The correct answer is to use Azure Migrate to discover and assess the on-premises environment, generating sizing and cost recommendations. This is because Azure Migrate performs a dependency-aware discovery of your servers, collecting performance data like CPU, memory, and disk IOPS to right-size Azure VM SKUs and provide a detailed cost estimation for migration, directly addressing the need for accurate sizing and budgeting within a tight three-month timeline. On the AZ-305 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of the assessment phase in a migration strategy, often appearing as a trap where candidates confuse Azure Migrate with Azure Advisor (which optimizes existing resources) or Azure Cost Management (which tracks spending post-migration). The key distinction is that Azure Migrate is the only tool that combines discovery, performance-based sizing, and cost estimation for pre-migration planning. Remember the mnemonic: **MACS** – Migrate, Assess, Cost, Size – to recall that Azure Migrate handles all four steps in one tool.
AZ-305 Design infrastructure solutions Practice Question
This AZ-305 practice question tests your understanding of design infrastructure 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 planning to migrate a large number of on-premises servers to Azure. The migration must be completed within 3 months. You need to assess the current on-premises environment and recommend the most appropriate Azure VM sizes and costs. What should you do?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Use Azure Migrate to discover and assess the on-premises environment, and generate sizing and cost recommendations.
Option A is correct because Azure Migrate provides assessment, sizing recommendations, and cost estimates. Option B (Azure Advisor) is for optimization of existing resources. Option C (Azure Cost Management) is for cost analysis. Option D (manual inventory) is time-consuming and error-prone.
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.
✗
Create a manual inventory of all servers and use Azure Pricing Calculator to estimate costs.
Why it's wrong here
Manual inventory is inefficient and prone to errors.
✓
Use Azure Migrate to discover and assess the on-premises environment, and generate sizing and cost recommendations.
Why this is correct
Azure Migrate is the tool for migration assessment and planning.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Use Azure Advisor to analyze on-premises server usage and recommend Azure VM sizes.
Why it's wrong here
Azure Advisor does not discover on-premises servers.
✗
Use Azure Cost Management to estimate costs based on manual input of server specifications.
Why it's wrong here
Cost Management does not provide discovery or sizing.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Many certification questions include familiar terms but test a specific constraint. Read the exact wording before choosing an answer that is generally true but wrong for this case.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
This question should be treated as a scenario, not a definition check. Identify the problem, the constraint and the best action. Then compare each option against those facts.
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.
Use explanations to understand the rule behind the answer.
TExam Day Tips
→Underline the problem statement mentally.
→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 startup's cloud architect reviews their monthly bill and notices costs are higher than expected for a long-running batch job. Switching from on-demand instances to Reserved Instances — or using Spot/Preemptible VMs — can reduce compute costs by up to 72 %. Questions like this test whether you understand the tradeoffs between commitment, flexibility, and cost across cloud pricing models.
Related glossary terms
Concepts from this question explained
These glossary pages explain the core terms tested in this AZ-305 question in full detail.
Identify which AZ-305 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
Design infrastructure solutions — This question tests Design infrastructure solutions — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Use Azure Migrate to discover and assess the on-premises environment, and generate sizing and cost recommendations. — Option A is correct because Azure Migrate provides assessment, sizing recommendations, and cost estimates. Option B (Azure Advisor) is for optimization of existing resources. Option C (Azure Cost Management) is for cost analysis. Option D (manual inventory) is time-consuming and error-prone.
What should I do if I get this AZ-305 question wrong?
Identify which AZ-305 exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
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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