How to Get an AWS Solutions Architect Associate Certification
Introduction
Are you considering a career in cloud computing or looking to advance your current skills in the field? In today’s rapidly evolving digital landscape, the demand for skilled professionals proficient in cloud technologies is soaring. Among the myriad of cloud platforms available, Amazon Web Services (AWS) stands out as a leader, powering some of the world’s most innovative and successful companies. In this article, we delve into how you can obtain an AWS Solutions Architect Associate certification.
I had a bit of experience working with AWS prior to starting studying for this exam, which definitely helped me understand certain concepts more quickly. Although you can still pass this exam with no AWS experience, I would recommend first going for an AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner certification before thinking about this one if you are coming from 0 cloud experience.
I just recently got certified this past February 2024 after studying for several weeks, finally passing the AWS SAA-C03 exam (838 score). It wasn’t easy and required dedicated time for studying and playing around with the AWS console. But that doesn’t mean it’s impossible!
Preparation Strategies
The two main things I used to prepare were an AWS SAA-C03 review course and practice exams. There are a ton of courses out there that you can check out, but the one that I decided to go with was the one built by Adrian Cantrill.
This course was great because it was incredibly detailed, going through lots of information about each AWS resource with hands on labs (more than what is necessary for passing the exam). My only issue with this course is that because it has so much information, it also takes a long time to go through the entire course. It is important to study to really learn and remember how to use different resources in AWS / how they fit together, rather than trying to get through the course quickly. I also took notes on every topic and reviewed the notes regularly as to ensure that the material would stay in my long term memory. This is the best way to have the information stick for when you take the exam.
Practice! Practice! Practice! I spent at least 2–3 weeks after going through the course material working on practice exams before I scheduled the real exam. I probably did 500+ practice questions before finally taking the exam. While the course material helps you get a solid foundation of the inner workings of AWS resources, the practice questions are what solidify your ability to apply the knowledge in real-life scenarios.
The best test bank that I used to practice were the practice tests created by Jon Bonso on Tutorials Dojo. It does cost money to get them (there is a free set of 30 questions), but it was definitely worth it considering there are 7 practice tests + 1 bonus practice test. The questions in these practice tests had a similar difficulty level to the questions that I saw on the actual exam.
AWS Skill Builder, which is where AWS has their own practice material / courses, is also an additional place you can look to study / practice for the exam. It has a free course / set of questions as well as a subscription based course / set of questions. I personally used the free trial to do the subscription based set of questions because this provided an official practice test curated by Amazon.
Conclusion
Find a course or book tailored to the AWS SAA-C03 exam that will help you learn the material, preferably one with hands on labs. Set aside a few hours 5–7 days a week for a few weeks to consistently study, take notes, and finally do as many practice questions as you have time for. It seems daunting at the beginning, but if you are consistent - you’ll be ready in no time!
