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AWS Associate Certification Exams – Preparation – Sample Questions

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AWS Associate Certification Exams – Preparation & Study Guide

📋 2026 Certification Update

AWS certifications have undergone significant changes since this post was originally written. Key updates include:

  • AWS Certified SysOps Administrator – Associate (SOA-C02) was retired on September 29, 2025 and replaced by the AWS Certified CloudOps Engineer – Associate (SOA-C03)
  • AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate is now on exam version SAA-C03 (updated August 2022)
  • AWS now offers 12+ active certifications including new AI/ML certifications
  • AWS Skill Builder is now the primary official training platform with 900+ free courses

This guide has been updated to reflect current exam versions, resources, and preparation strategies.

AWS Certification Landscape (2026)

AWS currently offers certifications across four levels:

Foundational (No prerequisite experience)

  • AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner (CLF-C02) – Cloud concepts, billing, security – $100, 90 mins, 65 questions
  • AWS Certified AI Practitioner (AIF-C01) – AI/ML/GenAI concepts and use cases – $100, 90 mins, 65 questions

Associate (1+ year hands-on experience recommended)

  • AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate (SAA-C03) – Architecture design – $150, 130 mins, 65 questions
  • AWS Certified Developer – Associate (DVA-C02) – Application development – $150, 130 mins, 65 questions
  • AWS Certified CloudOps Engineer – Associate (SOA-C03) – Cloud operations (formerly SysOps Administrator) – $150, 130 mins, 65 questions
  • AWS Certified Data Engineer – Associate (DEA-C01) – Data pipelines and analytics – $150, 130 mins, 65 questions
  • AWS Certified Machine Learning Engineer – Associate (MLA-C01) – ML solutions and pipelines – $150, 130 mins, 65 questions

Professional (2+ years experience recommended)

  • AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Professional (SAP-C02) – $300, 180 mins, 75 questions
  • AWS Certified DevOps Engineer – Professional (DOP-C02) – $300, 180 mins, 75 questions
  • AWS Certified Generative AI Developer – Professional – Foundation models, RAG, responsible AI – $300

Specialty

  • AWS Certified Security – Specialty (SCS-C02) – $300, 170 mins, 65 questions
  • AWS Certified Advanced Networking – Specialty (ANS-C01) – $300, 170 mins, 65 questions

Note: AWS Certified Machine Learning – Specialty was retired March 31, 2026, replaced by the ML Engineer Associate certification.

AWS Associate Certification Exam Preparation (2026 Guide)

AWS Associate certifications remain the most popular entry point for cloud professionals. Here is a comprehensive preparation strategy based on the current exam formats:

Recommended Preparation Resources

    • Official AWS Resources:
      • AWS Certification Preparation page – Start here for official exam guides, sample questions, and prep plans
      • AWS Skill Builder – 900+ free self-paced courses, plus paid subscription for enhanced exam prep, labs, and practice exams
      • AWS Certification Exam Guides – Official exam domains, objectives, and recommended knowledge
      • AWS Free Tier account – Hands-on practice remains essential; the Free Tier provides 12 months of limited free usage for key services
    • Top Online Courses (2026):
    • Practice Exams:
      • AWS Official Practice Exams – Available free on AWS Skill Builder (Practice Question Sets) and paid full-length practice exams
      • Tutorials Dojo – Industry-leading practice tests with comprehensive explanations
      • Whizlabs AWS Solutions Architect Associate – Practice exams with hands-on labs
    • Important Whitepapers & FAQs:
    • Note: Qwiklabs (previously an AWS training resource) was acquired by Google in 2016 and rebranded as Google Cloud Skills Boost (now Google Skills). It no longer provides AWS labs. Use AWS Skill Builder for official hands-on labs.

Exam Preparation Tips

  • AWS Associate certifications cover a broad range of services but focus heavily on architectural decision-making rather than memorization
  • The SAA-C03 exam emphasizes the Well-Architected Framework pillars: Operational Excellence, Security, Reliability, Performance Efficiency, Cost Optimization, and Sustainability
  • Hands-on experience is highly recommended – use the AWS Free Tier to practice with core services
  • AWS services are updated continuously; the exam tests current best practices and service capabilities
  • Focus on understanding when to use which service rather than deep implementation details for Associate-level exams
  • All Associate exams are 65 questions in 130 minutes (approximately 2 minutes per question)
  • A scaled score of 720 out of 1000 is required to pass
  • Exam Time Tip: Only mark questions you genuinely doubt as “Mark for Review.” Marking too many wastes valuable review time
  • After passing, you receive a 50% discount voucher for your next AWS certification exam and a free official practice exam

AWS Solutions Architect Associate (SAA-C03) – Exam Domains

The SAA-C03 exam (current version since August 2022) covers four domains:

  • Domain 1: Design Secure Architectures (30%)
    • Secure access to AWS resources
    • Secure workloads and applications
    • Determine appropriate data security controls
  • Domain 2: Design Resilient Architectures (26%)
    • Scalable and loosely coupled architectures
    • Highly available and fault-tolerant architectures
  • Domain 3: Design High-Performing Architectures (24%)
    • Storage, compute, database, and networking solutions for performance
  • Domain 4: Design Cost-Optimized Architectures (20%)
    • Cost-effective storage, compute, and database solutions
    • Cost-effective network architectures

AWS CloudOps Engineer Associate (SOA-C03) – Formerly SysOps Administrator

⚠️ Important: The AWS Certified SysOps Administrator – Associate (SOA-C02) was retired on September 29, 2025. It has been replaced by the AWS Certified CloudOps Engineer – Associate (SOA-C03). The new exam reflects modern cloud operations practices including automation, observability, and infrastructure as code.

The CloudOps Engineer exam focuses on:

  • Monitoring, logging, and observability
  • Automation and infrastructure as code
  • Security and compliance operations
  • Reliability and business continuity
  • Cost and performance optimization
  • Networking and content delivery operations

AWS Associate Certification – Important Topics

💡 Note: AWS SWF (Simple Workflow Service) is a legacy service rarely tested in current exams. AWS Step Functions is the modern replacement and is heavily tested in SAA-C03 and DVA-C02.

Preparation Strategy – Week-by-Week Plan

For candidates with some AWS hands-on experience, a 4-8 week study plan works well:

  • Weeks 1-2: Complete a video course (Stéphane Maarek or Adrian Cantrill) covering all domains
  • Weeks 3-4: Read AWS documentation for key services, practice with the Free Tier, review FAQs
  • Weeks 5-6: Take practice exams (Tutorials Dojo, Whizlabs, or AWS official), review incorrect answers thoroughly
  • Weeks 7-8: Focus on weak areas, retake practice exams targeting 80%+, review whitepapers

Target Score: Aim for consistently scoring 80%+ on practice exams before scheduling your real exam.

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