read it as a minimum.
How hard is AZ-305?
AZ-305 is an Expert-level Microsoft exam (Expert is the level above Associate), and you need the AZ-104 certification before the Expert credential is awarded. Microsoft publishes no pass rate. Its study guide (skills measured as of April 17, 2026) weights infrastructure design at 30 to 35% and identity, governance and monitoring at 25 to 30%. A poster who passed in September 2026 said the questions were about reading requirements and choosing a design, not recalling single Azure services. A score of 700 passes.
How long does it take to get AZ-305?
The path to Azure Solutions Architect Expert has two steps: earn the AZ-104 certification (Azure Administrator Associate), then pass AZ-305. Too few Reddit posters gave a study time for AZ-305 for us to report a typical figure. Microsoft's own instructor-led (taught by a trainer) AZ-305 course (AZ-305T00) lasts four days, which covers teaching time only, not your own revision.
How much does AZ-305 cost?
Microsoft says its Associate and Expert exams typically cost US$165, priced by the country or region where you take the exam, and taxes may apply (Microsoft Learn, checked October 2026). The Expert credential needs two exams, AZ-104 and AZ-305, so two first attempts at US$165 each come to US$330. AZ-104 holders pay for AZ-305 only: US$165. Renewing each certification every year is free.
Can you use Microsoft Learn during the AZ-305 exam?
Yes. Microsoft lets candidates open Microsoft Learn, its free documentation and training site, in a split screen during associate and expert exams, AZ-305 included. Only pages on learn.microsoft.com are allowed (not the Q&A forum or practice assessments), and the exam timer keeps running, so Microsoft warns it will not work for every question (Microsoft Learn, checked October 2026).
What is the AZ-305 salary?
We publish no AZ-305 salary figure. We found no source that measures what Azure Solutions Architect Expert adds to pay, and pay follows the job title, the country and your experience. Our cloud-engineer role page shows which certifications and skills US, UK and India cloud-engineer ads name.
Does the AZ-305 certification expire?
Yes. Azure Solutions Architect Expert expires after one year. Renewal is free. You pass an online renewal assessment on Microsoft Learn, Microsoft's free training site (unproctored, meaning no one supervises you, and open book) during a six-month window before the expiration date, and passing extends the certification by one year. If it expires, you must pass the exam again (Microsoft Learn, checked October 2026).