If you need assistance with preparing for the AWS certification exam, you have come to the right place! I am an AWS-certified solutions architect associate working in a multinational IT company with over 4 years of hands-on experience with AWS.
I was pleasantly surprised by the significance and impact of the certificate in the IT industry. Thanks to my AWS certification, I have received multiple job offers for roles such as Solutions Architect and DevOps engineer.
In this article, I will guide you through the process of preparing for your AWS exam, including the cost of Amazon Cloud certification, recommended resources, and more.
Let us get started!
What is an AWS Certification?
AWS introduced certifications in 2013 to validate individuals' knowledge of the AWS cloud and its best practices. Currently, there are over 650,000 individuals holding associate, professional, or specialty-level AWS certificates.
The exam is of Pass/Fail type, and your score is only visible to you. The average passing percentage is 72%, but it may vary based on the exam type. Companies view AWS-certified candidates as credible resources who can assist with their AWS adoption.
Therefore, this article is dedicated to helping you prepare for your AWS certification exam.
Reasons to Choose AWS Certification:
There are numerous CSPs in the market, all offering certification programs to validate an individual's cloud skills. However, AWS stands out from the rest.
Here are three compelling reasons to opt for AWS:
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The cloud computing market is projected to surpass $1,240 billion by the end of 2027, and AWS holds the position of market leader.
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Gartner, an IT insights and solutions company, recognized AWS as the leader in its annual report - Gartner Magic Quadrant.
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The average salary for an AWS professional is 3.27% higher than that of an Azure professional, as reported by shiksha.com. Azure is a competitor of AWS in the CSP industry.
Now you have compelling reasons to pursue the AWS certification path. This article aims to assist with your AWS exam preparation.
Additionally, if you are interested in learning about all three major CSP players - AWS, Azure, and GCP - consider enrolling in a Cloud Computing Bootcamp. This will enable you to become a multi-cloud engineer, which is quite exciting!
Types of AWS Certifications and Their Costs
AWS offers twelve certification streams that validate various aspects of your AWS knowledge, including one foundational-level certificate, three associate-level certificates, two professional-level certificates, and six specialty-level certificates. You can find more information about the top AWS certifications here.
AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner:
Certificate Overview
It confirms your fundamental, advanced comprehension of the AWS Cloud, its services, and its language.
Ideal Candidate
After completing the required AWS practitioner exam preparation, anyone is eligible to take this exam.
Cost
100 USD
AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Associate:
Certificate Overview
It confirms your abilities in designing cost and performance-optimized solutions and showcases a solid understanding of the AWS Well-Architected Framework.
Ideal Candidate
A person with previous cloud and/or substantial on-premises IT experience.
Cost
150 USD
AWS Certified Developer - Associate:
Certificate Overview
It confirms your capability to showcase proficiency in developing, testing, deploying, and debugging AWS cloud-based applications.
Ideal Candidate
A person with previous IT or cloud experience, particularly in roles such as software developer or software engineer, who aims to develop or work on cloud-native applications on AWS.
Cost
150 USD
AWS Certified SysOps Administrator - Associate:
Certificate Overview
It confirms your experience in deploying, managing, and operating workloads on AWS.
Ideal Candidate
A person with previous IT or cloud experience, particularly in roles such as cloud engineer, systems administrator, and cloud or on-premises operations administrator, who aims to build, maintain, and troubleshoot the company’s AWS infrastructure.
Cost
150 USD
AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Professional:
Certificate Overview
It confirms your advanced-level knowledge and skills in designing intricate solutions for complex issues, enhancing security, cost, and performance, and automating the manual processes.
Ideal Candidate
It is intended for individuals with substantial IT or cloud experience, holding roles such as cloud architect, solutions architect, systems administrator, and cloud or on-premises software developers, who wish to demonstrate their professional-level knowledge and skills in designing, constructing, and maintaining infrastructure solutions on the AWS cloud.
Cost
300 USD
AWS Certified DevOps Engineer - Professional:
Certificate Overview
It confirms your technical expertise in provisioning, operating, and managing distributed application systems on the AWS platform, enhancing your confidence and credibility with peers, stakeholders, and customers.
Ideal Candidate
It is for individuals who have extensive IT or cloud experience and are in roles like DevOps engineer, software developer, and systems administrator, who want to prove their professional level knowledge and skills in designing, implementing, maintaining, and troubleshooting DevOps pipelines and other DevOps solutions on AWS cloud.
Cost
300 USD
AWS Certified Advanced Networking - Specialty:
Certificate Overview
It confirms your expertise in designing and implementing advanced network architectures for AWS services.
Ideal Candidate
It is intended for individuals with extensive IT networking knowledge or cloud networking experience, holding roles such as network engineer, network administrator, and solutions architect, who aim to demonstrate their expertise in designing, implementing, maintaining, and troubleshooting advanced cloud-native networking solutions on the AWS cloud.
Cost
300 USD
AWS Certified Data Analytics - Specialty:
Certificate Overview
It confirms your expertise in utilizing AWS data lakes and analytics services to derive insights from data.
Ideal Candidate
It is intended for individuals with extensive knowledge in data analytics, holding roles such as data engineer and data scientist, who aim to demonstrate their expertise in designing, implementing, maintaining, and troubleshooting advanced data analytics solutions on the AWS cloud.
Cost
300 USD
AWS Certified Machine Learning - Specialty:
Certificate Overview
It confirms your expertise in constructing, training, fine-tuning, and deploying machine learning (ML) models on AWS.
Ideal Candidate
It is intended for individuals with extensive experience in machine learning, holding roles such as Artificial Intelligence Engineer, Data Scientist, and Machine Learning Engineer, who aim to demonstrate their expertise in designing, implementing, maintaining, and troubleshooting advanced machine learning solutions on the AWS cloud.
Cost
300 USD
AWS Certified Security - Specialty:
Certificate Overview
It confirms your expertise in designing, implementing, and maintaining security solutions within the AWS Cloud.
Ideal Candidate
It is designed for individuals with extensive security experience in both on-premise and cloud environments, including roles such as Cyber Security Analysts, Cloud Security Architects, and Chief Information Security Officers. This certification validates their expertise in implementing cloud security solutions specifically on the AWS platform.
Cost
300 USD
AWS Certified: SAP on AWS - Specialty:
Certificate Overview
It confirms your expertise in designing, implementing, migrating, and operating SAP workloads on AWS.
Ideal Candidate
It is tailored for professionals with experience in both SAP and AWS, aiming to demonstrate their expertise in architecting, migrating, and managing SAP workloads on the AWS platform.
Cost
300 USD
How to Prepare for the AWS Certification Exam [Step-by-Step]
AWS Exam Preparation Guide
Dive into the syllabus to understand what you need to learn before taking the exam. Here are the official exam guides for various AWS certifications:
- AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner exam preparation guide
- AWS Certified Developer - Associate exam preparation guide
- AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Associate exam preparation guide
- AWS Certified SysOps Administrator - Associate exam preparation guide
- AWS Certified DevOps Engineer - Professional exam preparation guide
- AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Professional exam preparation guide
- AWS Certified Advanced Networking - Specialty exam preparation guide
- AWS Certified Data Analytics - Specialty exam preparation guide
- AWS Certified Database - Specialty exam preparation guide
- AWS Certified Machine Learning - Specialty exam preparation guide
- AWS Certified Security - Specialty exam preparation guide
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AWS Certified: SAP on AWS - Specialty exam preparation guide
- AWS Official Guide for All certificationsLearn the AWS Concepts & Skills
Concentrate on understanding the underlying concepts. For instance, let's take EC2, an AWS service enabling you to deploy virtual machines in the cloud. Rather than memorizing it, delve into what a virtual machine is.
Explore its various uses, alternative methods of deploying virtual machines, and how AWS stands out in the cloud virtualization market. Understanding these concepts will deepen your comprehension of the service, aiding you in addressing real-world application scenarios.
Skills are honed through practical experience.Hands-On Exposure to AWS Labs
You can grasp the theory of a concept through learning, but mastering it requires hands-on practice.
Sign up for a free AWS account and apply what you've learned in the course. Seek assistance if you encounter difficulties and strive to understand the underlying principles behind the actions you take. This approach is crucial for effective AWS exam preparation.Solve Practice Papers
AWS offers official practice question papers to familiarize you with the types of questions asked in the actual exam, aiding in your AWS exam preparation. Below, I've provided links to practice questions for each exam for your convenience.
- AWS Certified Developer - Associate practice question paper
- AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Associate practice question paper
- AWS Certified SysOps Administrator - Associate practice question paper
- AWS Certified DevOps Engineer - Professional practice question paper
- AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Professional practice question paper
- AWS Certified Advanced Networking - Specialty practice question paper
- AWS Certified Data Analytics - Specialty practice question paper
- AWS Certified Database - Specialty practice question paper
- AWS Certified Machine Learning - Specialty practice question paper
- AWS Certified Security - Specialty practice question paper
- AWS Certified: SAP on AWS - Specialty practice question paper
- AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner practice question paper
Join Relevant Discussion Forums
If you have questions or need clarification while preparing for your AWS certification exam, joining community forums like AWS re:Post or Stack Overflow can be incredibly helpful.
These platforms offer spaces to ask questions, receive answers, and engage with a supportive community of professionals.
Whether you are seeking assistance with specific concepts or looking for guidance on exam preparation strategies, these forums provide valuable resources and insights to aid in your journey.
Practice Exam Questions
Practice exams play a crucial role in achieving AWS certification. They provide valuable insights into the areas where you need to improve. Since AWS exams involve a fee, it is essential to minimize the risk of failure.
We highly recommend utilizing free practice exams from platforms like KnowledgeHut or taking mock exams provided by your trainer. Consistently achieving a minimum of 80% on mock tests is a solid indicator of readiness for the actual exam.
Best Way to Prepare for AWS Certification Exam?
Prepare for your chosen AWS certification with these steps:
AWS Cloud Practitioner Exam:
Get to know the exam and its style of questions. Focus on understanding the AWS services mentioned in the syllabus. Enroll in a course that covers the exam topics comprehensively. Assess your readiness with official practice exams.
AWS Solutions Architect Associate Exam:
Understand the exam structure and practice with sample questions. Use online courses to learn about AWS architecture and services. Ensure you can design scalable and cost-effective solutions. Take mock exams to evaluate your progress.
AWS Developer Associate Exam:
Learn about the exam requirements and focus on developing, deploying, and debugging cloud-based applications. Enroll in a relevant training program and practice coding exercises. Take practice exams to measure your proficiency.
AWS Solutions Architect Professional Exam:
Deep dive into AWS architecture principles and learn about advanced AWS services. Focus on designing highly available, cost-efficient, and scalable systems. Take practice tests to identify areas for improvement.
By now, you've learned about the AWS certification exams and how to prepare effectively. Remember, hands-on practice and thorough understanding of AWS services are key to success. Good luck with your AWS certification journey!
Top Job Benefits After Doing an AWS Certification
AWS certifications are beneficial for various job roles, including:
DevOps Engineer: AWS Certified DevOps Engineers design and manage cloud-based DevOps workflows.
Solution Architect: AWS Solutions Architects design scalable and secure infrastructure solutions on the AWS platform.
Application Developer: AWS Certified Developers create and maintain cloud-native applications using AWS services.
System Administrator: AWS SysOps Administrators deploy, manage, and secure workloads on the AWS cloud.
Cloud Security Specialist: AWS Security Specialty professionals architect and implement security solutions in cloud environments.
Conclusion
You now have a comprehensive guide on preparing for AWS certification exams, understanding the types of AWS certifications, and why getting certified is essential. Utilize the provided resources to maximize your exam preparation and excel in your AWS certification journey.
Best of luck!
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What study materials and resources are available for AWS exam preparation?
AWS provides official exam guides, sample questions, digital training videos, and a free AWS account for practice. Other online resources like KnowledgeHut offer free practice exams.
How long does it typically take to prepare for an AWS exam?
Preparation time varies based on individual understanding and application of concepts. Consistently scoring 80% in practice exams is a good indicator of readiness.
Are there any practice exams available for AWS exams?
Yes, AWS offers official practice exams for a fee, and KnowledgeHut provides free practice exams. Both options help gauge your preparedness for the actual exam.
