Recognise the retired examination
AZ-303 was Microsoft Azure Architect Technologies. Microsoft’s official page records its retirement on 31 March 2022 and directs candidates to the Azure Solutions Architect Expert credential for the current route. It is not an examination a new candidate should plan to book in October 2026. Old descriptions of salary, passing score or free questions need that historical context. Review the live architect credential page for the applicable examination and prerequisite combination, and avoid assuming that a historical syllabus or course automatically matches the modern role.
Separate a score from professional capability
Microsoft examinations use scaled scoring; the reported passing standard should not be treated as a simple percentage of questions answered correctly. A score also does not establish that someone can make every production architecture decision independently. Use current official scoring guidance when planning an active examination. For employment, describe what you have designed, implemented and validated. Salary depends on location, experience, scope and employer; there is no defensible universal AZ-303 salary for a retired examination code.
Original practice case: identity and legacy access
A fictional manufacturer has a cloud application using modern sign-in and an older application requiring domain services. What must the architect establish before selecting an identity model? A strong answer identifies actual protocols, domain dependencies, account lifecycle, administration ownership and recovery requirements. It distinguishes Entra ID, on-premises AD DS and managed domain services rather than choosing by similar names. This is an original discussion exercise, not a reproduced Microsoft examination question, and it should be evaluated through reasoning rather than memorised answer letters.
Original practice case: storage and continuity
A document service needs low-latency access to current files and long-term retention of infrequently accessed records. The business also wants recovery from accidental deletion. Explain the questions you would ask before selecting storage tiers and protection mechanisms. Include retrieval expectations, retention policy, access permissions, recovery objectives and operational testing. A good answer does not assume replication replaces backups or that an archive tier is suitable for every retrieval pattern. State the trade-offs and the evidence needed to confirm them.
Original practice case: monitoring and cost
A demonstration service’s monthly bill rises while users report slower responses. Propose an investigation before increasing capacity. Compare workload changes, query behaviour, network paths, resource utilisation and deployment history. Define a baseline and change one confirmed cause at a time. Record how you would verify improved user experience without simply shifting cost elsewhere. The exercise develops cross-service judgement and communication, two abilities that a product-name quiz cannot establish. Use current Azure documentation to test the proposed diagnosis in a controlled environment.
Move to a current preparation plan
Map your older AZ-303 knowledge to the live architect study guide, marking unchanged concepts, changed services and missing objectives. Build decision records and a practical administration foundation. Use Microsoft’s official practice assessment and exam sandbox for the active examination. Avoid dumps, recalled items and any resource claiming access to confidential live questions. Free preparation is useful when it is authorised and explains concepts; cost alone does not establish legitimacy or completeness. Keep previously earned credentials accurately dated on your CV, and describe current practical skills separately from the retired examination.
Official references
Certification requirements and programme terms can change. Use the issuer’s current page and your account to confirm details before applying or paying.