Exam Guide & Rules

Format, scoring, booking and exam-day rules, taken from Microsoft's own pages.

AZ-305 at a glance

Time and length

• Most Microsoft Certification exams typically have 40–60 questions according to the exam-duration page (a Microsoft Learn video page from its Director of Psychometrics says 35–50, so plan for the range); the number varies and is subject to change. Microsoft doesn't provide a list of exams with labs, because labs can be removed at any time (for example because of Azure outages or bandwidth issues). When you register you're given the exam time, and when you launch the exam you should read the overview pages, which say what to expect, including whether labs are available.
• Seat time includes reviewing the instructions, reading and accepting the Microsoft Certification Exam Candidate Agreement, answering the questions and any comments you choose to leave afterwards.
• This site's timed mock exam lets you pick 100 or 120 minutes to match what you're given.

Breaks

• 5 minutes are built into the exam time for unscheduled breaks (Microsoft removed questions to make room). You may take as long as you like and take several breaks, but the exam clock keeps running. If time ends while you're on a break, the exam is scored on what you completed, and no adjustment is made.
• Once a break starts you can't return to the questions you viewed before it, even if they're unanswered or marked for review. Answer what you've seen before you take a break.
• You can take a break at any point except in the middle of a lab or within a problem-solution question set (where you're given a problem and asked whether the proposed solution would solve it). You can break before or after one of those. You can also break during a case study, but afterwards you can't return to any question you saw before the break.
• Start a break through the exam interface; otherwise the exam can be revoked. If you need more than 5 minutes of breaks, request additional time through Microsoft's accommodation process in advance.

How scoring works

• Multi-part questions earn one point per correctly answered component. You can earn all, some or none of the points; a question worth more than one point is noted on screen.
• Microsoft also says it keeps introducing question types that may need different approaches to scoring, and that alternate approaches are noted in the question text. It doesn't publish how ordering or drag-and-drop items are scored. On this site's mock exam a choose-N question earns a point per correct choice, an ordering question earns a point per item placed in its correct position, and a matching question earns a point per correct pair.
• No penalty for guessing: wrong answers don't subtract points. Never leave a question blank.
• Some questions are unscored (used to improve the exam) and you can't tell which, so answer everything as if it counts.
• Results usually appear within minutes after you finish; the score report is in your Learn profile within 24 hours.

Question types

Microsoft's exam-duration page has a 'Question types on exams' section that my fetch cut off, so I can't quote it. A Microsoft Learn page featuring Microsoft's Director of Psychometrics does say the exam sandbox lets you try the exam interface, question types and navigation, see where the timer is, and practise marking questions for review or comment, and it names build list, drag and drop and case studies, 'and others'. What else the Microsoft pages confirm:

• Multi-part questions are scored per correctly answered component, and a question worth more than one point is noted on screen.
• Problem-solution question sets exist: you're given a problem and asked whether the proposed solution would solve it. You can't take a break in the middle of one (before or after is fine).
• Case studies exist, and labs may appear on some exams (Microsoft doesn't say which).
• Microsoft says it doesn't identify specific exam formats before the exam (that sentence is quoted by third-party guides from an older Microsoft page), and practice assessments note the real exam may have additional question types, multiple case studies and labs.

Third-party guides list these formats: multiple choice, multiple response, best answer, repeated answer choices, drag and drop, build list, hot area, active screen, yes/no problem-solution series and case studies. They also say problem-solution sets and completed case studies can't be revisited. Microsoft's pages confirm only the break rule above, so treat the one-way claims as likely but unconfirmed, and check the sandbox.

Practising ordering and drag-and-drop here: on the practice page choose Ordering / build list only. You tap items to number them 1, 2, 3 (tap a numbered item again to remove it), which works the same on a phone, tablet or desktop. A build list asks you to number only some of the items shown. Partial credit applies, so getting some items in the right place still earns points. Matching: choose Matching only, tap a prompt and then the choice it matches; tapping a matched prompt picks it up again, and a choice can be used more than once only when the question says so. Each correct pair earns a point.

Microsoft Learn during the exam

• Microsoft's exam-duration page has a section titled 'Accessing Microsoft Learn during your certification exam', and a Microsoft Q&A moderator points candidates to it. I could read the heading but not the section, so the details below come from instructor and blog summaries that quote it; confirm them in the sandbox.
• As summarized: it's available on associate and expert role-based exams (AZ-305 is the required exam for an Expert certification), not on Fundamentals or Microsoft Office Specialist exams. You open it with the Microsoft Learn button in the left navigation pane, and it appears beside the question in a split screen.
• You can browse the learn.microsoft.com domain except Q&A, Practice Assessments and your profile; other websites are blocked. No extra time is added and the timer keeps running.
• Use it for one specific fact (a limit, SKU or retirement date), not for reading. The Numbers, Decision Guides and Retirement Timeline pages are there so you rarely need to look anything up.

What Microsoft says about preparing

• Microsoft's Director of Psychometrics says a successful candidate typically studies about 120–140 hours before taking an exam, that Microsoft reviews and updates exams quarterly (check the exam details page for changes), and that you can use the skills-measured bullets as a checklist.
• For role-based exams the same page says to plan for 120 minutes: 100 minutes to answer questions and about 20 for instructions, comments and score reporting, which matches the duration page's 100 and 120 minutes.
• Take the free Practice Assessment and the exam sandbox, and use hands-on labs if you can.

Booking and exam-day rules

• Schedule through Pearson VUE up to 90 days in advance; you can have at most two Microsoft exams scheduled at a time.
• Register with a personal Microsoft account (MSA): if you register with a work or school account, your exam records can be lost when you leave the organization.
• Choose online proctored (OnVUE) or a test center; Microsoft says difficulty is the same. Online check-in involves a photo of your ID and a room scan before a proctor is assigned.
• Pearson VUE's online minimums: Windows 10 or macOS 14 or higher, a working webcam, microphone and speaker (no headphones or headsets), one display only, at least 6 Mbps download and 2 Mbps upload, and the ability to close every application except OnVUE. Prohibited: virtual machines, phones, tablets, earbuds, styluses, watches, secondary displays, and VPNs, corporate or public networks. Run the system test on the same device and network you'll use. Failing the requirements on exam day can mean immediate cancellation and forfeiture of your exam fee.
• Your desk must be completely empty apart from the test computer and pre-approved items; remove everything on, under or within arm's reach, stay alone, and don't test in a bathroom or public space. You need a valid, government-issued photo ID whose name exactly matches your exam booking (expired, digital or damaged IDs aren't accepted).
• Online exams let you take notes with the on-screen whiteboard (eraser icon); external pen and paper aren't allowed.
• If you must take the exam in English instead of your native language, you can request additional time in advance through the English as a Second Language accommodation process (the study guide mentions 30 extra minutes).
• Rescheduling, cancellation and retake rules are on Microsoft's exam policies pages; read them before booking.

Free preparation from Microsoft

• The AZ-305 study guide (skills measured as of April 17, 2026) and exam prep videos.
• A free AZ-305 Practice Assessment on Microsoft Learn. Microsoft notes the questions aren't the same as the exam's and aren't illustrative of its length or complexity.
• The exam sandbox (linked from the study guide): explore the exam environment before test day.

Next

Sources

• Exam AZ-305 (Microsoft Learn)
• AZ-305 study guide (skills measured)
• Exam duration and exam experience
• Exam scoring and score reports
• Exam frequently asked questions
• Online proctored exam FAQ
• Practice assessments
• Pearson VUE OnVUE requirements
• What to expect on your Microsoft exam (Learn video page)
• Exam sandbox (demo)