AZ-305 Registration and Scheduling

Where to start

AZ-305 registration begins on Microsoft Learn, from the AZ-305 exam page or the Azure Solutions Architect Expert certification page. Sign in to the Microsoft Learn profile you want associated with the exam, then follow the scheduling link. Microsoft routes candidates to its exam delivery provider, where the candidate chooses an appointment and completes payment or applies an eligible voucher.

A Learn profile and a booked appointment are separate steps. Creating an account, viewing exam details or beginning a booking does not reserve a seat. The appointment is confirmed only after the delivery provider completes its booking process and issues a confirmation. Save the confirmation number and appointment details where you can retrieve them without relying only on a work mailbox.

Use a personal Microsoft account that you expect to retain for the long term. Certification records are connected with the candidate profile. If you have an employer account, a school account and a personal account, decide which profile should hold the record before scheduling. A result sent to a profile you later lose access to can complicate credential management.

The exam is AZ-305, Designing Microsoft Azure Infrastructure Solutions. The exam is distinct from the Azure Solutions Architect Expert credential requirements. You can register to sit AZ-305 without already holding Azure Administrator Associate, but Microsoft requires that associate certification as a prerequisite to earning the expert credential. The scheduler’s ability to book an exam does not waive the credential prerequisite.

Choose online or a test center

The scheduler shows the delivery options available for the selected location, language and dates. Candidates may see a Pearson VUE test center, online proctoring, or both. Availability is appointment-specific. The fact that a certification is relevant in the United States or Hong Kong does not establish that a particular city has an open seat, a preferred language or online delivery on a chosen date.

A test center removes the need to prepare a home testing room and personal network, but adds travel and center procedures. Online delivery can avoid travel, but depends on a compatible computer, a stable connection and a private room that meets the provider’s rules. Neither mode is inherently easier. Pick the one that fits your actual environment and reduces avoidable test-day disruption.

For an online appointment, use the provider’s system check on the same device and network you plan to use. A corporate laptop can block secure software or restrict access to the camera; a personal device may have outdated operating-system settings. Resolve alerts before exam day. Prepare the room, desk, monitor and permitted materials under the current online-proctor requirements, and arrange for other people not to enter during testing.

At a test center, plan for travel, check-in and secure storage of personal belongings. At either location, the exam is proctored and the candidate must follow identity and conduct rules. Do not assume that an online exam allows ordinary browsing, notes or another person in the room. Microsoft Learn access within role-based exams is restricted and does not permit unrestricted internet searches.

Profile name and identification

The name on the exam appointment needs to meet the delivery provider’s identification requirements. Enter the name format that matches the required identity document and resolve a mismatch before the provider’s change deadline. A profile using a nickname or shortened first name may not be accepted just because the candidate can show a valid confirmation email.

For example, a candidate’s everyday name is Sam, but the required government ID says Samantha. If the provider requires the appointment name to match the ID, register under the compliant form rather than assuming the proctor will infer the relationship. A recent legal name change may require a correction or supporting document. The provider’s identity policy controls entry.

Check the country-specific ID requirements for the actual location. Accepted documents and secondary-ID rules can differ by region. If you need an accommodation, request it through the provider’s process before selecting a date. Approval does not necessarily attach automatically to an existing appointment, so leave time for confirmation and scheduling.

Select a date and time

Choose the appointment in the time zone displayed by the scheduler. A calendar entry created in another time zone can shift the apparent start time. Recheck the date, local time, language, delivery method and exam code before submitting. If you are booking across a daylight-saving change or while traveling, rely on the confirmation’s time zone rather than a remembered offset.

Microsoft’s role-based exam policy allows a 100-minute exam and 120-minute seat time when labs are not present. When labs may be present, policy lists 120 minutes of exam time and 140 minutes of seat time. Microsoft does not disclose in advance which individual exams include labs, so use the appointment and launch instructions for the applicable session. Seat time includes check-in and instructions; it is not extra answer time.

Give yourself more time around the stated seat time. At a center, account for transportation and check-in. Online, complete the system check and room setup in advance. Avoid scheduling a meeting immediately after the exam in case the assessment uses the longer duration. A booking time is a start time, not a promise about when you will be free.

AZ-305 follows the current skills outline, which Microsoft lists as measured from April 17, 2026. If an exam appointment falls near a published outline transition, compare the appointment date with the current study guide. Microsoft may update exam skills and localized pages at different times. Registering for a date does not freeze an earlier blueprint.

Payment, vouchers and confirmation

The scheduler calculates the exam fee for the selected country or region. The same exam can have different prices in different markets, and a currency conversion from a third-party page is not the checkout amount. If an employer or training provider supplied a voucher, verify that it applies to AZ-305, the correct market and the chosen delivery method, and that it has not expired.

After payment or voucher redemption, save the confirmation and review the appointment details. Confirm that the correct Microsoft account and exam profile are associated, and keep access to the email address used for scheduling. A screenshot can be useful for reference, but keep the actual confirmation email or account record as well.

Changes, cancellations and missed appointments

The appointment provider presents the rescheduling and cancellation terms for the booking. Change or cancel through the provider’s account before the stated deadline and save the revised confirmation. Timing rules and consequences can depend on the market, delivery mode and appointment. A booking that is not changed before its deadline can be treated as a missed appointment, with the fee or voucher lost under the applicable terms.

If illness or a work conflict appears, open the appointment details as soon as possible and review the available change action. Do not wait until after the start time to ask whether the date can be moved. If the online scheduler does not support the required change, contact the provider through its support route before the deadline and retain the case reference.

A technical interruption during an online exam is different from a failed score. Follow the proctor’s instructions and report the issue through the delivery provider. Microsoft’s retake policy contains limited provisions for qualifying internet or equipment disruptions reported through Pearson VUE; an ordinary failed result does not automatically qualify for a waiver. Keep any incident number and follow the provider’s case process.

Plan the appointment around certification steps

AZ-305 is the exam for the expert-level solution-architecture certification, but passing it alone does not award that credential if the associate prerequisite is missing. If you already hold Azure Administrator Associate, the exam may complete the exam side of your credential path. If you do not, include the separate AZ-104 exam, its cost and scheduling in your plan. There is no requirement to take AZ-104 before you are allowed to sit AZ-305; the distinction is between exam eligibility and credential eligibility.

Leave enough time for results and any retake. Microsoft’s results and retake policies are separate from the appointment booking page. A failed first attempt has a 24-hour wait before the next attempt; later failures have a 14-day wait, with a cap of five attempts in 12 months from the first attempt. A retake is a separate paid booking where applicable. Do not schedule too close to a work or certification deadline if a failed result would leave no time to prepare again.

If a credential renewal date is also approaching, AZ-305 scheduling does not itself renew an existing credential. Role-based certifications are maintained through Microsoft’s renewal process, which is a separate online assessment. The exact renewal window is displayed in the candidate’s certification profile.

A practical registration checklist

• Sign in to the Microsoft Learn profile that should receive the exam result.
• Follow the AZ-305 scheduling link to the provider shown for your location.
• Choose an available language, delivery method, location and appointment time.
• Match the appointment name to the required identification document.
• Complete any accommodation request before the appointment is booked.
• Run the online system check or plan travel to the selected test center.
• Review the fee or voucher terms, change deadline and confirmation details.
• Leave time for score reporting and the separate credential prerequisite if needed.