Readiness Standard
Do not book an exam because you have read every note. Book it when you can retrieve, apply, and troubleshoot the current objectives without prompts.
Per-objective definition of done
An objective is not complete until it has all of the following:
- A concept note that explains what it is, why it exists, limits, and common confusions.
- A numbered module route that states the prerequisite and an observable checkpoint.
- A safe hands-on exercise with Learn → Do → Verify → Break → Fix → Clean up.
- At least three scenario questions: choose/configure, diagnose, and distinguish from a plausible alternative.
- An entry in the coverage audit with links to those artifacts.
The coverage audit is allowed to say partial. Do not turn a row green merely because a related glossary page exists.
AZ-104 gate
Before sitting AZ-104, you should be able to use the portal, Azure CLI, and Bicep to perform common administration tasks. You should also be able to explain the result of an RBAC, Policy, networking, storage, monitoring, or backup failure from the evidence Azure gives you.
Use these minimum gates:
- Complete every required lab and its cleanup safely.
- Score at least 80% on two separate, current-blueprint, domain-weighted practice sets. Review every incorrect answer by objective, not just by percentage.
- Complete an integrated scenario that combines identity/governance, networking, storage, compute, monitoring, and recovery.
- Recheck the effective date on the official AZ-104 study guide. The exam blueprint changes.
AZ-400 gate
AZ-400 requires implementation experience in both GitHub and Azure DevOps, not only familiarity with their vocabulary. You should be able to build, secure, troubleshoot, and evolve a YAML pipeline, then explain its source-control, package, deployment, IaC, identity, security, and telemetry choices.
Use these minimum gates:
- Implement equivalent CI/CD work in GitHub Actions and Azure Pipelines, including a safe secretless authentication path where available. Start with the GitHub Actions lab and the Azure Pipelines lab.
- Complete pipeline failure diagnosis, rollback/hotfix, package versioning, security scanning, and telemetry scenarios.
- Score at least 80% twice on separate, domain-weighted practice sets, with the build/release domain receiving 50–55% of the questions.
- Recheck the official AZ-400 study guide immediately before final revision.
What this vault promises
This vault aims to be the clearer, connected explanation and practice system. It does not claim that memorizing it replaces hands-on work. A note, a lab, and a scenario question each teach a different kind of competence.