STUDY PLAN · AZ-802

AZ-802 study plan

A week-by-week way through Ultra Transcenders AZ-802: Administering Windows Server, chapter by chapter, with the free study notes and the exam skill areas each week covers. Pick a pace; tick weeks off as you go (your ticks stay in this browser).

Amazon.co.ukKindle: coming soonPaperback: coming soon
Amazon.comKindle: coming soonPaperback: coming soon

Due on Amazon in November 2026, in Kindle and paperback editions.

4 weeks8 weeks

3 weeks of reading, about 8–10 hours a week with the book, then a review week.

Week 1chapters 1–6 · about 10 hours

  • Read these chapters:
    • 1. Deploying and managing domain controllers
    • 2. Sites, replication and trusts
    • 3. Security principals and Group Policy
    • 4. Remote management of Windows Server
    • 5. Hybrid management with Azure Arc and Azure services
    • 6. Hyper-V virtual machines
  • After each chapter, cover its key takeaways and explain each one out loud. Re-read any you can’t.
  • Look up any unfamiliar term in the AZ-802 glossary.

Exam skill areas this week: Deploy and manage AD DS · 20–25%Manage Windows Server instances and workloads in a hybrid environment · 10–15%Manage VMs · 10–15%Monitor and troubleshoot Windows Server environments · 15–20%

Week 2chapters 7–11 · about 9 hours

Exam skill areas this week: Manage VMs · 10–15%Implement and manage an on-premises and hybrid networking infrastructure · 10–15%Manage storage and file services · 15–20%

Week 3chapters 12–15 · about 8 hours

Exam skill areas this week: Secure Windows Server infrastructure · 10–15%Monitor and troubleshoot Windows Server environments · 15–20%

Week 4review

  • Go back through every chapter’s key takeaways. Anything you can’t explain without looking, re-read that section.
  • Re-read the common-trap callouts: they mark the answers that look right but aren’t.
  • Check the exam coverage map against Microsoft’s own outline, in case it has changed since the book was checked.
  • Take Microsoft’s free practice assessment, if your exam has one, from the official AZ-802 study guide page. Revisit the chapters behind any weak area.
  • Try the exam sandbox to get used to the exam’s screens and question formats.
  • Get the free exam-day checklist and work through it a few days before your exam.

7 weeks of reading, about 3–5 hours a week with the book, then a review week.

Week 1chapters 1–3 · about 3 hours

  • Read these chapters:
    • 1. Deploying and managing domain controllers
    • 2. Sites, replication and trusts
    • 3. Security principals and Group Policy
  • After each chapter, cover its key takeaways and explain each one out loud. Re-read any you can’t.
  • Look up any unfamiliar term in the AZ-802 glossary.

Exam skill areas this week: Deploy and manage AD DS · 20–25%Monitor and troubleshoot Windows Server environments · 15–20%

Week 2chapters 4–5 · about 4 hours

  • Read these chapters:
    • 4. Remote management of Windows Server
    • 5. Hybrid management with Azure Arc and Azure services
  • After each chapter, cover its key takeaways and explain each one out loud. Re-read any you can’t.
  • Look up any unfamiliar term in the AZ-802 glossary.

Exam skill areas this week: Manage Windows Server instances and workloads in a hybrid environment · 10–15%Manage VMs · 10–15%

Week 3chapters 6–7 · about 3 hours

  • Read these chapters:
    • 6. Hyper-V virtual machines
    • 7. Windows Server VMs in Azure
  • After each chapter, cover its key takeaways and explain each one out loud. Re-read any you can’t.
  • Look up any unfamiliar term in the AZ-802 glossary.

Exam skill areas this week: Manage VMs · 10–15%

Week 4chapters 8–9 · about 5 hours

  • Read these chapters:
    • 8. DNS and DHCP
    • 9. Azure Files and Azure File Sync
  • After each chapter, cover its key takeaways and explain each one out loud. Re-read any you can’t.
  • Free study notes for this week: DHCP failover: load balance vs hot standby.
  • Look up any unfamiliar term in the AZ-802 glossary.

Exam skill areas this week: Implement and manage an on-premises and hybrid networking infrastructure · 10–15%Manage storage and file services · 15–20%

Week 5chapters 10–11 · about 4 hours

Exam skill areas this week: Manage storage and file services · 15–20%

Week 6chapters 12–13 · about 5 hours

Exam skill areas this week: Secure Windows Server infrastructure · 10–15%

Week 7chapters 14–15 · about 3 hours

  • Read these chapters:
    • 14. Monitoring Windows Server
    • 15. Troubleshooting Windows Server and Active Directory
  • After each chapter, cover its key takeaways and explain each one out loud. Re-read any you can’t.
  • Look up any unfamiliar term in the AZ-802 glossary.

Exam skill areas this week: Monitor and troubleshoot Windows Server environments · 15–20%

Week 8review

  • Go back through every chapter’s key takeaways. Anything you can’t explain without looking, re-read that section.
  • Re-read the common-trap callouts: they mark the answers that look right but aren’t.
  • Check the exam coverage map against Microsoft’s own outline, in case it has changed since the book was checked.
  • Take Microsoft’s free practice assessment, if your exam has one, from the official AZ-802 study guide page. Revisit the chapters behind any weak area.
  • Try the exam sandbox to get used to the exam’s screens and question formats.
  • Get the free exam-day checklist and work through it a few days before your exam.

The hours are a rough guide to reading time with the book. Add hands-on practice as you go: some hands-on time in Azure makes every chapter stick.

About the book · All AZ-802 study notes · Which certification, which book?

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