Am I Ready for AZ-140? Exam Readiness Checklist (2026)
Tick what you can do today, without notes. The board scores you against the Microsoft outline and says GO, HOLD or NO-GO before you spend US$165 on a booking.
- Not publishedQuestions
- 100 minTime
- 700 / 1000Pass mark
- US$165Fee
- Pearson VUEDelivery
Table of Contents
AZ-140 is Microsoft's specialty exam for Azure Virtual Desktop and earns Microsoft Certified: Azure Virtual Desktop Specialty. It suits server and desktop administrators who already know Azure compute, networking, identity and storage and now run AVD: host pools, session host images, FSLogix profiles, app delivery, and the security and monitoring around them. The current skills outline took effect on 20 July 2026.
Being ready means you have built a host pool yourself, not just watched one being built. Infrastructure alone is 40-45% of the exam, so networking, storage, host pool design and images must be solid before anything else. If you can deploy a pooled host pool from a custom image, put profiles on Azure Files with FSLogix, publish a RemoteApp and set up autoscaling without a walkthrough, you are close. The checklist below is weighted by the official outline, so a gap in infrastructure costs far more than a gap in monitoring.
How to use this checklist
Tick only what you can do today, without notes. Each tick is weighted by its domain's share of the official outline, so the score follows the exam, not the number of boxes. A heavy domain (15%+ of the weight) at NO-GO holds the verdict even when the total looks fine. Your ticks are saved in this browser only.
The AZ-140 readiness checklist
18 items across 4 domains, each one a thing the exam expects you to do rather than recognise.
Your go / no-go board
One lamp per domain, one verdict overall. Amber and red rows are your study plan for the next week or two.
Check your ticks under exam conditions
A tick is a claim; a timed set of questions is the evidence. ExamCert AI has 800+ exam-style AZ-140 questions with an explanation for every option. Do a mixed set and see whether the domains you ticked hold up.
Practise on ExamCert AIFree AZ-140 practice testRed flags: don't book yet if...
Any one of these on the AZ-140 is a better predictor of a fail than a low tick count.
You have never deployed a host pool yourself
AVD questions turn on details such as registration, load-balancing modes and the order of image, host pool and application group steps. The certification page also warns the exam may include interactive components.
Fix:Build a small lab in a pay-as-you-go subscription: one pooled host pool, one personal host pool and FSLogix on Azure Files. Delete it afterwards to control cost.
Your infrastructure domain is weak
Infrastructure is 40-45% of AZ-140, close to half the exam. Weak networking, storage, host pool design or image skills can sink you even with strong apps and monitoring.
Fix:Give roughly half your remaining study time to that domain and re-test it on its own in Microsoft's free Practice Assessment.
FSLogix is still a black box
Profile containers, ODFC, Cloud Cache, share permissions and the identity model interact, and many scenarios hinge on why a profile fails to attach or load.
Fix:Break it on purpose in the lab: wrong share permissions, missing identity-based access, a locked VHDX. Note how each failure shows up for the user.
You are studying from an older outline
Microsoft revised AZ-140 on 20 July 2026, with minor changes to identity, security, FSLogix, client settings and app objectives. Older courses may still use retired names such as MSIX app attach or Azure AD join.
Fix:Check every topic against the current study guide before booking, and trust the AVD documentation over older videos for renamed features.
Licensing questions trip you up
The outline asks you to recommend a licensing model and configure licensing for session hosts, including Windows client eligibility and RDS CAL requirements for Windows Server. These are easy marks if learned and lost if guessed.
Fix:Make a one-page table: internal versus external users, Windows multi-session versus Windows Server hosts, and the licence each case needs.
The numbers that say you're ready
Rules of thumb, not official thresholds: Microsoft does not publish a readiness score. Hit all four before you pay for a booking.
Rule of thumb, not an official cut score. The free AZ-140 assessment draws from a pool, so two strong attempts on different days point to understanding rather than recall.
Rule of thumb. Deploying a pooled host pool from a custom image, with FSLogix and a published RemoteApp, inside an hour shows the steps are habit rather than lookup.
Rule of thumb. At 40-45% of the exam this domain carries the most weight, so it needs a higher bar than the lighter domains.
Rule of thumb. Diagnose a failed connection, a profile that will not load and a missing RemoteApp using AVD Insights and logs, without a guide.
Booking and ID checklist
The logistics that trip people up are specific to the AZ-140 and its delivery provider. Work through them in order.
Set up your certification profile
Sign in to Microsoft Learn with a personal Microsoft account; Microsoft warns that records on a work or school account can be lost if you leave. Make the profile name match your government ID exactly.
Check the language and accommodations
AZ-140 is offered in English, German, Spanish, French, Japanese, Portuguese (Brazil) and Chinese (Simplified). If yours is not listed, request an extra 30 minutes; any accommodation must be approved before you book.
Book through Pearson VUE
Use Schedule exam on the certification page and choose a test centre or online (OnVUE). The US price is US$165; other countries differ and tax may apply. Apply any voucher or Exam Replay offer at checkout.
Try the exam sandbox
Walk through Microsoft's exam sandbox to practise the question types, review screen and navigation, so the interface costs you no time on the day.
Run the OnVUE system test
For online delivery, run Pearson VUE's system test on the same computer, network and room you will use. A personal machine with admin rights avoids corporate VPNs and security agents that block the secure browser.
Last chance to move the slot
Reschedule or cancel from your Learn profile at least 24 hours ahead. Later than that, the fee or voucher is forfeited.
Check in on time
Online, check in from 30 minutes before to 15 minutes after your start via Learn profile, Certifications, Go to the exam. At a centre, arrive early with ID whose name matches your profile.
Exam-week countdown: T-7 to T-0
Sit Microsoft's free AZ-140 Practice Assessment timed and sort every miss by domain. Rebuild the weakest piece, such as an image version or FSLogix share, in your lab.
Review your licensing table, the identity scenario requirements and autoscaling phases. Delete lab resources you no longer need so they stop billing.
No new topics. Rerun the OnVUE system test or check the route to the centre, confirm your ID name matches your profile, clear the desk and sleep.
Read each scenario for the deciding constraint first, such as pooled or personal, identity type or region. Flag anything slow, keep time for review, and finish open questions before any break.
Test-day rules
✓ Allowed / expected
- One current government-issued photo ID whose name exactly matches your Microsoft certification profile
- Unscheduled breaks through the Take a break button; the clock keeps running and 5 minutes are built into the exam time
- Pearson VUE's digital whiteboard online, or the note board provided at a test centre
- A drink in a clear, spill-proof container during an online exam
- Your phone placed out of arm's reach but within hearing, in case the online proctor needs to call
✕ Not allowed
- Phones, watches, notes, pens, paper or extra monitors within reach during an online exam
- Anyone else in the room, or help from another person or any AI tool
- Going back to questions you viewed before taking a break
- Copying, recording or sharing exam content; Microsoft can decertify and ban candidates
- Eating, smoking or chewing gum without an approved accommodation
After you pass
Score in minutes
Most Microsoft exams show pass or fail and a score report within minutes (about 30 minutes when labs are included). The report has a bar chart by skill area and reaches your Learn profile within 24 hours.
Credential in your Learn profile
Azure Virtual Desktop Specialty appears under Credentials in your Microsoft Learn profile with an Online Verifiable tag, ready to share on LinkedIn, by link or as a printed certificate.
Free renewal every year
The certification lasts 12 months. In the six months before it expires, pass a free, unproctored, open-book renewal assessment on Microsoft Learn; you can retake it as often as needed before the expiry date.
The AZ-140 at a glance
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Questions | Not published for AZ-140; Microsoft says most of its exams have 40-60 questions |
| Time | 100 minutes of exam time (stated on the certification page); seat time is about 20 minutes longer. The exam may include interactive components |
| Passing score | 700 on a scaled 1-1,000 score (not the same as 70% correct) |
| Fee | US$165 in the United States; price varies by country or region and excludes tax |
| Delivery | Pearson VUE test centre or online proctored (OnVUE) |
| Retakes | 24 hours after a first fail, then 14 days between later attempts; no more than 5 attempts in 12 months; each retake is paid |
| Results | Pass/fail and a score report within minutes of finishing (about 30 minutes if labs are included); in your Learn profile within 24 hours |
| Validity and renewal | 12 months; renew free with an unproctored, open-book Microsoft Learn assessment in the 6 months before expiry |
Turn the amber rows green
Work AZ-140 questions by domain, starting with whatever the board marked HOLD or NO-GO, then tick again.
Practise on ExamCert AIFree AZ-140 practice testFAQ
How long is the AZ-140 exam and how many questions are there?
Microsoft's certification page gives 100 minutes to complete AZ-140, with seat time about 20 minutes longer for instructions and the agreement. Microsoft does not publish a question count for this exam; its general guidance says most exams have 40 to 60 questions. The page also says you may have interactive components to complete, so practise hands-on, not just multiple choice.
Do I need AZ-104 before AZ-140?
No. The Azure Virtual Desktop Specialty lists no prerequisite certification, and you only need to pass AZ-140. Microsoft does expect working experience with Azure compute, networking, identity, storage and resiliency, plus the portal, templates and scripting. If those are new to you, the Azure Administrator material is a sensible foundation, but it is not required.
What changed in the July 2026 AZ-140 update?
Microsoft revised the outline on 20 July 2026 and rated every change as minor: the audience profile, identity integration, security, FSLogix, user experience and client settings, and app installation objectives were edited. No functional group was added or removed. Study from the current study guide, which reflects the new wording, and check that older courses match it.
Can I use Microsoft Learn during AZ-140?
Microsoft documents a split-screen Microsoft Learn pane for associate and expert role-based exams. AZ-140 is a specialty exam, which that page does not name, so check the exam's intro screens on the day rather than planning around it. Even where it is available, the clock keeps running and no time is added.
What happens if I fail AZ-140?
You can retake it 24 hours after a first failed attempt, then must wait 14 days between later attempts, with no more than five attempts in 12 months. Each retake is paid unless you bought an Exam Replay offer. Use the score report's bar chart to find weak skill areas; Microsoft does not reveal which questions you missed.
Sources
Figures on this page come from Microsoft and the other primary sources below:
- Microsoft Certified: Azure Virtual Desktop Specialty (Exam AZ-140)
- Study guide for Exam AZ-140
- Exam duration and exam experience
- Exam scoring and score reports
- Exam and Applied Skills retake policies
- Reschedule and cancellation policies
- About online exams with Pearson VUE
- Microsoft Certification renewal
Checked October 14, 2026. Fees, outlines and eligibility rules change — confirm with Microsoft before you book.