Which Microsoft certification should I start with for PowerShell?

Start with AZ-900 for fundamentals, then AZ-104 for Azure administration, SC-300 for identity, or AZ-800 for Windows Server hybrid administration, depending on your role.

Is PowerShell enough to pass AZ-104, SC-300, or AZ-800?

No. These exams are mostly portal-based. PowerShell is a portion of each exam. Use these tracks for the PowerShell portion and Microsoft Learn for portal walkthroughs and theory.

Are the AzureAD and MSOnline PowerShell modules still used for SC-300?

No. AzureAD and MSOnline were retired in March 2024. SC-300 now expects the Microsoft Graph PowerShell SDK.

Certification Prep Tracks

Q: Does AZ-800 alone earn the Windows Server Hybrid Administrator Associate?

No. AZ-800 pairs with AZ-801 for the full Windows Server Hybrid Administrator Associate certification.

PowerShell skills mapped to Microsoft exams. Each track covers the PowerShell portions of the exam — with commands, examples, exercises, and exam tips.

Not affiliated with Microsoft. This is unofficial study material. Exam objectives change — always check the official Microsoft Learn page for the latest skills measured.

Which Exam Should You Take?

Pick based on your current role:

Azure Administrator → AZ-104. You manage Azure resources day to day. Start here if you work in Azure.
Identity Administrator → SC-300. You manage users, authentication, and access in Entra ID. Start here if identity is your focus.
Windows Server Administrator → AZ-800. You manage on-premises and hybrid Windows Servers. Start here if AD DS and Windows Server are your world.

Recommended order for beginners: AZ-900 (fundamentals) → AZ-104 or SC-300 → AZ-800. AZ-800 assumes Windows Server experience — it's not a beginner exam.

Compare the Tracks

Exam	Role	Questions	Time	Pass Score	PowerShell Focus
AZ-104	Azure Administrator	40–60	120 min	700/1000	Az module — VMs, storage, networking, RBAC
SC-300	Identity and Access Administrator	40–60	120 min	700/1000	Graph SDK — users, CA policies, PIM
AZ-800	Windows Server Hybrid Administrator	40–60	120 min	700/1000	AD DS, DNS, DHCP, Hyper-V, storage

Note: These exams are mostly portal-based. PowerShell is a portion, not the whole exam. These tracks cover the PowerShell portion thoroughly — use Microsoft Learn for portal walkthroughs and theory.

AZ-104: Azure Administrator

Domains: Governance (20–25%) · Storage (15–20%) · Compute (20–25%) · Networking (20–25%) · Monitoring (10–15%)

PowerShell skills: Connect-AzAccount, Get-AzContext, Set-AzContext, Get-AzSubscription, New-AzResourceGroup, New-AzVM, New-AzStorageAccount, New-AzVirtualNetwork, New-AzNetworkSecurityGroup, New-AzRoleAssignment, New-AzPolicyAssignment

Study time: 4–6 weeks. Start with the Az module setup, then governance, networking, compute, storage, monitoring.

Start AZ-104 prep →

SC-300: Identity and Access Administrator

Domains: User identities (20–25%) · Authentication and access (25–30%) · Workload identities (20–25%) · Identity governance (20–25%)

PowerShell skills: Connect-MgGraph, Get-MgUser, Get-MgGroup, New-MgUser, New-MgGroup, New-MgIdentityConditionalAccessPolicy, New-MgRoleManagementDirectoryRoleAssignmentScheduleRequest, Get-MgAuditLogSignIn, Get-MgRiskyUser

Study time: 3–4 weeks. The Graph SDK is the exam's language — AzureAD and MSOnline modules were retired in March 2024.

Start SC-300 prep →

AZ-800: Windows Server Hybrid Administrator

Domains: AD DS (30–35%) · Hybrid servers (10–15%) · VMs and containers (15–20%) · Hybrid networking (15–20%) · Storage and file services (15–20%)

PowerShell skills: Get-ADUser, New-ADUser, Get-ADGroup, Install-ADDSForest, Install-ADDSDomainController, Move-ADDirectoryServerOperationMasterRole, Get-GPO, New-GPLink, Get-VM, New-VM, Add-DnsServerPrimaryZone, Add-DhcpServerv4Scope, New-StoragePool, Test-Cluster

Study time: 4–6 weeks. AD DS is one-third of the exam — start there. Note: AZ-800 pairs with AZ-801 for the full Windows Server Hybrid Administrator Associate.

Start AZ-800 prep →

How to Study

Learn the fundamentals first. If you're new to PowerShell, work through the beginner lessons before starting any track.
Follow the domain order. Each track lists domains in exam-weight order — study the heaviest domains first.
Run every code block. Don't just read the commands. Open PowerShell, run them, break them, fix them.
Do the exercises. Each domain ends with a practical exercise. These are the closest thing to exam scenarios.
Read the exam traps. Each track has callout boxes for the classic mistakes — deallocated vs stopped VMs, NSG priority, FSMO seizure vs transfer, beta vs v1.0 Graph endpoints.

What These Tracks Don't Cover

Portal walkthroughs, Azure CLI, theory-only topics, and hands-on labs are out of scope here. For those, use Microsoft Learn and the free Azure sandbox. These tracks are the PowerShell companion to Microsoft's official material, not a replacement.

Exam Tips

Question formats: Multiple choice, drag-and-drop, yes/no, and case studies. Read case studies fully before answering — the details matter.
Time management: 120 minutes for 40–60 questions. Don't spend more than 2 minutes on any single question — flag it and move on.
Least privilege: When a question asks "which role" or "which scope," the answer is almost always the most restrictive option that still works.
PowerShell vs portal: If a question asks "which PowerShell command," it's testing the cmdlet name and key parameters — not the full syntax. Know the verb-noun pairs cold.