The answer is an Azure Monitor metric alert configured with a dynamic threshold, a 5-minute evaluation frequency, and a requirement for two consecutive breaches. This combination is correct because the dynamic threshold adapts to the application’s normal CPU patterns, automatically filtering out transient spikes and minimizing false alerts, while the two consecutive breaches ensure that the 10-minute intermittent high CPU event is detected within 5 minutes of its start—the first breach triggers the next evaluation, and if the second consecutive breach occurs, the alert fires immediately. On the AZ-305 exam, this scenario tests your ability to balance sensitivity and noise reduction for intermittent workloads, a common trap being to choose a static threshold or a single breach, which would cause false positives or missed notifications. Remember the memory tip: “Two strikes, five-minute clock” — two consecutive breaches at a five-minute frequency catch a ten-minute event within five minutes.
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.
You are designing a monitoring solution for a critical application hosted on Azure Virtual Machines. The application experiences intermittent high CPU usage that lasts for 10 minutes. You need to be notified within 5 minutes of the start of each occurrence. The solution must minimize false alerts. What should you use?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "minimum / minimize"
Why it matters: Asks for the least resource use — fewest addresses, smallest subnet, lowest overhead. Eliminate over-provisioned options even if they would technically work.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Azure Monitor metric alert with a dynamic threshold and 5-minute frequency, alert on 2 consecutive breaches
Option C is correct because it uses a dynamic threshold that adapts to normal CPU patterns, reducing false alerts, and the 5-minute frequency with a requirement for 2 consecutive breaches ensures that the 10-minute event is detected within 5 minutes of its start (since the first breach triggers the second evaluation after 5 minutes, and if the second consecutive breach occurs, the alert fires). This matches the requirement for notification within 5 minutes while minimizing false positives.
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.
✗
Azure Monitor log alert querying Perf table every 1 minute
Why it's wrong here
Log alerts have ingestion and query latency, delaying notification.
✗
Create an Azure Monitor action group that sends email
Why it's wrong here
Action groups are notification channels, not alert conditions.
✓
Azure Monitor metric alert with a dynamic threshold and 5-minute frequency, alert on 2 consecutive breaches
Why this is correct
Dynamic threshold adapts to patterns, and requiring 2 consecutive breaches reduces false alerts.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "minimum / minimize" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Azure Monitor metric alert with a static threshold of 90% CPU
Why it's wrong here
Static thresholds can cause false alerts if the baseline varies.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often choose a static threshold (Option D) or a high-frequency log query (Option A) without considering the need to minimize false alerts, overlooking the dynamic threshold and consecutive breach requirement that directly address the 10-minute duration and 5-minute notification window.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Azure Monitor metric alerts with dynamic thresholds use machine learning to model historical patterns and detect anomalies, automatically adjusting the threshold based on seasonal trends. The 'alert on 2 consecutive breaches' setting requires the metric to violate the threshold in two successive evaluation windows, which for a 5-minute frequency means the alert fires after 10 minutes of sustained high CPU, matching the event duration and ensuring notification within 5 minutes of the start (since the second breach is detected at the 10-minute mark, but the alert fires immediately after the second evaluation). This approach is ideal for intermittent issues where static thresholds would cause alert fatigue.
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
An e-commerce site experiences heavy traffic on Black Friday and near-zero traffic during off-peak weeks. Rather than provisioning permanent large VMs, the team uses auto-scaling groups that add capacity automatically under load and reduce it overnight. Questions like this test whether you understand elasticity, availability zones, and cloud compute scaling patterns.
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: Azure Monitor metric alert with a dynamic threshold and 5-minute frequency, alert on 2 consecutive breaches — Option C is correct because it uses a dynamic threshold that adapts to normal CPU patterns, reducing false alerts, and the 5-minute frequency with a requirement for 2 consecutive breaches ensures that the 10-minute event is detected within 5 minutes of its start (since the first breach triggers the second evaluation after 5 minutes, and if the second consecutive breach occurs, the alert fires). This matches the requirement for notification within 5 minutes while minimizing false positives.
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.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "minimum / minimize". Asks for the least resource use — fewest addresses, smallest subnet, lowest overhead. Eliminate over-provisioned options even if they would technically work.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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