Free Microsoft AZ-305 Exam Actual Questions & Explanations

Last updated on: Aug 1, 2026
Author: Grace Murphy (Microsoft Certified Solutions Expert - Azure Solutions)

The AZ-305 exam validates your ability to design comprehensive solutions on Microsoft Azure. Intended for experienced cloud architects and infrastructure professionals, this certification demonstrates expertise in the Azure Solutions Architect Expert path. The exam, titled Designing Microsoft Azure Infrastructure Solutions, tests both theoretical knowledge and practical decision-making across real-world scenarios. This page guides you through the exam structure, core topics, and an efficient preparation strategy to help you succeed.

AZ-305 Exam Syllabus & Core Topics

Use this topic map to guide your study for Microsoft AZ-305 (Designing Microsoft Azure Infrastructure Solutions) within the Azure Solutions Architect Expert path.

  • Design Identity, Governance, and Monitoring Solutions: Configure Azure Active Directory, implement role-based access control (RBAC), set up Azure Policy for compliance, and design monitoring and alerting strategies using Azure Monitor and Log Analytics.
  • Design Data Storage Solutions: Choose appropriate storage accounts, databases, and caching strategies; configure redundancy and disaster recovery for data; optimize performance across relational and non-relational data platforms.
  • Design Business Continuity Solutions: Plan backup and recovery strategies, implement failover mechanisms, design high-availability architectures, and meet recovery time objective (RTO) and recovery point objective (RPO) requirements.
  • Design Infrastructure Solutions: Architect compute resources, networking topologies, load balancing, and integration patterns; optimize cost and performance across virtual machines, containers, and serverless options.

Question Formats & What They Test

The AZ-305 exam combines multiple question types to assess both foundational knowledge and applied architectural reasoning. Questions range from straightforward recall to complex scenario analysis that mirrors real-world design challenges.

  • Multiple-choice items: Test understanding of Azure services, features, and core terminology; evaluate which option best fits a given constraint or requirement.
  • Scenario-based questions: Present realistic business or technical situations; require you to evaluate trade-offs, recommend the most appropriate architecture, and justify decisions based on cost, performance, security, and compliance factors.
  • Case study simulations: Provide detailed project contexts with multiple requirements; test your ability to synthesize knowledge across identity, storage, continuity, and infrastructure domains in a single cohesive design.

Difficulty increases as you progress, and questions emphasize practical application over memorization, preparing you for real architectural challenges.

Preparation Guidance

A structured study plan aligned to the four core domains ensures comprehensive coverage and builds confidence. Dedicate focused time to each topic area, practice with realistic questions, and validate your understanding through hands-on labs and mock exams.

  • Map the four domains, Design Identity, Governance, and Monitoring Solutions; Design Data Storage Solutions; Design Business Continuity Solutions; and Design Infrastructure Solutions, to weekly study goals and track progress against each.
  • Work through practice question sets; review detailed explanations to identify knowledge gaps and reinforce weak areas.
  • Connect concepts across domains: for example, understand how identity policies affect data access, how monitoring informs backup strategies, and how infrastructure choices impact availability targets.
  • Complete a timed, full-length practice test under exam conditions to build pacing, reduce anxiety, and identify remaining gaps in the final week.
  • Review Microsoft Learn modules and official documentation for each domain to deepen practical understanding.

Explore other Microsoft certifications: view all Microsoft exams.

Get the PDF & Practice Test

Strengthen your preparation with up-to-date resources from validexamdumps.com. These materials align to AZ-305 and cover practical scenarios with clear explanations.

  • Q&A PDF with explanations: Topic-mapped questions that clarify why correct options are right and others aren't, helping you understand the reasoning behind each answer.
  • Practice Test: Realistic items in timed and untimed modes, progress tracking, and detailed review of every question to reinforce learning.
  • Focused coverage: Aligned to Design Identity, Governance, and Monitoring Solutions; Design Data Storage Solutions; Design Business Continuity Solutions; and Design Infrastructure Solutions so you study what matters most.
  • Regular updates: Content refreshes that reflect syllabus changes and product updates from Microsoft.

Visit the exam page to download the PDF, Online Practice Test, or get a Bundle Discount offer for both formats: Designing Microsoft Azure Infrastructure Solutions.

Frequently Asked Questions

What topics carry the most weight on the AZ-305 exam?

Design Infrastructure Solutions and Design Data Storage Solutions typically account for a larger portion of the exam. However, all four domains are essential; the exam balances breadth across identity, governance, monitoring, storage, continuity, and infrastructure to reflect real architectural complexity. Focus on depth in all areas rather than skipping topics.

How do the four domains connect in real Azure projects?

In practice, these domains overlap significantly. Identity and governance policies control who accesses data storage; monitoring solutions track both infrastructure and data health; business continuity strategies protect infrastructure and data together. Understanding these connections helps you design cohesive solutions and answer scenario questions more effectively.

How much hands-on experience is needed, and which labs should I prioritize?

Hands-on experience with Azure services strengthens your ability to make informed design decisions. Prioritize labs covering Azure Active Directory and RBAC, Azure SQL Database and Cosmos DB, Azure Backup and Site Recovery, and Virtual Networks with load balancing. Even brief, focused labs build confidence in service behavior and configuration workflows.

What are common mistakes that lead to lost points on AZ-305?

Many candidates overlook cost optimization and compliance requirements in their designs, focusing only on performance. Others misunderstand the trade-offs between availability, disaster recovery, and expense. A third common error is choosing a service based on familiarity rather than the specific requirements stated in the scenario. Always re-read requirements and justify your choice against stated constraints.

How should I approach pacing and review in the final week before the exam?

In the final week, shift from learning new content to reinforcing weak areas and building test confidence. Take one full-length practice test under timed conditions; review every question, not just the ones you missed. Spend the remaining days reviewing explanations, revisiting domain summaries, and doing quick refresher drills on high-weight topics. Avoid cramming new material; instead, consolidate and practice what you've already studied.

Question No. 1

You have an Azure subscription that contains an Azure Blob storage account named store1.

You have an on-premises file server named Setver1 that runs Windows Sewer 2016. Server1 stores 500 GB of company files.

You need to store a copy of the company files from Server 1 in store1.

Which two possible Azure services achieve this goal? Each correct answer presents a complete solution.

NOTE: Each correct selection is worth one point

Show Answer Hide Answer
Correct Answer: D, E

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/storage/common/storage-import-export-data-from-blobs

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/answers/questions/31113/fastest-method-to-copy-500gb-table-from-on-premise.html


Question No. 2

You have an Azure Data Lake Storage account that contains 1,000 10-MB CSV files and an Azure Synapse Analytics dedicated SQL pool named sql1. You need to load the files to sql1. The solution must meet the following requirements:

Maximize data load performance.

Eliminate the need to define external tables before the data loads.

What should you use?

Show Answer Hide Answer
Correct Answer: B

Question No. 3

Note: This question is part of a series of questions that present the same scenario. Each question in the series contains a unique solution that might meet the stated goals. Some question sets might have more than one correct solution, while others might not have a correct solution.

After you answer a question in this section, you will NOT be able to return to it. As a result, these questions will not appear in the review screen.

Your company has deployed several virtual machines (VMs) on-premises and to Azure. Azure ExpressRoute has been deployed and configured for on-premises to Azure connectivity.

Several VMs are exhibiting network connectivity issues.

You need to analyze the network traffic to determine whether packets are being allowed or denied to the VMs.

Solution: Install and configure the Microsoft Monitoring Agent and the Dependency Agent on all VMs. Use the Wire Data solution in Azure Monitor to analyze the network traffic.

Does the solution meet the goal?

Show Answer Hide Answer
Correct Answer: B

Instead use Azure Network Watcher to run IP flow verify to analyze the network traffic.

Note: Wire Data looks at network data at the application level, not down at the TCP transport layer. The solution doesn't look at individual ACKs and SYNs.


https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/network-watcher/network-watcher-monitoring-overview

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/network-watcher/network-watcher-ip-flow-verify-overview

Question No. 4

You have an Azure web app that uses an Azure key vault named KeyVault1 in the West US Azure region.

You are designing a disaster recovery plan for KeyVault1.

You plan to back up the keys in KeyVault1.

You need to identify to where you can restore the backup.

What should you identify?

Show Answer Hide Answer
Correct Answer: C

Question No. 5

You have an Azure subscription. The subscription contains an app that is hosted in the East US, Central Europe, and East Asia regions.

You need to recommend a data-tier solution for the app. The solution must meet the following requirements:

Support multiple consistency levels.

Be able to store at least 1 TB of data.

Be able to perform read and write operations in the Azure region that is local to the app instance.

What should you include in the recommendation?

Show Answer Hide Answer
Correct Answer: A

Azure Cosmos DB approaches data consistency as a spectrum of choices. This approach includes more

options than the two extremes of strong and eventual consistency. You can choose from five well-defined levels on the consistency spectrum.

With Cosmos DB any write into any region must be replicated and committed to all configured regions within the account.


https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/cosmos-db/consistency-levels-tradeoffs