The short version
AZ-305 is scored from 1 to 1,000, and you need 700 to pass. Role-based exams like this one give you 100 minutes, or 120 if the exam may include labs, and Microsoft shows your exact time when you register. Microsoft does not publish the number of questions for AZ-305. Everything below comes from Microsoft Learn pages checked on October 18, 2026.
Time and number of questions
Microsoft lists two exam durations for associate and expert exams. Exams without labs get 100 minutes of exam time and 120 minutes of seat time. Exams that may contain labs get 120 and 140. Seat time includes reading the instructions, accepting the candidate agreement, and leaving comments at the end.
Microsoft does not say whether AZ-305 has labs, and it says it does not list which exams do because labs can be removed at any time. You see your time when you book. You also get an overview screen when you launch the exam that tells you what to expect, including labs.
The number of questions is not published for this exam. Microsoft says most of its exams have 40 to 60 questions and that the number can change. Plan for that range, but do not treat it as a promise.
Passing score and how scoring works
| Item | What Microsoft says |
|---|---|
| Scale | 1 to 1,000 |
| Passing score | 700 or greater |
| Is 700 the same as 70%? | No. It is a scaled score based on the skills needed and the difficulty of the questions |
| Wrong answers | No penalty for guessing |
| Multi-part questions | Usually one point per correct component, so partial credit is possible |
| Unscored questions | Some questions may not count; you cannot tell which |
The practical lesson: answer every question, and do not try to convert your result into a percentage. Your score report shows a pass or fail, an overall number, and a bar chart for each skill area. The bars cannot be turned into a count of right answers. Microsoft does not tell you which individual questions you missed. For most exams you get results within minutes of finishing.
Question types
Microsoft does not identify the question types for a specific exam ahead of time. It does offer an exam sandbox where you can try the interface and the types that appear across its exams, including multiple choice, drag and drop, hot area, build list, case studies, and labs. Treat that list as what exists in the Microsoft system, not as a statement about AZ-305.
Case studies deserve a note. They give you a company, its current environment, and its requirements, then ask several questions about the same scenario. The skill is the same as in single questions: find the requirement that decides. Try the sandbox before exam day so the interface is not a surprise. The link is on the Microsoft Learn AZ-305 exam page.
Open Microsoft Learn during the exam
Role-based exams let you open Microsoft Learn in a split screen. You can reach everything on the learn.microsoft.com domain except Q&A, practice assessments, and your profile. No extra time is added and the clock keeps running. Microsoft says outright that you cannot look up every question and still finish.
Use it for a detail you half remember, such as which tier includes a feature. Do not use it to learn a topic on the spot.
Breaks
You may take unscheduled breaks. Five minutes are built into the exam time, but the clock keeps running during any break. Once you start a break you cannot return to questions you saw earlier, even unanswered or marked ones. You cannot break in the middle of a lab or a problem-solution question set, and you can break during a case study but cannot go back to earlier questions.
Languages and delivery
The exam is offered in English, Japanese, Chinese (Simplified), Korean, German, French, Spanish, Portuguese (Brazil), Chinese (Traditional), and Italian. Microsoft updates the English version first and the others about eight weeks later. If your language is not available, Microsoft says you can request an extra 30 minutes.
You schedule through Pearson VUE. Microsoft’s break rules mention OnVUE, Pearson VUE’s online proctoring, so remote delivery exists. The booking flow shows the options in your country. Use a personal Microsoft account to register, because Microsoft warns that records tied to a work or school account can be lost if you leave the organization. Our exam day guide covers check-in and nerves.
Retakes and renewal
- If you fail, you wait 24 hours before the second attempt.
- After that, 14 days between every later attempt, up to five attempts.
- You cannot take the same exam more than five times in 12 months from the first attempt.
- You cannot retake a passed exam unless the credential has expired.
The Azure Solutions Architect Expert credential expires. You renew it for free with an online, unproctored, open-book assessment on Microsoft Learn during a six-month window before expiry, and a pass extends the credential by one year from the expiration date.
More guides for AZ-305
- AZ-305 Domains Explained With Weightings
- AZ-305 Sample Questions With Answers
- Is AZ-305 Hard? An Honest Difficulty Check
- AZ-305 Prerequisites and Skills Check
- AZ-305 Renewal and Retakes Explained
- Is AZ-305 Worth It? An Honest Look
- AZ-305 Cheat Sheet: Key Facts to Review
- AZ-305 vs AZ-400: Which Exam First?
- AZ-104 vs AZ-305: Which First?
Next step
Read the study plan to turn this format into a schedule. If you want practice at answering under time pressure, the AZ-305 practice tests have five timed sets of original questions. Our sets are longer than the number of questions Microsoft says is typical, so they are practice, not a replica.
Frequently asked questions
How many questions are on AZ-305?
Microsoft does not publish it for this exam. It says most of its exams have 40 to 60 questions.
Can I review my answers at the end?
Microsoft says the exam interface lets you mark questions for review, but breaks and some case-study sections limit going back. Try the sandbox to see how navigation works.
What if I fail?
You can retake after 24 hours, then wait 14 days between later attempts. Use the skill-area bars on your score report to decide what to study.