AZ-700
Reddit take
AI summary of the Reddit excerpts below — not a quote
AZ-700 is widely regarded as one of the most challenging Azure certifications, primarily due to its extreme depth in networking and severe time constraints. While it provides significant value for those specializing in Azure infrastructure or preparing for the AZ-305, candidates frequently report failing on their first attempt, even with prior networking experience.
Pros
- Provides deep, specialized knowledge in Azure networking components like Front Door, WAF, and Load Balancers.
- Strongly complements the AZ-305 (Architect) path and aids in mastering complex architectural designs.
- Valuable for career specialization in networking or security roles.
- MS Learn is accessible during the exam for reference.
Cons
- Extremely difficult time management; questions are often described as compound logic puzzles that require the full exam duration.
- Significantly higher difficulty floor than the AZ-104 (Administrator) exam.
- High reported failure rate on first attempts, even among those with CCNA-level knowledge.
- Narrow focus that excludes general Azure administration topics like VMs or storage accounts.
Caveats
- MS Learn access can be a 'time trap' if candidates rely on it too heavily instead of knowing the material.
- Difficulty is highly subjective; while network engineers find it manageable, generalists often find it 'brutal.'
- Some users report that the certification may not significantly impact a job search without accompanying hands-on projects or experience.
Best for
- Aspiring Azure Network Engineers or Solutions Architects.
- Professionals who have already completed AZ-104 and want to specialize.
- Individuals with a strong existing background in traditional networking (TCP/IP, BGP, DNS).
Avoid if
- You are looking for a generalist Azure certification rather than a deep technical dive.
- You struggle with high-pressure time management during exams.
- You have not yet mastered foundational networking concepts like the OSI model and routing.
This summary uses balanced time weighting with about a 122-month half-life. The evidence comes from a window between January 2025 and December 2025, with a median source age of approximately 402 days.
Sentiment
14 positive (27%) · 11 mixed (22%) · 26 negative (51%)
Trust + time weighted score: -23% · raw score -24%
What redditors said (10 of 51)
for me it was first understand az-700 i.e. networking and then attempt once again.
They are both harder than az500 in my experience.
I would not describe it as either easy or hard, as that is highly subjective.
To be honest I passed it from my second attempt, the exam was very tough.
Lots of overly verbose scenario based questions. That was the issue, is just figuring out the logic of what they were asking in a short amount of time. It was about any aspect of Azure networking you could think of, so there is no one thing I could think to focus on before you take the exam.
100% agree on the brutality of this one.
Honestly, this test is brutal on time. Every question feels like a compound logic puzzle, and there’s never enough time to work through the question let alone answer it. Out of the five Microsoft certs I’ve done this year, this one was the hardest just from a time-management perspective.
I thought it was pretty difficult but don’t let that deter you! I got more questions than I was expecting on Azure App Service & using Scale Sets with Azure Load Balancer.
Since you’re a sysadmin and network admin. AZ-700, Azure networking or AZ-500, Azure security might be interesting options though.
Thanks, definitely the hardest exam I have done for a while! 😔
Compare
AZ-700 vs CompTIA Security+AZ-700 vs AB-900AZ-700 vs CompTIA Network+