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How to Clear AWS Solutions Architect Associate Exam ?

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AWS Certified Solutions Architect Associate Exam

If you aim to establish your proficiency in AWS cloud computing services, the AWS Solutions Architect Associate certification exam serves as an excellent entry point. Successfully passing this examination not only showcases your capability to design and implement scalable, fault-tolerant, and highly available systems on the AWS platform, but also underscores your grasp of essential services and optimal methodologies. However, embarking on the journey to prepare for this assessment can feel daunting, especially if you are new to the world of AWS. The breadth of services and concepts to grasp might leave you uncertain about where to commence. This is precisely why we have crafted a comprehensive guide detailing the roadmap to conquer the AWS Solutions Architect Associate exam.

Our guide encompasses a range of topics, from dissecting the exam structure and recommending study resources to practicing with mock exams and adopting effective exam-taking tactics. Whether you are a novice in the realm of AWS or a seasoned expert, this guide equips you with the necessary resources to ready yourself for and successfully navigate the AWS Solutions Architect Associate exam with confidence. Let’s embark on this journey together!

Glossary of AWS Solutions Architecture Terminology

  1. AWS, which stands for Amazon Web Services, represents a cloud computing platform delivered by Amazon.
  2. Cloud Computing encompasses the provision of computing services on demand, encompassing elements such as servers, storage, databases, networking, software, analytics, and intelligence, all accessible via the internet.
  3. Compute signifies a service that furnishes virtual servers, containers, and other computing resources.
  4. Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) functions as a web service, offering resizable compute capacity within the cloud environment.
  5. Elastic Load Balancer (ELB) takes care of the automatic distribution of incoming traffic across numerous targets, including EC2 instances, containers, and IP addresses.
  6. Auto Scaling operates as an automated service that dynamically adjusts the count of EC2 instances or other resources in response to fluctuations in demand.
  7. Relational Database Service (RDS) presents a managed database service streamlining the setup, operation, and scalability of relational databases.
  8. Simple Storage Service (S3) takes the form of a highly scalable object storage service, granting users the ability to store and retrieve any volume of data from anywhere on the web.
  9. Virtual Private Cloud (VPC) defines a virtual network framework that empowers users to isolate resources and exercise control over network traffic.
  10. CloudFormation stands as a service facilitating the creation and management of an array of AWS resources in a consistent, repeatable manner.
  11. Elastic Beanstalk simplifies the deployment and administration of applications within the AWS Cloud.
  12. Lambda empowers customers to execute code without the need for server provisioning or management.
  13. API Gateway enables customers to craft, deploy, and oversee APIs.
  14. CloudWatch serves as a monitoring tool for AWS resources and the applications they host.
  15. CloudTrail provides a log detailing AWS API calls associated with customers’ accounts.
  16. Security Group functions as a virtual firewall regulating both inbound and outbound traffic for instances.
  17. Network Access Control List (NACL) consists of a rule set governing traffic at the subnet level.
  18. Direct Connect establishes a dedicated network connection linking customers’ premises to AWS.
  19. Route 53 operates as a scalable domain name system (DNS) service, converting domain names into IP addresses.
  20. Elastic Block Store (EBS) serves as a service delivering enduring block storage volumes for utilization with EC2 instances.

Preparation resources for AWS Solutions Architect Associate Exam

There are several official exam preparation resources provided by Amazon Web Services (AWS) for the AWS Solutions Architect Associate Exam. Some of these resources include:

Experts tips to pass the AWS Solutions Architect Associate Exam

  1. Become acquainted with the exam format and content: Gaining a clear understanding of the exam’s structure, time constraints, and covered subjects is of utmost importance. You can access this crucial information from the official AWS website and the exam guide.
  2. Develop practical experience: Hands-on involvement with AWS services is essential for comprehending how concepts and features are practically applied. You can acquire practical experience by engaging in labs, tutorials, and hands-on projects.
  3. Study the official AWS exam guide: The official AWS exam guide is an invaluable resource that provides comprehensive insights into the exam. It encompasses exam objectives, recommended study materials, and sample questions.
  4. Engage in practice exams: Practice exams serve as a valuable tool for becoming accustomed to the exam’s format and for assessing your knowledge. Numerous practice exams are available online, including offerings from AWS and third-party providers.
  5. Concentrate on high-weighted topics: Certain exam topics carry more weight than others. Prioritizing these high-weighted subjects is pivotal for succeeding in the exam. The official exam guide outlines the weightage assigned to each topic.
  6. Grasp pricing and billing concepts: Navigating AWS pricing and billing intricacies requires understanding diverse pricing models, strategies for cost optimization, and best practices for billing management.
  7. Participate in an AWS community: Becoming a member of an AWS community, whether it’s a user group or forum, grants access to valuable insights and support. You can pose queries, share experiences, and learn from peers who have triumphed in the exam.
  8. Leverage study resources: An array of study resources is available, encompassing AWS documentation, whitepapers, videos, and online courses. Opt for resources aligned with your learning style and that are focused on the exam’s core objectives.
  9. Master time management: Effectively managing time during the exam is paramount. Strategically plan your time and allocate sufficient minutes for each question. Avoid allocating excessive time to any single question, as this could hamper your ability to tackle other questions.
  10. Maintain composure and confidence: Lastly, maintain a composed and confident demeanor throughout the exam. Take measured breaths, carefully read each question, and concentrate on addressing the specific query presented. Maintain your poise even when confronted with challenging questions.

Exam Information – AWS Solutions Architect Associate

Exam Content

  • The test comprises two types of questions: single-choice questions with one correct answer from a set of four options, and multiple-response questions with two accurate answers chosen from five alternatives.
  • It’s crucial for the candidate to address every question, as there are no penalties for incorrect responses. However, leaving a question unanswered is counted as an incorrect answer.
  • Additionally, the exam might include ungraded content for survey purposes, which has no impact on the final test score.

Content Outline

New AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate (SAA-C03) Exam Course Outline

Domain 1: Design Secure Architectures
Task Statement 1: Design secure access to AWS resources.

Knowledge of:

Skills in:

Task Statement 2: Design secure workloads and applications.

Knowledge of:

Skills in:

Task Statement 3: Determine appropriate data security controls.

Knowledge of:

Skills in:

Domain 2: Design Resilient Architectures
Task Statement 1: Design scalable and loosely coupled architectures.

Knowledge of:

Skills in:

  • Designing event-driven, microservice, and/or multi-tier architectures based on requirements (AWS Documentation: Event-Driven Architecture)
  • Determining scaling strategies for components used in an architecture design
  • Determining the AWS services required to achieve loose coupling based on requirements (AWS Documentation: Loosely Coupled Scenarios)
  • Determining when to use containers (AWS Documentation: Determining task size)
  • Determining when to use serverless technologies and patterns
  • Recommending appropriate compute, storage, networking, and database technologies based on requirements
  • Using purpose-built AWS services for workloads (AWS Documentation: Database)
Task Statement 2: Design highly available and/or fault-tolerant architectures.

Knowledge of:

Skills in:

  • Determining automation strategies to ensure infrastructure integrity (AWS Documentation: Protecting Compute)
  • Determining the AWS services required to provide a highly available and/or fault-tolerant architecture across AWS Regions or Availability Zones (AWS Documentation: Architecture guidelines and decisions)
  • Identifying metrics based on business requirements to deliver a highly available solution
  • Implementing designs to mitigate single points of failure (AWS Documentation: Withstand Component Failures)
  • Implementing strategies to ensure the durability and availability of data (for example, backups)
  • Selecting an appropriate DR strategy to meet business requirements (AWS Documentation: Plan for Disaster Recovery (DR))
  • Using AWS services that improve the reliability of legacy applications and applications not built for the cloud (for example, when application changes are not possible)
  • Using purpose-built AWS services for workloads (AWS Documentation: Database)
Domain 3: Design High-Performing Architectures
Task Statement 1: Determine high-performing and/or scalable storage solutions.

Knowledge of:

  • Hybrid storage solutions to meet business requirements (AWS Documentation: Hybrid Cloud Storage)
  • Storage services with appropriate use cases (for example, Amazon S3, Amazon Elastic File System [Amazon EFS], Amazon Elastic Block Store [Amazon EBS]) (AWS Documentation: Storage)
  • Storage types with associated characteristics (for example, object, file, block)

Skills in:

  • Determining storage services and configurations that meet performance demands (AWS Documentation: Storage Architecture Selection)
  • Determining storage services that can scale to accommodate future needs (AWS Documentation: Storage)
Task Statement 2: Design high-performing and elastic compute solutions.

Knowledge of:

  • AWS compute services with appropriate use cases (for example, AWS Batch, Amazon EMR, Fargate) (AWS Documentation: AWS Batch on AWS Fargate, Compute Services)
  • Distributed computing concepts supported by AWS global infrastructure and edge services (AWS Documentation: Global infrastructure)
  • Queuing and messaging concepts (for example, publish/subscribe) (AWS Documentation: Pub/Sub Messaging)
  • Scalability capabilities with appropriate use cases (for example, Amazon EC2 Auto Scaling, AWS Auto Scaling) (AWS Documentation: Amazon EC2 Auto Scaling)
  • Serverless technologies and patterns (for example, Lambda, Fargate) (AWS Documentation: Serverless)
  • The orchestration of containers (for example, Amazon ECS, Amazon EKS) (AWS Documentation: Orchestrating the containers)

Skills in:

  • Decoupling workloads so that components can scale independently (AWS Documentation: Event-Driven Architecture)
  • Identifying metrics and conditions to perform scaling actions (AWS Documentation: Monitor CloudWatch metrics)
  • Selecting the appropriate compute options and features (for example, EC2 instance types) to meet business requirements (AWS Documentation: Amazon EC2 Instance Types)
  • Selecting the appropriate resource type and size (for example, the amount of Lambda memory) to meet business requirements
Task Statement 3: Determine high-performing database solutions.

Knowledge of:

  • AWS global infrastructure (for example, Availability Zones, AWS Regions) (AWS Documentation: Global infrastructure)
  • Caching strategies and services (for example, Amazon ElastiCache) (AWS Documentation: Caching strategies)
  • Data access patterns (for example, read-intensive compared with write-intensive) (AWS Documentation: Best practices for Amazon RDS)
  • Database capacity planning (for example, capacity units, instance types, Provisioned IOPS)
  • Database connections and proxies (AWS Documentation: Using Amazon RDS Proxy)
  • Database engines with appropriate use cases (for example, heterogeneous migrations, homogeneous migrations) (AWS Documentation: Heterogeneous database migration)
  • Database replication (for example, read replicas) (AWS Documentation: Working with read replicas)
  • Database types and services (for example, serverless, relational compared with non-relational, in-memory) (AWS Documentation: Database)

Skills in:

  • Configuring read replicas to meet business requirements
  • Designing database architectures (AWS Documentation: Database Architecture Selection)
  • Determining an appropriate database engine (for example, MySQL compared with PostgreSQL) (AWS Documentation: Best practices for Amazon RDS)
  • Determining an appropriate database type (for example, Amazon Aurora, Amazon DynamoDB)
  • Integrating caching to meet business requirements
Task Statement 4: Determine high-performing and/or scalable network architectures.

Knowledge of:

  • Edge networking services with appropriate use cases (for example, Amazon CloudFront, AWS Global Accelerator) (AWS Documentation: Edge networking with AWS)
  • How to design network architecture (for example, subnet tiers, routing, IP addressing) (AWS Documentation: VPC with public and private subnets (NAT))
  • Load balancing concepts (for example, Application Load Balancer) (AWS Documentation: Application Load Balancer)
  • Network connection options (for example, AWS VPN, Direct Connect, AWS PrivateLink) (AWS Documentation: AWS Direct Connect)

Skills in:

Task Statement 5: Determine high-performing data ingestion and transformation solutions.

Knowledge of:

Skills in:

Domain 4: Design Cost-Optimized Architectures
Task Statement 1: Design cost-optimized storage solutions.

Knowledge of:

  • Access options (for example, an S3 bucket with Requester Pays object storage) (AWS Documentation: Using Requester Pays buckets for storage transfers and usage)
  • AWS cost management service features (for example, cost allocation tags, multi-account billing) (AWS Documentation: Using Cost Allocation Tags)
  • AWS cost management tools with appropriate use cases (for example, AWS Cost Explorer, AWS Budgets, AWS Cost and Usage Report) (AWS Documentation: Analyzing your costs with AWS Cost Explorer)
  • AWS storage services with appropriate use cases (for example, Amazon FSx, Amazon EFS, Amazon S3, Amazon EBS) (AWS Documentation: Storage)
  • Backup strategies (AWS Documentation: AWS Backup)
  • Block storage options (for example, hard disk drive [HDD] volume types, solid state drive [SSD] volume types) (AWS Documentation: Amazon EBS volume types)
  • Data lifecycles (AWS Documentation: Amazon Data Lifecycle Manager)
  • Hybrid storage options (for example, DataSync, Transfer Family, Storage Gateway)
  • Storage access patterns
  • Storage tiering (for example, cold tiering for object storage) (AWS Documentation: Using Amazon S3 storage classes)
  • Storage types with associated characteristics (for example, object, file, block) (AWS Documentation: Storage)

Skills in:

Task Statement 2: Design cost-optimized compute solutions.

Knowledge of:

  • AWS cost management service features (for example, cost allocation tags, multi-account billing) (AWS Documentation: Using Cost Allocation Tags)
  • AWS cost management tools with appropriate use cases (for example, Cost Explorer, AWS Budgets, AWS Cost and Usage Report) (AWS Documentation: AWS Cost Explorer)
  • AWS global infrastructure (for example, Availability Zones, AWS Regions) (AWS Documentation: Global infrastructure)
  • AWS purchasing options (for example, Spot Instances, Reserved Instances, Savings Plans) (AWS Documentation: Instance purchasing options)
  • Distributed compute strategies (for example, edge processing) (AWS Documentation: Amazon SageMaker Distributed Training Libraries)
  • Hybrid compute options (for example, AWS Outposts, AWS Snowball Edge) (AWS Documentation: Compute Services)
  • Instance types, families, and sizes (for example, memory optimized, compute optimized, virtualization) (AWS Documentation: Memory optimized instances)
  • Optimization of compute utilization (for example, containers, serverless computing, microservices)
  • Scaling strategies (for example, auto scaling, hibernation) (AWS Documentation: Warm pools for Amazon EC2 Auto Scaling)

Skills in:

  • Determining an appropriate load balancing strategy (for example, Application Load Balancer [Layer 7] compared with Network Load Balancer [Layer 4] compared with Gateway Load Balancer) (AWS Documentation: Elastic Load Balancing FAQs)
  • Determining appropriate scaling methods and strategies for elastic workloads (for example, horizontal compared with vertical, EC2 hibernation) (AWS Documentation: Best practices for EC2 Spot)
  • Determining cost-effective AWS compute services with appropriate use cases (for example, Lambda, Amazon EC2, Fargate)
  • Determining the required availability for different classes of workloads (for example, production workloads, non-production workloads) (AWS Documentation: Workloads)
  • Selecting the appropriate instance family for a workload
  • Selecting the appropriate instance size for a workload (AWS Documentation: Tips for Right Sizing)
Task Statement 3: Design cost-optimized database solutions.

Knowledge of:

  • AWS cost management service features (for example, cost allocation tags, multi-account billing) (AWS Documentation: Using Cost Allocation Tags)
  • AWS cost management tools with appropriate use cases (for example, Cost Explorer, AWS Budgets, AWS Cost and Usage Report) (AWS Documentation: AWS Cost Explorer)
  • Caching strategies (AWS Documentation: Caching strategies)
  • Data retention policies
  • Database capacity planning (for example, capacity units) (AWS Documentation: Read/write capacity mode)
  • Database connections and proxies (AWS Documentation: Using Amazon RDS Proxy)
  • Database engines with appropriate use cases (for example, heterogeneous migrations, homogeneous migrations) (AWS Documentation: Heterogeneous database migration)
  • Database replication (for example, read replicas) (AWS Documentation: Working with read replicas)
  • Database types and services (for example, relational compared with non-relational, Aurora, DynamoDB) (AWS Documentation: Database)

Skills in:

  • Designing appropriate backup and retention policies (for example, snapshot frequency)
  • Determining an appropriate database engine (for example, MySQL compared with PostgreSQL) (AWS Documentation: Best practices for Amazon RDS)
  • Determining cost-effective AWS database services with appropriate use cases (for example, DynamoDB compared with Amazon RDS, serverless)
  • Determining cost-effective AWS database types (for example, time series format, columnar format) (AWS Documentation: AWS Cloud Databases)
  • Migrating database schemas and data to different locations and/or different database engines (AWS Documentation: Best practices for AWS Database Migration Service)
Task Statement 4: Design cost-optimized network architectures.

Knowledge of:

Skills in:

  • Configuring appropriate NAT gateway types for a network (for example, a single shared NAT gateway compared with NAT gateways for each Availability Zone) (AWS Documentation: NAT gateways)
  • Configuring appropriate network connections (for example, Direct Connect compared with VPN compared with internet) (AWS Documentation: AWS Direct Connect FAQs)
  • Configuring appropriate network routes to minimize network transfer costs (for example, Region to Region, Availability Zone to Availability Zone, private to public, Global Accelerator, VPC endpoints)
  • Determining strategic needs for content delivery networks (CDNs) and edge caching (AWS Documentation: Working with Content Delivery Networks (CDNs))
  • Reviewing existing workloads for network optimizations (AWS Documentation: Optimize over time)
  • Selecting an appropriate throttling strategy (AWS Documentation: Throttle API requests for better throughput)
  • Selecting the appropriate bandwidth allocation for a network device (for example, a single VPN compared with multiple VPNs, Direct Connect speed) (AWS Documentation: Site-to-Site VPN single and multiple connection)

Exam Result

The outcome of the AWS Solutions Architect Associate Exam will classify you as either successful or unsuccessful. The result is gauged through a scoring range of 100 to 1000, with a minimum of 720 required to pass. This score reflects the proficiency demonstrated in the exam. The scoring approach adjusts for variations in difficulty levels across different forms of the test to maintain the benchmark score.

The examination score holds significant value for candidates, offering a comprehensive and insightful evaluation of their performance. While passing individual sections is not obligatory, passing the overall exam is the ultimate goal. The individual sections may have different weightings, potentially resulting in varying numbers of questions for each section.

How to Prepare for your AWS Solutions Architect Associate Exam

The most recommended approach to your preparation for the AWS Solutions Architect Associate Exam is practical studying. Hands on experience with AWS Services and applications for over a year shall be ideal.

White Papers

The white papers provided by AWS are based on various customer interactions and cover the general practical matters of pestilence to the job. The white papers need thorough reading for an understanding of the systems of AWS. The white papers also frame the exams so, despite your experience or lack of it with the AWS systems, it is a must that you go over these readings.

AWS certification preparation book

AWS offers a complete detailed study guide for preparation.

Practice Exams

AWS offers certain sample questions that can be availed from their official site itself. It is important that you go over these questions for a better understanding of the exam questions. Unfortunately AWS doesn’t provide enough questions to practice on.
Practice Tests are functional for you to determine the level of your preparation and get a sense of the examination before you undertake it. Practice exams, a mock test that is oriented towards practical knowledge can be found online easily. AWS offers 10  sample questions and charges $20 for twenty sample questions. For AWS exams it is recommended to go over AWS sample questions, however, for effective preparation, you would require more questions.

For AWS Solutions Architect Associate Practice Tests Visit: aws-certified-solutions-architect-associate-free-practice-test

Instructor-led training

The AWS certifications are largely practical an depend a lot upon experience and training. The practical hands-on training can be of use for you to acquaint yourself with design, deployment, AWS services, and systems.  Online forums, video training, courses are easily available and elaborate upon the objectives, topics and the overall exam blueprint.

AWS Youtube Channel

The AWS Youtube Channel puts forth content that covers elaborate information and highlights on exam related topics. There are engaging presentations that cover areas from the introductory level to that of a rather advanced standard. The videos can be quick and effective for awareness and learning purposes.

AWS Solutions Architect Associate exam: Tips & tricks

There needs to be a degree of coordination between your knowledge, overall preparation and the strategy you deploy in order to undertake the exam.

It would be suggested that strategize your responses. Identify the quick, immediate response questions from your first glance at the test and answer them. Then approach the ones that are comparatively engaging and time taking. These should take around thirty minutes in all. Finally spends the rest of the time in solving the rather difficult questions.

  • Get hands-on experience through the free tier that AWS avails for its services.
  • Acquire clarity with your basics. For this, it is necessary that you go through the exam blueprint carefully.
  • It would also be suggested that you primarily read a book that details the history of AWS. For instance. ‘The Everything Stone’ by Brad Stone.

Clearing the Interview

The AWS Solutions Architect Associate interview questions can be as difficult as the certification itself. Since the certification validates a series of skill sets it is often a subject of inquiry in interviews. Your knowledge about the AWS services can be questioned in the interviews.

The interview is open to those without the certification as well. Therefore, it is your performance in the interview that qualifies you for the job. Go through the series of questions to acquaint yourself to the kind of questions that come up in the interviews.

Steps after the AWS Solutions Architect Associate Certification is obtained

Recertification

AWS certifications remain valid for a specific duration, typically a couple of years, after which revalidation is necessary. The recertification process involves a more cost-effective and streamlined version of the initial certification exam. The recertification assessment can be taken within a year of the original certification’s expiration. Alternatively, individuals can opt for a higher level of certification, such as the AWS Certified Architect-Professional, within the same role.

To stay updated with evolving technology and requirements, ongoing hands-on practice and experience are crucial. Sustaining your skill set becomes imperative. Exploring advanced courses or relevant studies, like the Advanced Architecture course, could pique your interest and aid in your skill enhancement.

Practice tests on AWS Solutions Architect Associate Exam

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