A realistic eight-week plan at roughly 7 to 8 hours per week. Keep the Azure portal open and do every task hands-on.
| Week | Focus | Checkpoint |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Entra ID, users, groups, RBAC | You can assign a role at the right scope |
| 2 | Subscriptions, management groups, Azure Policy | You can apply a governance policy |
| 3 | Storage accounts, blobs, files, tiers | You can secure and tier storage |
| 4 | Virtual machines and scale sets | You can deploy and resize a VM |
| 5 | App Service and containers | You can host an app |
| 6 | VNets, subnets, NSGs, peering | You can design a secure network |
| 7 | VPN/ExpressRoute, load balancing, monitoring, backup | You can connect and monitor resources |
| 8 | Full-length timed reviews | You consistently pass timed reviews |
Final tips
Virtual networking and identities/governance are the highest-weighted areas — give them the most time. Practise the CLI and PowerShell, not just the portal. Avoid “exam dump” sites — they breach Microsoft policy and copyright.