ReadRoost ResearchEditorial
1-2 monthsDifficulty: 8/10Cloud experience
Based on 14 pass reports
- Study time range: Under 8 hours to 8+ weeks
- Most common: 4-8 weeks (30-60+ hours total)
- Consensus: Consistently rated as HARD — first-attempt failure is common
Resources Used
Free
AZ-500 Learning Paths (14 modules, ~18hrs) + Practice AssessmentOfficial Training
Universal foundation — all 14 passers
Free
John Savill's AZ-500 YouTube Playlist + Study Cram (~3hrs)Video Course
Top free video — 7/14 passers (playlist), 5/14 (cram)
Paid
MeasureUp AZ-500 Practice Test (139 questions, $99-119)Practice Exam
'Worth every penny' — 6/14 passers
Free
Microsoft Official AZ-500 Labs on GitHub (14 labs)Hands-On
Essential hands-on — 4/14 passers
Free
Azure Free Account / Own SubscriptionHands-On
Hands-on is NON-NEGOTIABLE — 10/14 passers
Paid
Pluralsight AZ-500 Learning PathVideo Course
Ammar Hasayen's PIM module specifically highlighted — 3/14 passers
Paid
Whizlabs AZ-500 Practice TestsPractice Exam
3/14 passers
Free
Microsoft Azure Security Documentation (deep-dive reference)Official Training
Critical supplement — 8/14 passers
Tips
Hands-on experience is NON-NEGOTIABLE — you cannot pass this with videos and practice tests alone. Focus on Identity & Access Management (Entra ID, RBAC, Conditional Access, PIM). Don't underestimate Defender for Cloud & Sentinel (30-35% of exam). Learn KQL (Kusto Query Language). Know PowerShell, CLI, and ARM templates. Take AZ-104 first.