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StachelS13's avatar
StachelS13
Tin Contributor
Sep 14, 2026

Windows Server Administrator Associate AZ-802 curated learning path

Hi there, 

Can someone point me in the right direction for AZ-802 exam preparation?

I've been trying to use Microsoft Learn to study for AZ-802 (Administering Windows Server), but I keep running into the same issue: I can find the exam objectives, but not a clear, end-to-end learning path.

I found the official study guide:

https://learn.microsoft.com/en-ca/credentials/certifications/resources/study-guides/az-802

The problem is that it only outlines the exam topics. From there, am I supposed to manually search Microsoft Learn for content covering each objective? That feels pretty fragmented and difficult to organize into a study plan.

Is there a single page or learning path that consolidates all the relevant Microsoft Learn content for AZ-802? Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated. 

5 Replies

  • maskwill's avatar
    maskwill
    Brass Contributor

    Yes — your impression is understandable. Microsoft’s AZ-802 study guide is primarily an exam blueprint, rather than a single linear course. However, Microsoft Learn now has several learning paths that explicitly say they prepare you for AZ-802.

    A practical AZ-802 Microsoft Learn path

    I’d organize your preparation roughly like this:

     

    AD DS — start here

     

    Deploy and manage Active Directory Domain Services — about 7h 43m.

     

    Covers domain controllers, FSMO, users/groups, trusts, replication, sites, and Group Policy. This maps directly to the largest AZ-802 domain: Deploy and manage AD DS (20–25%).

    Hybrid Windows Server administration

     

    Manage Windows Server instances and workloads in a hybrid environment — about 8h 7m.

     

    Focus on Windows Admin Center, PowerShell remoting, Azure Arc, Azure Update Manager and hybrid management.

    Hyper-V / VMs

     

    Manage Virtual Machines.

     

    Covers Hyper-V configuration and management and Azure VM concepts.

    Networking

     

    Work through the networking material referenced by the AZ-802 study guide, particularly Windows Server networking, DNS/DHCP, routing and hybrid connectivity. The current exam explicitly includes on-premises and hybrid networking (10–15%).

    Storage and file services

     

    Make sure you cover disks/volumes, Storage Spaces, Storage Spaces Direct, Storage Replica, Data Deduplication, SMB, NTFS/ReFS, iSCSI and BitLocker. These are explicitly listed in the current AZ-802 objectives.

    Security

     

    Secure Windows Server infrastructure — about 14h 6m.

     

    This is a substantial path covering Windows Server hardening, LAPS, security baselines, Defender, Group Policy security, authentication and AD security.

    Monitoring and troubleshooting

     

    Monitor and troubleshoot Windows Server environments — about 7h 33m.

     

    This is particularly relevant because monitoring/troubleshooting accounts for 15–20% of the current exam. It covers Performance Monitor, Event Viewer, Azure Monitor, networking, Windows Update and AD troubleshooting.

    The important bit

    Don't use the old AZ-800/AZ-801 learning paths as your primary AZ-802 curriculum. The current AZ-802 objectives were updated, and Microsoft explicitly lists the seven areas above in the current study guide.

    Also, Microsoft currently describes AZ-802 as covering:

     

    AD DS — 20–25%

     

    Hybrid Windows Server — 10–15%

     

    Virtual machines — 10–15%

     

    Networking — 10–15%

     

    Storage/file services — 15–20%

     

    Security — 10–15%

     

    Monitoring/troubleshooting — 15–20%

    So yes, there is considerably more relevant Learn content than the study-guide page initially makes obvious. The trick is that Microsoft has split it across several learning paths rather than presenting one giant "AZ-802 course.

    One other useful page is the current Windows Server Administrator Associate certification page, although Microsoft currently says “No training available for this exam” on that certification page, which explains some of the confusion.

    • Cesar Cabrera's avatar
      Cesar Cabrera
      Copper Contributor

      Thanks Julian, this has the seven (7) core domains included for AZ-802, it is great and I don't know why Microsoft has not simply placed this Course as the Learning Path for the Exam.

  • akb1985's avatar
    akb1985
    Brass Contributor

    Please compare the study guide of 802 with 800 and 801 and find the learning paths and modules for common skills in 802. 

  • akb1985's avatar
    akb1985
    Brass Contributor

    No training available for this exam - that’s what the Microsoft learn page says for now. I will suggest to map the 802 study guide with 800 and 801 learning paths and modules for common topics. For any gaps refer to Learn articles and blogs. 

    You may compare the study guides

    https://learn.microsoft.com/en-in/credentials/certifications/resources/study-guides/az-800#deploy-and-manage-active-directory-domain-services-ad-ds-in-on-premises-and-cloud-environments-3035 and 

    https://learn.microsoft.com/en-in/credentials/certifications/resources/study-guides/az-802#deploy-and-manage-ad-ds-2025