Starting in 2006, AWS is now one of the most trusted cloud service providers in the world. And it has not stopped here. AWS has been expanding aggressively across the globe. It is undoubtedly good news for all of us as it will create many jobs and career advancement opportunities.
AWS Certified Solution Architect Associate is one such certification exam offered by Amazon Web services, which can boost your existing career. It is specifically designed for AWS cloud practitioners, engineers, and all tech enthusiasts to enhance their skills and knowledge in the field. This certification will not only help you get the desired role, but it will also help you stand out among your peers. Certification allows recruiters to choose the authentic candidate.
So, even if you are skilled enough, certification is the validation of your skill. And if you are not competent enough, we recommend building your skill along with preparing for the AWS Certified Solution Architect Associate exam. Because you must be able to demonstrate your aptitude along with the certification to land a good job. This certification will be beneficial if you are a cloud practitioner looking forward to advancing your career.
But, the most important thing is you must be well prepared before taking this exam as you will be required to score very well to crack this exam.
This is why we have created this post to help you crack the AWS-certified Solution Architect Associate exam. We assume that you are pretty interested in taking this exam and clearing it with good scores. So, your first step is clear, and it is good that your intent is clear regarding your career.
Once your intent is clear, the next step is to know about your exam format and syllabus. And then comes planning strategies for the exam. In this post, we will discuss all these things in detail. First, we will have a brief overview of the AWS SAA C02 exam and syllabus, and then we will discuss planning and some preparation tips to crack the exam. So, let’s start with,
Brief Overview of Exam and Passing Criteria
Before starting the preparation, you must have a clear idea about the syllabus, exam format, and weightage of topics so that you can prepare for the exam accordingly.
Before we go through the exam pattern, you should know about the prerequisites. So the prerequisite is that you should have a basic knowledge of the cloud and networking, database, and storage and a minimum of 1 year of working experience in implementing AWS service. Then only preparation for this exam will make sense to you.
So, here’s the exam overview,
- There will be 65 multiple-choice questions or multiple-response questions in the exam.
- You will be allotted 130 minutes to clear these questions.
- The exam fee is 150 USD.
- The passing score keeps changing. On a scale of 100 to 1000, you will be required to score more than 720. So, it is highly recommended that you crack more than 75% of the questions to clear the exam.
Now we will see topics covered in the AWS-certified Solution Architect Associate exam.
Even though you are not expected to have an in-depth knowledge of coding, having some understanding of coding would be a plus for you.
Here are the various domains with respective weightage covered in the exam.
- Design Resilient Architectures Weightage: 26%
- Design Secure Architectures Weightage: 30%
- Design High-Performing Architectures Weightage: 24%
- Design Cost Optimized Architectures Weightage: 20%
Apart from all these topics, you should have complete knowledge of networking and computing, database, storage, migration, scalability, security, and designing resilient architectures for the thorough preparation of the AWS Solution Architect Associate exam.
As you are now aware of the exam pattern, we will discuss how to prepare for the exam and crack it on the first attempt.
How to Crack the AWS Certified Solution Architect Associate Exam?
Now we will discuss the preparation strategy and tips to crack the exam.
The first and very important tip before you start preparing is to set a goal of scoring more than 800 in the mock tests. Do not take the actual exam until you consistently score more than 800.
And to score such good marks, you will have to follow these steps.
- Join a Highly Reliable Online Learning Platform for the Preparation
It is vital to join a learning class as it will provide authentic reading resources and guide you to clear the exam.
Joining an online learning platform has many benefits, like learning at your own pace without peer pressure. As a working professional, it is challenging to spare time for physical classes, while you can learn according to your convenience and availability when it is online.
Moreover, in the online AWS SAA C02 learning class, you get the opportunity to learn from the people who scored very high in the AWS exams. So you can take guidance from them.
So the first step towards cracking this certification is joining an excellent online learning platform.
- Refer to AWS-approved Online Resources and AWS Whitepapers
AWS is a very dynamic field, so all the data keeps changing. So, reading books can help you but not with the latest updates.
You can read books but also keep checking AWS online resources for the latest updates. Keep yourself updated till the exam.
AWS whitepapers provide you with in-depth knowledge and help you score more than 800 on the exam. AWS whitepapers and AWS documentation provide all the latest updates in AWS. So, Once you are clear with all the basics, you should refer to AWS whitepapers and documentation to gain in-depth knowledge.
- Take Multiple Rounds of Mock Exams
The mock exam is the key to success. Taking a mock exam is very useful as you can know what to expect in the exam. So join an online learning platform that provides multiple mock texts before the exam.
Make a habit of understanding your weaker areas to put more focus into while preparing for the exam, and make it better in the next mock test. This is how you can improve yourself for the actual exam. You can take the help of experts to improve yourself after taking mock tests.
The significant benefit of taking mock tests is that it consolidates your knowledge and makes you ready for the exam. You learn to manage time in the exam, find your strong and weak areas, and how to allot time to the questions as per their difficulty levels so that you save your time on less important tasks whenever you attempt the actual exam.
Not just that, scores in the mock exams indicate your preparation level. So if you are scoring low, it means that you are not yet ready for the exam. Mock tests let you know the improvement areas you can work on with the help of your trainer or people in the online community.
Take the actual certification exam only after you consistently score well in the mock exams. So practice more and more mock tests to crack the exam.
- Apply your Knowledge in AWS Labs
The best way of learning any concept is by doing it. Learn all the theories and apply the same in AWS labs. Use the AWS console regularly to gain hands-on experience.
It will not only help you memorize theories but also help you in your career. Only certification will not help you land a good job. You need to have hands-on practical experience. So, you should start practicing the concepts during the preparation phase itself.
Some online learning platforms help you in this task as well. They help you build practical experience. So join such a class that provides you with AWS lab work tasks. It will build your practical skill along with learning the concepts.
- Do Not Hesitate to Ask for Help
It is very crucial for the preparation phase. When you are preparing for an advanced level exam like an AWS-certified Solution Architect Associate, it is quite normal that you may face doubts during the preparations. You may find some topics complicated or confusing, which is completely fine, as having doubts proves that you are absorbing the concepts well.
This is where joining the communities will help you. Join online communities to raise your doubts and share your unique ideas. It will help you prepare for the exam and build your network. You can also join communities provided by online learning platforms where you can find like-minded people with similar goals so that you can prepare more effectively.
Summing Up
So, that’s all about how to crack the AWS Certified Solution Architect Associate exam.
If you already have experience with the AWS exam, it will take less time to prepare. But if you are relatively new to that, spend some months preparing. Join a good online learning platform for preparation; it will be a helping hand until you get certified.
Now is the right time to prepare for the exam and ace it on your first attempt, as the demand for AWS-certified Solution Architect Associates is increasing exponentially. Good Luck!
