Microsoft · AZ-305 · Expert

Designing Microsoft Azure Infrastructure Solutions (AZ-305) — Practice Questions and Mock Exam

Name: Pass-IT
Author: Pass-IT

Prepare for AZ-305 with original practice questions and clear answer explanations. Ask Alex, your AI tutor, when you need more detail, use your results to identify topics to review, and practice your pacing with timed mock exams.

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50Mock exam questions

100minTime limit

700/ 1000Passing score

Checked against Microsoft · August 2026 · Current exam version

Overview

About the exam

The AZ-305 certification validates advanced skills in designing cloud and hybrid solutions on Microsoft Azure. It covers designing identity, governance, and monitoring solutions, data storage solutions, business continuity solutions, and infrastructure solutions. Candidates must demonstrate the ability to make architectural decisions across compute, networking, security, and data based on business requirements.

This expert-level certification is designed for experienced cloud architects and senior engineers who advise stakeholders and translate business requirements into secure, scalable, and reliable Azure solutions. Passing AZ-104 (Azure Administrator) is required to earn the Solutions Architect Expert certification.

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Try five AZ-305 questions

Try five practice questions from the app’s current Designing Microsoft Azure Infrastructure Solutions question bank, with answers and explanations.

Design infrastructure solutions1 / 5

A company needs to implement Azure Virtual Network encryption to ensure all traffic between VMs in the same VNet is encrypted in transit. The VMs run Linux and Windows workloads. Which solution should you recommend?

AlexFull explanation from Alex

Azure Virtual Network encryption uses DTLS (Datagram Transport Layer Security) to encrypt traffic between VMs within the same VNet and across peered VNets. It requires Accelerated Networking enabled on VM NICs and supported VM SKUs. The feature encrypts private IP to private IP traffic at the host level, enhancing existing encryption-in-transit capabilities. Limitations include: no support for Azure DNS Private Resolver, Application Gateway, Azure Firewall, or ExpressRoute Gateways in encrypted VNets. Currently only AllowUnencrypted enforcement is GA. Exam tip: VNet encryption = DTLS between VMs. Requires Accelerated Networking. Does NOT support App Gateway, Azure Firewall, or ExpressRoute Gateway in same VNet.

Sourcelearn.microsoft.com

Design business continuity solutions3 / 5

You are designing a backup strategy for Azure Files shares that store departmental documents. Backups must be retained for 30 days with the ability to restore individual files. Which Azure backup feature should you configure?

AlexFull explanation from Alex

Azure Backup for Azure Files provides snapshot-based backup with configurable retention policies. For departmental document shares needing 30-day retention: create a Recovery Services vault, configure backup policy with daily snapshots and 30-day retention. Azure Backup for Files uses share snapshots (incremental, point-in-time). Restores can be full share or individual file/folder level. Maximum retention is 200 days for daily, 10 years for monthly/yearly. Soft delete provides 14 additional days of protection against accidental deletion. Exam tip: Azure Backup for Files = share snapshots + retention policies. Vault-level backup. File-level or full share restore. Max 200 days daily retention.

Sourcelearn.microsoft.com

Design infrastructure solutions4 / 5

A company is deploying Azure Virtual Desktop for 5,000 remote workers across North America and Europe. They need to minimize latency for users connecting from each region. Which Azure architecture should you recommend?

AlexFull explanation from Alex

Azure Virtual Desktop clients connect through the Azure Virtual Desktop service to session hosts. To minimize latency, deploy session hosts close to users and keep profile storage near those hosts. For regional expansion, deploy AVD virtual machines in the new region, provision regional FSLogix profile storage, and assign users to desktops in only one region to avoid profile conflicts. Azure Front Door is not used to proximity-route AVD desktop sessions.

Sourcelearn.microsoft.com

Design data storage solutions5 / 5

You need to select an Azure Storage redundancy option for a video editing company. They need the cheapest option that still protects against hardware failures within a single datacenter. Geo-redundancy is not required. Which option should you choose?

AlexFull explanation from Alex

LRS (Locally Redundant Storage) is the cheapest redundancy option, replicating data 3 times within a single datacenter (single availability zone). It provides 11 nines of durability. No protection against datacenter or zone failure — only protects against individual disk/node failure. For non-critical data like video editing (where source files can be re-ingested), LRS is cost-effective. Higher options: ZRS (zone-redundant, 3 zones), GRS (geo-redundant), GZRS (zone + geo). Exam tip: LRS = cheapest, single datacenter, 3 copies. ZRS = 3 zones. GRS = geo-replicated. Choose by durability needs vs cost. LRS for non-critical, re-creatable data.

Sourcelearn.microsoft.com

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Question pool

323 practice questions

The Pass-IT question pool gives you material to practice for AZ-305. A Pass-IT mock exam uses 50 questions and a 100-minute time limit; these are practice settings.

Pool details: AZ-305

Exam details checked against MicrosoftAugust 28, 2026

date of the last check against the official Microsoft source

Passing score700 / 1,000

as published by Microsoft

Objectives in the guide61 objectives listed in the official guide

across 4 domains in the official exam guide

Pool size323 questions

= The pool size is equivalent to 6 sets of 50 questions; this does not mean that each mock exam uses a separate set.

Blueprint domains4 domains in the exam blueprint

Design identity, governance, and monitoring solutions 82 · Design data storage solutions 79 · Design business continuity solutions 47 · Design infrastructure solutions 115

Recorded as checked against sources323 of 323

questions recorded as having their answer, options, and explanation checked against official Microsoft documentation

How questions are made →

Exam domains

What's on the exam

Infrastructure solutions carry the most weight at 30–35%: compute choices (VMs, containers, serverless), application architecture, migration planning, and network design all sit here. Identity, governance, and monitoring follow at 25–30%, covering authentication, authorization, and compliance decisions rather than day-to-day administration. Data storage design takes 20–25%, and business continuity (backup, disaster recovery, high availability) closes the blueprint at 15–20%.

The exam rewards breadth over depth in each area: a compute recommendation, a storage recommendation, and a network recommendation for the same scenario are graded independently, so a wrong call in one domain doesn't excuse skipping the others.

Exam blueprint: AZ-305

Design identity, governance, and monitoring solutions25–30%

Design solutions for logging and monitoring, design authentication and authorization solutions, and design governance including management group structure, compliance, and identity governance

≈ 15 h

Design data storage solutions20–25%

Design data storage for relational data (database service/compute tiers, scalability, protection), semi-structured and unstructured data (storage solutions balancing features/performance/cost, durability), and data integration/analysis

≈ 12 h

Design business continuity solutions15–20%

Design solutions for backup and disaster recovery (recovery objectives, compute/database/unstructured data recovery) and design for high availability (compute, relational data, semi-structured and unstructured data)

≈ 9 h

Design infrastructure solutions30–35%

Design compute solutions (VMs, containers, serverless, batch), application architecture (messaging, event-driven, API integration, caching, configuration, automated deployment), migrations (Cloud Adoption Framework, IaaS/PaaS migration, database/data migration), and network solutions (internet/on-premises connectivity, performance, security, load balancing/routing)

≈ 18 h

Format

Exam format and question types

AZ-305 draws 40–60 questions from a mix of multiple-choice, multiple-select, drag-and-drop, ordering, and dropdown-selection formats inside a 100-minute window. Items center on architecture trade-offs: a business requirement is described, and you weigh cost, performance, security, and operational impact before recommending a design rather than listing implementation steps.

Question types: AZ-305

Multiple Choice42%

Select the single answer that best meets the question’s requirements.

Drag & Drop18%

Move items into the slots, groups, or sequence specified by the task.

Multiple Response12%

Select multiple answers. Follow the question’s instructions on how many to choose.

Dropdown12%

Choose options from dropdown menus to complete a statement or configuration.

Ordering9%

Arrange the steps in the sequence needed to complete the process.

True / False7%

Decide whether a statement is true or false, paying attention to its conditions and wording.

See Microsoft for official question-format information. The shares shown describe the Pass-IT practice pool; they do not establish the proportions on the official exam.

Planning

Preparing for AZ-305

AZ-305 runs through Pearson VUE, either online with a remote proctor or at an authorized testing center, and is offered in English, Japanese, Chinese, Korean, French, German, Spanish, and several other languages depending on location. Certification holds for one year, and Microsoft opens a free renewal assessment on Learn starting six months before it expires.

Preparation and logistics: AZ-305

Preparation

Illustrative study time35–85 h

illustrative planning range: 35 h with relevant experience to 85 h when starting out; your needs may fall outside this range

LevelExpert

Taking and maintaining the certification

DeliveryPearson VUE online proctored or at authorized testing centers worldwide

Retake policy24-hour wait after the first attempt, 14 days between subsequent attempts, maximum 5 attempts per exam within a 12-month period

Certification validity1 year

Free renewal assessment on Microsoft Learn, available starting 6 months before expiration. Must be completed before the certification expires.

Official guideView on provider site

Study notes

Common pitfalls

Topics to review: AZ-305

01Design Trade-offs
Failing to evaluate solutions against all pillars of the Azure Well-Architected Framework including cost optimization.
02Hybrid Identity
Not understanding Microsoft Entra ID sync options and hybrid identity architectures for complex enterprise scenarios.
03Data Platform Choice
Confusing when to recommend Cosmos DB, Azure SQL, Azure Database for PostgreSQL, or Azure Storage for specific workloads.
04HA and DR Design
Overlooking recovery time objective (RTO) and recovery point objective (RPO) requirements when designing disaster recovery.
05Cost Optimization
Ignoring cost implications of architectural decisions, especially around reserved instances, spot VMs, and tier selection.

Practice with questions and explanations in Pass-IT →

Questions

Frequently asked questions

How long is the Designing Microsoft Azure Infrastructure Solutions exam?

The AZ-305 exam has 50 questions and a 100-minute time limit.

What is the passing score for Designing Microsoft Azure Infrastructure Solutions?

The passing score for the AZ-305 exam is 700 / 1000.

Which pitfalls should I review when preparing for Designing Microsoft Azure Infrastructure Solutions?

Topics to review include Design Trade-offs, Hybrid Identity, Data Platform Choice, HA and DR Design, Cost Optimization. Work through examples to check that you understand the distinctions and can explain your answer.

Do you need AZ-104 before AZ-305?

Not as a rule Microsoft enforces: the catalog records no prerequisite, so you can book AZ-305 directly. In practice the exam assumes you can already administer Azure and asks what you would design instead, so the AZ-104 material is the floor rather than the syllabus. Going in without it usually shows up in the identity and governance section.

How is AZ-305 weighted?

Designing infrastructure solutions is the largest area at 33%, with identity, governance and monitoring at 28%, data storage at 22% and business continuity at 17%. Infrastructure and identity together are six tenths of the exam. Business continuity is the section people leave until last and it is worth roughly one question in six.

What should you take after AZ-305?

AZ-400 is the usual move if your work is drifting towards DevOps, and SC-100 if it is drifting towards security architecture. AZ-700 fits when networking design has become the hard part of your job. All three are expert or advanced exams that assume the AZ-305 level rather than repeating it.

How long does AZ-305 stay valid?

One year, like every Microsoft role-based certification. Renewal is a free unproctored assessment on Microsoft Learn that opens six months before the expiry date, so the full exam is only sat once.

One certification, 12 months

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