AWS Certified Solutions Architect – Associate exam - FAQ

I recently passed the AWS (Amazon Web Services) Certified Solutions Architect – Associate exam.

In this blog post I list out some tips and observations about this certification.

Note: The most authoritative source of this certification is the AWS website  - https://aws.amazon.com/certification/certified-solutions-architect-associate/
This blog gives my subjective version.

Who is this certification for? 

This certification is for architects who will design entire systems using the AWS infrastructure. This certification covers a broad list of topics, with very less depth. It is for generalists, not specialists.

What should I know before I start preparing? 

You should have experience designing or maintaining architecture for at least 1 year. You need basic IT experience  at least 7 years.

How much time will it take to prepare? 

I needed about 3 months of preparation, spending about 1 hour a day. I have been an IT solutions architect for a few years and I have some experience using basic AWS features.

What resources should I use? 

[Note - this is subjective] My main guide was Linux Academy (https://linuxacademy.com/). I shopped around several options and found that their course style matched my preference. I also referred to this blog for revising and notes - http://codingbee.net/tutorials/aws/aws-csa-associate/aws-about-this-course/

How will I benefit? 

This certification will give you confidence of knowing nearly 80% of the features of AWS. You will be able to demonstrate that you can setup and maintain a simple cloud infrastructure, or you can be a confident member of a team that runs a large cloud infrastructure.

What can I do after I pass? Check out the AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Professional exam. This exam will provide you the advanced skills needed to be an AWS architect.