The answer is Microsoft Entra Privileged Identity Management (PIM) for just-in-time elevation and Microsoft Entra access reviews for periodic validation. PIM enables time-bound, approval-based activation of privileged roles like Global Administrator, ensuring administrators only hold elevated permissions when actively needed and for a limited duration, which directly satisfies the just-in-time requirement. Access reviews then automate recurring attestation of each privileged user’s continued need for their role, addressing the periodic validation mandate. On the AZ-305 exam, this pairing tests your ability to separate the “how” of temporary elevation from the “who still needs it” governance layer—a common trap is choosing Azure AD Conditional Access or Azure Policy instead, which handle access control and compliance, not role activation or review cycles. Remember the mnemonic “PIM for the time, Reviews for the line”—PIM controls the timing of elevation, while Reviews draw the line on who stays privileged.
AZ-305 Practice Question: Design identity, governance, and monitoring solutions
This AZ-305 practice question tests your understanding of design identity, governance, and monitoring solutions. Match the stated requirement to the specific cloud service, access model, or configuration option — many options are valid in isolation but not for this scenario. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
An enterprise wants just-in-time elevation for Azure administrators and periodic validation that privileged users still require access. Which two Microsoft Entra features should you recommend? (Choose 2.)
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Microsoft Entra Privileged Identity Management.
Microsoft Entra Privileged Identity Management (PIM) provides just-in-time (JIT) elevation by allowing time-bound and approval-based activation of privileged roles, such as Global Administrator. This ensures administrators only gain elevated permissions when needed and for a limited duration, directly addressing the requirement for JIT elevation.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
✓
Microsoft Entra Privileged Identity Management.
Why this is correct
PIM supports eligible assignments, approvals, MFA, and time-bound activation.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✓
Microsoft Entra access reviews.
Why this is correct
Access reviews allow periodic recertification of access.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Microsoft Entra Domain Services.
Why it's wrong here
Domain Services provides managed domain services for legacy workloads, not JIT Azure role elevation.
✗
Azure Policy guest configuration.
Why it's wrong here
Guest configuration audits VM settings, not administrator role lifecycle.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is confusing Microsoft Entra Domain Services (a legacy domain join service) with identity governance features, or assuming Azure Policy guest configuration can manage user access reviews instead of VM configuration compliance.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
PIM integrates with Microsoft Entra ID to enforce role activation policies, including multi-factor authentication, approval workflows, and maximum activation duration (typically 1–8 hours). Access reviews leverage the Microsoft Graph API to automate recurring attestation of group memberships or role assignments, with results that can automatically remove users who no longer need access, supporting the principle of least privilege.
KKey Concepts to Remember
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
TExam Day Tips
→Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
→Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A company's IT admin needs to give a contractor read-only access to production logs without sharing account credentials. Using role-based access control (RBAC) and temporary scoped permissions — not a permanent shared password — is the correct pattern. Questions like this test whether you can apply least-privilege access across cloud identity services.
Related glossary terms
Concepts from this question explained
These glossary pages explain the core terms tested in this AZ-305 question in full detail.
Design identity, governance, and monitoring solutions — This question tests Design identity, governance, and monitoring solutions — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Microsoft Entra Privileged Identity Management. — Microsoft Entra Privileged Identity Management (PIM) provides just-in-time (JIT) elevation by allowing time-bound and approval-based activation of privileged roles, such as Global Administrator. This ensures administrators only gain elevated permissions when needed and for a limited duration, directly addressing the requirement for JIT elevation.
What should I do if I get this AZ-305 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Question Discussion
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