How To Become AWS Certified: Engineer’s Field Guide
Anyone working in infrastructure today knows AWS certification isn’t a checkbox—it’s a lever. Whether you’re migrating legacy workloads or automating deployments via IaC, AWS validates your skills in environments that matter. Here’s how to approach certification for real results, with examples drawn from production workloads.
Selecting Your Target Certification
AWS splits their certifications by skill and function. The landscape, as of 2024:
| Level | Certification Name | Typical Audience |
|---|---|---|
| Foundational | AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner | Non-technical or entry technical |
| Associate | Solutions Architect, Developer, SysOps Administrator | Engineers with ~1 year AWS experience |
| Professional | Solutions Architect, DevOps Engineer | Sr. Eng./Architect, 2+ years hands-on |
| Specialty | Security, Advanced Networking, Data Analytics, etc. | Niche, deep technical experience |
Note: Foundational is non-technical; skip it if you’re already deploying infra with Terraform, CloudFormation, or even raw AWS CLI. Most engineers go straight for Solutions Architect Associate.
Analyzing the Exam Blueprint
Don’t rely on “study everything.” Grab the exam guide PDF from AWS Certification. Dissect the percentages per domain. For SAA-C03, as of Q2 2024:
- Design Secure Architectures (~30%)
- Design Resilient Architectures (~26%)
- Design High-Performing Architectures (~24%)
- Design Cost-Optimized Architectures (~20%)
Exam structure:
- 65 multiple-choice/multiple-response questions
- 130 minutes
- Passing is scaled (approx 720/1000) but not published exactly
- Taken via Pearson VUE, either in testing center or proctored online
Expect scenario-driven questions (“A company has…”) rather than rote memorization.
Essential Study Materials & Strategies
Skip generic blog lists. What actually works:
Official and Free
- AWS Skill Builder: Free digital courses (updated with each exam change).
- AWS Whitepapers: Read “Well-Architected Framework” and “Security Best Practices”. The Storage Options whitepaper is overlooked but often tested.
- AWS CLI: Practice via CLI, e.g.
aws s3 mb s3://my-bucket --region us-east-1 aws ec2 describe-instances --filters Name=instance-type,Values=t3.micro
Paid (If you need structure)
- A Cloud Guru/Learn: Good for hands-on labs.
- Stephane Maarek’s Udemy courses: Updated per exam revision; his practice tests resemble actual questions.
Real Practice (critical step)
AWS offers Free Tier for 12 months. Focus on:
- IAM: Create least-privilege role, attach policy, simulate API calls.
- VPC: Build a VPC with 2 subnets. Try to launch an EC2 that can only access S3 via VPC endpoint.
- Lambda + API Gateway: Build a trivial integration. Get stuck, debug the IAM trust policy—this will appear in scenario questions.
Known issue: AWS Console UI changes frequently; expect discrepancies between course material and current console screens.
Constructing Your Study Plan
Set goals. Don’t “binge-watch.” Realistic outline for Solutions Architect Associate:
| Week | Objective | Side Note |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Read exam guide, set up AWS Free Tier | Confirm cost alerts |
| 2 | Core AWS services: IAM, EC2, S3, VPC | Run CLI commands vs Console |
| 3 | High Availability, Resilience, Auto Scaling | HA config in actual console |
| 4 | Security (KMS, key policies, encryption) | Mistakes here tank real exams |
| 5 | Review whitepapers, build/tear-down labs | Try breaking/denying access |
| 6 | Full-length practice test, remediate weak domains | Simulate time pressure |
Expect to hit sticking points—don’t skip them. For example, VPC endpoints (interface vs gateway) trip up even experienced engineers.
Practice Exams: Your Benchmark
Don’t just take them—analyze every miss. Look for patterns:
Sample error from practice test:
"You are not authorized to perform: sts:AssumeRole"
Investigate: Did the trust policy lack correct Principal? Fix it, retry. This feedback loop is more valuable than passive reading.
AWS also has official practice questions (~$20)—worth it for format familiarity.
Exam Day: Logistics and Mindset
- Schedule ahead; slots fill quickly at month’s end.
- For in-person: bring two IDs, arrive early; Pearson’s security is strict.
- For online: single monitor, clean desk, webcam required. They may ask you to pan the room.
- Read each question slowly. AWS likes distractors (choose the “most cost-effective” or “simplest” solution). Sometimes all answers are viable except for one minor catch.
Post-Certification: Leverage Your Skills
Don’t just post a badge. Apply knowledge:
- Automate a deployment pipeline (AWS CodePipeline + CloudFormation/terraform).
- Propose an S3 lifecycle policy improvement at your job.
- Volunteer for cost optimization review; AWS exams drill this hard for a reason.
Non-Obvious Tip (from field experience)
Learn to read CloudWatch and AWS error messages fluently. Real exam questions paraphrase these. E.g.,
“AccessDenied: User is not authorized to perform: s3:PutObject on resource xyz.”
If you’ve seen this for real, you’ll spot policy config errors in scenario questions instantly.
Alternative Paths
For rapid validation, take Cloud Practitioner (CLF-C02)—but know it’s HR-level, not engineering depth.
Summary: AWS certification rewards those who combine theory, hands-on practice, and real troubleshooting. Don’t chase perfect scores; chase confident AWS design and debugging skill. That’s what yields value after test day.
For a domain-deep dive (e.g., advanced networking), adjust the plan above—SCTs like Advanced Networking require direct VPC peering, Direct Connect, and hybrid architecture work.
Questions or specific corner cases? Comments open.