Do I need AZ-104 before AZ-800/801?

No. AZ-800/801 is a standalone associate certification with no prerequisites. If your role is primarily Azure infrastructure, AZ-104 may serve you better; if your estate is Windows Server-first, this path is the better fit.

How long should I study?

Seven weeks at 6-8 hours per week is a realistic plan for an admin with day-to-day Windows Server experience; double it if you have no Azure hands-on yet.

Are the exams retiring?

No — AZ-800/801 remain the current Windows Server hybrid path. Always verify exam status on the official certification page before booking, as Microsoft retires exams periodically.

This certification. The retired MCSA 2016 era has no direct rebadge — you take AZ-800 and AZ-801 like everyone else.

Is the renewal exam free?

Yes. The online renewal assessment is free, taken from learn.microsoft.com within the six-month window before expiry.

AZ-800 and AZ-801: Windows Server Hybrid Administrator Certification Guide

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AZ-800 and AZ-801: Windows Server Hybrid Administrator Certification Guide · CloudEngineerHub

PowerShell

# AZ-800/AZ-801 exam progress tracker
# Usage: .\ExamTracker.ps1 -Exam AZ-800 -Action add -Domain "Failover clustering" -Score 70
param(
    [ValidateSet('AZ-800','AZ-801')][string]$Exam = 'AZ-800',
    [ValidateSet('add','list')][string]$Action = 'list',
    [string]$Domain,
    [int]$Score
)
$csv = "$PSScriptRoot\exam-progress-$Exam.csv"
if ($Action -eq 'add') {
    if (-not $Domain -or -not $Score) { throw "Provide -Domain and -Score (0-100)" }
    [PSCustomObject]@{ Date = Get-Date -Format 'yyyy-MM-dd'; Domain = $Domain; Score = $Score } |
        Export-Csv $csv -NoTypeInformation -Append
}
$history = Import-Csv $csv
$history | Group-Object Domain | ForEach-Object {
    $avg = [math]::Round(($_.Group | Measure-Object Score -Average).Average, 1)
    [PSCustomObject]@{ Domain = $_.Name; Attempts = $_.Count; AvgScore = $avg;
                       Ready = if ($avg -ge 80) { 'YES' } else { 'NOT YET' } }
} | Sort-Object AvgScore | Format-Table -AutoSize
# Expected output: domains sorted weakest-first with a Ready column
# Readiness gate: every domain >= 80 average before you book the exam

AZ-800 and AZ-801: Windows Server Hybrid Administrator Certification Guide