
Explanation:

In Microsoft Entra Conditional Access, policy evaluation occurs after the user successfully completes first- factor authentication (for example, username + password or Windows Hello for Business key). Microsoft Learn explains that Conditional Access "is the tool used by Azure AD to bring signals together, make decisions, and enforce organizational policies" and that it's applied "after the first-factor authentication is completed." Once primary authentication succeeds, Conditional Access evaluates signals like user, device state, location, risk (from Identity Protection), and application, and then enforces controls such as requiring MFA, blocking access, or applying session controls.
This design ensures Conditional Access does not replace primary authentication and is not enforced before or during the initial credential verification. Instead, it adds a second policy decision point that can demand stronger proof (e.g., MFA), restrict access paths, or limit sessions. Therefore, "after" is correct, while
"before," "during," or "instead of" first-factor authentication are incorrect because Conditional Access relies on the initial sign-in to collect the necessary signals and then applies the configured access decisions and protections.