A Study Guide for the AWS Cloud Practitioner Certification
In this study guide, I will share my experiences and exam preparation to help you achieve your certification confidently.
AWS (Amazon Web Services) is a leading cloud computing platform, offering over 200 fully featured services to facilitate business growth and scalability. Let’s explore what the AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner certification entails and why it’s beneficial for your career.
What is AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner?
The AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner is a certification for technical professionals seeking foundational knowledge of AWS and cloud computing. It equips individuals with the necessary skills to support cloud operations across various industries. Whether you’re starting a career in the cloud or a line-of-business employee seeking cloud literacy, this certification serves as an excellent entry point in the AWS Certification journey.
Learning Resources
- AWS Resources (Free)
Explore the AWS Skill Builder catalogue for an array of free labs and digital training. Filter the courses based on your preferred language and fundamental level to access over 400 labs, providing hands-on experience to boost your confidence for the exam. One personal favourite is AWS’s Game-based learning experiences, such as the free AWS Cloud Quest. Engage in guided lectures, quizzes, labs, and puzzles within a virtual Cloud Quest city. Transform the city using cloud concepts to solve real business problems while earning points. Access this learning experience with just an Amazon account, completely free of charge.
2. Udemy Resources (Paid)
The best resource I have found to learn AWS and is widely used is from Stephane Maarek.
His first course that I recommend is Ultimate AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner. This approximately 15-hour course combines lectures and hands-on walk-throughs, allowing you to follow along with your own AWS account. The course ends with a past paper to test your knowledge and familiarize you with exam-style questions.
Stephane Maarek also offers another valuable resource: 6 Practice Exams | AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner CLF-C01. These practice papers cover all the lectures and AWS content, providing explanations of answers and helpful “exam alerts” with essential exam tips for each question. While these courses are not free, they offer an excellent investment in your certification journey, typically costing around £20 each.
The Exam Itself
The AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner exam consists of 65 multiple-choice questions to be completed in 100 minutes. The questions include both multiple responses and single responses. To pass the exam, you need at least a 70% correct response rate, with no penalty for incorrect answers. You have the option to take the exam at an exam centre or from the comfort of your home. Home exams are easy to set up on a personal laptop with a camera, as long as you have a clear desk that meets the regulations.
AWS at EDF
EDF uses a diverse range of AWS resources, giving us the opportunity to work on different tools in our daily operations. By gaining AWS certification, it gives you the knowledge & competence to confidentially use these tools, improve the performance of current tools and also recommend new products that might enhance our operational efficiency.
The company has arranged several immersive AWS hands-on events, including Game Days and AWS DeepRacer experiences, which significantly contribute to our understanding of AWS technologies. EDF also actively encourages and facilitates employee participation in AWS conferences and summits, notably this year the AWS 2023 Summit in London which I highly recommend for getting hands on experience & learning from AWS experts.
Good luck!
Obtaining the AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner certification is a great stepping stone towards a successful career in cloud computing. By leveraging the learning resources mentioned above, you can gain the foundational knowledge and hands-on experience necessary to confidently tackle the exam. Good luck on your journey to becoming an AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner, and happy AWS-ing!
