Preparation Guide for the AWS Solutions Architect Associate Exam
The AWS Solutions Architect Associate (AWS SAA) certification is one of the “basic” AWS certs, but it is by no means easy. The AWS SAA exam is both broad, in that it overs a wide range of material, but it also requires specific (and oftentimes, practical) knowledge across these varied topics. As someone who recently passed this certification, I would like to provide you with what worked, and what didn’t work, in order to successfully prepare yourself for this exam.
I used two third-party resources to prepare for this exam:
- Udemy A Cloud Guru Aws Certified Solutions Architect — Associate 2019 course
- WhizLabs AWS Certified Solutions Architect Associate (SAA-C01)
Below are my review of these resources, as well as tips to maximize their utility.
Udemy A Cloud Guru Aws Certified Solutions Architect — Associate 2019
This course provides a high-level perspective of the major AWS topics to be covered in the exam. It is a good way to be introduced to AWS, the suite of AWS services, and associated terminology. The course provides lectures and guided hands-on labs. While the hands-on labs are not absolutely necessary for passing the AWS SAA exam, I would recommend going through them. This is especially true if you do not regularly work with AWS, as a large portion of the AWS SAA cert requires an understanding of how services work together. Additionally, understanding appropriate configurations of services for different use cases is an important theme.
It is important to note that while this course provides a strong introduction to AWS, it is not detailed enough for successful exam completion on its own. Earlier versions of the AWS SAA exam may have only required the material in this course, but the current version is far more specific than any of the content covered in the lectures. There are also services brought up in the exam which are not mentioned in this course.
I recommend this course to anyone who is (relatively) new to AWS, or has not worked across a variety of AWS services, as an introduction to this platform. However, I do not recommend relying solely on this course to pass the AWS SAA exam as the material covered and level of detail are insufficient for doing so.
WhizLabs AWS Certified Solutions Architect Associate (SAA-C01)
For my preparation, I only paid for the practice tests/section quizzes. These do not include lecture videos or labs.
Practice tests consist of 65 questions, and you have 130 minutes to complete the test; this is the same format as the AWS SAA exam. Practice tests provide a good indication of the spread of content which could appear on the AWS SAA exam.
Section quizzes consist of 10 or 25 questions, and you have 20 or 50 minutes to complete them, respectively. As the name suggests, section quizzes focus on a specific topic/service and ask detailed questions for that area. Section quizzes provide a good indication of the level of detail for the questions in the AWS SAA exam. These are generally more difficult than the practice tests.
I found starting with the section quizzes most effective, and I used the following procedure in doing so:
- Take the section quiz for the first time. In most cases, I did not pass this attempt.
- DO NOT LOOK AT THE ANSWERS FOR THE FAILED ATTEMPT(S). Instead, make a mental note of the high-level topics in the quiz.
- Read AWS documentation for that section quiz subject to develop a detailed understanding of the service. I usually started with the product home page, then read FAQs, and then read the main sections of the Developer Guide.
- When the service is well-understood, re-take the section quiz. If failed, repeat steps 2–4. If passed, review the answers.
- For any wrong answers in a passed attempt, make note of the correct answers. WhizLabs provides detailed notes around correct solutions, which are very helpful in developing an understanding of a service. For this reason, I also recommend taking time to read through the answers which were correctly attempted.
It is important to note that for step 3, when reading through the documentation, you do not do so with only the specific questions asked in mind. If you think this is unavoidable, start with reading the documentation (step 3) instead of starting with the quiz.
Once I passed all of the section quizzes, I looked at the practice tests. I found the section quizzes prepared me for the practice tests, and I passed each one on my first attempt. My average mark was around 80%, and I typically took around 40–50 minutes to complete each. This was a good buffer as the passing mark for the AWS SAA is 70%, and you have 130 minutes to complete the exam.
Upon completion of each practice test, as with the section quizzes, review the answers for all questions. Make note of incorrect answers, as well as topics you do not feel confident in your understanding of. I spent time between each practice test reviewing the answers for the test I most recently took in order to ensure I understood (as well as possible) all material I had been exposed to. I would then move on to the next practice test.
Once you have passed each practice test (unaided, aiming for ~80% or higher, in an hour or less), you should be prepared enough to take the AWS SAA exam.
Additional Notes on Preparation for the Exam
As mentioned above, the Udemy A Cloud Guru course serves as a good introduction, but does not cover the material enough on its own. The AWS SAA test seems to have increased in difficulty in the last year-and-a-half, and while this course was at one time sufficient as a sole source of preparation, it no longer is.
It was mentioned to me that Linux Academy has a AWS SAA course which may serve as a better alternative for the new exam. As I did not use this to prepare, I cannot provide a review of this, but it may be worth looking into.
In terms of preparation timelines, I recommend doing this all start-to-finish, uninterrupted, as quickly as possible. There is a lot of memorization involved and if you are not referencing all of this knowledge on a frequent basis, you are likely to forget a lot of it. I would permit myself two weeks to get through the Udemy A Cloud Guru course, and then two more weeks to go through the WhizLabs material. Schedule the exam as soon after you are done preparing as possible. This timeline is for someone working full-time while studying for this exam.
Of course, getting enough sleep is crucial to success with the AWS SAA, especially with all the memorization involved! Additionally, read all questions very carefully. Some are framed in the negative (ie: which of these do not etc), and some require multiple answers to be selected. It is a shame to lose marks to carelessness, especially when you know the material!
While this certification may be tricky, it is highly doable. (If I could do it, I know you can!) I hope this guide helps you in your preparation for the AWS SAA exam. If you have any feedback, comments, or additional advice for prepping for this exam, please reach out in the comments or to me directly.
With proper preparation I have confidence that you too will become a certified AWS Solutions Architect Associate. Good luck, and happy studying!
