This is a nine-week AZ-305 plan for someone with AZ-104-level knowledge and real Azure experience. It works through the four design areas, then drills case studies and timed practice. If you are not yet at administrator level, build that foundation first. Confirm the current skills-measured list on Microsoft Learn.
Weeks 1-3 - Infrastructure (the heaviest area)
Design compute, networking and application architecture; cover migration and designing for scale and resilience. This is ~32% of the exam. For each topic, practise choosing a design for a stated requirement rather than memorising service features.
Weeks 4-5 - Identity, governance and monitoring
Microsoft Entra identity; governance with Azure Policy, RBAC and management groups; monitoring and logging. These underpin every design, so make sure the governance model is clear in your head.
Weeks 6-7 - Data storage and business continuity
Design relational and non-relational data storage, storage tiers and data integration. Then backup and recovery, high availability and disaster recovery to defined RTO/RPO.
Weeks 8-9 - Case studies and practice
Drill the case-study format: read for the binding constraint, then pick the design that meets it. Sit full-length, timed practice tests, review the reasoning behind every miss, and aim to score comfortably above 700/1000 on fresh questions before booking.
Tips
- Always ask “what does the scenario require?” - cost, security, availability or performance - before choosing.
- Do not memorise steps; AZ-305 tests judgement, not configuration.
- Keep case-study practice in the rotation throughout, not just at the end.