Welcome to AZ-700
Exam AZ-700, Designing and Implementing Microsoft Azure Networking Solutions, leads to the Microsoft Certified: Azure Network Engineer Associate certification. You already manage Azure at about AZ-104 level. This exam goes deeper on one subject, networking. It tests whether you can plan, implement and manage the network that everything else in Azure runs on.
Three things to know first:
- This course is independent. Microsoft did not make it and does not endorse it. Nobody can promise you a pass, and this course doesn't either.
- The study guide belongs to Microsoft. This course doesn't copy it. You can read it free on Microsoft Learn, and the version that counts lists skills measured as of July 27, 2026.
- The basics: Microsoft's exam page gives you 100 minutes to finish the exam. You need a score of 700 or greater to pass.
Task 1: Learn the five skill areas and their weights
The study guide splits the exam into five skill areas. Each one has a weight, which is the share of the exam it makes up. Spend your study time in line with those weights.
| Skill area (Microsoft's wording) | 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% |
What to do:
- Learn the order: Core, Connectivity, Delivery, Private access, Security.
- Note that core networking infrastructure is the biggest area. It covers IP addressing, name resolution, VNet connectivity and routing, and monitoring networks.
- Note that private access is the smallest area, at 10–15%. It still covers several subtopics, such as private endpoints, Private Link services and service endpoints, so don't skip it.
- Read the guide's notes. The bullets under each skill only illustrate what is tested, and related topics may also appear. Most questions cover features that are generally available (GA). Preview features can appear if they are commonly used.
Task 2: Find the official resources on Microsoft Learn
Open the Azure Network Engineer Associate certification page on Microsoft Learn and find each of these:
- The study guide. Check the "skills measured as of" date and the Change log table. The change log shows which skill areas changed in the latest update.
- The free Practice Assessment. Microsoft says it shows the style, wording and difficulty of exam questions. It does not contain the real exam questions, so use it to find your weak areas rather than to memorise answers.
- The exam sandbox. This is a demo of the real exam interface. Use it to practise moving between questions, marking questions for review and using the review screen.
- Your Learn profile. You schedule exams, see score reports and renew your certification from here. Microsoft recommends registering with a personal Microsoft account (MSA), not a work or school account.
Rules to know before exam day:
- Scoring: Scores run from 1 to 1,000. Because the score is scaled, 700 does not necessarily mean 70% of the points.
- No penalty for guessing: A wrong answer simply earns no points, so answer every question.
- Unscored questions: Some questions are not counted, and you can't tell which ones they are. Treat every question as if it counts.
- Breaks: You can take a break, but the exam clock keeps running. After a break, you can't go back to any question you saw before it.
- Microsoft Learn access: On role-based exams like this one, you can open Microsoft Learn during the exam. You get no extra time for it, so use it only for a rare lookup.
- Retakes: If you fail, you can retake the exam 24 hours after your first attempt.
- Renewal: The certification expires every 12 months. You renew it with a free online assessment on Microsoft Learn.
Task 3: Use a three-step method for "best answer" questions
Most AZ-700 questions describe a scenario where several Azure services could work but only one fits best. Use the same three steps on every question.
Step 1: Underline the requirement words. These are the words that decide the answer:
- Constraints: must not traverse the internet, private IP address, no public IP
- Scope: global, single region, across subscriptions, on-premises
- Layer: HTTP/HTTPS, URL path, TCP/UDP, DNS-based
- Optimisers: minimise cost, minimise administrative effort, highest availability
Step 2: Rule out the distractors. Wrong options are usually real Azure services that break one requirement. For each option, ask which underlined word it fails. If you can name the word, cross the option out.
Step 3: Pick the service that matches every requirement. Then reread the question. If it says minimise administrative effort, choose the managed option over one you would build yourself.
Worked example: "Web traffic for an app in two Azure regions must be routed by URL path at a global entry point."
- The requirement words are web, URL path and global.
- A regional service fails global. A DNS-only service can't read URL paths. A Layer 4 service doesn't understand HTTP.
- The answer must be a global Layer 7 service.
Later levels teach these services in detail. For now, practise the habit of finding the words that eliminate options.
How to use this course
- Work through the levels in order. They follow the study guide's bullets, starting with core networking infrastructure.
- For hands-on tasks, practise in all three tools the course covers: the Azure portal, the Azure CLI and Bicep.
- Read the explanation for every quiz question, including the ones you got right. The distractor explanations teach Step 2.
- Take the free Practice Assessment early to get a baseline score, then again before you book the exam.
What the exam asks about this
The exam doesn't test its own format. But knowing the format affects your score in three ways:
- Time: You have 100 minutes, and breaks and Learn lookups use them up.
- Weights: They tell you where most of the points are.
- Wording: Requirement words such as minimise cost, private and global decide nearly every scenario question.
Key takeaways
- AZ-700 has five skill areas. Core networking infrastructure is the largest (25–30%) and private access the smallest (10–15%).
- Microsoft's exam page gives you 100 minutes. You pass with a scaled score of 700 or greater, which is not the same as 70%.
- The study guide (skills measured as of July 27, 2026), the Practice Assessment and the exam sandbox are all free on Microsoft Learn.
- Wrong answers cost nothing, so answer every question. You can't return to earlier questions after a break.
- For each scenario: underline the requirement words, rule out the distractors, then pick the matching service.
- This course is independent of Microsoft and can't guarantee a pass.