- A
Application Insights agent to collect counters and send to Application Insights, then create a metric alert.
Why wrong: Application Insights is for application performance monitoring, not OS-level performance counters.
- B
Azure Monitor agent to collect counters and send to Azure Monitor Metrics, then create a metric alert.
Azure Monitor agent can send performance counters directly to Metrics, enabling low-latency metric alerts.
- C
Log Analytics agent to collect counters and send to a Log Analytics workspace, then create a log alert.
Why wrong: Log Analytics agent is deprecated; also log alerts have higher latency than metric alerts.
- D
Azure Diagnostics extension to collect counters and send to Azure Storage, then use Azure Monitor Metrics from storage.
Why wrong: Diagnostics extension sends to storage, not directly to Metrics; adds latency.
Quick Answer
The answer is to use the Azure Monitor agent to collect custom performance counters and send them directly to Azure Monitor Metrics, then create a metric alert. This is correct because the Azure Monitor agent is designed for low-latency ingestion, pushing counter data straight into the Metrics store without the intermediate hop required by the older Log Analytics agent, enabling near-real-time metric alerts that can evaluate a 5-minute window with minimal delay. On the AZ-305 exam, this scenario tests your ability to distinguish between the Azure Monitor agent and the legacy Log Analytics agent, particularly for performance-sensitive monitoring of Azure VMs. A common trap is choosing the Log Analytics agent and then creating a log alert, which introduces higher latency due to log ingestion and query processing. Remember the key distinction: for low-latency custom performance counter alerts, you need the Azure Monitor agent feeding Azure Monitor Metrics, not logs. Memory tip: “Metrics for speed, logs for depth”—when latency matters, go straight to Metrics.
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.
Your company is designing a monitoring solution for a critical line-of-business application running on multiple Azure VMs. The application emits custom performance counters. You need to ingest these counters into Azure Monitor Metrics and create a metric alert when the average value exceeds a threshold over 5 minutes. The solution must minimize latency between counter emission and alert firing. 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 choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
Azure Monitor agent to collect counters and send to Azure Monitor Metrics, then create a metric alert.
The Azure Monitor agent is the correct choice because it can collect custom performance counters and send them directly to Azure Monitor Metrics, which supports near-real-time metric alerts with low latency. This minimizes the delay between counter emission and alert firing, meeting the requirement for a 5-minute evaluation window.
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.
- ✗
Application Insights agent to collect counters and send to Application Insights, then create a metric alert.
Why it's wrong here
Application Insights is for application performance monitoring, not OS-level performance counters.
- ✓
Azure Monitor agent to collect counters and send to Azure Monitor Metrics, then create a metric alert.
Why this is correct
Azure Monitor agent can send performance counters directly to Metrics, enabling low-latency metric 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.
- ✗
Log Analytics agent to collect counters and send to a Log Analytics workspace, then create a log alert.
Why it's wrong here
Log Analytics agent is deprecated; also log alerts have higher latency than metric alerts.
- ✗
Azure Diagnostics extension to collect counters and send to Azure Storage, then use Azure Monitor Metrics from storage.
Why it's wrong here
Diagnostics extension sends to storage, not directly to Metrics; adds latency.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse the Log Analytics agent (which sends to Log Analytics for log alerts) with the Azure Monitor agent (which sends to Metrics for metric alerts), or they incorrectly assume that Application Insights can handle custom performance counters from VMs with low latency.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
The Azure Monitor agent uses the Data Collection Rules (DCR) to define which performance counters to collect and where to send them (e.g., Azure Monitor Metrics). Metrics in Azure Monitor are stored in a time-series database that supports sub-minute granularity and can trigger alerts within 1-5 minutes, depending on the frequency of data collection. This is critical for line-of-business applications where latency in alerting can lead to prolonged downtime or degraded user experience.
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 media company stores terabytes of video archives that are accessed once a year for audit purposes. Moving these objects to a cold storage tier (Azure Archive, S3 Glacier, or Google Nearline) costs a fraction of hot storage. Questions like this test whether you understand storage tiers, access frequency tradeoffs, and retrieval latency requirements.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
- →
Design identity, governance, and monitoring solutions — study guide chapter
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this AZ-305 question test?
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 agent to collect counters and send to Azure Monitor Metrics, then create a metric alert. — The Azure Monitor agent is the correct choice because it can collect custom performance counters and send them directly to Azure Monitor Metrics, which supports near-real-time metric alerts with low latency. This minimizes the delay between counter emission and alert firing, meeting the requirement for a 5-minute evaluation window.
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.
About these practice questions
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Last reviewed: Jun 24, 2026
This AZ-305 practice question is part of Courseiva's free Microsoft certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the AZ-305 exam.
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