I Dreaded Networking. Here's How I Passed the Azure AZ-700 Anyway

I'll be honest — I put off the AZ-700 for over a year. Networking has always been my weakest area. I could build you a Kubernetes cluster in my sleep, but ask me to explain BGP peering and I'd start sweating. Sound familiar?

Turns out, the Azure Network Engineer Associate (AZ-700) isn't as scary as it looks. It's not CCNA-level networking theory. It's Azure-specific networking — and if you already use Azure, you probably know more than you think.

What is the AZ-700 Certification?

The AZ-700 validates your skills in designing, implementing, and managing Azure networking solutions. It's an Associate-level cert from Microsoft, sitting alongside the AZ-104 and AZ-204 in the Azure cert family.

Exam Quick Facts

The case studies and labs are what make this exam interesting (and stressful). You might get an actual Azure portal simulation where you need to configure a VNet peering. That's not something you can memorize — you need to have done it.

Exam Domains

Do You Need the AZ-104 First?

Technically, no. Microsoft lists no prerequisites. Practically? Yes, get the AZ-104 first.

The AZ-700 assumes you can navigate the Azure portal, understand resource groups, know what a subscription is, and have basic networking concepts down. The AZ-104 covers all of this. Without it, you'll spend half your study time learning Azure basics instead of networking specifics.

If you already have the AZ-104, the networking chapter you studied there is about 30% of what you need for AZ-700. The rest is deeper and more specialized.

The 8-Week Study Guide

I'm a "slow and steady" learner. Eight weeks at about 10-12 hours per week worked for me. Adjust based on your background — if you're a network engineer moving to Azure, you might finish in 4-5 weeks.

Weeks 1-2: Core Networking Infrastructure (20-25%)

Start with the fundamentals because everything else builds on them.

• Virtual Networks (VNets): Address spaces, subnets, DNS settings, VNet peering (global and regional)
• Public IP addresses: SKUs (Basic vs Standard), zones, static vs dynamic
• Network interfaces and NSGs: Rules, priority, application security groups
• Azure DNS: Public and private DNS zones, record types, auto-registration
• Load Balancer: Basic vs Standard SKU, inbound NAT rules, health probes, backend pools

Lab: Create a hub-spoke network topology with 3 VNets. Configure peering. Deploy VMs in each VNet and test connectivity. This is probably the most common exam scenario.

Weeks 3-4: Routing (25-30%)

This is the heaviest domain and where I spent the most time. Azure routing has its own quirks.

• User-Defined Routes (UDRs): Route tables, next hop types, how they override system routes
• Azure Firewall: Premium vs Standard, DNAT/SNAT rules, threat intelligence, TLS inspection
• Application Gateway: WAF policies, URL-based routing, SSL termination, health probes
• Azure Front Door: Global load balancing, CDN capabilities, WAF integration
• Traffic Manager: DNS-based routing, priority/weighted/geographic/performance methods

Lab: Deploy Azure Firewall in a hub VNet. Route all spoke traffic through it. Configure DNAT rules to expose a web server. This exact pattern shows up on the exam.

Weeks 5-6: Hybrid Networking (20-25%)

Connecting on-premises to Azure. This is where traditional networking knowledge helps.

• VPN Gateway: Site-to-site, point-to-site, VNet-to-VNet connections, SKUs, active-active configuration
• ExpressRoute: Private peering, Microsoft peering, Global Reach, FastPath
• Virtual WAN: Hub-spoke at scale, automated connectivity, branch connections
• Network Virtual Appliances (NVAs): Third-party firewalls, routing through NVAs

Key tip: You probably won't set up a real ExpressRoute circuit (they cost thousands). But understand the architecture, peering types, and when to use ExpressRoute vs VPN Gateway. The exam loves comparing these two.

Week 7: Security + Private Access (25-35% combined)

• Private Endpoints: How they work, DNS requirements, private DNS zones for Azure services
• Service Endpoints vs Private Endpoints: Know the differences cold
• Azure DDoS Protection: Basic vs Standard, telemetry, attack analytics
• Network Watcher: Connection troubleshoot, IP flow verify, NSG diagnostics, packet capture
• Azure Monitor for networks: Connection Monitor, flow logs, NSG flow logs

Week 8: Review + Mock Exams

• Take 2-3 full-length practice exams on ExamCert
• Focus on case study practice — the exam has 1-2 case studies with 4-6 questions each
• Review the Microsoft Learn AZ-700 learning path — skim, don't re-read
• Do one final hands-on lab session: build the entire hub-spoke + firewall + VPN topology from memory

AZ-700 vs Other Azure Certs: Where It Fits

The Azure certification path can be confusing. Here's where AZ-700 fits:

• AZ-104 → AZ-700: Natural progression. AZ-104 gives you broad Azure admin skills, AZ-700 deepens networking.
• AZ-305 vs AZ-700: AZ-305 is architecture-level (design) while AZ-700 is implementation-level. Different skills, complementary certs.
• AZ-700 vs AZ-500: AZ-500 covers security broadly (identity, platform, data). AZ-700 covers networking deeply. Some overlap in NSGs and firewalls.

If you're building an Azure architect resume, the ideal combo is: AZ-104 → AZ-700 → AZ-305. That covers administration, networking, and architecture.

Resources That Made the Difference

Essential

• ExamCert AZ-700 Practice Tests — Domain-weighted questions that mirror the real exam format, including case study simulations
• Microsoft Learn AZ-700 Path: Free, official, covers everything. The sandbox labs are great.
• John Savill's AZ-700 study cram: Free YouTube video that's worth its weight in gold. Watch it twice.

Helpful Extras

• Azure free account: $200 credit for 30 days — enough for all the labs you need
• Azure Architecture Center: Reference architectures for hub-spoke, DMZ patterns, hybrid connectivity
• r/AzureCertification subreddit: Exam day tips and study group motivation

3 Things I Wish I Knew Before Starting

1. The portal labs are real. You might get actual Azure portal interactions. Practice in the portal, not just from slides. Knowing where buttons are saves time.
2. SKU differences matter A LOT. Basic vs Standard Load Balancer, Basic vs Standard Public IP, VPN Gateway SKUs — the exam tests whether you know which SKU supports which feature.
3. DNS is half the battle. Private DNS zones, DNS forwarding, custom DNS servers — networking in Azure is really "networking + DNS." More of my questions were about DNS resolution than I expected.

Frequently Asked Questions