GregLab | Exam Prep

Compute

Core

Azure Virtual Machines

IaaS compute with guest operating-system and software control.

Key points

  • Azure VMs provide guest operating-system, software, disk, network, and image control.
  • That control leaves patching, scaling, availability, backup, and guest security with the architecture team.

Best-known use cases

  • Host appliances or legacy applications whose runtime cannot fit a higher-level managed platform.

What candidates often confuse it with

  • VMs offer guest control; Container Apps, Functions, and AKS move different operating responsibilities into managed platforms.

Key takeaway

Choose VMs when operating-system or specialized runtime control is a hard requirement.

Relevant exam tasks

  • D4.1.S1 — Specify components of a compute solution based on workload requirements
  • D4.1.S2 — Recommend a virtual machine-based solution
  • D4.3.S3 — Recommend a solution for migrating workloads to infrastructure as a service (IaaS) and platform as a service (PaaS)

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Free Microsoft Certified: Azure Solutions Architect Expert prep

Build focused AZ-305 quizzes from skill areas, topics, and product references.

Practice with exam-style multiple-choice and multiple-response questions, score breakdowns, explanations, and a compact reference for this lane's official exam domains.

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Exam Weights

Exam snapshot

AZ-305 at a glance

Level
Expert
Duration
No fixed live duration published
Questions
No fixed live question count published
Formats
No guaranteed question-type mix
Scoring
Scaled score; 700 minimum passing score

Quiz builder

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Mode

Exam fidelity: Microsoft does not publish a fixed live question count or guarantee a question-type mix for AZ-305. This lane contains multiple-choice exam-style practice; no supplemental matching, ordering, or case-study exercises were needed. Practice percentages do not reproduce Microsoft's scaled scoring, and difficulty labels describe this site's Expert-level architecture and trade-off complexity rather than a Microsoft-published question rating.

Reference

AZ-305 topics and reference map

Study links

AZ-305 resources

Official Microsoft resources

AZ-305 official study guide

The live Microsoft guide with the April 17, 2026 skills-measured date, domain ranges, and 49 detailed objectives.

AZ-305 official exam page

Official exam status, passing score, language availability, preparation resources, and scheduling path.

Azure Solutions Architect Expert certification

Official certification overview, role profile, certification requirement, and learning paths.

AZ-305T00-A Design Microsoft Azure Infrastructure Solutions course

Official four-day instructor-led architecture course for AZ-305 preparation.